Icecat Release Notes 240: Smarter Content Access, Better Search, and a More Consistent Product Experience

Release 240 delivers a strong mix of functional improvements and platform upgrades across Icecat. This release expands what is possible with our MCP Server, streamlines product discovery on icecat.biz, improves the Brand Cloud product page experience, and strengthens the reliability and quality of our underlying platform. Together, these updates move Icecat closer to a more connected, intuitive, and future-ready ecosystem. For additional details, please refer to the previous Icecat Release Notes.

New MCP Tools for Product Leaflets and Videos

We’re excited to announce that Release 240 introduces two new tools to our MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server. These additions make accessing product content faster and easier for users. These additions enhance MCP’s capabilities by providing direct access to product documentation and media.

1. Product Leaflet Retrieval Tool

This new tool allows you to retrieve product leaflets directly from our MCP Server. It returns the product leaflet URL, enabling seamless integration with your workflows and systems.

2. Product Video Retrieval Tool

We have also introduced a tool to retrieve product videos. This tool provides a video description and a video URL, making it easy for users to access rich media content for products.

With these two tools, MCP Server now supports a broader range of product information. It bridges the gap between textual documentation and multimedia resources. We believe these additions will boost productivity and make it easier for users to access the content they need directly through MCP.

Enhanced Search with Family and Series Filters

In Sprint 240, we introduced a key improvement to the classic Icecat.biz search: two new filters for Family and Series. These filters are designed to help users refine search results and find the exact products they are looking for.

1. Family Filter

The Family filter becomes available when a specific brand is selected. It displays all product families associated with that brand, allowing users to narrow search results to a specific family.

2. Series Filter

The Series filter activates when a specific family is selected. It shows all series available for the chosen brand and family, enabling users to refine their search even further.

At this moment, the search query itself does not activate these filters. They are currently available for selection after you choose a brand or family. In future updates, we plan to integrate them more deeply with search queries.

These filters represent the first basic step in improving our icecat.biz search functionality. By introducing structured filters for brand, family, and series, we help users find products faster and with greater precision.

Looking ahead to 2026, we plan to further enhance our search to make it smarter and more intuitive. Stay tuned for upcoming updates that will continue to improve the Icecat user experience.

Brand Cloud Product Page Visual Refresh

In this sprint, we delivered an important visual and usability improvement to the Brand Cloud product page. The goal of this update was to create a more consistent interface across the platform. It also improves how users interact with product content.

1. Aligned Table Views

All tables on the Brand Cloud product page have been aligned with the current platform design standards. This ensures visual consistency, better readability, and a smoother experience when comparing and scanning product data.

2. Redesigned Product Gallery

The most significant enhancement in this sprint is the redesign and repositioning of the product gallery. Previously, the gallery was displayed vertically on the right side of the product page. It is now placed inside the main product content area, directly after the GTINs block.

While the gallery’s functionality remains unchanged, the new layout improves visual flow and usability. It also aligns the Brand Cloud experience more closely with the rest of the Icecat platform.

By aligning layouts and improving the placement of core visual elements, we reduce cognitive load for users and make it easier to work with product images. This update is another step toward a more consistent, intuitive, and professional Brand Cloud experience.

Platform Stability and Quality Improvements

In this sprint, alongside visible product updates, we also delivered a series of important platform and reliability improvements. While most of these changes happen behind the scenes, they directly improve the stability, speed, and reliability of our services for all users.

More Reliable and Privacy-Friendly Services

• We introduced a new parameter for Icecat Live Product Stories to ensure that version 1 of Product Stories does not include cookies. This makes the solution more privacy-friendly and more reliable when embedded into different websites and environments.
• We also extended how API usage is measured after separating internal system traffic from real client requests. This enables us to conduct more accurate analyses and make better, data-driven decisions on capacity, usage trends, and future investments.

Better Monitoring and Faster Problem Detection

• We strengthened our automated testing and monitoring, enabling earlier issue detection and reducing the risk of problems reaching users.
• Critical internal monitoring was also improved, including the way tickets and system alerts are delivered, ensuring the right teams are informed quickly when action is needed.

Higher Stability for Media and Data Services

• Several improvements were made to reduce the risk of video processing delays, data errors, and service interruptions. These changes help ensure that product videos and other media content are processed smoothly and remain available when users need them.
• We also completed critical maintenance and upgrade preparations for our core infrastructure, keeping the platform stable, resilient, and ready for growth.

Improved Performance and Visual Quality

• We resolved issues affecting brand logos, application behavior, and text display on Icecat.biz. These changes ensure pages load correctly, appear consistent, and deliver a better overall user experience.

These improvements strengthen the Icecat platform’s foundation. They directly support what matters most to users and partners: more reliable services, stronger privacy compliance, faster issue detection and resolution, and a more consistent user experience. This sprint helps ensure Icecat remains stable, trustworthy, and ready for the next wave of product innovation.

Summary

With Release 240, Icecat takes an important step forward on multiple fronts. New MCP tools make product documents and videos easier to access, while new Family and Series filters bring more structure to product search. The refreshed Brand Cloud product page improves visual consistency and usability, especially around the product gallery. Behind the scenes, major investments in stability, monitoring, privacy, and performance ensure the platform remains reliable and scalable. These combined improvements lay a strong foundation for the smarter, more intelligent Icecat experience planned for 2026.