Nobody wants to feel like they’ve "lost their head” in a situation, but the notion of headless commerce is one which is gaining increasing levels of traction within the B2B space.

In this context, headless commerce refers to a method of doing business online where multiple stores can be created and managed without an all-in-one legacy application sitting at the center – maybe "heartless” commerce would be a more apt descriptor, but we fear that might send the wrong message.

Whereas traditional ecommerce infrastructure is constructed around a single monolith app, headless commerce separates the front- and back-end layers of the website with the goal of improving web performance, scalability, and flexibility. By unlocking the ability to incorporate multiple APIs, B2B businesses can pick and choose the technologies best suited to solving their business challenges and needs – boosting customer experience, whilst increasing conversions and sales.

Adaptation

Agility has become one of the most important determinants of success in the modern world of B2B commerce. Brands which are able to adapt their strategies to evolving market conditions and customer trends and incorporate transformations into their operations with the least amount of friction possible are the ones most likely to see success moving forwards.

By removing itself from the need to be compatible with legacy software and opening up your technology stack to increased agility and flexibility, headless commerce allows your B2B business to achieve just that.

"By adopting headless commerce, businesses can take advantage of transactional sales models that evolve with the moving B2B landscape,” writes Forbes. "Your business can integrate faster, and improve time to value, achieving results in days or weeks. To sum it up: Headless makes you faster. The companies that adapt faster, win. This rule applies to all winners in the digital ecosystem.”

Benefits

So, we know now what headless commerce is and how it makes your business more adaptable and therefore more survivable in the face of external change, but are these the only benefits this philosophy brings with it?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that headless commerce augments your business with multiple advantages which permeate every level of your organizational structure, from marketing to sales.

• Freed marketing teams: Due to its decoupled architectural nature, headless commerce gives your marketing teams the freedom to update, evaluate, and change presentation layers without needing to rely on input from the software developers – streamlining the process of implementing new customer experiences and reducing the cost of doing so.
• Scalability: With headless commerce infrastructure it becomes significantly easier to add new capacity or functionality to your ecommerce operations. Whether seeking to enter new markets or introduce new products lines, not having to go back to legacy infrastructure each time makes this process infinitely simpler than with traditional methods.
• Lower costs: Because headless commerce allows for greater customization of the technology stack than other methods, you can incorporate only the technologies which provide the greatest ROI. Headless commerce websites also require fewer licensing and hosting fees than legacy software, as you are using only those features which are needed.

Getting Started

Whilst it might seem intimidating to overhaul your entire ecommerce suite to implement headless commerce it can actually be surprisingly simple. There will of course be challenges to overcome, but taking baby steps instead of trying to transform everything simultaneously makes the process significantly less stressful and resource intensive.

"To get started with headless commerce, B2B players need to consider every aspect of supply, distribution and sales channels — from the start of a supply chain to a consumer's device,” continues Forbes. "The journey can begin with small changes that result in a substantial long-term impact. Initially, there might be a learning curve as current team members get to grips with a new system. Furthermore, getting buy-in from the rest of the business for further digital investment may be a hurdle.”

If the last few years have taught us anything it’s that the business landscape can transform overnight and we need to adopt more flexible and agile processes to better be able to meet those challenges in the future. Headless commerce seeks to achieve just that.

Final Thoughts

Headless commerce is going to become a term we are increasingly familiar with as we move through 2023 and beyond. As the need for businesses to become more adaptable and achieve higher levels of customer experience – whilst simultaneously reducing costs and achieving more with less – brands which are quick to adopt this philosophy will be the ones which stand out from the crowd.

Headless commerce is sure to be part of the conversation at B2B Connect 2024, being held in June at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Diego, CA.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.