In recent years, the trend of headless e-commerce has been rapidly gaining popularity among online retailers and e-commerce development agencies. The headless approach decouples the front-end (presentation layer) and the back-end (data layer) of an e-commerce website, providing greater flexibility and control over the look and feel of the site.
Shopify, a leading e-commerce platform, has recognized the potential of headless e-commerce and has developed two tools, Hydrogen and Oxygen, to support this approach. ​​At Unite 2021, Shopify Hydrogen and Oxygen were unveiled – a React-based framework made up of developer tools meant to create custom Shopify storefronts with greater performance and personalization.
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at headless e-commerce and how Shopify Hydrogen and Oxygen can help businesses achieve it.
Shopify Hydrogen
Shopify’s new framework, Hydrogen, is buzzing in the eCommerce world. It’s built on JavaScript and React, two of the most widely used programming languages and libraries. It is being touted as a more customizable option for building headless commerce sites compared to Shopify’s in-house language, Liquid.
With Liquid, you’re limited in terms of customization, but Hydrogen opens up a world of possibilities. The quick-start environment, smart caching, pre-built components, and built-in cache defaults make it easy for developers to work with and create a unique experience for customers.
Whether it’s for better site performance or a more dynamic customer experience, business owners are looking for ways to stand out from the crowd. With Hydrogen, Shopify gives them the power to personalize their store in ways they never thought possible. They’re no longer limited by the “theme” they chose and can create a custom user experience instead. Cool, right?
If you use Shopify Hydrogen, you’ll enjoy the following:
- Custom frontend experiences that fit your exact needs
- More control over your code
- Faster performance thanks to React’s virtual DOM, which updates only what needs changing instead of redrawing the whole page.
Shopify Oxygen
Shopify Oxygen offers a convenient hosting solution for Shopify Hydrogen stores, delivering fast loading speeds for headless commerce. It’s designed for stores with higher traffic volume, providing a seamless customer experience even during flash sales and peak seasons. With Shopify Oxygen, you don’t have to worry about managing server infrastructure and can easily deploy and preview different versions of your Hydrogen storefront. Whether you’re looking to host your Hydrogen storefront, experiment with new versions, or preview your storefront before launch, Shopify Oxygen has you covered.
Conclusion
When it comes to providing a personalized user experience, Shopify Hydrogen and Oxygen offer unparalleled customization options. To stay ahead in the eCommerce world, embracing new technologies like Shopify Hydrogen is essential.
Shopify Hydrogen, like any technology, has its limitations. Understanding these limitations is crucial before choosing to go headless with Shopify Hydrogen. While Shopify is known for its user-friendly, drag-and-drop tools, Hydrogen requires a technical background to build the storefront. This means that non-technical users may be unable to make quick changes to the site. However, for those who already have developers on their team or are looking to hire, Shopify Hydrogen offers a lot of potential.
If you’re looking to hire developers to bring your Shopify store to the next level, our experienced Shopify Developers are ready to help. Contact us at vtlabs today to get started.