<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
is	O
an	O
e-commerce	O
architecture	B-Architecture
where	O
the	O
front-end	B-Architecture
(	O
head	O
)	O
is	O
decoupled	O
from	O
the	O
back-end	B-Architecture
commerce	O
functionality	O
and	O
can	O
thus	O
be	O
updated	O
or	O
edited	O
without	O
interfering	O
with	O
the	O
back-end	B-Architecture
,	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
headless	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
management	I-Protocol
system	I-Protocol
(	O
CMS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
was	O
coined	O
by	O
Dirk	O
Hoerig	O
,	O
co-founder	O
of	O
Commercetools	B-Protocol
,	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
was	O
arguably	O
born	O
out	O
of	O
a	O
2013	O
Forrester	O
Research	O
report	O
that	O
bemoaned	O
e-commerce	O
vendors	O
falling	O
behind	O
user	B-Application
experience	I-Application
trends	O
and	O
recommended	O
“	O
loosely	O
”	O
coupling	O
the	O
back	O
-	O
and	O
front-ends	B-Architecture
of	O
e-commerce	O
stores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
architecture	B-Architecture
passes	O
requests	O
between	O
a	O
platform	O
's	O
presentation	B-Application
and	O
application	O
layers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
presentation	B-Application
layer	I-Application
is	O
connected	O
with	O
the	O
e-commerce	O
functionality	O
via	O
REST	B-Protocol
APIs	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
application	O
programming	O
interfaces	O
,	O
which	O
define	O
interactions	O
between	O
multiple	O
software	O
intermediaries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
businesses	O
to	O
change	O
customer-facing	O
experiences	O
without	O
disrupting	O
backend	B-Architecture
functionality	O
and	O
to	O
update	O
,	O
edit	O
or	O
change	O
products	O
and	O
distribute	O
via	O
API	B-General_Concept
to	O
multiple	O
front-ends	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
REST	B-Protocol
APIs	I-Protocol
are	O
the	O
backbone	O
of	O
this	O
architecture	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
is	O
distinct	O
from	O
coupled	O
,	O
traditional	O
or	O
“	O
monolithic	O
”	O
e-commerce	O
in	O
that	O
the	O
former	O
relies	O
on	O
a	O
front-end	B-Architecture
and	I-Architecture
back-end	I-Architecture
that	O
function	O
together	O
and	O
the	O
latter	O
comprises	O
solely	O
a	O
back-end	B-Architecture
which	O
communicates	O
with	O
front-ends	B-Architecture
via	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
platforms	O
offer	O
advantages	O
over	O
traditional	O
e-commerce	B-Application
platforms	I-Application
in	O
that	O
changes	O
to	O
data	O
and	O
functionality	O
only	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
made	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
back-end	B-Architecture
,	O
with	O
all	O
front-ends	B-Architecture
then	O
having	O
immediate	O
access	O
to	O
those	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Likewise	O
,	O
each	O
front-end	B-Architecture
can	O
then	O
be	O
changed	O
and	O
deployed	O
without	O
impacting	O
the	O
back-end	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
difference	O
is	O
that	O
many	O
traditional	O
e-commerce	B-Application
platforms	I-Application
come	O
with	O
predefined	O
front-end	B-Architecture
templates	B-Application
or	O
customization	O
,	O
whereas	O
headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
can	O
power	O
any	O
front-end	B-Architecture
via	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
platforms	O
require	O
more	O
work	O
and	O
customization	O
than	O
traditional	O
platforms	O
and	O
are	O
often	O
not	O
suitable	O
for	O
smaller	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
platforms	O
lack	O
predesigned	O
templates	B-Application
and	O
do	O
not	O
provide	O
all-in-one	O
solutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
platforms	O
also	O
require	O
developers	B-Operating_System
to	O
build	O
or	O
buy	O
a	O
separate	O
front-end	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
may	O
be	O
preferred	O
from	O
a	O
quality	O
assurance	O
perspective	O
,	O
as	O
traditional	O
e-commerce	B-Application
platforms	I-Application
face	O
a	O
higher	O
risk	O
of	O
making	O
changes	O
that	O
could	O
disrupt	O
operations	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
front	B-Architecture
end	I-Architecture
and	I-Architecture
back	I-Architecture
end	I-Architecture
are	O
coupled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
communicates	O
with	O
the	O
front-end	B-Architecture
via	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
and	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
code	O
intertwined	O
with	O
the	O
backend	B-Architecture
database	O
that	O
stores	O
content	O
,	O
frontend	B-Architecture
developers	B-Operating_System
can	O
adapt	O
endpoint	O
layout	O
as	O
needed	O
with	O
no	O
disruptions	O
to	O
the	O
customer	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
front-ends	B-Architecture
and	O
back-ends	B-Architecture
of	O
a	O
headless	O
system	O
are	O
decoupled	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
possible	O
to	O
change	O
the	O
content	O
layer	O
without	O
disrupting	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
creates	O
flexibility	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
front	O
-	O
and	O
back-ends	B-Architecture
to	O
work	O
independently	O
and	O
create	O
new	O
user	B-Application
experiences	I-Application
without	O
compromising	O
old	O
ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
also	O
no	O
confining	O
code	O
that	O
restricts	O
delivery	O
to	O
internet	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
things	I-Operating_System
devices	O
,	O
applications	B-Application
,	O
web	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
or	O
other	O
end	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
decoupled	O
architecture	B-Architecture
of	O
headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
enables	O
developers	B-Operating_System
to	O
make	O
quick	O
changes	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
implementing	O
new	O
functionalities	O
and	O
integrations	O
without	O
disrupting	O
the	O
back	B-Architecture
end	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
allows	O
for	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
customized	O
designs	O
and	O
layouts	O
for	O
different	O
endpoints	O
,	O
since	O
front-end	B-Architecture
design	O
can	O
be	O
changed	O
without	O
impacting	O
the	O
back-end	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headless	B-Protocol
commerce	I-Protocol
allows	O
a	O
business	O
to	O
control	O
all	O
customer	O
touchpoints	O
at	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
creates	O
a	O
consistent	O
customer	O
experience	O
across	O
different	O
front-ends	B-Architecture
that	O
enable	O
customers	O
to	O
complete	O
a	O
purchase	O
at	O
any	O
touch	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
