Headless Shopify in 2023: Faster Stores & Stronger Brands
Jerrel Reigada
December 29, 2022
The standard Shopify framework is getting outdated.Why?Consumers are growing more impatient and tech savvy. An average customer expects a top-tier UX before they buy.And for the larger stores, "traditional architecture" can tank responsiveness if you're relying on multiple third-party apps to plug the gaps.The solution?Headless ShopifyIn this post, you'll learn what Headless Shopify is and how it can help your brand keep up with eCommerce tech trends.So without further ado, let's get into it.
Headless Shopify in 2023: Faster Stores & Stronger Brands
Jerrel Reigada
December 29, 2022
The standard Shopify framework is getting outdated.Why?Consumers are growing more impatient and tech savvy. An average customer expects a top-tier UX before they buy.And for the larger stores, "traditional architecture" can tank responsiveness if you're relying on multiple third-party apps to plug the gaps.The solution?Headless ShopifyIn this post, you'll learn what Headless Shopify is and how it can help your brand keep up with eCommerce tech trends.So without further ado, let's get into it.
What is Headless Shopify?
Headless architecture can seem complicated at first, but it's not as scary as it may seem.Put simply, a headless store is one where the frontend(what your visitors see) and backend(what you see) are two separate pieces.Another term you'll see used frequently for this is Headless Commerce.But what does it mean that your frontend and backend are separate?Let's break it down.
What is Headless Shopify?
Headless architecture can seem complicated at first, but it's not as scary as it may seem.Put simply, a headless store is one where the frontend(what your visitors see) and backend(what you see) are two separate pieces.Another term you'll see used frequently for this is Headless Commerce.But what does it mean that your frontend and backend are separate?Let's break it down.
How Does Headless Commerce Work?
With a "traditional" Shopify store, the frontend and backend are intertwined.But what does that mean, exactly?The frontend of a website consists of what visitors see. The landing pages, the checkout flow, graphics, pop-ups, menus, etc. Generally, the design of the frontend is determined by a Shopify theme. You can think of it as the “virtual sales floor” of an ecommerce website.The backend consists of the parts that make the website function in the first place. The code, the inventory management system, and your CMS are all included within that. If an average visitor doesn’t have access to a particular part of your website, it’s likely within the backend. If the frontend is the sales floor of your store, the backend includes the warehousing, the accounting offices, the utility bills, and everything else that needs to be maintained for your store to stay open.And that’s where the main difference between traditional and headless commerce lies.With traditional commerce, your backend and front end are tied together; with headless commerce, they function independently.
How Does Headless Commerce Work?
With a "traditional" Shopify store, the frontend and backend are intertwined.But what does that mean, exactly?The frontend of a website consists of what visitors see. The landing pages, the checkout flow, graphics, pop-ups, menus, etc. Generally, the design of the frontend is determined by a Shopify theme. You can think of it as the “virtual sales floor” of an ecommerce website.The backend consists of the parts that make the website function in the first place. The code, the inventory management system, and your CMS are all included within that. If an average visitor doesn’t have access to a particular part of your website, it’s likely within the backend. If the frontend is the sales floor of your store, the backend includes the warehousing, the accounting offices, the utility bills, and everything else that needs to be maintained for your store to stay open.And that’s where the main difference between traditional and headless commerce lies.With traditional commerce, your backend and front end are tied together; with headless commerce, they function independently.
What are the Disadvantages of Non-Headless Commerce?
To help explain the pros and cons, let’s imagine you run a brick-and-mortar cosmetics store.When you first started the store, the only “warehousing” you had was a small supply closet right off of the main sales floor. Every other product was kept right on the shelves for customers to purchase.As for accounting? The only dedicated accounting machine was the laptop that ran your point-of-sale system.With only a few dozen customers every day, this system works just fine. But let’s flash forward a few years to when you’re ready to expand the business.Now, the daily influx of customers is over a hundred and growing.The supply closet that once kept your inventory? It isn’t enough to meet the demands of your growing customer base anymore. And accounting? It’s becoming a nightmare. How are you supposed to manage finances and overhead when the same machine is being used to process sales?If you want to scale a cosmetics store to handle multiple locations and/or hundreds of daily customers, it’ll need more than just a bigger team.You’ll need to change locations entirely, invest in dedicated warehousing space to hold inventory, and dedicate office spaces for accounting, general management, and logistics.Or in other words, to scale, you’ll need to separate the frontend and backend.Which leads us perfectly to the advantages of a headless commerce system…
What are the Disadvantages of Non-Headless Commerce?
To help explain the pros and cons, let’s imagine you run a brick-and-mortar cosmetics store.When you first started the store, the only “warehousing” you had was a small supply closet right off of the main sales floor. Every other product was kept right on the shelves for customers to purchase.As for accounting? The only dedicated accounting machine was the laptop that ran your point-of-sale system.With only a few dozen customers every day, this system works just fine. But let’s flash forward a few years to when you’re ready to expand the business.Now, the daily influx of customers is over a hundred and growing.The supply closet that once kept your inventory? It isn’t enough to meet the demands of your growing customer base anymore. And accounting? It’s becoming a nightmare. How are you supposed to manage finances and overhead when the same machine is being used to process sales?If you want to scale a cosmetics store to handle multiple locations and/or hundreds of daily customers, it’ll need more than just a bigger team.You’ll need to change locations entirely, invest in dedicated warehousing space to hold inventory, and dedicate office spaces for accounting, general management, and logistics.Or in other words, to scale, you’ll need to separate the frontend and backend.Which leads us perfectly to the advantages of a headless commerce system…
Why is Headless Shopify More Profitable than Traditional Commerce?
The problem with Shopify is that your backend is so closely tied to the frontend that it's hard to make small changes without larger impacts and challenges.The dashboard and default themes are a great showcase of this:
Why is Headless Shopify More Profitable than Traditional Commerce?
The problem with Shopify is that your backend is so closely tied to the frontend that it's hard to make small changes without larger impacts and challenges.The dashboard and default themes are a great showcase of this:
The system that determines the entire design of your site is built into the same panel that manages discounts and finances.And the design of your store? If you want to change it, you’ll need to keep within the bounds of the theme you’re using:
The system that determines the entire design of your site is built into the same panel that manages discounts and finances.And the design of your store? If you want to change it, you’ll need to keep within the bounds of the theme you’re using:
While these limitations may not be a significant hurdle for a store that’s just starting out, it has the potential to create massive problems down the road.Shopify, and traditional commerce as a whole, tend to follow the “one-size-fits-all” philosophy. And while that may work for smaller stores, truly great brands need to develop UXs that stand out.Here are just a few of the benefits that a store can gain from switching to a headless architecture.
- Increased Page Speed
- Limitless Design Options & UX Customization
- Massive Increase in Scalability
While these limitations may not be a significant hurdle for a store that’s just starting out, it has the potential to create massive problems down the road.Shopify, and traditional commerce as a whole, tend to follow the “one-size-fits-all” philosophy. And while that may work for smaller stores, truly great brands need to develop UXs that stand out.Here are just a few of the benefits that a store can gain from switching to a headless architecture.
- Increased Page Speed
- Limitless Design Options & UX Customization
- Massive Increase in Scalability
How Do I switch to Headless Shopify?
With all of that out of the way, you may be wondering how exactly to switch to a headless system. Is it complicated?Not really, no. To switch to headless Shopify, there are two main methods. You can outsource someone to develop a fully-custom architecture for your store, or you can use a service like Nyla to build a code-free, branded site for your Shopify store.
How Do I switch to Headless Shopify?
With all of that out of the way, you may be wondering how exactly to switch to a headless system. Is it complicated?Not really, no. To switch to headless Shopify, there are two main methods. You can outsource someone to develop a fully-custom architecture for your store, or you can use a service like Nyla to build a code-free, branded site for your Shopify store.
Go Headless with Nyla
Using a service like Nyla can help to avoid the headaches of developing your own architecture.One of the biggest benefits? It’s code-free. And brands that've switched to Nyla have seen up to 60% increases in conversions.Instead of programming your store, you’ll have access to a drag & drop builder that gives you all the tools you need to create a top-tier brand experience.If you’re interested in joining the headless commerce movement, book a quick (and free!) demo of Nyla here.
Go Headless with Nyla
Using a service like Nyla can help to avoid the headaches of developing your own architecture.One of the biggest benefits? It’s code-free. And brands that've switched to Nyla have seen up to 60% increases in conversions.Instead of programming your store, you’ll have access to a drag & drop builder that gives you all the tools you need to create a top-tier brand experience.If you’re interested in joining the headless commerce movement, book a quick (and free!) demo of Nyla here.
Wrapping Up
Headless Shopify is only becoming more and more popular, and it's no wonder why.Stores that adopt headless architecture see increases in page speeds, less hassle when making site-wide changes, and more adaptibility than their traditional counterparts.If you found this guide helpful, make sure to check out more of the insights from the Nyla blog.
Wrapping Up
Headless Shopify is only becoming more and more popular, and it's no wonder why.Stores that adopt headless architecture see increases in page speeds, less hassle when making site-wide changes, and more adaptibility than their traditional counterparts.If you found this guide helpful, make sure to check out more of the insights from the Nyla blog.
Upgrade to the Nyla platform
Blazing-fast performance
100% no-code editor
Best-in-class ecommerce features with white-glove support
Upgrade to the Nyla platform
Blazing-fast performance
100% no-code editor
Best-in-class ecommerce features with white-glove support