As AI Fundamentally Upends How Users Interact with Websites, DIY Site Builders Reinvent Themselves

DIY website builders have long navigated the allure of no code accessibility against the perception of being limited to simple, small-scale projects. But the infusion of AI is shifting that narrative, transforming some platforms into engines for substantial commerce, upending established notions of their capabilities.

"Some people still think of Wix as 'the go-to DIY platform for aspiring creatives,'" says Oren Inditzky, VP & GM of Online Stores at Wix. "And the reality is we now power multi-million dollar e-commerce businesses with enterprise-grade capabilities, all while retaining that original ease of use. Bridging the perception gap is the biggest hurdle we're working to leapfrog."

Beyond design: "Gen AI easily allows you to create original e-commerce content, but it's the advanced machine learning algorithms that really democratize capabilities that were once only reserved for e-commerce giants," Inditzky explains. For Wix users, this means AI is embedded in key tasks to reduce friction at every stage. Whereas in the past, an eye for design was a prerequisite for professional looking sites, Inditzky says users can now simply describe what they want built, and the AI generates it—product descriptions, FAQs, homepage policies, and even product photography.

Websites as AI agents: "We like to envision the 'websites of the future' as being more like AI agents that understand context from buyers and know how they think even before they land in your store," Inditzky suggests. He envisions a clear departure from traditional static websites, with experiences where "the entire experience is going to feel like more of an agent that understands your needs and adapts to create content on the fly for you."

Internally, Wix is also deploying customer-facing AI assistants that become 24/7 product, conversion, and admin experts. Merchant assistant tools let business owners track orders, dive into analytics, or start discounts via simple commands.

Native capabilities vs. app overload: But just because AI can, doesn't always mean it should. Inditzky notes a common industry pain point is application, feature, and point solution overload: "In many platforms you do need a dozen different third party solutions to work with to really establish a professional store. It starts to add up, and you have a pretty steep learning curve to understand all those different tools."