Written by Manpreet Kaur
Content WriterThe term “headless” is increasing becoming popular in the eCommerce sphere. As more organizations implement a headless architecture to design their eCommerce storefronts, headless systems' development and steadiness are being enhanced on a daily basis. This blog covers everything about headless architecture, its features, how it works, and in what ways it impacts your digital commerce platforms.
Headless architecture refers to a decoupled architecture meant to design commerce solutions and applications. Here, the frontend is separated from the backend. The frontend refers to components that control user experience which includes what the user views and interacts with, while the backend is the server side of application that governs the structure, specifies business logic, and stores data.
This decoupled architecture ensures all the information stored in the backend is not limited to one medium, channel, or layout, and can be broadcasted to various frontends. A headless system includes – a headless CMS, an API layer that establishes the connection between the frontend and backend, and a static site generator to deliver content to multiple devices.
The headless approach provides businesses with the freedom to design the desired frontend using the preferred tech stack or it can be used on the ‘best of breed’ platforms to create new customer touchpoints.
A traditional CMS features an architecture that combines the frontend and backend. Therefore, both portions are highly dependent on each other and lack flexibility, even if they work well. The developers use plugins to extend the functionalities of a CMS.
In contrast, a headless architecture eliminates the coupling of frontend and backend. This implies that no specific way defines how the content should be presented to users. Therefore, the content can be delivered to any device virtually anywhere with help of APIs that push it to devices, thereby delivering a great user experience. We can also refer to this as Content as a Service (CaaS), where you create content once and send it to presentation tiers in XML or JSON formats to publish it multiple times.
The headless approach allows developers to leverage the frontend framework. They are not limited by a specific CMS or database and can deploy modern technologies to build unique digital experiences and present content in high-performing ways.
The headless implementation protects your platforms from malicious attacks such as DDoS and SQL injection. These platforms are regularly updated and reduce potential risks compared to traditional CMS.
You can add infinite scalability in terms of hosting without paying hefty amounts. The pay-what-you-use model reduces your total ownership costs significantly.
Businesses can implement the headless architecture using SAP Commerce Cloud to enhance their outreach and deliver customer-centric experiences. SAP Commerce Cloud offers comprehensive cloud-based solutions for B2C and B2C with advanced product content management, order management, customer management, and omnichannel commerce capabilities. SAP Commerce Cloud allows you to implement headless commerce with its open-source JavaScript-based storefront known as Spartacus.
Spartacus features a decoupled architecture which implies the storefront itself is a distinct entity that, on top of OOTB features, has its personalized features. It communicates with SAP Commerce Cloud or other tools using the REST API, making it an autonomous framework. As a result, you can deliver phenomenal customer experiences across different channels, eliminating the need to update the backend commerce platform.
A headless architecture empowers creators to deliver amazing digital experiences with high-performing commerce solutions. Royal Cyber helps to implement a seamless headless architecture across all digital channels to reap benefits of designing online storefronts and websites. Are you planning to implement a headless commerce? If yes, get in touch with our certified eCommerce experts to know how we can help you scale your business beyond an online existence.