7 positive examples of brands using Headless eCommerce

As eCommerce continues to grow and evolve, online retailers must stay ahead of the curve in terms of technology and user experience. One approach that has gained popularity in recent years is Headless Commerce. By separating the front-end presentation layer from the back-end commerce functionality, businesses can create a more flexible and customizable eCommerce architecture.

Straight to the point

Several brands have already seen positive results with Headless Commerce, including Dermalogica, Crocs, LUSH, GUESS, Lilly Pulitzer, and Nike.

Each of these companies faced unique challenges with their traditional (monolithic) eCommerce platform, but by migrating to a Headless Commerce architecture, they were able to overcome these obstacles and achieve impressive results. Read our article, “Why eCommerce brands should move to Headless Commerce,” to learn about the benefits of it. For now, let’s get to know about a few renowned brands that got positive results from Headless.

1. Dermalogica

Dermalogica, for example, struggled with creating a seamless user experience on its website. By migrating to a Headless Commerce architecture using Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), they increased conversion rates by 56% and revenue by 30%. Crazy, right?

2. Crocs

Let’s take a look at another example. Coming up next is Crocs, a brand that had difficulty making changes to its website without relying on IT teams. I wonder why someone would need a developer's help to change the content on a webpage. Like seriously, marketers of big brands need to A/B test multiple times a week; whos going to wait for developers? Well, end of my drama here, but after adopting Elastic Path's Headless Commerce solution, the company saw an 18% increase in revenue and dramatically dropped developer dependency.

3. Lush

LUSH's traditional eCommerce platform was not flexible enough to support its unique business model. After migrating to a Headless Commerce architecture using Contentful, they saw a 90% increase in mobile conversions. How did they do it? It’s simple because, according to a Walker study, customers are willing to pay 86% more for a better experience. And Lush focused entirely on it and saw a whopping 90% increase in their conversion rate.

4. GUESS

Next in the queue is GUESS, a global lifestyle brand that had trouble managing its extensive product catalog on its traditional eCommerce platform. Switching to Magento's Headless Commerce solution allowed them to improve the user experience and increase online sales by 70%. Find the similarity between Lush and them. There are a ton of similar case studies.

5. Lilly Pulitzer

Now we’re going to take a peek at a less renowned brand, Lilly Pulitzer, a brand that relaunched to Progressive Web Apps (PWA) using Headless Commerce and achieved an 80% increase in mobile traffic and a 33% boost in mobile revenue. It’s not crazy this time, but quite impressive. Smooth.

6. Nike

Can we forget Nike? One of the world's most recognizable brands, Nike, adopted React and Node.js for their Headless Commerce migration. The result was a 50% increase in mobile conversion rates, a 45% increase in page load speed, and a 40% increase in time spent on the site. Leaders make the first move, mostly, and that’s what we can see from here. Whatever.

7. Rag & Bone

Finishing it off with our last example, Rag & Bone, a luxury fashion brand, migrated their online store from Magento to Shopify Headless in 2019 and saw positive results. The headless setup allowed for a customized and seamless shopping experience through the platform's robust API capabilities. Rag & Bone improved website speed, mobile experience, and conversion rates while optimizing with Contentful, Algolia, and Dynamic Yield for personalized shopping experiences. The move to Shopify Headless streamlined operations, enhanced customer experience, and drove more sales for Rag & Bone.

A few comments

These success stories demonstrate that Headless Commerce can provide a better user experience, generate more revenue, and accommodate future growth for eCommerce brands.

Businesses can create a more flexible and customizable eCommerce architecture by separating the front-end presentation from the back-end commerce functionality.

This approach allows companies to launch new products and promotions quickly, customize their website's front end, and handle high levels of traffic without slowing down. Most importantly, reduce developer dependency and gives the marketing team its ultimate freedom to update content and move quickly.

What's the takeaway?

In conclusion, Headless Commerce is becoming increasingly popular among eCommerce brands looking to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The success stories of Dermalogica, Crocs, LUSH, GUESS, Lilly Pulitzer, Rag & Bone, and Nike demonstrate the potential benefits of adopting this architecture. By embracing Headless Commerce, businesses can provide a better user experience, generate more revenue, and remain competitive in the ever-evolving eCommerce world. Always remember better user experiences mean more sales.

But is Headless Commerce right for you?

There’s no doubt that Headless Commerce delivers an excellent user experience, which increases conversion rates and, thus, revenue. However, moving to Headless from traditional commerce is a big investment and a major change for any brand.

While there are tons of benefits associated with it, whether Headless is right for you depends on a number of factors, including your business & marketing goal, revenue, team size, etc. If you’re in a confusion, don’t worry–drop us a line, and we’ll be happy to help, even if we don’t work together.