How to Choose a B2B e-commerce Solution: What Are Headless and Composable E-commerce?

When choosing a B2B e-commerce Solution, you want to make sure you’re choosing the best fit for your business. But what things do you need to consider to ensure you’re as close to hand-in-glove as possible? Today, I’m writing about some common buzzwords thrown around and what you need to know about them in choosing the solution that’s right for your business.

What is Headless e-commerce? You can find definitions in many places online, but the general gist is that there are two ways to build a platform. In one instance (coupled or monolithic), the front end (also called the user interface or the part the user will see on their screen) and the back end (the pieces of code that tell the front end what to display) are closely related to each other, so that a change to one side will impact, or need to be accounted for, on the other. In a Headless e-commerce solution, the front and back end are separate platforms. You can change the back end without impacting what’s displayed and build new displays on the front end without making changes in the back end. (As long as the back-end data supports your changes.) A communication channel (usually REST API) ensures that the two ends talk to each other. Wikipedia has some good information and history on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headless_commerce.

What does this mean for you? Well, you have to think about two things: first, whether you can be a technology company in addition to whatever it is you sell, and second, whether you want to invest in one or multiple solutions.

Addressing the first topic – are you a technology company? – Headless e-commerce typically requires you to support your platform. This is because you’re purchasing something that’s eminently customizable. You can make the front end appear and do whatever you want. However, having your custom front end means employing the resources necessary to make it do what you want it to do. Want to take advantage of the latest 3D functionality? You have to build it. Want to support a new sales program? You’ll have to build that too. You’ll also have to build the back-end support to send the needed data and image assets to the display. Note that you could hire a provider to do this for you, but either way, you will spend more.

Composable commerce asks: how many solutions do you need? A Composable e-commerce solution lets you connect your platform back end to multiple front-end platforms. This means you could have a single source of data, assets, and code running multiple front-end platforms, such as order entry, a payment portal, a retail merchandising tool, and an order history/reporting tool. Referring to the last paragraph, however, you must coordinate all that, which will require more resources. If you’re already a technology company or a large company that will get scalable value out of a heavily customized solution, this option could be for you. If not, read on.

What if you don’t want to deal with the headaches? You’ve still got options! Monolithic solutions usually offer several configuration options to meet your needs and provide additional flexibility. Not only that, but the provider will host and maintain the site for you, fixing problems and adding enhancements based on client demand. You’ll get most of what you need for a lot less. In my opinion, this is the best option for most small- and mid-sized businesses. You’ll still need to employ a few people to ensure your site data is accurate and any ERP and transmission issues are handled, but this is a cheaper solution with good scalability.

Additionally, many monolithic providers are moving toward a more – or totally – headless solution. The good news is that these providers will continue to do the work for you, and you’ll benefit from a more customizable user interface without the additional expense. Be sure to talk to potential providers about this topic to get their current stance and road map plans.

So there you have it – composable, headless, and monolithic e-commerce in a nutshell. I’ll post more articles on choosing a B2B e-commerce solution in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!