The State of Headless: A Global Research Report

International study surveying enterprise organizations highlights a growing focus on powerful digital experiences and a clear view that headless is the best way to deliver them.

Headless is the future of the web.

The demand for powerful, omnichannel digital experiences is driving enterprise headless adoption.

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64% of enterprise organizations are currently using a headless approach—up nearly 25% from 2019.

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92% of respondents see the importance of digital experiences in terms of their organization’s success.

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92% of respondents say headless technologies make it easier to deliver a consistent content experience across channels.

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Among respondents not currently using headless, more than 90% plan to evaluate headless solutions over the next 12 months.

The pursuit of superior digital experiences.

What's behind the rapid growth of enterprise headless adoption? Headless is increasingly seen as the best way to create dynamic digital experiences, including lightning-fast web and mobile pages with a consistent content experience across channels, all built with the tools and solutions developers and content creators prefer.

The rise of headless in the enterprise.

The pivot to a digital-first world has undoubtedly played a role in the rise of headless—a heavier reliance on technology may have even accelerated headless adoption for some. But when it comes to digital experiences, "digital-first" has mainly accelerated existing trends: the demand for fast-loading, responsive websites, the need for highly accurate personalization, and the ability to offer consumers a seamless omnichannel user journey. As those (and other) trends have come to the fore, enterprise organizations are making clear associations between the quality of digital experiences and overall business success.

The headless tech experience.

Headless architecture allows organizations to attain a level of speed and flexibility across their digital properties that is light years beyond traditional CMS use. Additionally, the heightened ability of headless solutions to deliver dynamic content across digital touchpoints makes headless a powerful, attractive option for large-scale businesses with multi or omnichannel requirements. As the connection between powerful, connected digital experiences and business performance has become increasingly clear, it’s not surprising that the vast majority (92%) of survey respondents view headless technologies as the best way to meet hgh digital demand and deliver a consistent content experience across multiple channels.

Headless holds up to high standards.

Enterprise organizations are achieving strategic goals with headless, reflected through high NPS scores and average investment.

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OF CEO/OWNERS ARE NET PROMOTERS OF HEADLESS PROVIDER

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LOOK TO HEADLESS PROVIDER FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE

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TOTAL AVG. HEADLESS IMPLEMENTATION SPEND

Looking to the future.

The current state of headless is impressive. The future looks even brighter.

Expectations are high for headless to deliver on a wide range of digital experiences.

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WEBSITES

52% of respondents expect better website performance through the use of headless architecture.

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ECOMMERCE

51% of respondents plan to power their eCommerce stores using headless.

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INTERNET OF THINGS

47% of respondents plan to use a headless solution to connect with and manage IoT devices.

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PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS

40% of respondents plan to use headless for PWAs and a seamless user experience regardless of device.

This infographic is based on research results from a global study by WP Engine (wpestaging.qa) and Vanson Bourne (vansonbourne.com), an independent global technology market research firm, between January and February 2021, exploring the current state of headless adoption among enterprise organizations and highlighting the way businesses are using headless to create powerful digital experiences. Research was distilled from survey results of 400 IT or technical employees, with a knowledge of headless in the U.S., UK, and Australia. Respondents came from organizations with at least 1,000 employees and revenue that averaged out to $2.7 billion.

Headless WordPress, the future of headless.

What's driving the surge in headless adoption among enterprise organizations? Why is WordPress such a powerful choice as a headless CMS? Find out more below!

Ebook

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