Headless.
Headless Shopify keeps commerce on Shopify and puts the storefront in a custom frontend powered by the Storefront API, typically Hydrogen or Next.js. Athom.Agency builds headless storefronts for brands that have outgrown theme constraints, while still recommending Online Store 2.0 when that is the better fit.
01The work
Headless Shopify storefronts.
Headless Shopify separates your storefront from Shopify's Online Store theme layer. Your catalogue, cart, customers, and checkout stay on Shopify. The experience customers browse is built with the Storefront API, often on Hydrogen or a custom Next.js app.
That path makes sense when you need a brand experience a theme cannot deliver, when marketing and product sites share one stack, or when performance and content workflows need full frontend control. For most merchants, Online Store 2.0 with a well-built theme is still the faster, lower-cost choice. We help you decide which route fits before you invest.
A typical headless engagement covers:
Storefront API architecture.
We design how products, collections, carts, customer accounts, and markets flow through the Storefront API, with clear boundaries between Shopify as commerce engine and your frontend as presentation layer.
Hydrogen or Next.js storefronts.
We build storefronts on Shopify Hydrogen when you want Shopify's headless toolkit, or on Next.js when you need a broader web stack. Either way, the storefront stays tightly coupled to your Shopify data model.
Checkout that stays on Shopify.
Customers browse on your custom frontend and complete purchase through Shopify Checkout. You keep payment, tax, discounts, and order reliability on the platform merchants already trust.
Companion custom apps.
Headless projects often need Admin API workflows, webhooks, or merchant tools behind the storefront. When that work belongs in a dedicated app, we connect it to our Custom Apps service.
02Next
When headless is the right call?
Headless adds engineering and hosting surface area. It pays off when the storefront is a product in its own right: complex content, multi-brand experiences, unusual UX, or a shared frontend across commerce and brand sites. If a theme can get you there with less risk, we say so.
We scope discovery, architecture, build, and launch with the same Shopify Partner standards we use for Online Store projects: clean data models, Markets awareness, and a handoff your team can maintain.
Exploring a headless Shopify storefront? Get in touch. We will help you weigh theme versus headless before writing a line of code.
Certified by Shopify
Shopify Select Partner.
Shopify Select Partner, building on Shopify since 2021
03Questions
FAQ.
01What is headless Shopify?
Headless Shopify uses Shopify for commerce (products, cart, checkout, orders) while a custom frontend, built with the Storefront API on Hydrogen or Next.js, renders the shopping experience. Athom.Agency designs and builds these storefronts when a theme is no longer the right tool.
02Do I need headless Shopify, or is a theme enough?
Most stores are better served by Online Store 2.0 and a strong theme. Headless fits when you need full frontend control for brand experience, shared stacks, or performance and content workflows a theme cannot support cleanly. We recommend the lighter path when it meets the goal.
03Does checkout still run on Shopify in a headless setup?
Yes. A typical headless storefront uses Shopify Checkout for payment and order creation, so tax, discounts, payments, and fraud tools stay on Shopify while browsing happens on your custom frontend.
04Which stack do you use for headless Shopify?
We work with Shopify Hydrogen and with custom Next.js storefronts that talk to the Storefront API. The choice depends on team skills, hosting preferences, and how the storefront sits next to other brand or marketing sites.