Shopify launches AI Store Builder, a tool to instantly create E-commerce sites from simple keyword prompts

Shopify just made it a lot easier for merchants to set up an online store. The e-commerce giant on Wednesday introduced a new feature called AI Store Builder, which lets users generate a fully designed e-commerce site just by entering a few descriptive keywords.

The tool produces three layout options, complete with images and text, giving sellers a quick starting point for launching their storefronts.

This is the first time Shopify has fully automated the store setup process within its platform. While it already offered AI-powered tools and third-party apps to help with building stores, this feature goes further by removing most of the manual work.

“While Shopify has offered various AI-based tools and third-party applications to assist merchants in building their stores, the AI Store Builder is the first integrated feature that fully automates the website setup process,” Reuters reported.

“Instead of just having a merchant click and drag and fill out text fields on how they want their site to look – which can be really daunting for some – we thought why not ask them more open-ended questions and set up their store in the best likeness we can imagine, using AI,” said Vanessa Lee, Shopify’s vice president of product.

The goal is to lower the barrier to entry for sellers who might not have the time, budget, or design skills to get a storefront off the ground. The AI tool simplifies the process by translating a short prompt into a near-complete site.

Shopify has been leaning heavily into AI in recent years. From image generation to inventory tools, the company has been stacking up features meant to give merchants an edge. The AI Store Builder is another step in that direction—this time going straight to the heart of the store-building process.

For new sellers, especially, this could be a faster way to get started without staring at a blank screen.

Shopify was founded in 2004 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake after attempting to open Snowdevil, an online store for snowboarding equipment. Dissatisfied with the existing e-commerce products on the market, Lütke, a computer programmer by trade, instead built his own. In 2018 alone, Shopify sold more than $41.1 billion worth of merchandise on its platform.