Headless Commerce – Dull Trend or Perennial Favorite?

An interview with Simon Hamm

In this interview, our commerce expert Simon Hamm answers questions about headless commerce: Dull Trend or Perennial Favorite?

Simon Hamm specializes in SAP Commerce projects at valantic. In addition to technical management, he helps clients define their requirements and design their e-commerce processes. 

Hi Simon, I’m glad you’ve taken the time for this interview! How can a layperson who has never heard of headless commerce assess the importance of this topic?

Headless commerce is basically an e-commerce architecture where the front and back end are uncoupled from each other. The concern is to develop the front end separately from and so that it communicates with the back end via an interface. However, development is completely separate, so that front-end and back-end developers only have to agree on the structure of the interface, i.e. approximately how to talk to each other.

Why is everyone talking about headless commerce today?

Today, e-commerce is no longer limited to the creation of a simple online shop; instead, the aim is to serve the customer via a wide range of channels. Businesses can build apps, websites, and marketplaces, and the possibilities of an omnichannel strategy are manifold. Headless commerce provides several advantages, which is why valantic has already successfully implemented this approach in many projects.

You are talking about the advantages – what are the advantages of a headless commerce approach?

Headless commerce makes it easier for a back-end system to operate multiple different front-end systems. This provides great flexibility and efficiency in development. On the other hand, different channels can be set up, optimized, and individualized in a short time. Consistent omnichannel management can create an optimal customer experience by ensuring that all channels are structured in the same way in terms of content, functionality, and design.

How do you proceed in customer projects – is the headless commerce approach always the right way?

Of course it’s not possible to generalize here, and in certain contexts, a classic CMS approach can be the right way to go. This must be decided on a case-by-case basis. However, with SAP Spartacus and OCC (Omni Commerce Connect) in the SAP Commerce Cloud, we can always offer our customers this modern and flexible front-end architecture. That’s why we at valantic often use this state-of-the-art approach to work with our customers to build a sustainable architecture.

Thank you very much for your time, Simon!