Users interact with ecommerce websites through a user interface, regardless of the device or platform. The interface typically consists of common elements such as an item list, a search field, visuals, a cart, and forms, with company branding and designs applied. This is the presentation layer, or the frontend of the entire platform, which is also known as the head.
Conventional web storefronts lean on the monolithic architecture, meaning that behind every frontend sits the backend, i.e. the functional layer comprising the business logic and powering the traditional ecommerce store.
The backend coordinates tasks such as maintaining and updating a product catalog and inventory, managing user credentials, processing payments, handling orders, and much more. It is closely-tied to the frontend and typically requires much coding effort to enforce dynamic content personalization based on users’ data and real-time behavior.
As opposed to this traditional ecommerce architecture model, the headless commerce architecture decouples the presentation layer, or the head, from the ecommerce functionality at the back, making the solution headless.
Such decoupling makes it possible for backend developers to deliver any content quicker to any screen or device and meet one of the vital demands of the digital-era marketing—engaging customers with personalized content via multiple channels at every step of their journey.