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Introduction

Build Search and Discovery Experiences with Fast Simon on BigCommerce Catalyst​

Fast Simon’s AI-powered search, merchandising, and personalization tools enable you to create dynamic discovery experiences for your storefront. This guide explains how to integrate Fast Simon with your BigCommerce Catalyst (Next.js) storefront using our new, dependency-free Storefront SDK. Getting Started Guide

Catalyst Template Overview: Starter with Fast Simon Features​

BigCommerce Catalyst is a modern headless commerce framework built on Next.js. This template provides a minimal setup to get started with Catalyst and seamlessly integrate Fast Simon features.

Key Highlights:

  • Pre-configured examples of Visual Similarity, Smart Collections, Instant Autocomplete, and a Search Results Page.

  • Built on a robust Catalyst demo-store template.

  • Optimized for an effortless integration with Fast Simon’s powerful tools.

Helpful Resources:

What's Included in the Template​

This template comes pre-packaged with the following tools and features:

  • Fast Simon Features:

    • Visual Similarity
    • Smart Collections
    • Instant Search Autocomplete
    • Search Results Page
    • Analytics & Personalization

  • Development Tools:

    • BigCommerce Catalyst and Next.js
    • ESLint and Prettier for code quality
    • TypeScript and JavaScript support
    • Minimal setup for components and routes

Fast Simon for BigCommerce Catalyst​

Fast Simon for BigCommerce Catalyst is a lightweight JavaScript library designed for use in Catalyst-based storefronts. By installing this library, you can fetch Fast Simon data and render components such as Visual Similarity, Smart Collections, and Instant Autocomplete in your application.

The integration uses the new Fast Simon SDK packages:

  • @fast-simon/storefront-sdk – the core library for fetching Fast Simon data (search results, collections, recommendations, etc.).
  • @fast-simon/types – TypeScript definitions for Fast Simon data structures and event names.

These packages offer a dependency-free solution that works seamlessly across multiple frameworks.

Installation Guide This guide will walk you through the process of:

  • Configuring your BigCommerce store for Fast Simon integration.

  • Installing the Fast Simon app on your BigCommerce store.

  • Setting up the Fast Simon Storefront SDK in your Catalyst project.

  • Rendering a Visual Similarity widget in your Catalyst storefront.

By following this guide, you’ll unlock the full potential of Fast Simon’s tools for your BigCommerce Catalyst storefront.