A Smarter Way to Go Headless: One Piece at a Time

Introduction

In recent years, the conversation around headless commerce has shifted from if to when. But for many established ecommerce brands, the idea of tearing out and replacing their entire tech stack overnight is unrealistic. Operational risk, internal resource constraints, and the pressure to maintain day-to-day performance can make a full headless migration feel daunting.

In this article I look at some of the reasons why ecommerce businesses go headless, the strategy we at DeeperThanBlue take to help our ecommerce clients achieve their goals and how we’ve helped one client in particular significantly increase their cart conversion rate.

So, what is headless commerce?

Simply put, adopting a headless commerce solution involves decoupling the front end of an eCommerce site from the backend application giving you and your eCommerce agency or front end developers the freedom to be more creative with the customer-facing parts of your site.

It has the additional benefit of allowing you to change your eCommerce platform should you outgrow your existing solution or your business model changes.

Why should we adopt headless commerce?

In a previous blog, we looked at what the benefits were of adopting headless commerce. I recommend that you take a look. But for now, the benefits can be summarised as follows:

• Updates to both backend and front end systems are reflected immediately–front end and back end teams can innovate without waiting for the other to finish.
• Brands can get more creative with the content they publish on their websites by building custom experiences that users simply can’t get anywhere else.
• Seamless experience across all devices and viewing formats.
• Complete ownership of site architecture, with unlimited customisation of the frontend, without the limitations of built-in themes.
• Improved conversion rates with agile customisation of the front end allowing you to test and optimise various front end iterations to see what works for your customers.
• The ability to launch micro-brands or launch in new territories with your headless solution making it easy to replicate you site and optimising it for international SEO while still connected to your overall data orchestration infrastructure.

How do we start with headless eCommerce?

At DeeperThanBlue, we believe headless shouldn’t be a binary decision. It’s not a question of going all in or staying put. Instead, brands can (and should) adopt a phased, modular approach — gradually modernising their customer experience by rebuilding key areas of their website as modern React applications, adding headless functionality piece by piece.

When we take on an eCommerce project, we follow the same process, whether were working with someone that is just starting out in eCommerce or an established eCommerce merchant. By starting at the beginning, we get a full understanding of the business and their end goals.

1. What is the end goal?
   We make sure that the goal is realistic and achievable, and aligns with the overall business objectives In the eCommerce world, this could relate to improved customer experience, faster time-to-market, omnichannel capability, or greater platform flexibility.
2. Where are we now?
   What tech stack are you working on? What are your current pain points? Are there any barriers we will face?
3. What are the solution options?
   How will a headless solution integrate with your existing tech stack? Is your current eCommerce platform fit-for-purpose?
4. Preparing for change
   Are all stakeholders aligned with the proposed changes? Are the systems in place to make the transition easy for everyone?

As I mentioned above, looking at this piece as a whole can feel daunting. So we break it down into manageable chunks:

1. Discovery and planning: We look at the business needs, define the aims and objectives and map out the migration plan
2. Pilot: We look to start with a low-risk area of the site to demonstrate the suitability of the solution and give the customer confidence to proceed further.
3. Integration and testing: We connect APIs, third-party tools and related systems and thoroughly test the new setup.
4. Expansion: We migrate additional components to the headless environment bit by bit, testing as we go to ensure functionality.
5. Optimisation and scaling: We gather user feedback, monitor performance and make any necessary improvements before full rollout of the solution.

That’s exactly the strategy and approach we’ve been delivering for our client, Howarth Timber, a leading UK building supplies retailer.

The Challenge: Modernising the Checkout Experience

Howarth Timber’s website is built on BigCommerce — a powerful ecommerce platform built for flexibility. However, Howarth had ambitious plans to significantly improve their cart UX through new functionality, and their existing Stencil theme offered limited scope. Here’s where a phased headless approach came in.

Some of the scoped features included:

• Offering delivery or collection options per line item
• Giving the customer the ability to choose their collection branch from the cart
• Run real-time stock checks before checkout
• Clearly displaying accurate delivery costs in real-time
• Grouping line items by their fulfilment method and branch for improved UX

Our Approach: A React Cart App Embedded Within BigCommerce

Rather than rebuilding the entire frontend in one go, we proposed a partial headless implementation. This approach has reduced both risk and cost.

We built a React-based cart application and embedded it into the existing BigCommerce theme. This standalone React app handled everything from cart item management to real-time stock validation.

Crucially, we designed the new cart to be modular and portable, so when the time comes to transition to a fully headless storefront, the cart experience is already built and can be “lifted and shifted” into the new stack with minimal rework.

The Results: HUGE Increases in Conversion Rates

The impact was immediate and significant. Since launching the new cart, Howarth Timber has seen a 41.18% month-on-month increase in conversion rate and 40.63% year-on-year increase in conversion rate (March 9th).

The improved speed, cleaner UX, and the addition of advanced custom functionality including real-time stock checks and fulfilment option flexibility has contributed directly to these huge increases in conversions.

It has also allowed Howarth Timber to de-risk their phased headless transition. They achieved measurable improvements in a critical area of their website, without the cost, time, or operational disruption of a full rebuild.

Summary

The long-term plan for Howarth Timber is to become fully headless—but through a controlled, phased rollout.

By identifying high-value, high-friction areas like the cart and account management pages, and replacing them with React apps that integrate via APIs, we’re helping them modernise at their own pace, whilst delivering measurable ROI at each stage.

This phased hybrid approach to headless ensures operational stability, reduced financial and technical risk, and incremental performance improvements.

If you’re considering headless commerce for your business, remember: You don’t need to go all in, all at once.

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