The stack we use for every headless e-commerce in 2026
Hydrogen + Next.js + Shopify Plus + Vercel + Sanity. Why we left monoliths behind, and the trade-offs to accept.
In the last 18 months we've built about ten headless e-commerce sites. Our default stack is almost always the same. Below — the "why" behind each piece, and the price you pay to get there.
The default stack
- Shopify Plus for the commerce engine (catalog, orders, checkout, tax).
- Hydrogen + Next.js / Remix for the storefront (rendering, performance, UX).
- Sanity or Storyblok for editorial CMS.
- Vercel for hosting + edge runtime.
- Klaviyo for email & SMS, hooked via webhook into Shopify.
- Stripe Tax where Shopify Tax falls short.
Why we leave Shopify to Shopify
Sounds obvious, isn't: the value of Shopify Plus is the checkout and everything behind it (fraud, PCI, tax, orders, subscriptions). Building checkout from scratch eats 6 months and buys problems for years. Headless means: front-end is ours, back-end stays Shopify's.
Why Hydrogen and not just Next.js
Hydrogen ships caching primitives and Storefront API helpers that save you weeks. On vanilla Next.js you'd rewrite them. On very custom or non-Shopify projects → vanilla Next. On Shopify → Hydrogen, always.
The trade-off nobody tells you
Headless isn't free. You pay: complexity (more systems to orchestrate), iteration speed (changing a Shopify theme = 1 click, changing a custom storefront = a PR), and maintenance cost. Worth it only when your brand sells product or experience value that the standard theme can't express.
When NOT to go headless
Under €2M GMV, in 9 out of 10 cases a well-built Shopify theme will outperform. Headless is an investment that pays back on volume and premium-brand positioning. Below that threshold, it's almost always a distraction.
