Online sellers are turning to AI to speed up content creation and rapid testing, making it easier for everyone to compete and grow in e-commerce.
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Selling online has never looked easier. On TikTok and Instagram, people watch viral product videos and sellers of blockbuster products, but the actual work behind the scenes is tedious. The truth is, most new sellers never make it past the content stage. They build a store, choose a product, and hit a wall. They quickly realized they needed videos for advertising, short clips for social platforms, and different versions for testing. The pressure is increasing every year as short-form video becomes the default language of online commerce.
Research has revealed just how serious this problem is. According to a report from Sitecore, only 8% of B2B marketers say most projects are progressing efficiently and there are obvious challenges in their workflow. According to CMSWire research, the growing demand for short-form videos is putting even more strain on teams, making it difficult for companies to keep up with rapid production cycles.
Meanwhile, user-generated content (UGC) still plays a strong role in influencing purchasing decisions, with one report showing that visitors who interact with UGC on product pages are more than twice as likely to convert than those who don’t. These dynamics establish a situation where sellers need content quickly and in large quantities, making traditional workflows inadequate.
But thanks to AI, that is starting to change. New tools like CreateUGC, HeyGen, and Mirage simplify the way content is created and tested, giving everyone the ability to launch products with less effort and faster learning cycles.
Lower barriers to entry
Many of the difficulties in starting an online business appear after you’ve built your storefront. AutoDS CEO Lior Pozin says this challenge became clear when his team launched buildyourstore.ai, a tool that allows anyone to create a Shopify store using AI within minutes. “It became painfully clear that the biggest remaining barrier was content creation,” Pogin told me. “New sellers hit the same wall. Creating ads takes time. Organic content is expensive. Working with creators can take days or weeks. Testing angles at scale is nearly impossible.”
Tools like CreateUGC aim to remove that barrier by automating many of the production layers and generating short video ads from simple product links in seconds. The goal, Pogin explained, was simple. “We make content creation as easy, fast, and accessible as launching a store.”
This is important in markets where creator support is hard to come by. People in Brazil, the Philippines, and South Africa can launch their first campaign without a camera. Pogin believes this will lower the psychological barriers that prevent many people from trying.
“The cost of failure goes down, more people try, and in e-commerce, that’s how new winners emerge,” he said.
Faster cycles of testing and growth
Short-form platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts reward continued experimentation, but traditional content creation can’t support that pace. Sellers often spend days creating a single video, limiting their ability to know what works. AI will change that rhythm. Generating content quickly allows sellers to try new ideas, test more angles, and act faster than before.
Early results from AutoDS reflect this change. According to Pogin, CreateUGC’s AI-generated videos generated up to 5.7x more conversions than static ads. Even more important is the amount of testing it allows. Agencies that participated in the beta program reported that they were able to “test 10 to 20 video ads per week instead of 1 to 2.” These results are internal and vary by brand and campaign, but reflect broader patterns emerging across AI-driven creative tools.
Other tools are moving in the same direction. HeyGen and Mirage help brands create short videos optimized for platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Amazon Video Ads at scale. These reduce production time and support the rapid iteration required in modern advertising.
As content creation becomes faster and cheaper, testing becomes a major competitive advantage. Small teams can compete with larger brands by learning faster and reacting faster.
Changing relationship with the creator economy
The rise of AI-generated UGC raises legitimate questions about the creator economy. What would happen if brands could create realistic content without hiring creators? Pogin believes the impact will depend on how creators adapt.
“AI is growing rapidly, and e-commerce is growing with it. When two big waves hit at the same time, those who adapt early always win, and those who wait feel the impact.”
Rather than AI replacing creators, he believes the type of work creators do will change: “Baseline production work, variations, quick hooks, retakes, and simple angles will become AI-driven. Brands will continue to seek human creativity, individuality, and storytelling.” In this view, creators spend less time repeating simple shots and more time building unique creations that cannot be done by AI.
This is a pattern that matches previous transitions. As mobile platforms reshaped content, creators adapted as well. That changed again when short-form videos became mainstream. AI is the next iteration. Creators who learn how to use these tools are likely to grow stronger by expanding their efforts, rather than being replaced.
Still, synthetic UGC raises questions that the industry hasn’t fully answered. As automation becomes more commonplace, platforms may update their disclosure rules, shoppers may respond differently to AI-driven storytelling, and creators may need to reset their values.
What this means for the future of online commerce
The emergence of AI UGC tools signals broader changes across e-commerce. Work is moving away from long workflows and toward faster cycles of creativity.
Sellers that previously required large teams and complex processes can now run tests, capture information, and make changes to campaigns with far less effort. This creates an environment where first-time sellers can compete with experienced players by reacting quickly to signals and learning from each attempt.
As AI tools continue to improve, the next stage of digital commerce may rely less on production resources and more on creative adaptation. CreateUGC, HeyGen, and Mirage are great examples of this movement and signal a future where anyone, anywhere can participate in online sales with fewer barriers and greater potential for success.
“E-commerce is becoming more flexible with rapid testing, rapid adaptation, and continuous iteration. We no longer need large teams and long workflows. We need innovative ideas and the ability to move quickly,” Pozin said.
