When headless Shopify is worth it (and when it is not)

Headless means Shopify handles products, checkout and orders, while a separate front end, often built in Next.js, handles what shoppers see. You get freedom, and you take on more moving parts.

It can be worth it when

• You need a storefront experience a theme cannot deliver.
• Page speed is a real competitive edge for your category.
• You publish a lot of content alongside the shop.
• You have developers to maintain it.

It usually is not when

You are still finding product-market fit, your catalogue is small, or no one on the team can own the code. A well-configured theme is faster to launch and cheaper to run.

Start on a theme. Go headless when the theme is the thing holding you back.