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Why headless commerce equals compelling customer content

Jay Stotz, co-founder and CTO at Springboard Retail, shares insight on the rapid rise in worldwide devices and the need to create compelling, seamless customer experiences using the combination of content and commerce capabilities.

Photo by istock.com

December 23, 2019

By Jay Stotz, co-founder and CTO at Springboard Retail

Commerce sure isn't what it used to be. It certainly is no longer a physical destination — rather, commerce is content, virality, leverage, microservices and cloud-native. This rethink should not surprise as one-fifth of the population worldwide shops online, with e-commerce sales expected to reach $4.8 trillion by 2021.

The rise of headless commerce was all but inevitable in this context. E-commerce needed the flexibility to experiment with content and simplify platform changes — and flexibility is what they got. The decoupling of the front end from the back end offers a suite of benefits to both users and designers.

The rapid rise in worldwide devices brings with it the need to create compelling, seamless customer experiences using the combination of content and commerce capabilities. Let's explore why headless commerce helps host the right content at the right time.

More screens, more options

The digital landscape has changed so much in the last decade. The rapid rise of smartphone devices means brands need to experiment quickly with front end designs to build out optimized customer experiences.

This is only made possible through headless platforms, as traditional commerce architecture forces designers to modify both front end and back end code simultaneously. Brands and retailers can now add touchpoints without building a business case for a new back end every time you want to add a new front end.

Application programming interfaces and software development kits are the real game-changers here. They work in tandem to provide development teams with the flexibility to build out quick user interfaces for each screen or device. The result for brands that feel limited by templated front ends is the freedom to offer customers a highly personalized experience.

This is important as the customer journey only becomes more complex. The consumer is not going to wait for brands to adapt to new technology; and when you are not meeting them where they are you run the risk of losing them. For example, global luxury fashion label Michael Kors decided to run desktop and mobile websites on a single codebase to pursue a “mobile-first” strategy with more ease. The headless commerce tactic proved powerful in funneling in nearly 65% of the company's web traffic through mobile.

Headless commerce arms brands with more options to reach a growing base of customers.

Compelling customer content

Remember what we said about commerce not being what it used to be? The same can be said about content. Brand identity must be seamlessly communicated across content and medium, meaning that it is simply no longer possible to rely on separate content and commerce platforms. A holistic approach is key, and made possible through headless commerce.

Brands and retailers are trying to influence buyer decisions by publishing continuous content that is contextual, useful, entertaining and viral in nature. This is contrary to the seller-driven distribution channels (ads, brochures, flyers, word of mouth) of the pre-internet age.

Headless commerce strategies guided by content and experience provide brands with increased site customization and personalization options, speed for international and omnichannel go-to-market strategies, and marketing innovation without hurting back end processes. Further, conversation rates are better, acquisition costs are lower, and life is generally easier for developers.

Additionally, headless commerce opens up a world of possibilities for brands looking for a content-led strategy to begin with. There are truly no limitations to the customizations that can occur in the digital e-commerce space. For example, Glossier had 1.5 million unique monthly blog views even before launching products.

The next step

The importance of headless commerce for e-commerce brands cannot be understated. Content is key in driving customer decisions, so providing the shopper with a seamless multi-platform experience makes a big difference over time.

Consider that, according to a study, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. Knowing that 87% of shoppers now begin product searches online, companies that want to stay in the game must prioritize delivering top-notch shopping experiences.

E-commerce players big and small are staying on top of this digital trend by embracing headless commerce to deliver relevant experiences to their audience. A separate content and commerce experience no longer cuts it in the digital landscape. The platform needs to be tightly integrated to build compelling, seamless content commerce experiences.

This architecture allows for the creation of customized experiences for every context, screen and device. Totality is key for the coming decade, and totality is headless commerce.