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BigCommerce Headless & Catalyst

BigCommerce headless, built on Catalyst and Next.js.

When a Stencil theme can no longer carry the experience you want, headless gives you the front-end on your terms. We are a senior team that builds React and Next.js storefronts on Catalyst, querying BigCommerce over the GraphQL Storefront API, so the open SaaS backend keeps running commerce while the storefront becomes fully yours. Sixteen years in ecommerce, with no junior bench and no handoffs.

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Trusted by 300+ brands
RolexIntelYETIPenn StatePurdue UniversityAsicsSiemensMarucci
Why go headless on BigCommerce

When the storefront has to do more than a theme allows.

BigCommerce is headless-friendly open SaaS by design: a GraphQL Storefront API and a full REST API expose the catalog, cart, and content to any front-end you want. Going headless decouples a Next.js storefront from that backend, so you get the speed, the custom UX, and the omnichannel reach a flagship brand needs, while BigCommerce still runs checkout, orders, and the admin. We are the team brands call when a headless BigCommerce build has to be done right, pairing real engineering with the BigCommerce development services the front-end depends on.

16+ yrs
Building ecommerce, since 2008
300+
Brands shipped worldwide
$10B+
In client GMV powered
94%
Client retention after launch
Partnerships · Reviews · Awards

Credentials & recognition.

Partnerships
Customer reviews
Industry awards
  • CSSDA Best Innovation
  • CSSDA Special Design Kudos
  • CSSDA Best UI Design
  • CSSDA Best UX Design
  • CSSDA Best UX Design
Client-first approach

We're here to help you win, plain and simple.

Same senior team from kickoff to launch and beyond. We do not outsource, we do not disappear after go-live, and we do not hand you off.

Client TestimonialWatch their story
Client TestimonialWatch their story
94%
Client retention

Across every phase. Discovery, build, launch, and growth, the same senior team stays with you.

See more wins
What our headless team builds

A headless storefront, and everything that has to run behind it.

A headless build is never just a front-end. The same senior team handles the React storefront, the GraphQL data layer, and the backend work it depends on. Every engagement is scoped to your roadmap, not a fixed package.

/01BigCommerce developmentThe senior Stencil and API engineering a headless front-end leans on: clean data wiring, custom logic, and the open SaaS plumbing under the storefront./02Headless web designFront-end design built for a React storefront and engineered to load fast, shaped around how your customers actually shop on every screen./03B2B Edition buildsCompany accounts, price lists, quoting, and a buyer portal on B2B Edition, exposed cleanly to a headless front-end so wholesale and DTC share one backend./04Migration to BigCommerceMove onto BigCommerce open SaaS without losing catalog, customers, orders, or SEO equity, then stand up the headless storefront on the new backend./05Headless SEOServer rendering, clean routing, structured data, and Core Web Vitals work that keep a Next.js storefront fully crawlable and ranking, not just fast./06Support & optimizationRetainer engineering, monitoring, and conversion experiments that keep a live headless storefront and its API layer fast, stable, and compounding./07Hire a BigCommerce developerEmbed a vetted senior BigCommerce developer in your team for focused headless and Catalyst build capacity, without the cost and lag of a full hire./08Full-service BigCommerce agencyStrategy, design, development, and growth from one team when the headless build is part of a larger store roadmap, not a one-off front-end./09Headless across platformsWeighing backends? We build headless commerce on more than BigCommerce, so the platform recommendation comes from a team that has shipped on several.
The core decision

Stencil or Catalyst (headless)? Where the line actually sits.

BigCommerce open SaaS lets you build the storefront two ways: a hosted Stencil theme, or a Catalyst headless front-end on the same backend. Both are first-class, and the catalog, cart, and checkout run on BigCommerce either way. Headless is a real commitment to owning a front-end, so we are candid about the line and only point a brand at Catalyst when the payoff is real.

Stencil (built-in)

Stencil is the native BigCommerce theme engine, Handlebars templates rendered by BigCommerce itself. You get a fast storefront, the page-level merchandising the admin exposes, and the Makeswift visual page builder, with no separate front-end to host or maintain. There is nothing second-class about it. Most mid-market DTC and B2B stores ship on Stencil and run profitably for years before a headless front-end earns its keep, and it is the lower-cost, lower-overhead path to launch.

Best when
  • You want a fast launch on a proven, hosted theme
  • Merchandisers need to edit pages without engineers
  • One storefront with standard catalog and content needs
  • You would rather not own and host a front-end
Catalyst (headless)

Catalyst is the BigCommerce headless stack, a React and Next.js storefront querying the GraphQL Storefront API, with the catalog, cart, and checkout still run by BigCommerce. It is the modern default for headless and pairs with Makeswift so merchandisers keep visual editing. It buys you full control of the front-end, app-grade interactivity, a content layer of your choosing, and a clean path to omnichannel, at the cost of a real engineering build and ongoing front-end ownership.

Best when
  • You need a bespoke, app-like storefront experience
  • A custom CMS or content workflow drives the front-end
  • Multiple brands or regions share one BigCommerce backend
  • Front-end speed and custom UX are competitive levers

We size Stencil against Catalyst on your real requirements as part of BigCommerce development services.

Featured work

Proof behind the partnership, not just a pitch.

A few of the stores our senior team has shipped, scaled, and stayed on to grow.

B2B · MagentoQC Supply — IWD ecommerce case study

QC Supply

An enterprise Magento B2B rebuild with GroupBy search and Microsoft Dynamics ERP for a high-SKU distributor.

100%
Headless PWA
10+
B2B tiers
Wholesale · Shopify PlusEuropa Eyewear — IWD ecommerce case study

Europa Eyewear

A Shopify Plus wholesale storefront with SparkLayer B2B and a Mirakl marketplace for a global eyewear house.

3,500+
Products
2
Marketplaces
DTC · Adobe CommerceInyo Pools — IWD ecommerce case study

Inyo Pools

A Hyva-themed Adobe Commerce storefront for a high-traffic pool and spa parts retailer.

View the case study
See more of our work
Why IWD

The same senior engineers from kickoff to launch and beyond.

Headless raises the stakes: the front-end is entirely your code, and a generic team can leave you with a fast demo and a fragile store. We built IWD to do the opposite, with engineers who own the Catalyst stack and stay on it.

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  • Catalyst and GraphQL at the source level

    We build on Catalyst, the official BigCommerce React and Next.js framework, and query the GraphQL Storefront API directly. Your storefront is built by engineers who know the headless stack, not adapted from a generic template.

  • Senior team, no junior bench

    You work with the engineers doing the work. We do not hand a headless build, where the front-end is entirely your code, to a training program and disappear once it ships.

  • Sixteen years in ecommerce

    We have shipped on BigCommerce and every major commerce platform since 2008, including headless and PWA storefronts, across high-volume DTC and complex B2B catalogs.

  • We build, then we stay

    A headless storefront is a living front-end you own. About 94% of our clients keep us on after launch to maintain it, extend it, and keep the numbers moving.

How we work

A clear path from audit to a headless store that performs.

01

Audit

We review your store, catalog, integrations, and content needs to decide honestly whether headless is the right call, and what the front-end has to do.

02

Architect

A phased roadmap covering the Catalyst front-end, the GraphQL data layer, the content source, and hosting, with scope, timeline, and a real number.

03

Build

Two-week sprints, weekly demos, and a shared backlog. The same senior engineers ship the React storefront and wire it to BigCommerce every cycle.

04

Optimize

After launch we tune Core Web Vitals, run conversion experiments, and extend the front-end. We stay to make a headless store actually perform.

Questions, answered

What brands ask before they go headless on BigCommerce.

The questions we hear most before a headless build starts. If yours isn't here, just ask.

What is headless BigCommerce?

Headless BigCommerce decouples the storefront from the backend. BigCommerce open SaaS keeps running the catalog, cart, checkout, and orders, while a separate front-end, usually a React and Next.js app, renders the experience and queries BigCommerce over the GraphQL Storefront API. You get full control of the front-end without rebuilding commerce from scratch.

What is Catalyst and how does it relate to headless BigCommerce?

Catalyst is BigCommerce's official React and Next.js headless storefront framework, now the modern default for new headless builds. It ships with GraphQL Storefront API data wiring and component patterns already in place, and it pairs with Makeswift for visual page editing, so merchandisers can edit pages while engineers own the code.

When does a brand actually need headless instead of a Stencil theme?

Stencil, the built-in BigCommerce theme engine, is the right call for most stores. Headless earns its keep when you need a bespoke, app-like front-end, a custom CMS or content workflow driving the storefront, or multiple brands and regions sharing one BigCommerce backend. We size both against your real requirements and only recommend headless when the payoff is real.

Will a headless build keep the BigCommerce checkout and admin?

Yes. With headless BigCommerce, the catalog, cart, checkout, orders, and admin still run on BigCommerce open SaaS. You keep the hosted, PCI-compliant checkout and the admin your team already knows, and there are no platform transaction fees. Only the storefront layer becomes your own code.

Can you take a Stencil store headless, or build a new headless storefront from scratch?

Both. We migrate existing Stencil stores to a Catalyst headless front-end while preserving catalog, customers, orders, and SEO equity, and we build new headless storefronts from the ground up. We run a technical and conversion audit first, then give you a staged plan before any code is written.

How do you scope and quote a headless BigCommerce project?

Every engagement is scoped to your store: catalog size, integrations, the content layer, the number of front-ends, and the work involved. You get a firm, itemized quote on the first call, with no long sales cycle, so you know exactly what you are committing to before anything begins.

Build the headless BigCommerce storefront your brand deserves.

Tell us what the storefront needs to do. We will come back within one business day with a real plan, a real timeline, and a real number.

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