Website World
By Web Widgets Ltd
Website World is the flagship product of Web Widgets Ltd, an established New Zealand technology firm based in Auckland. Since its inception in 2000, the company has grown from a bespoke web design agency into a major SaaS platform provider, serving thousands of international customers. The company distinguishes itself through a commitment to local development, ensuring that its software is specifically tuned to the unique requirements of the ANZ business environment. As a firm, Web Widgets Ltd prioritizes sustainable growth over aggressive venture scaling, maintaining a philosophy that values a 'living wage' for its staff and ethical business practices. The platform is used by a diverse range of clients, from government-linked projects to small family-owned manufacturers and importers. By providing a unified infrastructure that includes hosting, CMS, e-commerce, and POS, Website World acts as a strategic partner for businesses looking to minimize technical complexity and operational overhead.
The company was founded in 2000 by Reuben Jackson in Auckland, New Zealand. Originally operating under the name Web Widgets Ltd, the business began as a response to the technical hurdles Jackson faced while building feature-rich websites for individual clients. He realized that the specific 'widgets' or tools he was developing—such as early shopping carts and member management systems—were more valuable to the broader market than the specific design projects he was undertaking. This led to the creation of a standardized Content Management System (CMS) that could be easily customized with various 'widgets.' Over time, the platform rebranded to Website World to better reflect its expansive capabilities as a global website building engine. From its early days in Grey Lynn, the company has maintained its independent, founder-led status, evolving into one of New Zealand's most resilient and trusted e-commerce platforms through more than two decades of continuous development.
Website World is a privately held, bootstrapped organization. Unlike many of its global competitors that relied on multiple rounds of venture capital (VC) to fuel rapid expansion and marketing, Website World has grown organically through its own revenue and customer base. This independent financial structure has allowed the company to stay true to its core mission of providing affordable, high-quality software without the pressure to implement transaction fees or aggressive upselling tactics common in VC-backed ecosystems. The company is owned by Web Widgets Ltd and continues to reinvest its profits into product R&D and local support infrastructure, ensuring long-term stability for the merchants who host their businesses on the platform.
The primary offering is the Website World SaaS platform, which is available in several tiers tailored to business maturity. For new businesses, it provides a powerful DIY website builder with over 900 responsive templates. For established retailers, the E-commerce Pro plan offers a complete suite of professional tools including native POS, inventory management, and trade pricing. Specialized modules include the Bulk Emailer for integrated marketing, a CRM for customer tracking, and an automated SEO engine. The company also offers 'Odd Jobs' services, which allow customers to hire in-house developers for small, specific technical tasks such as DNS configuration, data imports, or minor styling tweaks, providing a level of professional accessibility rarely seen in automated platforms.
While deeply rooted in New Zealand, Website World has achieved significant geographic reach. The company operates a global content delivery network with high-speed servers located in Auckland and multiple international locations. It maintains physical representation and local phone support in Auckland and Melbourne, Australia, specifically to serve the ANZ corridor. Beyond its home base, the company supports a growing customer base in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, and Fiji. Its expansion strategy focuses on localizing the 'last mile' of e-commerce, such as shipping and payment, making it an attractive option for businesses in any English-speaking market that require specialized regional shipping logic and no transaction commissions.
In the last 18 months, Website World has introduced significant advancements in automation and artificial intelligence. The flagship new feature is the 'AI - Artificial Intelligence' content generator, which assists users in drafting professional product descriptions, blog posts, and marketing text using natural language prompts. This tool is designed to reduce the 'writer's block' often faced by small business owners during site setup. Additionally, the platform has seen major updates to its integrated POS system, including enhanced synchronization with Square and Vend, and the introduction of advanced rural delivery detection algorithms that utilize real-time address verification to prevent shipping losses. Recent updates also include improved B2B trade portal capabilities and the expansion of the courier integration library to include Zappy and GoSweetSpot.
The culture at Web Widgets Ltd is defined by the 'Buy NZ Made' ethos and a commitment to ethical employment. The company is a vocal proponent of the 'living wage' movement, ensuring all staff members are compensated fairly for their expertise. The work environment is characterized by flexibility and a focus on sustainability; the company utilizes carbon-zero electricity suppliers and encourages staff to use walking access to local suppliers. There is a strong emphasis on continuous learning, with the team regularly contributing to the 'Reuben talks tech' blog. The company prides itself on being an accessible, human-centric tech firm, where customers can often speak directly to the experts who build the software.
Website World fosters a robust community of digital professionals through its Designer and Reseller program. It supports over 50 independent web designers and agencies across New Zealand who build on top of the Website World engine, providing them with a specialized factsheet for web designers and a dedicated reseller billing portal. For end-users, the community is engaged through regular newsletters, a comprehensive online manual, and a series of video tutorials and training events. While it lacks a traditional public forum, the company maintains active social media channels and a high level of direct engagement with its user base, often implementing feature suggestions directly into the platform's development roadmap.
