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Headless CMS | What is Headless Content Management Systems | E-Commerce
The world of content management systems (CMS) is rapidly evolving. Many organizations are now adopting a headless CMS approach, decoupling the frontend presentation layer from the backend content repository. This shift enables greater flexibility, scalability, and omnichannel content delivery. At Web Experts, we’ve seen interest from clients in headless content management systems (CMS).
This headless approach breaks away from traditional coupled CMS platforms. It completely decouples the content repository from the presentation layer. In a headless CMS, content is stored and managed in a backend content repository or database. The CMS provides APIs for the front end to request and consume content as needed. There is no tight bundling of the backend and frontend. This offers greater flexibility and omnichannel content delivery capabilities versus traditional CMS platforms. Content is centralized in the repository, while the presentation layer can be customized across web, mobile, IoT, digital displays, etc.
WordPress as a Headless CMS
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites, making it the world’s most popular CMS. Traditionally, WordPress tightly couples the content and presentation within its PHP codebase. But WordPress can also be leveraged as a headless CMS with some configuration. The core WordPress backend acts as the content repository. The built-in WordPress REST API exposes all post types, taxonomies, and metadata as JSON endpoints. This enables the frontend presentation layer to be completely separated from the WordPress backend.
Developers can then consume the WordPress REST API to build a custom frontend in any JavaScript framework – React, Vue, Angular, etc. There are also plugins like WPGraphQL that expand the API capabilities. The frontend website or application simply requests JSON data as needed from the WordPress API.
For clients, a headless WordPress approach offers several key advantages:
- Separation of concerns between content editors and developers. Editors focus on content while developers build presentations.
- Ability to reuse content across multiple platforms and touchpoints. Content is centralized for omnichannel delivery.
- Frontend flexibility to use any presentation layer. Build using modern JS frameworks like React, Vue, Angular instead of PHP templates.
- Scalability as content delivery separates from frontend load. Content comes from a centralized API.
- Faster iteration on frontends using JS frameworks. Don’t need to work within PHP codebase limitations.
With this decoupled architecture, WordPress becomes a reusable content repository. It enables “write once, publish anywhere” omnichannel content syndication. Content is centralized in WordPress, while the presentation layer uses JS frameworks for highly customizable frontends.
Assessing Headless CMS Options
WordPress has proven to be a capable and cost-effective headless CMS option. But dedicated headless CMS tools like Contentful, Strapi and Sanity are gaining popularity. These newer platforms focus exclusively on a headless content delivery model.
Some key factors in evaluating headless CMS options:
- API flexibility and capabilities – What content APIs are available out of the box? How extensible is the API for custom fields and data structures? Are GraphQL or gRPC options available?
- Developer experience and extensibility – What languages, frameworks and tools are supported? How easy is it for developers to extend the platform? What customization options exist?
- Scalability and reliability – How well does the platform scale with content volume and traffic? What redundancy options exist? What is the uptime track record?
- Integrations and ecosystem support – What integrations and plugins exist? What is the developer/agency ecosystem like? Is the platform extensible?
- Ongoing operating costs – What are the pricing models? Are there usage-based charges? How generous is the free tier for prototyping?
For example, Contentful offers a very generous free tier, making it easy to prototype headless projects. In contrast, traditional CMS platforms like Kentico charge expensive five-figure licensing costs annually. Kentico’s high pricing and upgrade costs should give budget-conscious IT departments pause.
Ultimately, the right headless CMS depends on your specific tech stack, content model, and business requirements. At Web Experts, we guide clients through thorough evaluations of all options, including WordPress. Our architects have deep experience across CMS platforms to choose the optimal headless solution that aligns with your needs and budget.
Going Headless for E-commerce
A headless architecture brings significant advantages for modern e-commerce experiences that happen across multiple channels. Platforms like Shopify and Magento can be leveraged in a headless mode. This decouples the storefront presentation layer from the backend e-commerce data sources.
Shopify and Magento provide REST APIs that expose product catalogs, inventory data, order management, and more. These commerce platforms become headless content repositories that can feed content to any frontend presentation layer via API. Developers can then build customized e-commerce storefronts using React, Vue, Angular or other modern frameworks. The storefronts pull live data as needed from the headless backend commerce platforms.
This headless approach allows companies to build unified omnichannel e-commerce experiences. The same product data can be leveraged across web, mobile, wearables, digital displays, IoT devices, and more. Teams can optimize the presentation layer for each touchpoint while relying on a centralized commerce backend.
Headless commerce also enables greater flexibility for experimentation. Frontend developers can swiftly iterate on storefront experiences without being locked into a monolithic e-commerce platform. New engagement models can be tried while the backend commerce engine remains stable.
As consumer shopping journeys become more fragmented across channels, headless e-commerce unlocks valuable omnichannel agility. At Web Experts, we frequently help B2C and B2B companies implement headless commerce patterns that best serve their business needs. This modern architectural approach represents the future of digital shopping experiences.
Headless Delivers Content Velocity
Today’s digital landscape requires an omnichannel content strategy. Customers expect consistent experiences across web, mobile, IoT, and emerging touchpoints. A headless CMS approach enables organizations to “build once, deploy anywhere.” Content repositories stay flexible and scalable, while frontends can be optimized for any device or platform.
With a headless architecture, brands can achieve greater content velocity:
- Centralized content improves consistency across channels.
- Changes publish instantly across all frontends.
- Frontend teams can work independently and in parallel.
- New touchpoints can be added seamlessly.
- Content delivery separates from frontend load.
- Frontends can be iterated swiftly without affecting content.
This agility and flexibility is why headless CMS adoption is accelerating. It aligns with modern distributed architectures. At Web Experts, we’re excited by the possibilities of headless CMS to create seamless omnichannel digital experiences. We see it as the clear future of content management. We encourage all our clients to assess if a headless CMS approach makes sense for their business needs and use cases. Please contact us to explore headless CMS solutions for your organization. Our team is ready to guide you through this CMS evolution.