Major Hosting Providers Are Catering to Gen Z

With AI-powered branding tools and no-code website builders at their fingertips, Gen Z is writing the rules for digital entrepreneurship.

In May 2025 alone, two major players rolled out big updates aimed directly at the new wave of business owners:

• Liquid Web launched a 7-Day Side Hustle Kit to help entrepreneurs learn how to leverage and sell AI services, alongside a new report exploring how AI is transforming entrepreneurship.
• Shopify introduced Horizon, a modular, AI-powered design suite that makes building a fully personalized, conversion-focused online store easier than before.

Both moves point to a larger trend. Hosts are making their platforms more scalable, easy to use, and personalized with no coding skills required.

And we largely have Gen Z to thank: Liquid Web found that nearly 2 in 5 entrepreneurs launched their side hustles in less than a week with AI.

It also looks like the market is built with the new generation in mind, with 40% of Gen Z entrepreneurs launching in under a week and beginning to earn immediately.

Carrie Wheeler, President at Liquid Web, said these numbers are proof of a clear shift in how today’s entrepreneurs are working.

“AI is no longer a future tool — it’s a launchpad for real revenue and business growth, right now,” Wheeler said.

More specifically, these AI tools are important for lowering the barrier to entry.

Building a website is not what it was 25 years ago, when it was a bragworthy fun fact. Today, it’s expected — and even if you don’t have a website, it’s expected to know how to build one.

Entrepreneurs want to be unique about it, said Kevin Clark, Design Director for Storefronts and Sidekick at Shopify.

“In a world of increased standardization across marketplaces, independent businesses are the only ones still pushing for unique, differentiated experiences,” he said.

Let’s take a look at what Liquid Web and Shopify are doing to meet the fast demands of a generation that’s ready to take the digital experience by storm.

Liquid Web

Liquid Web’s latest product is a direct response to its survey of side hustlers and SBOs, which revealed that AI is drastically changing how easy it is to launch a profitable business.

More specifically, the 1,000 respondents reported the highest satisfaction in three key areas: time saved (83%), cost-effectiveness (80%), and ease of learning (80%).

For fellow hosting providers, the message may seem obvious, but efficiency truly matters above all: Gen Z isn’t just looking to build brands; they want to do it fast and affordably…but without a steep learning curve.

In response, it built the 7-Day Side Hustle Kit. It’s a tailored, step-by-step experience designed around real user feedback and the needs of modern digital entrepreneurs using AI.

The kit includes:

• A seven-day quick-launch checklist
• A curated list of essential AI tools
• Proven $200+ earning blueprints
• Easy, AI-friendly side hustle ideas
• Website and outreach templates
• Social media prompts and branding guidance

“We’ve taken insights from our study and built something actionable,” said Wheeler. “It’s not just information, it’s a step-by-step system to help entrepreneurs start, earn, and grow smarter.”

Shopify

Under a suite called Horizon, Shopify has unleashed a new modular design foundation with 150+ design elements to create even more customizable, bespoke eCommerce stores.

The suite of themes is flexible, meaning users won’t be locked into a single template. Instead, they can stack and rearrange any of the content blocks.

Shopify understands that the decisions the designers make directly impact merchant business success, according to the announcement post.

The Horizon theme suite was designed by Maggie Fost and Katarina Batina, who are both seasoned Shop design directors. They followed the fresh philosophy of “unreasonable excellence.”

“Achieving excellence is one thing,” said Fost. “But once you start to break patterns and experiment with new tools, stuff is going to be wonky for a while. Everybody is in a state of constant learning.”

The rise of AI-powered, no-code website building isn’t a trend that will fade anytime soon: Reports show it’s reshaping what customers expect from web hosts and builders.

The bottom line is that the digital experience is changing fast, and those who don’t join in risk being left behind, wondering what went wrong.