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6 Top Jamstack Headless eCommerce Platforms

Jamstack ecommerce platforms pagepro

Introduction

If you are considering using Jamstack for eCommerce, it’s worth taking a look at eCommerce platforms you can use.

As the number of such solutions grows, we decided to help you with making a final decision by handpicking the best Jamstack eCommerce platforms out there.

These are:

Media Kit | BigCommerceHeadless eCommerce | PIM | GraphQL API | Subscription eCommerce |  CrystallizeMagento | SkrillSaleor Commerce invites you to a meeting at the E-commerce Berlin ExpoFile:Shopify logo 2018.svg - Wikimedia CommonsWtyczka Woocommerce dla Reepay

In this article, we cover:

In the end, we compare these six eCommerce platforms for Jamstack in an easy-to-read table format.

Let’s start with fundamentals – why should you consider using Jamstack to build an online store in the first place?

PS If you want to learn more about Jamstack, you can read our comprehensive guide on What is Jamstack?

You can also watch our interview with Colby Fayock, one of the top Jamstack experts.

Why use Jamstack for eCommerce?

Jamstack itself offers many benefits for companies that want to build their online presence. Requirements of both clients and Google are getting bigger and the idea behind Jamstack is to help businesses meet these requirements.

Jamstack means:

  • Fast page load speed
  • Rich user experience
  • SEO efficiency
  • Going omnichannel
  • Being future-proof
  • High security

However, these benefits apply to all kinds of businesses and websites, but there are some that are intended for eCommerce businesses.

So why use Jamstack for eCommerce?

  • To sell anywhere
  • Improve time to market
  • Get unlimited experience possibilities
  • Lower the development cost (in comparison to the traditional approach)
  • Get a much better developer experience for your tech team

Choosing Jamstack for eCommerce is called headless eCommerce. And there are some eCommerce platforms that allow for unlocking the full potential of going headless.

Headless eCommerce platforms and their benefits

Headless is quite a new concept of separating the front-end layer from the backend layer, but syncing them with each other at the same time through API (Application Programming Interface).

It’s the main difference between headless eCommerce vs traditional eCommerce.

As content and design are separated from the logic and functional layer, online store owners don’t have to worry about breaking basic store functionalities (like payments or databases) while creating out-of-the-box customer experiences.

Thanks to headless eCommerce, you can efficiently manage the content and distribute it to any channel. That’s not possible in the case of traditional eCommerce. In short, it gives you full flexibility and control of content, user interface, page templates and custom code.

Going headless also means that you can create and design custom customer touchpoints like forms, product pages, checkout pages or anything else that customers interact with.

Benefits

Easiness of making changes, testing new solutions and functionalities, and optimising the store.
Headless approach can be applied to any online store (if there is API available), regardless of its content heaviness, a number of products or other factors.
Making changes (like fixing performance issues or implementing new features) is faster than in the case of traditional eCommerce because of the openness of headless architecture.
Minimal risk of breaking down store during technical changes.
Possibility to integrate with eCommerce platforms (eg. Shopify, Saleor) through API without the need of building an online store from scratch.
Total flexibility of designing an interface that translates into a better user experience.

As there are many eCommerce platforms that can be used in the Jamstack approach, we handpicked just a few of them. These are platforms that we use in our daily work:

  • BigCommerce
  • Crystallize
  • Magento (Adobe Commerce)
  • Saleor
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce

Let’s take a look at each one of them.

Still hesitating which one to choose?

Our Top Jamstack eCommerce Platforms

Here’s a handpicked list of our favourite eCommerce platforms that work perfectly, and are able to deliver superb results together with the Jamstack approach.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a SaaS eCommerce platform that aims to help merchants regardless of their growth stage. It’s easy to set up and start selling, even for people without coding experience or even web design skills.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Built-in product review functionalityAbandoned cart functionality is quite expensive
Free 15-day trialAnnual online sales limits
GDPR complianceAPI support is available only on the enterprise plan
Many features are available at entry-level planNo RSS feed support
Multi-currency and multi-languageNo shipping discounts
No additional transaction fees
Third-party real-time shipping calculations
Unlimited number of staff accounts

Main features

B2BBulk pricing; Price lists; Quote management
Core featuresCustomer groups; Refunds and returns; Analytics and reporting; Automated tax calculations
Cross-channel commerceIntegrations with marketplaces like eBay; Integrations with social media platforms like Facebook; Switching between storefronts with one login
Storefront conversionCoupons and discounts; payments through digital wallets; Fast page load speed; Advanced search
Storefront designVisual page builder; Checkout, mobile and theme customisation; WordPress integration

Pricing

StandardPlusProEnterprise
Price/mo$29.95/mo$79.95/mo$299.95/moCustom pricing
Annual sales limit$50,000$180,000$400,000Negotiable

If you exceed the annual sales limit on the Standard and Plus plans, you need to upgrade your plan.

You can check the detailed pricing on BigCommerce’s website.

When to use BigCommerce?

Although BigCommerce is a great choice for all kinds of online stores, it offers additional solutions for the following industries:

  • Apparel & Fashion
  • Automotive
  • CBD
  • Food & Beverage
  • Health & Beauty
  • Manufacturing

Examples of BigCommerce stores

Black Diamond Equipiment

Black Diamond Equipment is an online store with climbing, skiing and trail running gear.

A jamstack website of black diamond equipment ecommerce

Model Train Stuff

Model Train Stuff is an online store with model trains, train sets and model accessories.

A jamstack website of model train stuff ecommerce

Crystallize

Crystallize is a modern headless eCommerce platform for selling digital and physical products in any language. It combines Product Information Management (PIM) and rich content management. Essentially, it is an eCommerce platform with CMS and a search engine in one.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Customization and frontend freedom (use favourite tech stack)Best fit for bigger projects, not simple ones that require a fast start by choosing a template and importing a catalogue of products
High level of automation thanks to webhooksLess popular in comparison to BigCommerce or Shopify
Management of stock information for physical productsRequires development even though it offers open-source boilerplates (templates)
MultichannelSlow time to market
Multi-currency
Open Slack community
Possibility to sell both digital and physical products
Possibility to offer subscription plans to customers
Superfast GraphQL API that allows querying exactly for the data you need

Main features

  • Custom price variants
  • Custom product variants
  • Fulfilment pipelines
  • Highly scalable
  • Multi-currency reporting
  • Multiple stock locations
  • Multiple users per account and multiple accounts per user
  • Order management
  • Structured content

Pricing

ParticleAtomCrystal
Free$299/monthCustom
Community supportSupport from Engineering in SlackDedicated support team on Slack

You can check the detailed pricing on Crystallize’s website.

When to use Crystallize?

Crystallize is a great and very flexible tool. It allows teams to have a central place to handle their products and content data that is available in production instantly, via the headless GraphQL API. It would be a perfect case for a business that shares information across multiple channels (multiple web fronts, apps, etc.). 

Since it is so flexible, it also fits business models that have specific requirements or are restricted by other platforms. The last big pain-point of businesses is performance, and that does not cover only data streams out of Crystallize but is also a big factor when securing sensitive information like checkout processes.

Examples of Crystallize stores

Bertel O. Steen

Bertel O. Steen is an official Mercedes Benz retailer in Norway.

A jamstack website of bertel o. steen ecommerce

Loql

Loql is a UK startup empowering local restaurants.

A jamstack website of loql ecommerce

Magento (Adobe Commerce)

Magento is an eCommerce platform dedicated to bigger players with many rich features, headless architecture and various third-party integrations.

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Cloud delivery (access to the latest software version, infrastructure improvements and functionality)Not beginner-friendly (steep learning curve)
Customer segmentation and personalisationNot easy to implement
ERP integrationSlow time to market
Free version (called Community version)Quite costly at some points
Integrated B2B functionality
Optimised performance (AWS-based environment)
Possibility to sell and distribute on Amazon directly from your store
Product recommendations functionality

Main features

  • AI-powered advanced live search
  • Amazon Sales Channel extension
  • Integration with ShopRunner (two-day deliveries)
  • Multi-cloud support (Amazon Web Services or Azure)
  • Order management
  • Possibility to build PWA (Progressive Web App) on top of Magento (Adobe Commerce)
  • Product recommendations functionality
  • Revenue-based funding thanks to Wayflyer
  • Visual page builder

Pricing

As pricing is not available publicly, you need to contact sales first.

When to use Magento (Adobe Commerce)?

Magento is a good option for mid-market businesses with a growing tendency and is a truly great choice for big enterprise businesses that demand high customizability.

Examples of Magento stores

EGLO

EGLO is an online store with contemporary lighting solutions for every area.

a jamstack website of eglo ecommerce

HÖGL

HÖGL is an online store with high-quality, stylish women’s shoes.

a jamstack website of hogl ecommerce

Saleor

Saleor is a headless eCommerce platform empowering online store owners to deliver blazingly fast, dynamic and personalised shopping experiences.

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Global taxes are coveredA small number of developers
Multi-device accessibilityNot many third-party integrations
Multi-language and translations moduleRelatively immature platform
Multi-warehouse inventory
No front-end limitations
Product SEO optimisation
SDK (connecting to API is easy)
Unlimited product attributes
Upselling with machine learning

Main features

  • CSV import and export
  • Flexible product types
  • Google Analytics integration
  • Localised data
  • Product bundles and collections
  • Refunds and returns
  • Reminders about abandoned carts
  • Tracking sales history and metrics
  • Quick product search

Pricing

There are two options:

  • Open-source – it is and will be free forever to host on your servers
  • Cloud – monthly pricing that depends on the number of monthly orders

Let’s check the pricing for 1,500-2,500 monthly orders on three plans (Startup, Pro, Enterprise).

StartupProEnterprise
$695/mo$1,795/mo$6,795/mo
1,500 orders/mo2,500 orders/mo2,500 orders/mo

You can check the detailed pricing on Saleor’s website.

When to use Saleor?

Saleor is a great choice regardless of whether you are a small, midsize or enterprise-level retailer with a physical or digital inventory.

Note that Saleor was built with headless commerce in mind.

You can also read more about Saleor here.

Examples of Saleor stores

A-dam

A-dam is a clothing brand focused on high-quality basics.

a jamstack website of a-dam ecommerce

Pfeffer & Frost

Pfeffer & Frost is an emerging food-centered eCommerce company.

a jamstack website of pfeffer % frost ecommerce

Shopify

Shopify is probably the most popular, and the first direction for any new web shop nowadays. It is a SaaS eCommerce platform, similar to BigCommerce, that’s widely popular worldwide.

You can choose it regardless of the stage you are at because Shopify offers solutions for beginner stores and well-established ones.

Pros and cons

ProsCons
Abandoned cart functionality is available on all plansBeing GDPR compliant requires an additional app
Android and iOS apps to help you with store managementBuilt-in email marketing functionality is pretty basic
Built-in email marketing toolMulti-currency selling is only possible when using Shopify Payments
Free 14-day trialProduct reviews functionality requires installing an app
Great for dropshippingProfessional reporting is available only on more expensive plans
Many third-party apps to choose fromSome of the key functionalities also require installing a third-party app
Multi-currencyUsing third-party solutions won’t help you with avoiding transaction fees
Multi-language versions
US, Canadian and EU taxes are calculated automatically

Main features

StorefrontWeb-based website builder; Full access to HTML and CSS; Built-in mobile shopping cart
Shopping cartFlexible shipping rates; Credit card payments; Automatic taxes
Store managementCustomer profiles; Dropshipping-ready; Automated e-mail templates; Mobile order fulfilment
Marketing & SEOSocial media integration; Possibility to buy products without leaving Facebook; Gift cards; Generated sitemap.xml
ProductsProduct variations; Video and 3D support; Subscriptions; SEO product tags
Web hostingSSL certificate; Unlimited bandwidth; Instant upgrades
AnalyticsActionable dashboard; Product and traffic/referral reports; Google Analytics integration
Mobile appOrder fulfillment; Data synchronization; Mobile dashboard; Inventory management
24/7 supportDedicated support team; Shopify Help Center; Discussion forums

Pricing

Shopify LiteBasic ShopifyShopifyAdvanced ShopifyShopify Plus
$9/mo$29/mo$79/mo$299/moCustom pricing

You can check the detailed pricing on Shopify’s website.

When to use Shopify?

Shopify is an excellent choice for shops of all sizes and industries, regardless of whether you are just starting out (consider Shopify Lite then) or have a well-established online store that needs some improvements.

We can also learn about using Shopify as a headless only.

Examples of Shopify stores

Grovemade

Grovemade is an online store that offers office accessories and helps with modern desk organisation.

a jamstack website of grovemade ecommerce

Pop Chart

Pop Chart is an online store with infographic posters about everything pop culture.

a jamstack website of pop chart ecommerce

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce plugin that enables you to transform WordPress websites into eCommerce platforms.

It does not only integrate seamlessly with WordPress but also with Jamstack. In other words, if you already have a WooCommerce store, you can go headless.

Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Basic features are available for freeAdvanced customization requires technical skills
Beginner-friendlyCosts can quickly add up
Easy and quick setupPerformance and speed get worse after installing too many plugins
Great flexibility (suited for all kinds of webshops)Some plugins and extensions require a one-time or monthly payment
It’s easy to find skilled developers
Large community
Many free and premium themes
Many free and premium plugins and extensions
Open-source
Self-hosted (so you own it)

Main features

  • Automated tax calculations
  • Endless product variations
  • Flexible and secure payments
  • Free and paid extensions (available on the official WooCommerce marketplace)
  • In-home label printing
  • Integration with Google Analytics and Google Shopping
  • Live shipping rates from leading carriers
  • Mobile app for iOS and Android
  • Order management
  • Subscription options

Pricing

WooCommerce is a free open-source plugin however there are many WooCommerce extensions available, and some of them aren’t free.

When to use WooCommerce?

WooCommerce can be used regardless of the industry or number of products. Although it’s easy to set up a simple online store, adding more advanced features in the future will require installing extensions or the developer’s help so for some it may be deciding factor to use some other platform.

Examples of WooCommerce stores

Certified Comic Shop

Certified Comic Shop is an online store with comics.

a jamstack website of certified comic shop ecommerce

Shop Catalog

Shop Catalog is an online store offering creative works from people behind Thought Catalog.

a jamstack website of shop catalog ecommerce

Head-to-head comparison of Jamstack eCommerce platforms

Now, after finding out about the pros, cons, and features of each eCommerce platform, let’s compare them against each other considering different aspects.

We created the following comparison from the perspective of building a simple online store, not some big eCommerce site.

Easy to setupEasy to customizeSpeed and
performance
SEODev costMonthly cost
BigCommerce🟢🟢🟢🟢🟡🟢
Crystallize🟢🟡🟢🟢🟡🟡
Magento🔴🟡🟡🟢🔴🔴
Saleor🟡🟢🟢🟢🟡🟢
Shopify🟢🟡🟡🟡🟡🟢
WooCommerce🟢🟡🟡🟡🟢🟢

Conclusion

In most cases, all platforms offer similar basic features that provide a lot of value for eCommerce brands. However, there are specific differences between these platforms that may become crucial for a specific business type and particular requirements.

If that’s the case, a free consultation with a dedicated Jamstack agency – like Pagepro – may help you with making a final choice.

Further readings

If you want to learn more about Jamstack or headless eCommerce in general, we recommend reading the following articles:

Still hesitating which one to choose?

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