Key use cases for headless commerce platforms

Headless is the way forward, as we have already written in this blog. But for which types of businesses and which markets do headless commerce platforms currently offer the most opportunities? Time to get some input on this from Jeroen van Meel, Country & Sales Lead Benelux at BigCommerce, a key technology partner of rb2.

BigCommerce has been increasingly successful with its SaaS package of e-commerce solutions for retailers. The originally US company also got started in the Netherlands in April 2021 with its platform for online shops, search engine optimization, hosting and marketing. That the headless platform is catching on here, too, is evidenced by the fact that the company entered the Emerce100 at the top spot in the e-commerce software commercial category. 

The platform is scoring particularly high marks in the area of flexibility. Jeroen van Meel, Country & Sales Lead Benelux at Big Commerce, explains in this article which markets headless platforms present the biggest opportunities for. He also provides details on some use cases and explains why BigCommerce chose rb2, builder of e-commerce, subscription and loyalty platforms, as its development partner.

To start with the latter aspect: why did you pick rb2 as a partner in the Netherlands?

"When you purchase our platform, you have 80% of the functionality you need readily available as a basis. But to ensure that you can truly offer your customers a unique user experience and customer journey, customization is needed. For the design piece, building integrations and going live, we need partners. Since the end of 2021, rb2 has been one of our preferred certified partners. The company is a leader in the headless commerce market and is able to translate our clients' business ambitions into future-proof technical solutions. Our visions of the future of e-commerce platforms align perfectly. We are both convinced that MACH architecture represents the next step in the design and implementation of modern, flexible technology stacks for our clients."

Which markets and types of businesses does BigCommerce particularly target?

"We are a platform that actually fits any growth stage. We have a unique b2b feature set, but also serve clients focused on b2c and d2c, or a combination of these. For example, we brought Royal Swinkels Family Brewers live during corona time. They now have eight shops running, for which we made some of their breweries direct shoppable. The nicest use cases are a combination of b2b, b2c and d2c, because we can facilitate all those with the same core platform."

Can you highlight an interesting use case from a Dutch client?

"No problem. A supplier of iron materials for outdoor jobs - such as fastening material, patio supports, post holders, border edging and door hardware - with a turnover of between 15-20 million euros will soon deploy our platform to grow rapidly. The internationally operating company sells to both DIY stores and directly to consumers. 

On the one hand, it wants to automate the b2b environment more, so that salespeople can be more occupied with cross-selling and up-selling and less with tasks that could be done just as well through a self-service portal. They also want to position themselves differently in different regions with various brand sites so that they can create different user experiences. Using our platform, they want to facilitate a larger group of clients. 

Together with rb2, we have set out a clear proposition for headless. Since the product range at the back end basically always remains the same, the main issue is how our customers are going to position themselves differently at the front-end. After all, a b2b client has a very different journey than a b2c customer. And a b2c customer in the Netherlands may be looking for something completely different from a b2c customer in Germany or the UK. 

Our solution involves a standard set of components (building blocks) on the headless environment, after which you use your favorite content management system to provide unique positioning and presentation for various customer types. In doing so, you create huge flexibility both to grow internationally and to address different channels with a specific message.

This client wants to quadruple or quintuple in a few years. Our platform will grow with them. rb2 creates a clear overall picture for the client of what to expect and what is needed in the business in the coming years. It then establishes a digital platform and ecosystem that can best facilitate those developments. 

It provides clients with a digital foundation to facilitate and drive further growth and takes them to the next level. Because our platform is composable, when you grow, you can quickly connect external applications in a very simple way, without having to spend months developing them. 

We offer the opportunity to connect your preferred stack of best-of-breed solutions to our commerce engine. There are very few e-commerce platforms that fully open that up."

"Since the end of 2021, rb2 has been one of our preferred certified partners. The company is a leader in the headless commerce market and is able to translate our clients' business ambitions into future-proof technical solutions."

Can you also give an example of a Dutch client who wants to provide d2c in addition to b2b using your headless platform?

"Certainly. One of our clients is an electric bike supplier that is using our platform not only for further internationalization, but also to set up a d2c channel alongside their b2b practice. The company has ambitious growth plans and wants to structure all the channels well. This client is focusing on realizing a great customer experience on the website, so the choice of headless is a logical one. We are going to work with rb2 for them with a clean design, very nice images and videos, visualizations, lots of technical details and configuration options. We did something like this before for Uno Motors. The client chose rb2 as their technical partner because of their experience with headless and because they know better than anyone how to entice customers online.

The client insisted on a short lead time. That's no problem: on average, we need 3 months to bring sites live. We will first get the concept right and then properly scale up with multiple regions. For this year, we will start with Austria and then several European countries will follow."

For what other industries and types of organizations is headless THE solution?

"First, content-driven businesses in the luxury/premium segment in particular, for showcasing quite expensive, high-end products. The platform is also ideally suited for companies that use influencer marketing. You can easily show videos on your store-front with our platform. 

Headless is also ideal for companies with a large number of brands, experience pages or lookbooks. They can structure their traditional shop digitally, as is common in fashion, for example. Companies operating in multiple regions with specific localization requirements are also relatively likely to opt for headless. 

Another target audience is fast-growing startups looking to differentiate themselves with a flexible, modern environment from already established competitors who have a monolithic platform holding them back.  Finally, organizations that value marketing automation, are active with loyalty and subscription and work with, for example, rich blogs, social media and email marketing, fit well with headless platforms."