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How Codex Sites Makes “Quick Visualization” Faster for E-Commerce Operations

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Introduction

I’m Mia Sato, AI Research Lead.

In this article, I would like to introduce “Sites,” a new feature added to OpenAI Codex.

When I first saw it, my honest reaction was, “This might be exactly what people on the operations side have been waiting for.”

That is because what makes Codex Sites interesting is not simply that it can create websites or screens.

Recently, more and more tools can create UI ideas or rough app prototypes when you ask AI to do it. Creating a screen, adjusting a layout, adding buttons or tables — these are things that other AI tools can already do quite well.

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So where is Codex Sites different?

The key point is that it makes it easier to save, publish, and review what Codex creates as a web page that the team can actually open, instead of leaving it as code or a screen idea inside a chat.

From a non-engineer’s perspective, this is the biggest difference.

Normally, even if AI writes code for you, you still need somewhere to put it and some kind of publishing setup before it becomes a web page that people can actually open. Engineers may be able to handle that, but for e-commerce operations, customer support, and promotion teams, this is often where things stop.

Product information is in spreadsheets. Promotion progress is shared in Slack. Image assets are in Drive. Confirmation items are in Notion. Customer support notes are in another admin system.

The information exists. AI may even be able to create a screen concept.

But getting to the point where everyone in a meeting can open the same URL and say, “Let’s review this page together today,” still takes more effort than expected.

Codex Sites is easy to understand if we see it as a feature that shortens this gap.

In this article, I will organize what Codex Sites can do and where e-commerce operations teams might start using it.

What You Can Do with the New Codex Sites Feature

Codex Sites is a feature that lets you create websites and web apps using the Sites feature inside the Codex app and publish them in a form hosted by OpenAI.

The important point here is that it is not only about “creating.”

Create, save, publish, review later, and revise.
What feels interesting is that this whole flow is now becoming part of Codex.

1. You can ask in natural language and create web pages or simple apps

For example, you can make requests like the following.

“Please create a checklist screen for confirming new product launch preparation.”

“Please create a simple dashboard where we can view the number of inquiries by category.”

Previously, the usual flow would often be to summarize requirements, create a screen image, and then consult with a developer.

With Codex Sites, you can start by creating a rough first version.

Of course, this does not mean it will become a finished product in one step.
But discussing while looking at an actual screen is overwhelmingly faster than starting from nothing.

2. You can share what you create with a URL

What you create with Sites can be shared by URL.

This is also very useful in real operations.

In e-commerce operations, people often ask, “Which version is the latest?”
There may be multiple documents with similar file names, and people may end up looking at different versions during a meeting.

If you can create a shared page with Sites, you can simply say, “Let’s look at this URL together.”

It seems especially useful for sharing context before meetings.

It can be used not only as something to read, but also as a place to check the current situation.
This is slightly different from ordinary documents or slides.

3. It can be used as a lightweight internal tool

OpenAI describes Sites as a feature that can create lightweight full-stack JavaScript or TypeScript web apps.

That may sound a little technical, but from an operations perspective, it means “it becomes easier to create prototypes for small internal tools.”

For example, a pre-launch product checklist.
A memo for classifying return reasons.
A progress board for campaign preparation.
A simple input form.
A confirmation table by store.

It would be too heavy to build these as full-scale systems from the beginning.

But if the goal is to create a screen that can first be tested internally, Sites seems to be a very good fit.

4. It is easy to revise later

Sites does not end once something is created.

You can continue asking Codex to revise the screen or behavior.

Personally, this is one of the parts I find most exciting.

In e-commerce operations, there are many moments when you want to “change just one small thing.”

Change the display order.
Show product names before SKUs.
Filter by person in charge.

If these small changes do not need to become large development requests every time, it would be a big help for the operations team.

Creating a Demo in Practice

For this article, I also created a “pre-launch product checklist page” as a demo.

I used dummy data. The page was designed for a pre-launch meeting and included items such as product name, SKU, price confirmation, image confirmation, inventory display, sales period, and customer support notes.

The flow was simple.

First, I asked Codex to “create a pre-launch product checklist page,” and then told it, “Please use Codex Sites so that it can be saved and reviewed later.”

Screen where Codex was asked to use Codex Sites so the page could be saved and reviewed later
Screen where Codex was asked to use Codex Sites so the page could be saved and reviewed later

After that, it created a page showing the overall status, product-by-product checklist, incomplete tasks, and customer support notes. I first saved it for review without publishing it.

While looking at the actual screen, I asked for revisions such as “move products with launch-blocking risks to the top” and “make the customer support notes stand out.” Finally, I made it available in a form that could be opened through Sites.

Pre-launch product checklist page opened in Sites
Pre-launch product checklist page opened in Sites

What I felt here was that the value of Codex Sites is not only code generation.

Even if AI writes code, non-engineers often get stuck at the question of “how do we actually check it?” With Sites, however, what has been created can be reviewed as a real web page.

Having product launch status and incomplete tasks summarized on a single page makes it easier to start a meeting by saying, “Let’s look at this page first.” I felt this was a very clear benefit.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Using It

Codex Sites looks useful, but rather than leaving everything to it from the beginning, it seems better to decide the scope of use first.

In particular, it is currently introduced as a preview feature.
It is safer to start with drafts, internal reviews, and limited sharing.

1. Confirm which plans can use it

This is something to check first.

Codex itself is available within certain ranges for plans such as ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, and Enterprise.

However, Codex Sites is currently described as a preview feature for eligible Business and Enterprise workspaces.

It is enabled for Business, while on Enterprise, administrators can manage enablement and access scope.

In other words, this does not mean that individual Plus or Pro users can immediately use Sites.

If you want to try it internally, you first need to confirm whether your company workspace is eligible and whether the feature has been enabled in admin settings.

2. Decide the sharing scope first

One convenient aspect of Sites is that pages can be shared by URL.

But because it is convenient, you need to decide in advance who should be able to see it.

In e-commerce operations, there is a lot of information that should not be shared externally.

Unreleased campaigns.
Sales Report.
Products with tight inventory.
Procurement conditions.
Information close to cost price.
Customer support notes.

If a page contains this kind of information, expanding the sharing scope too widely can be risky.

First, only the creator and administrator.
Next, a small number of related members.
If there are no issues, then the necessary members within the workspace.

This order seems realistic.

3. Reduce data granularity before entering data

The more useful a feature is, the more tempting it becomes to put an entire CSV file into it.

However, e-commerce CSV files require caution.

Customer names.
Email addresses.
Order numbers.
Delivery addresses.
Purchase histories.
Cost prices.
Inventory numbers.
Unreleased product information.

This kind of information may be mixed in.

If you are trying it for the first time, dummy data is enough.

Use placeholder product names.
Round numerical values.
Do not include customer information.
Remove order numbers.
Use only aggregated information at first.

Even this is enough to test the screen structure.

You do not need to use real data from the beginning to check whether a screen is easy to use.

Conclusion

Codex Sites is a very interesting new feature for e-commerce operations.

What I especially like is that it makes it easier for people on the operations side to turn “it would be helpful if we had a screen like this” into something visible.

Before full-scale system development, first create something visible.
Look at that screen and decide what items are needed.
Align understanding among stakeholders.
Reduce rework in meetings and confirmation tasks.

I think this is a very realistic way to use it.

If you try it for e-commerce operations, it is better not to start with a large theme.

Pre-launch product checks.
A progress page for promotional campaigns.
Weekly reviews of inquiry trends.
Organizing requirements for internal tools.

Starting with areas like these should make the use case easier to separate from existing workflows and make the effect easier to see.

At the same time, it is currently a preview feature.
The target plans are mainly Business and Enterprise workspaces.
Sharing scope and data handling also need to be checked in advance.

That is why I think the first use case can be simple.

Use dummy data instead of real data.
Use it as a meeting prototype rather than a production tool.
Review it first with a small group instead of publishing it widely.

Rather than trying to create a finished product in one step, use it to create a screen that helps move the discussion forward faster.

Used with that level of expectation, Codex Sites feels like a feature that can fit quite naturally into the field of e-commerce operations.

References

For more information about GDX Co., Ltd., please visit the link below.
Company website: https://gdx.inc/

*Parts of this article were created with support from ChatGPT and then edited and revised by the author. The content reflects the author’s personal views and does not represent the official views or statements of GDX Co., Ltd. The information is provided for reference purposes; please check official announcements and primary sources for confirmation.