BigCommerce Launches Storefront Technology Featuring Composable Architecture

BigCommerce has introduced a new storefront technology that aims to simplify the process of building online stores using a composable architecture. 

The new Catalyst is designed for mid-market and enterprise B2C and B2B brands and retailers, and combines popular headless technologies and best practices, the Open Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) eCommerce platform said in a Thursday (Feb. 8) press release. 

“Catalyst introduces BigCommerce’s reference composable architecture, equipping developers with the most preferred, highest performing technology, and brand users with the world’s best no/low-code Next.js visual editor,” Brent Bellm, CEO at BigCommerce, said in the release. 

One of the key features of Catalyst is Makeswift, a composable page builder that BigCommerce acquired in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the release. Makeswift allows marketing teams to easily manage storefronts and content pages without the need for developer support. It can function as a standalone no-code website builder for lightweight sites or as part of a composable tech stack for more complex websites.

With Catalyst, BigCommerce aims to empower developers to quickly create storefronts, with reference architecture that prioritizes flexibility, performance and faster time to market, the release said.

To enhance the developer experience, Catalyst provides fully customizable storefront components and a streamlined GraphQL API client optimized for Next.js and React Server Components, per the release. This enables developers to accelerate development without compromising quality.

While developing Catalyst, BigCommerce collaborated with agency partners who specialize in composable commerce, including Orium, according to the release.

Everett Zufelt, vice president of product and partnerships at Orium, said in the release that Catalyst gives brands and retailers the choice and flexibility they need to adopt new innovations and meet evolving customer expectations.

The headless commerce space has become increasingly competitive as more businesses see the benefits of this approach. By allowing customers to decouple their front-end and back-end functionalities, headless commerce makes it easier for eCommerce sites to adapt to trends and deliver tailored shopping experiences.

Once a headless commerce architecture is implemented, companies can benefit from greater flexibility, speed and scale. For example, they can update a website design without having to make changes to the eCommerce platform’s functionality.

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