Step 1: Create or Enable Catalyst Storefront
Open your BigCommerce Admin.
Go to:
Channels → Storefronts
You will see available storefronts.
- Click Create channel
- Choose Catalyst
- Activate the Catalyst storefront
After activation, you will see your Catalyst preview URL.


Step 2: Open Catalyst Development Setup
Click the three dots menu beside your Catalyst storefront.
Select:
Edit settings
This opens the Catalyst setup page.
You will see the Start development section.

Step 3: Create Local Catalyst Environment

Copy the CLI command shown in the Start development section.
Example command:
corepack enable pnpm && pnpm create @bigcommerce/catalyst@latest
Run this command in your terminal.
This will create a local Catalyst project.
Example project folder:
my-catalyst-app
Open this folder in VS Code.
Setup guide:- One-Click Catalyst
Step 4: Install WiserReview App

Go to BigCommerce Admin → Apps → App Marketplace.
Install WiserReview.
Open the app after installation.
Step 5: Get Widget Embed Code
First, disable the Built-in Reviews System
- Log in to your BigCommerce Admin page.
- Click on Settings.
- Click on Comments.
- Click the Built-in tab.

Inside the WiserReview dashboard:
Go to:
Widgets → Install
Choose BigCommerce.
You will see widget embed codes such as:
Star Rating Widget

Copy the star rating widget code for the product page then.
Open your Catalyst project.
Go to:
core/vibes/soul/sections/product-detail/index.tsx
Find the product title section.
Add the Star Rating Widget below the product title.

Copy the star rating widget code for the category page then.
Open:
core/vibes/soul/primitives/product-card/index.tsx
Add the Star Rating widget below the product title.

Product Review Widget

Copy the product review section widget code for the product page then.
Go to:
core/vibes/soul/sections/product-detail/index.tsx
Scroll to the product details section.
Add the Review Widget.

Step 6: Initialize WiserReview Script
Open:
core/app/layout.tsx
Add the script before closing the body tag.
Example:
import Script from 'next/script';
<Script id="wiserreview-init" strategy="lazyOnload">
{`setInterval(function(){ if(window.wiserreview) wiserreview.init(); },1000);`}
</Script>
This loads and initializes the widget.

Step 7: Run the Catalyst Store
Run the development server:
pnpm dev
Open your local storefront.
Check:
- Product page reviews
- Star ratings
- Category page ratings
Once checked, widgets are then deployed to your server.