Since its acquisition in 2018, Magento, now called Adobe Commerce, has been the go-to-e-commerce platform for companies looking for an open-source/cloud architecture and multifunctional integration with APIs.
But it is important to understand that Adobe Commerce is monolithic, meaning it is a one-size-fits-all approach. But with the growth of e-commerce, consumers are moving towards companies that offer better personalization and customization such as multichannel delivery, recommendations, personal gift cards, etc. Since Magento is open source, tweaking the code becomes an issue at this point and consequently, it hinders backend development.
Customer personalization can be done only if the backend is augmented accordingly. In such a case, frequent changes cannot be made to it as it affects the front end of the store as well. But what if you could make any change as and when you like without worry?
That is exactly what Headless Commerce offers. It decouples the back end from the front end to offer maximum customization. And the major advantage is that a store can have multiple frontends which can be connected to the backend using an API (Application Programming Interface). So instead of a ‘full stack' solution, merchants can opt for a layered model filled with headless components and modules that they can ditch or include at any time.
But how does Adobe Commerce fit in? And what benefit does it give?
PWA Studio-
The preponderance of mobile devices in digital commerce has increased multifold, forcing online stores to advocate a 'mobile-first' approach. While consumers expect personalization, convenience and a clean UI, companies want their stores to be more discoverable amidst intense competition and web traffic.
Progressive Web Apps (PWA) takes care of this, as it optimizes the store's website to behave just like a native application. Furthermore, PWA is indexable by search engines, easily shareable, performs offline and offers better speed and security. Adobe Commerce offers PWA Studio, a digital toolkit along with a sample PWA store which eases the process of creating one for developers.
Flexible integration with CMS-
For starters, Adobe Commerce is integrated with one of the most powerful CMS (Content Management Systems), Adobe Experience Manager used widely for frontend development. This solution lets you have personalized frontends for multiple devices and channels. Additionally, Adobe Commerce also lets you integrate with other CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Acquia, etc.
Powerful APIs-
Adobe Commerce offers two powerful sets of APIs- REST and GraphQL. While both help in building custom integrations and mobile apps, the latter was introduced in Magento 2.3 to serve as a faster and more efficient alternative to REST APIs. The power of these two can be leveraged in building a headless architecture.
But before you jump on the headless bandwagon, it is important to consider certain factors and limitations.
High Development costs-
Though you go for a subscription based headless model, the costs incurred on developing these modules in silos is very high. You can go for pre-existing pluigins and extensions if you cannot afford developers, but that won't exploit the headless architecture to its maximum.
It is always better to have developers who are proficient in handling APIs and familiar with Next.js, React.js and Vue.js frameworks.
New to the market-
If you are a new entrant in the market, it is always better to go for a traditional model, as you might not have enough traffic to your store. Once you get familiar with the platform and your store generates enough traffic and revenue, it Is viable to go headless.
More layers, more complexity-
With headless, you have multiple technologies, plugins, and vendors with their own set of issues. So, it is difficult to troubleshoot or debug in case of errors, as you might not even know in which layer the error exists in the first place.
In conclusion, Headless architecture pays off well provided you have the necessary resources and assets to back such an infrastructure
At Tychons, we have an ecosystem of resources required to support you at every step of your journey to Headless.
