Shopware headless with Next.js: when it pays off – and when it doesn't
· 3 min read · Flashport
Headless is not an upgrade but a decision with costs. We have built Next.js frontends on Spryker and for commerce platforms. This is how we answer the question.
Reasons for
- The design has to go further than a theme allows.
- Mobile speed decides revenue, and the existing frontend cannot be made fast enough.
- Several channels should use the same data: shop, app, kiosk.
- There is a team that will run two systems for the long term.
Reasons against
- The catalogue is small and the standard theme works.
- Nobody will maintain a second codebase.
- Plugins you depend on assume the standard frontend.
- The real problem is backend performance. Then a new frontend helps little.
What we learned in B2B
On a B2B platform with Spryker and Next.js, the work was less about rendering and more about rules: who orders, who approves, who sees which prices. A multi-step checkout with clean validation, role-based interfaces and fast search with Algolia were at the centre.
A short decision guide
If you are unsure about two of these questions, we would talk about performance before headless.
- Is the problem in the frontend or the backend? Measure first.
- Who will run the second system in two years?
- Which plugins need the standard frontend?
- How much revenue depends on mobile speed?