What is headless commerce?
In headless commerce, an online shop’s storefront is built separately from the commerce engine, and the two talk through APIs. The engine handles products, carts, payments and orders; the front end can be a website, an app or an in-store screen.
Also called: headless e-commerce
Why it matters
Headless gives you full control over design and speed, and lets one catalogue feed a website, an app and in-store screens. It also means building and maintaining your own front end, so it costs more than a ready-made theme. It pays off when the shop is the business and standard templates hold you back.
1ArchitectureCommerce engine, CMS and front end are separate services connected by APIs, each replaceable on its own.
2Shopify headlessShopify offers its Storefront API and the Hydrogen framework for building a custom front end.
3Not for everyoneIf a theme covers your needs, headless adds cost without a benefit your customers notice.
ExampleA fashion label in Almaty sells online, through an app and on tablets in its shops. Products and orders live in the commerce engine, lookbooks in a headless CMS, one front end shows both everywhere, and the same catalogue is exported to Kaspi. A redesign of the site does not touch the checkout logic.
On this topic
What we do
Online store developmentCatalogue, payments, orders with Kaspi and 1C.from 800 000 ₸Online store developmentCatalogue, payments, Kaspi and 1C, delivery.from 800 000 ₸ShopifyA Shopify store selling from Kazakhstan, often abroad: theme, apps, payments and accounting.from 800 000 ₸Web application developmentCustomer portals, B2B portals, MVPs.from 1 000 000 ₸
Related terms
Headless CMSA content system with no built-in website: it stores content and sends it to any front end through an API.ShopifyA hosted e-commerce platform from Canada for building and running an online shop without your own servers.APIA defined way for one piece of software to request data or actions from another.PWAA website that installs and behaves like an app, with a home screen icon, offline pages and notifications.
Need to put this in place?
Describe the task, we will name the scope, price and timeline. The price is fixed in the contract.
Your selectionOnline store developmentfrom 800 000 ₸
The team gets your request; we reply during business hours.Price fixed in the contract before you pay.No calls unless you ask.