Headless commerce development.
Keep the commerce engine. Replace the storefront with something you control.
Headless commerce is worth doing for specific reasons, not as a default. It makes sense when storefront speed is genuinely costing you conversions, when you need markup and interaction the theme layer cannot express, or when the same catalogue has to feed a site, an app and a kiosk. It does not make sense simply because it is fashionable, and it adds real complexity you should choose deliberately.
What’s included
- Custom storefront consuming Shopify or WooCommerce via API
- Catalogue, cart and checkout flows built for speed
- Caching and revalidation so pages are fast but not stale
- Preview so merchandisers can check changes before publishing
- Search and filtering that stays fast on a large catalogue
- Multi-channel delivery from one commerce backend
- Migration from a themed storefront without losing rankings
What you gain
Full control of markup and performance, a storefront that is not constrained by theme conventions, and the ability to serve several front ends from one catalogue. On large or content-heavy stores the speed difference is real and measurable.
What you give up
Simplicity, most theme-layer apps, and the ability for a non-developer to change layout. Anything that injected itself into your storefront now needs a deliberate replacement. Checkout usually stays on the platform, which is generally the right call given the compliance burden.
Caching is the whole thing
The performance win comes from not calling the commerce API on every request. That means a caching strategy with clear invalidation on price and stock changes — because a fast storefront showing yesterday's stock level is worse than a slower correct one.
Common questions
Will our team still manage products the same way?
Yes. Products, orders and customers stay in the platform admin. What changes is how the storefront renders them.
Does checkout stay on Shopify?
Usually, and that is deliberate — it keeps PCI scope and conversion optimisation with the platform. Shopify Plus allows more checkout customisation if you need it.
Is headless always faster?
No. A well-optimised themed store can be very fast. Headless raises the ceiling and gives you control; it does not guarantee a win on its own.
Can we revert?
Yes. Your catalogue and orders are untouched in the platform, so going back to a themed storefront is always possible.
Have a project in mind?
Tell me what you're building and roughly when you need it. I reply to every genuine enquiry within one working day.