BigCommerce unveils Catalyst, next-gen storefront technology

BigCommerce, a leader in open Software as a service (SaaS) eCommerce platforms for rapid-growth and established business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) brands, has announced the availability of Catalyst, its next-generation storefront technology. Catalyst is set to revolutionise the way in which brands and retailers design and operate headless storefronts and is now available for developers and agency partners.

Catalyst, engineered specifically to meet the requirements of mid-market and enterprise B2C and B2B brands and retailers, is designed to provide a simplified foundation for BigCommerce customers, ecommerce developers and agency partners to efficiently construct online stores via a composable architecture. Catalyst compounds preferred headless technologies and proven best practices, centred around over 4,000 existing headless implementations, to create a reference storefront targeting optimum Google Lighthouse scores.

"Catalyst introduces BigCommerce's reference composable architecture, providing developers with high-performing technology and brand users with the world's foremost no/low-code Next.js visual editor," said Brent Bellm, Chief Executive Officer at BigCommerce. He further added that this new reference architecture serves as a composable starter kit, simplifying the launch process and ensuring greater success for customers as well as providing partners with an easier route to providing all-inclusive ecommerce solutions on the BigCommerce platform.

Integral to the development of Catalyst is Makeswift, a composable page builder for websites constructed using the popular Next.js framework, which BigCommerce acquired late in 2023. Makeswift enables the visual administration of storefronts and content pages to be simplified — a factor championed by Alan Pledger, Makeswift's co-founder. Pledger stated that Makeswift's visual page-building capabilities help marketing teams swiftly deliver impressive customer experiences without necessitating developer assistance.

"Catalyst with Makeswift is poised to set a new precedent in how brands and retailers design and build headless storefronts faster to market than what we see today," the company said.

"Catalyst makes composable builds easier to execute and significantly accelerates the time to launch new stores while also making them easier to operate with BigCommerce's native commerce capabilities, delivering exceptional customer experiences that ultimately increase sales and loyalty."

As part of its efforts to establish Catalyst as the solution for developers looking to rapidly create compelling storefronts, BigCommerce worked closely with its agency partners specialised in composable commerce. The group included companies such as 10up, Apply Digital, AmericanEagle.com, EPAM, Huge, Mira Commerce, Orium, Space 48, VML and ZaneRay. Everett Zufelt, Vice President of Product & Partnerships at Orium, stated, "With Catalyst, we can make composable builds easier to execute and significantly accelerate the time to launch new stores while also making them easier to operate over time."

"BigCommerce looks forward to welcoming more partners following the Catalyst launch," said Bellm.

Catalyst can be accessed by developers and agency partners via GitHub and catalyst.dev.