Headless Commerce Development

What headless commerce actually means for a retailer

Headless commerce separates the customer-facing storefront from the backend that manages products, cart sessions, checkout logic, and orders. In a traditional platform like Shopify or WooCommerce, the two are coupled: the platform controls how pages render and what changes are possible without touching code. Headless replaces that coupled system with an API, so design freedom, performance, and content management all stop depending on what a theme permits.

  • Custom Next.js storefront built to design specification with no theme constraints

  • API-first commerce backend (custom or connected to Shopify, Commerce.js, or Medusa) powering the storefront

  • Content management integration so marketing teams update banners, landing pages, and featured products without code

  • Core Web Vitals optimised from the start: server-side rendering, image optimisation, and minimal third-party script loading

Recent outcomes

Voice AI · Research

6× deeper insights

Text-based interviews converted to automated phone calls

AI Automation · Ops

20k+ txns day one

Manual invoice OCR across 40+ gas stations

Loyalty · Retail

1,062 users in 4 weeks

SuperValu & Centra loyalty platform with receipt validation

SaaS · Logistics

2,000+ shipments yr 1

Multi-carrier shipping hub for Indonesian eCommerce

4.9
on Clutch
See our work

The problem

Sound familiar?

  • Design team delivering mockups that are 70% realisable in the current platform theme, and the other 30% requiring developer time every release cycle?

  • Page speed scores below 60 on mobile because the platform's theme bundles scripts and styles the store doesn't use but can't remove?

Short answer

RaftLabs builds headless commerce platforms for retailers who need a custom storefront decoupled from the commerce backend. Headless commerce separates the frontend presentation layer from the product catalogue, cart, checkout, and order management backend. The result is a custom storefront built in Next.js or another framework, connected to a commerce API, with content managed independently by marketing teams. Most headless commerce projects deliver in 12 to 18 weeks at a fixed cost.

Key takeaways

  • The commerce API is the single interface for all commerce data, so every additional channel, mobile app, kiosk, third-party integration, connects without duplicating catalogue or checkout logic.
  • A headless storefront with server-side rendering and deferred third-party scripts consistently reaches LCP under 2.5s on mobile, versus 4-8s for a typical app-heavy theme-based store.
  • Content editors work in a structured authoring environment with preview before publishing, with the content schema mirroring page sections rather than treating content as an unrelated blog structure.
  • A Shopify custom theme runs $8,000-$20,000; a headless frontend on Shopify's Storefront API runs $25,000-$60,000; a full custom backend-and-frontend build runs $40,000-$90,000.

Trusted by

Vodafone logo
Aldi logo
Nike logo
Microsoft logo
Heineken logo
Cisco logo
Calorgas logo
Energia Rewards logo

Headless commerce delivery, by the numbers

products shipped
100+
industries served
24+
cost delivery
Fixed
week delivery for headless commerce
12-18

Design freedom, performance, and content management without a theme in the way

Headless becomes the right choice when design requirements consistently exceed what the theme system can produce, when page speed is materially affecting organic rankings, or when marketing and development are blocked on each other because content changes require code changes.

Capabilities

What we build

  • 01
    Commerce API layer

    Every commerce operation, catalogue, cart, checkout, orders, customer accounts, is a structured endpoint that the storefront and any other channel can call without duplicating logic.

  • 02
    Custom Next.js storefront

    Every page renders to the exact design spec with no inherited theme constraints, server-side rendered for fast LCP and crawlability, with a component library built to your actual design system.

  • 03
    Content management integration

    Marketing teams publish banners, landing pages, and featured products directly, with content preview before publishing and A/B test integration for controlled experiments.

    Built with
    Contentful · Sanity
  • 04
    Performance and Core Web Vitals

    LCP under 2.5s and zero CLS are architecture requirements, not post-launch targets, achieved through code splitting, deferred third-party scripts, and reserved media dimensions.

  • 05
    Search and discovery

    A dedicated search engine indexes the catalogue for faceted filtering and personalised ranking beyond what a SaaS platform's built-in search configuration supports.

    Built with
    Algolia · Typesense
  • 06
    Multi-channel and integration

    The same commerce API serves mobile apps, kiosks, or voice commerce, with PIM and ERP integration keeping product and inventory data accurate across every channel.

How we work

From scope to live headless platform

  1. Week 1
    01

    Constraint and platform scoping

    We map your current platform's design and performance limits. You leave week 1 with a written scope document and a fixed-price quote.

  2. Weeks 2-4
    02

    API and content architecture design

    Commerce API contract and content schema designed against your actual page structure.

  3. Weeks 5-14
    03

    Build and integrate

    Storefront, CMS integration, and search built in parallel, tested against real catalogue data.

  4. Final 2-3 weeks
    04

    Launch and marketing team training

    Marketing team trained on the CMS before full rollout.

Why us

Why retailers choose RaftLabs

  • 01
    Senior engineers build what they scope

    The engineers who assess your platform constraints also build the solution. No bait-and-switch, no offshore handoff after the contract is signed.

  • 02
    Fixed price before development starts

    We scope the work, calculate the cost, and lock it in writing before any development starts.

  • 03
    9 years and 100+ products shipped

    Clients include Vodafone, T-Mobile, Aldi, Nike, Cisco, and Lockheed Martin. Track record building performance-critical commerce platforms.

  • 04
    Core Web Vitals built in, not bolted on

    Performance is an architecture decision from day one, not a retrofit after launch.

  • 05
    Content and code finally decoupled

    Marketing publishes independently, no developer needed for a banner or landing page change.

Have a headless commerce project?

Tell us your current platform, the design and performance constraints it creates, and how your content and development workflows currently interact. We will scope the right architecture.

Talk about your headless commerce project

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Headless Commerce Development, scoped in one call.

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Frequently asked questions

In a standard setup, the platform controls both backend and frontend presentation, changing the look means working within what the theme permits. Headless separates these: the backend is exposed as an API, and the frontend is a custom application that renders exactly as designed, with full design control, better performance, and independent content management.

Yes. Shopify Headless using the Storefront API or Hydrogen is one of the most common architectures we build. Shopify keeps handling catalogue, cart, checkout, and orders; a custom Next.js storefront replaces the theme entirely. Most existing Shopify operational workflows remain unchanged.

Most live Shopify stores accumulate apps over time that each load their own JavaScript, degrading mobile performance. A headless storefront built with SSR, lazy loading, and deferred third-party scripts consistently reaches LCP under 2.5 seconds on mobile where a typical theme-based store runs 4 to 8 seconds.

A Shopify custom theme typically runs $8,000 to $20,000. A headless frontend on an existing Shopify backend typically runs $25,000 to $60,000. A full custom headless platform with a custom commerce backend runs $40,000 to $90,000.

Work with us

Tell us what you need. We'll tell you what it would take.

We scope Headless Commerce Development in 30 minutes. You walk away with a clear cost, timeline, and approach. No commitment required.

  • Scope and cost agreed before work starts. No surprises. No obligation.
  • Working prototype within 3 weeks of kickoff.
  • Pay by milestone. You see progress before each invoice.
  • 60-day post-launch warranty. Bug fixes, UI tweaks, and deployment support. No retainer.
  • All conversations are NDA-protected.

Go deeper

Browse our case studies

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