Headless solves specific problems well and creates new ones in exchange. The decision should turn on whether you have those specific problems.

Good reasons

• Multiple front ends — web, native app, kiosk, marketplace — sharing one commerce backend.
• A content-led experience that the platform’s templating genuinely cannot express.
• A front-end team that needs to deploy without waiting on backend releases.

What you take on

You now own the storefront entirely: SEO, rendering strategy, caching, accessibility, analytics wiring, and every piece of functionality the platform used to provide for free. Budget for a permanent front-end team, not a one-off build.

The middle path

Many retailers get most of the benefit from selective decoupling — a headless approach for one high-value journey, the platform’s own storefront for the rest. It is less satisfying architecturally and usually the better commercial decision.