Headless commerce is emerging as a popular solution for businesses looking to provide a seamless shopping experience for their customers. It can be daunting to understand the technology and its implications, so this guide is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the topic.
We’ll explain what headless commerce is, its advantages and disadvantages, and how it can be used to create an innovative shopping platform. With this knowledge, you can begin to assess whether headless commerce is the right fit for your business. We’ll also look at the steps you need to take to get started and the different tools and platforms available. By the end of this guide, you should have the confidence to decide if headless commerce is the right choice for your business.
What is headless commerce?
Headless Commerce is an implementation of e-commerce where the seller does not have a storefront with an online store. This can also be referred to as “omnichannel”, because the business is managing all the sales channels, including its own website, social media, and other digital marketing channels like email and ads. Some of the most popular eCommerce platforms that are headless are Shopify, BigCommerce, and Volusion. The benefits of headless commerce include lower cost of starting up, lower overhead costs, less inventory and overhead, and reduced reliance on customers.
Advantages of headless commerce
Let’s look at the most apparent headless commerce benefits
- Low start-up costs – Headless e-commerce solutions are much cheaper to start up than a traditional storefront. The cost of setting up a headless store can be as little as $1,500 compared to $500,000 for a full e-commerce solution. This is because the majority of these solutions are managed services, and don’t require additional hardware or software.
- Less inventory and overhead – Headless e-commerce stores do not require inventory, staff, or overhead costs. This means you can use your overhead for other parts of your business.
- Reduced reliance on customers – Because headless stores do not require a storefront, you can use your existing online marketing channels like social media, email, and ads. This means you can reduce your reliance on customers and avoid the risk of interruption in sales caused by cancellations and refusals.
- Easier to scale – Headless solutions can be scaled easily and quickly, making it easier to meet customer demand. This is because you don’t need to acquire new software or hire new staff to scale the business.
- Greater control over your brand – Since headless stores do not require a storefront, you have much greater control over your brand. You can control your brand identity, message, and marketing content across digital channels, including social media, ads, and emails. This means you can reduce the risk of miscommunication and provide a consistent and coherent brand message.
- Greater control of your data – Because headless stores do not require a storefront, you have much greater control of your data. This includes the data collected for your customers and their activities. For example, since you don’t need to store data in a storefront, you can store data in a more secure and controlled way. This means you can control and protect the data you collect.
Disadvantages of headless commerce
– Difficulty finding qualified leads – Because headless stores don’t require a storefront, it can be difficult to find customers. This means you may need to prioritize lead generation and make it a higher priority. – Difficulty communicating with customers – Because headless stores don’t require a storefront, it can be difficult to communicate with your customers. This can create frustration, missed opportunities, and loss of sales. – Not all customers are ready for headless commerce – If you offer a product or service that is not very common, it may be challenging to find customers for your headless store. – Less brand awareness – Because headless stores don’t require a storefront, it can be difficult to gain brand awareness. This can make it harder to reach new customers and grow your business.
How to get started with headless commerce
The first step in implementing headless commerce is to understand the various models available and decide which one is right for your business. Next, you need to evaluate your product or service and decide if it fits with the model you choose.
Once you have determined the model and product you want to offer, it’s time to get started. If your product or service fits with a manual model, you’ll need to hire a solution provider to set up a composable storefront. Manual models include Shopify, BigCommerce, and Volusion. If your product or service fits with a managed service, you can sign up for a hosted headless solution and manage the setup and ongoing operations within that service. Managed service models include WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. You can also choose to self-host your product with a hosted service like Woocommerce or Easy Digital Downloads. Self-hosting models include Shopify, BigCommerce, and Volusion.
Different tools and platforms available
Once you have decided on a headless commerce solution and product, you’ll need to find the solution and sign up for a subscription. Headless commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Volusion, and Woocommerce offer a variety of solutions and features, so it can be difficult to choose which one to use.
The best way to choose a headless commerce platform is to evaluate the features your business needs and find a solution that provides those features. For example, if you need to offer recurring billing and inventory management, you might want to look at a solution like Volusion or WooCommerce. If you need to manage your marketing channels like social media, ads, and emails, you might want to look at a solution like Shopify or Woocommerce.
How to assess if headless commerce is right for your business
Once you have implemented headless commerce, it’s important to assess the change and make adjustments as needed to ensure the change is successful.
The first step in assessing the success of headless commerce is to understand customer behavior. For example, is there a specific type of customer who shops with a headless platform? In order to understand customer behavior, you can use tools like Google Analytics or Mixpanel to understand the types of customers visiting your online store.
The second step in assessing the success of headless commerce is to understand the revenue generated. For example, are you earning the same revenue with or without headless commerce? In order to understand revenue, you can use tools like Google Analytics or Mixpanel to track revenue.
Third, assess customer engagement. For example, are customers signing up for your emails? Are they tweeting about your product or sharing photos of your products on social media? Are they clicking through to your website after clicking on an ad? In order to understand engagement, you can use tools like Mixpanel or Google Analytics.
Steps to take to implement headless commerce
Once you have a headless commerce solution and product, you’ll need to sign up for a subscription. Next, you will need to create an account and select a theme for your store. After you have finished this, you will need to set up your product and get it listed on an online marketplace.
Online marketplaces like Shopify, Volusion, and Woocommerce provide a marketplace for products, which you can use to list your product and sell it. After you have finished these steps, you’ll need to test the product with some customers, and if necessary, adjust the product and marketing for better results.
Tips for success with headless commerce
Be ready to hear “no” – Headless commerce can be a great experience for customers, but it’s important not to expect every customer to convert. It’s important to understand that every customer has a different buying decision-making process, and some customers may not be ready to buy online.
Test and iterate – Once you have launched your headless store, it’s important to keep testing and iterating to improve the customer experience. You can do this by collecting feedback and using it to improve your product and marketing.
Seek partnerships – One of the best ways to grow your business is to partner with other businesses and promote each other’s products, brands, and content.
Also Read : The Importance Of Managed IT Services For Businesses
Conclusion
In today’s increasingly digital world, it’s important to understand the basics of modern composable commerce stacks. These stacks are the building blocks of online shopping experiences, enabling businesses to create a seamless and integrated customer journey from start to finish.
Composable commerce stacks allow businesses to scale quickly and stay ahead of the competition, providing a comprehensive suite of services and features that can be put together in just the right way.