What is Headless Tech?

Headless technology is the storing, managing and delivering of content on eCommerce website without a front-end delivery. In relation to any company this refers to the front end or the “head” of their website that has been separated from the back end for efficiency and presentation purposes. In its simplest form, when you click “Buy Now” on any website the home page (front end) of the headless eCommerce system sends an API notification to the application layer (back end) to have the order processed, this is where the front and back end have been decoupled but still work in conjunction.

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Headless technology architecture is also tailored for the Internet of Things (IoT) age, allowing the management of functional elements of a website such as blogs, products, posts and customer reviews. These components can be delivered to any form of screen or device by developers using Application Programming Interfaces(APIs), whilst front end developers can work on the presentation of the content for viewing.

How efficient is headless technology?

Efficiency is key within headless tech, many of its elements make it more beneficial for larger companies. Some of its benefits include:

• Personalization and customization
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Flexible front-end development

Headless vs Traditional Commerce

Customization – Traditional platforms offer little room for customization or personalization when it comes to the administrative user, compared to headless commerce. Headless tech allows developers to create their own experience from scratch. The presentation of your site is under total control and allows you to develop and progress the overall customer experience day to day. Some organisations may find this to be more complicated having no initial front layer but developing your own is much more beneficial.

Flexibility – The front and back end of your site being decoupled with headless commerce means you can implement a custom checkout flow with your site, and you can make changes big or small as you need. Traditional commerce does not offer this kind of adaptability, where developers have to edit multiple layers of coding between the front and back end to make a single customization. Flexibly is also a massive issue for traditional commerce sites with front-end development, relating to design and the overall process. Any changes that are needed are limited with the risk of voiding warranty or preventing any future updates.

Why should brands switch to headless commerce?

• Remains competitive
• Much more accessible
• Seamless integrations
• Provides quick and easy marketing
• More personal experience for customer
• Conversion optimization

New developments in headless tech are seeing many large organisations move from a traditional eCommerce site to more modern platforms. Amazon is a fine example of this. A study by Salmon showed that 60% of consumers want the amazon prime experience on every website possible. This is not achievable for older eCommerce websites to have this form of infrastructure, leaving Amazon prime at the forefront of the technology industry with billions of pounds being made every year.

Brand’s capability to update rapidly on the front end of their websites without having any effect on the back end is what is most important. Having this separation allows daily updates and changes to be made seamlessly, therefore you can deliver what your customers want more quickly whilst remaining competitive. There is also the possibility of companies testing new and improved search solutions on the back end with still having their successful methods in place. These custom atomization’s allows you to better understand your customers.

Customer experience is what companies pride themselves on. Headless tech is the future for a quick and easy checkout. Understanding the needs of your customer and using the data provided for consistency with your online store. Headless tech also provides the opportunity to set up a new site in days instead of months. Launching campaigns are not as time consuming for larger firms as this software makes developments much quicker.

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