Headless Commerce

Headless commerce separates the customer-facing storefront from the commerce engine behind it, connected through APIs.

What headless commerce is

Headless commerce separates the storefront from the commerce engine: the front end is a custom-built site or app, talking through APIs to the platform that handles products, carts, and checkout.

The “head” (what shoppers see) is decoupled from the body (what runs commerce), hence the name.

Why headless commerce matters

It buys freedom and speed at the front end: any design, any framework, one commerce engine serving web, app, and beyond.

The cost is engineering. Features that come free in a theme, from page builders to app embeds, become development work.

When headless makes sense

Design or performance needs a theme can’t reach
Multiple front ends: web, app, kiosk, marketplace feeds
Engineering capacity to own the front end long-term
Content-heavy brands pairing a CMS with commerce

Frequently asked questions

Is headless faster?

It can be, because you control every request, and it can be slower if the build is careless. Headless enables performance; it doesn’t grant it.

Do third-party tools still work on headless stores?

The ones built for it do, via APIs and embeddable components instead of platform app installs. Check that path before committing to any tool.

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