DEVDOCS-6533 - Catalyst 1.3 Release Notes

docs/storefront/catalyst/release-notes/1-3-0.mdx

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+# Catalyst version 1.3 Release Notes
+
+We are excited to announce the release of Catalyst v1.3, which brings new features including a cookie consent manager and gift certificate functionality, and additional improvements.
+
+## Consent Manager
+
+We have added a [cookie consent manager](http:///docs/storefront/catalyst/reference/security#consent-manager) to Catalyst that utilizes the [c15t.com](https://c15t.com) consent management library under the hood to manage shopper privacy preferences when it comes to cookies and data collection. This provides a comprehensive solution for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other privacy regulation compliance.
+
+Once you enable cookie tracking in your storefront settings, shoppers will see a consent banner that allows them to manage their privacy preferences for different types of cookies and data collection activities.
+
+![Consent Manager](https://storage.googleapis.com/bigcommerce-production-dev-center/images/catalyst/reference/consent-manager.png)
+
+The consent manager is fully integrated with BigCommerce's Script Manager, ensuring that all analytics and marketing scripts respect shopper consent preferences. When cookie consent is enabled in your channel storefront settings, Catalyst will automatically manage which scripts load based on the shopper's selections—essential and unknown scripts always load, while analytics, functional, and targeting scripts only run once consent is granted.
+This integration ensures a consistent privacy experience across Catalyst and Stencil storefronts, maintaining feature parity in how consent-aware scripts are loaded and categorized.
+
+BigCommerce's consent categories are automatically mapped to c15t's standardized ones, so existing Storefront Script configurations continue to work without modification. We're collaborating closely with the c15t team to extend support for additional features such as footer script placement.
+If your storefront relies on specific script placement or privacy handling use cases, we'd love to hear your feedback as we refine this integration further.
+
+## Gift Certificates
+
+We have implemented Gift Certificate functionality in Catalyst to mirror what is already available in Stencil. This includes:
+
+- Enabling shoppers to purchase gift certificates (respecting merchant-defined configurations such as fixed vs. variable amounts, expiration durations, and available templates)
+  ![Gift Certificates](https://storage.googleapis.com/bigcommerce-production-dev-center/images/catalyst/release-notes/gift-certificates.png)
+- Previewing certificates before purchase
+  ![Gift Certificate Preview](https://storage.googleapis.com/bigcommerce-production-dev-center/images/catalyst/release-notes/gift-certificate-preview.png)
+- Redeeming them in the cart and checkout (API already exists)
+  ![Gift Certificate Redemption](https://storage.googleapis.com/bigcommerce-production-dev-center/images/catalyst/release-notes/gift-certificate-redemption.png)
+- Checking balances directly from the storefront
+  ![Gift Certificate Balance](https://storage.googleapis.com/bigcommerce-production-dev-center/images/catalyst/release-notes/gift-certificate-balance.png)
+
+To support these experiences, we also are introducing foundational [GraphQL Storefront API](/docs/graphql-storefront) operations for gift certificates, laying the groundwork for future extensibility.
+
+## Improvements and Bug Fixes
+
+### Translation Updates
+
+This release includes translation updates across multiple language files to improve accuracy and completeness. These updates correct translation errors, add missing strings for new features (including the cookie consent manager and gift certificates functionality), and refine existing translations to better match the intended meaning and context for international shoppers.
+
+## Migration Notes
+
+Please refer to [1.3.0 changelog](https://github.com/bigcommerce/catalyst/blob/canary/core/CHANGELOG.md) for more details and migration notes on this release.
+
+## Getting Started
+
+We have published new tags for the Core, Makeswift, and B2B versions of Catalyst. Target these tags to pull the latest code:
+
+- [**@bigcommerce/[email protected]**](https://github.com/bigcommerce/catalyst/releases/tag/%40bigcommerce%2Fcatalyst-core%401.3.0)
+- [**@bigcommerce/[email protected]**](https://github.com/bigcommerce/catalyst/releases/tag/%40bigcommerce%2Fcatalyst-makeswift%401.3.0)
+- [**@bigcommerce/[email protected]**](https://github.com/bigcommerce/catalyst/releases/tag/%40bigcommerce%2Fcatalyst-b2b-buyer-portal%401.3.0)
+
+And as always, you can pull the latest stable release with these tags:
+
+- [**@bigcommerce/catalyst-core@latest**](https://github.com/bigcommerce/catalyst/releases/tag/%40bigcommerce%2Fcatalyst-core%40latest)
+- [**@bigcommerce/catalyst-makeswift@latest**](https://github.com/bigcommerce/catalyst/releases/tag/%40bigcommerce%2Fcatalyst-makeswift%40latest)
+- [**@bigcommerce/catalyst-b2b-buyer-portal@latest**](https://github.com/bigcommerce/catalyst/releases/tag/%40bigcommerce%2Fcatalyst-b2b-buyer-portal%40latest)