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Your marketing team wants a custom checkout flow. Your developers say the platform won’t allow it. A design agency pitches a “headless” solution that sounds expensive and complicated. You’re left wondering whether this will fix your problems — or create new ones.

Headless commerce solutions often get sold as the answer to everything: faster sites, better flexibility, unlimited customization. But it’s not magic. It’s an architectural choice that trades simplicity for freedom. Understanding what headless commerce actually is helps you decide whether you need it or whether your current ecommerce platform still fits.

This guide explains headless commerce in plain English — what it is, how it works, when it makes sense, and when it doesn’t. At Anchor Group, we build both traditional and headless ecommerce solutions, so you’ll get an honest take from a team that’s done both.

What Is Headless Commerce? 

In a traditional ecommerce setup, your front end (what customers see — the user interface) and back end (where products, orders, and pricing live) are part of the same system. Headless commerce separates the two. They connect only through application programming interfaces (APIs) that let data flow between them.

The “head” (your storefront) is detached from the “body” (your ecommerce engine). This gives you the flexibility to design custom experiences on the front end while keeping the operational heavy lifting on the back end.

At Anchor Group, we use this ecommerce architecture when businesses need maximum freedom. We build headless sites with BigCommerce and Next.js for clients that require advanced flexibility. We also build traditional setups when that’s the smarter choice. Knowing which approach fits your needs is the key.

Traditional vs. headless architecture

Think of it like housing:

Traditional ecommerce = model home

You pick a layout and work within its limits. Want to move a wall or add a window? It’ll take effort, and sometimes it looks awkward. In the same way, traditional ecommerce platforms use a monolithic, coupled structure that locks design and commerce functionality together. You can customize, but only within platform boundaries.

Headless commerce = custom-built home

You start from scratch with the layout and flow you want. The front end (customer-facing layer) and the back end (digital commerce engine) are separate, connected by APIs. The result is a site built exactly for your needs: faster, scalable, and future-proof.

Key point: Headless commerce isn’t a platform. It’s an approach. You can run a headless site on BigCommerce, NetSuite, or Shopify — the difference lies in how you connect the parts.

What headless commerce does not mean

Headless isn’t the same as “API access.” Traditional platforms have APIs too. It’s not automatically faster — poor implementation slows any site down. And it’s not the only way to achieve custom design — traditional platforms can be heavily customized.

How Headless Commerce Works

To see what changes when you go headless, compare the two setups.

Traditional setup

In a traditional setup, yoursite.com runs on a platform that serves pre-built pages. All processes, from browsing to checkout, happen inside the same system. One codebase handles everything: content management, logic, and checkout.

Headless setup

Now picture yoursite.com hosted separately from the ecommerce engine. The front end sends an API request for product data. The back end returns product details, pricing, and inventory. The front end displays it however you want. When the shopper adds to cart, an API sends the order back. Checkout can happen on the platform’s native page or a custom-built one.

Key components

Before you decide whether headless is the right move, it helps to understand the moving parts that make this setup work behind the scenes.

Back end (commerce engine)

Platforms like BigCommerce, NetSuite, or Shopify manage your core operations: product catalogs, pricing rules, inventory management, orders, and customers. They handle the business logic and expose it through APIs. Anchor Group often recommends BigCommerce for headless because its API-first design supports complex B2B and B2C commerce.

Front end (presentation layer)

Built with frameworks like React, Vue, or Next.js, the front end controls the user experience. It pulls data from the back end through APIs and renders it fast. We typically use Next.js because it performs well, includes built-in SEO tools, and is developer-friendly. Hosting options include Vercel, Netlify, or custom servers.

APIs (the connection)

APIs — REST or GraphQL — act as translators. The front end asks for data (“Show me this product”), and the back end responds in real time or from cache.

Common headless approaches

Most teams ease into headless in stages, and these are the three approaches we see most often:

  • Fully headless: Custom front-end experience, platform back-end functionality
  • Hybrid: Use the platform’s checkout, but customize product pages
  • Progressive: Start traditional and migrate gradually

These options give you flexibility without a full rebuild on day one.

Why Consider Headless Commerce?

This option is powerful when used for the right reasons. Here are the benefits of headless commerce:

Design freedom

Traditional platforms limit you to templates and layouts. Headless removes those constraints. You can craft any experience you want, from advanced product configurators to personalized dashboards, without fighting platform constraints.

Omnichannel flexibility

A single back end can power your website, mobile app, kiosk, social media integrations, or marketplace. Pair BigCommerce with a headless content management system (CMS) like Contentful to deliver consistent content across every touchpoint and sync cleanly with your customer relationship management (CRM) system.

Performance optimization

The front end and back end can be tuned independently. Static site generation, selective data loading, and front-end automation deliver faster load times — important for SEO and conversion rates.

Development independence

Front-end developers can iterate without touching business logic. Updates ship faster and avoid “ripple effect” issues that can break checkout or pricing functionality.

Future-proofing

Headless makes it easier to add new storefronts, marketplaces, or digital touchpoints like in-store screens or mobile apps without re-platforming.

When it makes sense

Headless is usually worth the investment when you have:

  • 50,000+ monthly visitors
  • Multiple channels (web, app, in-store displays)
  • Complex user experience (UX) requirements
  • A development team (in-house or agency)
  • A budget of $50K–$150K+
  • Clear performance or personalization needs

Anchor Group has implemented headless commerce for companies integrating enterprise resource planning (ERP)-driven pricing, launching global sites, or building mobile apps — situations where traditional setups couldn’t keep up.

When it doesn’t

Headless isn’t ideal for:

  • Businesses under $5M in revenue
  • Standard catalogs with basic checkout
  • Teams without developers
  • Tight budgets or fast launch timelines
  • Companies satisfied with their platform’s out-of-the-box features

For these businesses, traditional ecommerce platforms like BigCommerce Stencil or SuiteCommerce deliver more value with less overhead.

Headless Commerce: Pros and Cons

Headless commerce comes with real upsides and real downsides. It can unlock flexibility you’ll never get from a traditional ecommerce platform, but it also adds cost, complexity, and long-term responsibility. Before you decide whether it’s worth the investment, it helps to look at both sides of the equation.

Advantages

Headless commerce has real strengths, especially for teams that have outgrown the limits of traditional ecommerce platforms. If you need more control over the customer experience or want to support multiple storefronts from one back end, these advantages matter:

  • Flexibility to build any experience
  • Faster load times with proper optimization
  • Separate release cycles for front end and back end
  • One back end powering multiple touchpoints
  • Access to modern frameworks and tooling

These strengths are what make headless appealing for high-traffic brands, B2B companies with complex pricing, and retailers expanding into new channels. When flexibility and performance sit at the top of your priority list, headless gives you room to build the experience you actually want — not the one your platform forces you into.

Disadvantages

The trade-off is that headless isn’t simple. The same flexibility that makes it powerful also adds layers of complexity that many teams underestimate. Before committing, it’s worth knowing what you’re signing up for.

  • Higher cost (often 2–3x traditional builds)
  • More complexity
  • Two systems to maintain
  • Longer timelines
  • Features like themes or widgets must be rebuilt
  • Platform updates don’t automatically apply to custom front ends

None of these drawbacks are dealbreakers for the right business, but they should factor into your decision. If your team isn’t prepared for the extra work or the ongoing cost, headless can create more problems than it solves.

Hidden costs

The price tag for headless commerce goes beyond your initial build. Some costs show up later, especially once the site is live and updates, integrations, and maintenance become part of your daily workflow.

  • Separate hosting for the front end
  • Ongoing API maintenance
  • Increased QA across both systems
  • Developer involvement for changes non-technical staff could do in traditional setups

These hidden costs don’t mean you should avoid headless. They simply mean you should plan for the full picture — not just the demo. When you understand the long-term investment, you can make a clear, confident decision about whether headless is worth it for your business.

Bottom line: Headless gives you more control, but it also increases responsibility and long-term cost.

Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Go Headless

Headless isn’t a status symbol. It’s a question of fit. The right businesses gain a lot from it. The wrong ones take on more complexity than they can reasonably support.

Good candidates for headless

Headless is usually the right move for companies operating at scale. These teams tend to share a few traits:

  • More than 50,000 monthly visitors
  • Complex UX requirements that traditional platforms can’t handle
  • Multiple channels—web, mobile app, kiosks, or in-store displays
  • An in-house development team or a reliable agency partner
  • A budget of $50K–$150K+ for implementation
  • Clear performance or personalization needs that justify the investment

Anchor Group has helped companies in this range build headless sites to unify global storefronts, integrate ERP-driven pricing, support mobile apps, and serve multiple regions. These are real situations where headless solves problems traditional setups can’t.

Poor candidates for headless

For many businesses, headless adds cost without meaningful upside. It’s usually not the right fit if you:

  • Generate less than $5M in annual revenue
  • Sell a standard catalog with a straightforward checkout
  • Don’t have technical resources
  • Need to launch quickly
  • Operate on a limited budget
  • Rely heavily on out-of-the-box platform features

These companies get more value from traditional ecommerce sites. Platforms like BigCommerce Stencil or SuiteCommerce already cover their business needs with less overhead.

When to start traditional, then shift later

If you’re still figuring out market fit, refining your product, or growing into a more complex operation, start traditional. You can always migrate to headless later once the business case becomes obvious. Many Anchor Group clients take this path because it balances speed, cost, and flexibility.

Red flags you’re being oversold

You’re dealing with a sales pitch — not a solution — if someone:

  • Recommends headless before understanding your needs
  • Claims “traditional platforms are dead”
  • Avoids talking about trade-offs or long-term maintenance
  • Promises headless will “fix everything”
  • Doesn’t ask about your developers or agency capabilities

Anchor Group’s approach

We implement both traditional (BigCommerce Stencil, SuiteCommerce) and headless. This means we’ll tell you which one actually fits, not which one pays more.

Headless Commerce Platforms

Choosing a headless setup means choosing the right tools. Here’s a quick look at the most common back-end platforms, front-end frameworks, and tech stacks used in headless builds.

  • BigCommerce: Strong API performance and native B2B features; ideal for headless
  • Shopify Plus: Widely used for D2C headless builds
  • NetSuite/SuiteCommerce: Can be used headless for enterprise-grade B2B operations
  • Commerce Layer: A headless-native commerce API
  • Commercetools: Built for composable commerce, microservices, and complex enterprise workflows
  • Next.js: The most common choice for headless ecommerce and our preferred tool at Anchor Group
  • Vue/Nuxt: Great for teams already building in the Vue ecosystem
  • Gatsby: Often used for static, content-heavy digital experiences

Common tech stacks

  • BigCommerce + Next.js + Vercel
  • Shopify + React + custom hosting
  • NetSuite + Vue + AWS

This isn’t a recommendation list. Different platforms have different API quality, documentation, and flexibility. The goal is awareness, not a one-size-fits-all answer.

Is Headless Right for Your Business?

The decision becomes clearer when you ask a few simple questions:

  • Do we have UX needs our platform can’t support today?
  • Do we have developers (or an agency) for ongoing maintenance?
  • Can we invest $50K–$150K+ in implementation?
  • Is our traffic high enough to justify the complexity?
  • Are we serving multiple channels from one back end?

If you answer “no” to most of these, traditional ecommerce is probably the smarter choice.

If you answer “yes” to several, headless might be the right fit — if you approach it with the right team.

Headless Commerce: How to Move Forward With Confidence

Headless commerce architecture separates your storefront from your back-end systems. It delivers freedom, speed, and scalability — but it also adds cost, complexity, and long-term maintenance. It’s powerful for businesses with high traffic, unique UX needs, or multi-channel operations. For most mid-market companies, a traditional setup remains the better balance of cost and control.

The real question isn’t “Should we go headless?” It’s “Do we need what headless offers, and can we support it?”

Work with experts who’ll give you a straight answer

Anchor Group is a BigCommerce Certified Partner and NetSuite specialist. We build both traditional and headless ecommerce experiences, and we’ll tell you which one actually makes sense for your business. No hype. No pressure. No trendy answers.

Considering headless commerce? Let’s talk about whether it fits your traffic, budget, team, use cases, and goals.

Want examples of our work? See our BigCommerce and NetSuite implementations, including headless builds, migrations, and complete ecommerce setups.

 

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