Headless is a term used to describe ecommerce management software that functions independently from your online storefront software.

You can build an online marketplace using one or multiple software applications. The most common use case for using multiple software applications is having one to power the front-end (your storefront, what customers see), and another for the back-end (marketplace management, where the data and operations occur).

Depending on the complexity of how your marketplace brings buyers and sellers together, you may consider using separate a software application to power the storefront from the one used to manage back end operations

Top 3 pros of headless commerce

1. Customization: With a team of software developers, you can create any online experience (storefront) you'd like. Your custom storefront code is then connected to your headless commerce software to run your online marketplace.
2. Flexibility: When your storefront is built from the ground up with custom code, you can make changes you need at any time.
3. Scalability: If you have significant transaction, customer and SKU volume, customization and flexibility lets you scale with fewer limitations.

Top 3 cons of headless commerce

1. More expensive: Skilled software developers earn a premium hourly rate compared to other skill sets hired to run an online marketplace business. To build a storefront, you need significant upfront investment — even before making any money from sales.
2. Complex to maintain and manage: In addition to the operational aspects of your business like customer support, inventory management and so much more, you'll need to coordinate all website updates (big and small) with your software developers. This requires time and money.
3. Access to exclusive integrations: It's common for SaaS commerce platforms to provide the latest and greatest functionality via exclusive technical partnerships and APIs from big brands like Shopify, Google, Meta, etc. Access to the data end points to power some features and functionality are not available to the general public. Additionally, big brands constantly innovate how they deliver digital experiences, and for many merchants paying for developers to keep integrations working is challenging.