Why go headless at all
73% of US and UK businesses are already on headless (Swell, 2025). In the CIS — 10–15%. The driver is simple: on a monolith (Bitrix Enterprise, Magento 1, WooCommerce) you're capped by PHP and MySQL at mobile LCP 3.5–4s, while competitors on headless ship 1.4s and take the mobile traffic. Every 100ms costs ~1% of revenue (Google, 2025).
But "headless" isn't a single product — it's an architectural pattern with dozens of implementations. The wrong pick means an 8‑month project instead of 3, and 3 years of supporting the wrong thing.
Six selection criteria
Ignore marketing feature lists. Six things actually drive platform choice:
- Backend constraints. Got 1C, Bitrix, SAP, ERP, EDI you can't replace? Then you need a platform with a flexible data layer, not a rigid own‑backend.
- Compliance. GDPR, 152‑FZ, on‑prem, FSTEC — can the platform be deployed in your jurisdiction, with your constraints?
- Local payments. Kaspi Pay, Stripe, SEPA, SBP, Klarna — are the connectors ready, or will you write them from scratch?
- Budget and ownership. Account for licensing, implementation, infrastructure and the team that will maintain the result.
- Team that will maintain it. Does your team (or the regional market) know Next.js, Node, Go, PHP? Without that, the platform dies within a year.
- Vendor lock‑in. Open‑source / open‑core / closed SaaS? Can you take the code with you if you fall out of love with the company in 2 years?
Shopify Hydrogen
Headless on Shopify. Frontend — Remix/React, backend — Shopify. Great if you're already on Shopify Plus and only need the frontend to be faster. Bad if you need 1C exchange without a $99/month plugin, Kaspi Pay, or custom business logic deeper than Shopify Flow.
commercetools
Enterprise headless for large retail (H&M, Audi). API‑first, MACH‑certified. Very powerful, but the platform is paid ($100K+/year), plus you need a team of 10+ engineers who know composable architecture. Almost no certified partners in the CIS.
Medusa
Open‑source headless on Node.js. Free, modular, active community. Good for startups and projects with a strong dev team. Downside — its own backend (data migration), weak local‑payments support, no 1C.
Saleor
Open‑source on Python / Django, GraphQL API. Popular with European startups. Architecturally mature, but requires backend replacement — doesn't run on top of Bitrix or 1C exchange.
Frontbox (our platform)
Open‑core headless on Next.js + Elasticsearch, designed to sit on top of 1C‑Bitrix, 1C or any REST/SOAP backend. A natural pick for CIS, where Bitrix is the mid‑market standard, and for UAE, where you need Russian / Kazakh / Arabic localization and Kaspi / Stripe in one checkout.
- Backend stays intact — 1C, EDI, marketplaces, ERP.
- Ready connectors: Stripe, ЮKassa, Tinkoff, SBP, Dolyame, Kaspi, WB, Ozon.
- Core — MIT, handed over to the client at handoff. No vendor lock‑in.
- Deployment: Vercel, Yandex Cloud, SberCloud, on‑prem (RHEL, Astra Linux).
- DPA and 152‑FZ / GDPR signed out of the box, no upsell.
Selection matrix
| Scenario | Platform |
|---|---|
| Shopify Plus in place, only need faster frontend | Shopify Hydrogen |
| Enterprise ($50M+ GMV), in‑house team 10+ | commercetools |
| Startup with no legacy, strong Node dev team | Medusa |
| Mid‑market CIS e‑commerce on 1C‑Bitrix | Frontbox |
| DTC in Kazakhstan / UAE with Kaspi / Arabic locale | Frontbox |
| Gov or fintech, needs on‑prem and FSTEC | Frontbox (on‑prem) |
FAQ
Can we use multiple platforms at once?
Technically yes — Shopify for US, Frontbox for RU. But it doubles the cost of support and data engineering (single source of truth via ETL). Only do this if markets are very different from a compliance perspective.
Does headless deliver conversion growth by itself?
No. Headless is an infrastructure upgrade: LCP, INP, SEO. Conversion growth comes from UX work on top of a fast storefront. Plan A/B tests from month one.
How long until migration pays back?
Median — 6–9 months for mid‑market. Driver — mobile CR growth of 15–30% from speed, plus lower support cost because your stack is standard Next.js instead of custom Bitrix frontend.
What is the minimum budget to start with headless?
Frontbox can be used through a subscription, while the Bitrix backend can stay in place without a mandatory rewrite. If you need to understand the scope before a larger migration, describe the project and discuss it in a 15-minute brief with a product owner and a developer. The initial capabilities and budget range depends on the information you can provide. For other platforms, budget depends on licensing, implementation and the team that will maintain the result.
How long does a typical migration take?
Timing depends on the task and the state of the backend. After you contact us, we clarify the context, form a roadmap and agree on the first requests. A ready REST API usually makes the work easier, but the sequence can only be set after reviewing the specific project.
We have no in‑house dev team. Who will maintain it?
Choose a platform with partners in your region. For commercetools in the CIS, certified partners are almost nonexistent. For Medusa and Saleor — a handful of startups with limited production experience. For Frontbox, we run the project ourselves — from audit to ongoing support, no subcontracting.
What is the difference between Frontbox subscription and license?
The format depends on infrastructure, security requirements and code ownership. Discuss the options after reviewing the project; the roadmap records the agreed tasks and responsibilities.
Is headless worth it for a store with 500 SKUs?
It depends on traffic, mobile experience and the limits of the current backend. If daily traffic is under 500 visitors, first check the basic SEO and speed issues. If the task needs a modern storefront, describe it for a 15-minute brief so we can compare the possible approach with the current architecture.