Seller Storefront

Context and Stakes

A year after launching Sendy Fulfillment, sellers loved storing stock at fulfillment centers because it reduced delivery lead times and simplified operations. That success exposed the next opportunity: help sellers move from "stored inventory" to completed sales, without extra manual work.

The idea was a self-checkout storefront: sellers publish a simple web page showing items available in the warehouse, customers purchase directly, and Sendy handles delivery—automating the sales loop end-to-end.

The Problem

The proposal was solid in principle, but for this to work, sellers needed to trust it. Trust came down to two things:

• Stock accuracy: Shoppers purchasing items that weren't actually available would break trust instantly
• Setup simplicity: Sellers wanted results fast—complicated flows or technical requirements were deal-breakers

Add to that: many sellers weren't technical. They needed a storefront that worked immediately, required minimal maintenance, and gave them confidence that sales wouldn't break operations.

Research and Discovery

I started by talking to sellers already using Sendy Fulfillment. The conversations confirmed what we suspected: they wanted to reach more customers and close more sales, but managing multiple storefronts (Instagram, WhatsApp, their own sites) was exhausting. Inventory sync issues meant they often sold items they didn't have in stock—leading to cancellations, disappointed customers, and lost credibility.

A unified storefront with real-time inventory sounded ideal. But skepticism was high. "Will this actually work? What if my stock numbers are wrong?" Those doubts needed to be addressed in the design itself.

Key Insights from Research

• Sellers were already juggling multiple sales channels and couldn't afford one more thing to manage
• Stock accuracy was non-negotiable—if the storefront showed items that weren't available, trust would collapse
• Speed mattered—if setup took more than a few minutes, adoption would stall
• Sellers needed confidence that the storefront would "just work" without constant monitoring

My Role and Approach

I led the design end-to-end: research, wireframes, prototypes, and final UI. The work was collaborative—regular check-ins with the product team, engineering, and sellers to validate direction and catch issues early.

The strategy wasn't to build a feature-rich platform. It was to build something sellers would actually use. That meant:

• Ruthless simplicity in setup
• Real-time inventory sync to prevent overselling
• Clear visibility into what was published and live
• Minimal ongoing maintenance

Design Decisions

1. One-Click Storefront Setup

Instead of forcing sellers through a multi-step wizard, the storefront was automatically generated from their warehouse inventory. Sellers could publish immediately, then customize later if they wanted. This inverted the typical flow—bias toward action rather than configuration.

2. Real-Time Stock Synchronization

The storefront pulled inventory data directly from the fulfillment system. If an item sold out, it was automatically removed from the storefront. No manual updates required. This addressed the biggest trust barrier: "What if I oversell?"

3. Clear Visual Feedback

Sellers needed to know exactly what was live and visible to customers. The interface showed:

• Current stock levels
• Which items were published
• Real-time sales updates

If something looked wrong, sellers could catch it immediately.

4. Mobile-First Experience

Most sellers managed their business from phones. The storefront had to work perfectly on mobile—fast load times, easy navigation, simple checkout. No desktop dependency.

Outcomes

The storefront launched to a small group of sellers initially. Early feedback was positive:

• Setup time averaged under 5 minutes
• Sellers reported confidence in stock accuracy
• Sales started happening without sellers needing to actively manage the storefront

The most telling sign: sellers started sharing their storefronts on social media, something they hadn't done consistently with other tools. That suggested the trust barrier had been cleared.

What I Learned

This project reinforced that trust is designed, not assumed. Sellers weren't going to trust a new storefront just because it existed. Every design decision—setup speed, real-time inventory, clear visibility—had to actively earn that trust.

It also showed the value of building for adoption, not features. A simpler tool that sellers actually used beat a powerful tool they ignored.