As a retail merchant, you can quickly create an online showroom with Lightspeed eCom (E-Series), using its AI website generator. In just minutes, AI builds a themed website with product information from your Retail POS, letting shoppers browse your catalog online without checkout. It’s a simple way to showcase your products, grow your brand, and bring more customers to your store.

You can then customize your site’s design, add contact forms, and later enable online payments and shipping when you’re ready to sell online.

Generating your website for online showroom

Creating your online showroom with Lightspeed eCom (E-Series) is simple. With the power of AI, the process takes just a few minutes. AI uses information from your Retail POS to generate a themed website tailored to your brand and automatically sync your product catalog online. Any future catalog or inventory updates made in Retail POS will sync to your showroom in real time. You can also choose which products to display or hide.

To generate your website for online showroom:

1. From your Retail POS backoffice, navigate to the Online tab.
2. Select Get AI Showroom to create a site without eCommerce.
   
3. Fill out a short questionnaire to set up your online presence.
4. Your site will be generated automatically.

That’s it! Your online showroom is live and synced with your Retail POS.

You can continue customizing your site directly from the Online tab > Website > Edit Site in Retail POS.

Editing showroom website and catalog content

After your site has been generated, you can easily customize it in the Lightspeed eCom site builder, which offers a wide range of personalization options. In the Site Editor (Online tab > Website > Edit Site in Retail POS), you can customize almost anything — from updating images in tiles to adding new custom pages and contact forms. You can also enable advanced features such as creating a multilingual website, using AI to generate product descriptions, selectively hiding products from your catalog, or purchasing a custom domain.

Here’s a collection of articles to inspire your customization ideas.

For your website, you can:

• Change images and banners, add videos.
• Edit contact details and your business story/information and add legal pages.
• Add more site pages or even design custom sections to your unique business needs.
• Create a multilingual website.
• Add contact forms and widgets.
• Highlight promotions and deals.

Read more: Setting up your Lightspeed eCom site: General steps →

For your products, you can:

• Generate product descriptions with AI. 
• Add more images or videos to products.  
• Add product filters, so customers could easily browse your catalog.
• Adjust SEO settings.
• Add ribbons and subtitles.

Pro tip: When working on your catalog, you can temporarily set it to maintenance mode by going to Settings > General > Store Profile > Close Storefront for Maintenance in your eCom admin panel.

Adding eCom features to your online showroom catalog 

If you'd like to sell online, you can enable checkout on your showroom site in a single click.

To add eCom features to your online showroom:

1. From your Retail POS, go to Online > Settings and switch to the Lightspeed Retail tab.
2. Click Activate online store to switch to a full-fledged Ecommerce website.
3. Save the changes.

Once enabled, Buy Now and Add to Cart buttons will appear on your product listings and product pages, allowing customers to add products to their cart and check out online.

Next, configure shipping, pickup, and payment settings, and place a test order to ensure everything works as expected. 

Learn more: Setting up Lightspeed eCom to sell online →

Top use cases: Why do I need an online showroom?

The Showroom feature offers flexibility for different types of retail businesses. Whether you want to strengthen your brand presence, attract in-store customers, or prepare for future online sales, here are the top ways you can use your online showroom:

• Showcasing your business online: From a simple landing page to a full online showroom featuring your online catalog — your business needs an online presence. Your website can include essential business information such as your location, contact form, unique selling points, and brand story. You can also share promotions, events, services to help customers discover your brand. 
• Build a digital presence without eCommerce operations: Perfect for premium brands or concept stores focused on brand image and customer experience. For example, if you sell luxury furniture — large, high-value items — customers can explore product details online before visiting your store, saving time while helping you attract qualified buyers without dealing with complex shipping logistics.
• Offer consultation-based sales: Ideal for businesses selling complex or high-value products that require personalized guidance, such as medical equipment or bicycles. Use your showroom to collect leads and provide consultations before completing the sale.
• Generate leads and attract in-store customers: Encourage visitors to share their contact details through forms to follow up via email or phone. This approach works well for service-based businesses such as beauty salons or car dealerships, where online interest can lead to in-person visits and appointments.
• Prepare for eCommerce: Use your showroom as a first step toward selling online. Test customer interest, gather feedback, and refine your online content before enabling checkout and full eCommerce functionality.
• Support B2B or wholesale sales: Give retail partners or business clients access to an up-to-date catalog with detailed product information and visuals. This is especially useful for manufacturers or distributors who want to streamline wholesale communication and make product browsing effortless.

Pro tip: Learn how you can increase traffic to your website in your physical store and across the web.