E-commerce software for building headless online stores

It is projected that in 2027, e-commerce will account for 41% of the global retail market, which is a significant increase considering that the figure was 18% in 2017. ¹

The majority of various products can be sold online, making a well-functioning and user-friendly online store critical for businesses today. A modern solution is to develop the online store using headless e-commerce capabilities to create a fast and user-friendly shopping environment. A headless online store separates the system's front-end (visual user interface) and back-end (system databases), offering advantages over traditional web stores. For more information, read the article “Innovation in commerce – headless e-commerce”.

Next, we will describe the back-end technologies used in developing headless online stores and highlight their characteristics.

Shopify

Shopify is a widely used e-commerce platform that offers flexible solutions, suitable for both small and large enterprises. For a long time, Shopify was a traditional e-commerce platform, but the GraphQL API solution made it compatible with various front-end systems. Additionally, Shopify allows the integration of various other essential systems for businesses, such as CRM, PIM, CMS, and ERP. It can also connect with other platforms, including Google Sheets, Slack, Mailchimp, Apple Business Chat, and many more. Furthermore, it supports the integration of third-party markets, including eBay and Amazon. ²

Shopify continues to develop and enhance its platform according to market demands, contributing to its popularity. Notable users of Shopify include the online stores of renowned luxury brand Jean-Paul Gaultier and Victoria Beckham's Victoria Beckham Beauty. ³

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is widely known as a plugin for the traditional content management system WordPress. However, it is possible to decouple the front-end and back-end of a site using WooCommerce to create a headless online store. This is achieved by utilizing the WooCommerce REST API or WordPress REST API to connect the WooCommerce database with a suitable front-end system. ⁴

Therefore, creating an online store using WooCommerce is a good option, for instance, when there is an existing functional traditional online store, but there is a desire to transition to using a headless solution.

Magento (Adobe Commerce)

Magento, now known as Adobe Commerce, is a highly customizable headless e-commerce platform. Developers can create flexible applications based on specific customer needs. It also includes several cloud-based solutions to seamlessly integrate both the company's physical stores and online store purchases into the system. ²

Magento has been chosen by Samsung and Helly Hansen for their online stores. ⁵

Medusa.js

Medusa.js is an open-source e-commerce platform with a structure that provides extensive customization options, offering greater flexibility than platforms like Shopify. Medusa is suitable for businesses where it is essential for the expansion and customization of the online store to be easy, with as few constraints in development as possible. In such cases, an open-source platform like Medusa is a very suitable choice. ⁶

Tekla Fabrics is an example of a company that uses Medusa. ³

Strapi

Strapi is an open-source, flexible headless content management system that, when paired with a suitable front-end framework like Next.js or Nuxt.js, enables the creation of a fast and high-performance online store. Strapi provides developers with the freedom to choose their favorite frameworks while allowing online store managers to smoothly modify content. ⁷

TBD Health, for example, has chosen Strapi and Next.js. ³

Headless online store – a modern choice

In conclusion, it can be stated that e-commerce has become a crucial industry as more and more companies decide to sell their products online. A headless online store is a contemporary choice to ensure that the web store is fast, user-friendly, and easy to manage. There are various platforms and frameworks for creating headless online stores, and the choice should be made based on how important it is to:

• integrate third-party systems.

• have the flexibility to easily modify and scale the online store.

• provide convenience for developers.

Considering these factors is a good starting point when making a decision to find a suitable headless online store solution for yourself.

Used resources:

1 https://www.bcg.com/press/31october2023-ecommerce-global-retail-sales

2 https://www.chargebee.com/blog/headless-ecommerce-platforms/

3 https://theheadlessclub.com/
4 https://www.codeable.io/blog/headless-woocommerce/

5 https://secomm.vn/10-websites-adobe-commerce-magento-headless-commerce/

6 https://medusajs.com/blog/shopify-vs-open-source/
7 https://strapi.io/blog/how-to-build-an-e-commerce-store-with-nuxt-js-and-strapi