Concerns about the future of desktop

[EdHarrison]

I am concerned about the future of sellerdeck desktop.

Sellerdeck seem to be encouraging EKM as a migration option, sadly expensive and again restricted to clearaccept only for card payments.

Today I got an email from a company expressing they no longer offer sellerdeck support due to ongoing security issues and functionality problems.

Maybe someone from sellerdeck can confirm the future of desktop?

[rookers]

Yes I got that email too, I asked my contact at Sellerdeck for their take on it, awaiting reply.

[Buzby]

I have had a few of these now, and like you am concerned for the future of desktop.

If I have to move away from Sellerdeck, it won't be to another of their products. A new challenge will involve a lot of research, not on the back of emails pushing just 1 software company.

When I spoke to sales a few weeks back, they advised that they were adding Google Pay in the future. So shows a bit of commitment to the future.

[MDN]

There are some big firms still running Desktop, I can't see it going soon, however they really need to read articles they put out before hand, stating things like "migrate from the legacy Sellerdeck platform" isn't ideal.

[mje]

Says here https://portal.sellerdeck.co.uk/sell...ktop/overview/

Sellerdeck capable of 1/2 billion pounds worth of sales a year, so that must equate to fair few live websites and no wonder they want to be to sole provider of payment services, 1.57% and 22p per transaction is a huge amount of money, and whilst I don't like change, I "get it" and if thats the price to pay for "better the devil you know" then so be it.

Also currently a broken link on that page FAQ at the bottom - which is not great

https://sellerdeckport.wpengine.com/...overview/faqs/

[zgap111]

It would be nice to hear something from Sellerdeck

I recently found recordings of the 2 online meetings Josh had in Autumn/Winter (?) 2023... I skimmed though it and did hear he mentioned for "news" after Spring 2024 since they were busy on existing... 2024... I've heard nothing.

There is a new push for migrating to EKM... I looked at EKM's (1 star) reviews from two different review sites, it was interesting.
(strange I couldn't see any Sellerdeck ones...)

I'm guessing not a lot of customers have updated beyond 18.2.2 so I don't know how that affects Sellerdeck Development

[EdHarrison]

Sellerdeck certainly view these posts, they have not so far jumped in with any reassurances....

[EdHarrison]

Still no confidence inspiring responses from Sellerdeck about desktop, however a reasonably positive email exchange with EKM Today.

[zgap111]

This was from an email from our Sellerdeck Account Manager & Sales Support on 21/02/25

Sellerdeck Desktop is currently being developed for the next version release, and no news of it being discontinued has been mentioned (internally to me, or externally to customers). We want to be as agnostic as possible, so now we are able to offer 3 supported Ecommerce solutions (Desktop, EKM & WooCommerce).

I'm glad I'm not the only one having this feeling.

[Mike Hughes]

The beauty of Sellerdeck is the fast responsive static webpages it produces that will run on a fairly simple and low cost server. Add in the content and order management from a standard PC and I can see why it's been a great solution for many smaller to medium businesses, myself included.

The problem I see is that the more sophisticated retailers have been moving beyond this into websites with more dynamic features, better user engagement that can nudge first time visitors towards purchase and reward schemes that continue to build that relationship, share it with others and keep the customers coming back. I suspect these kind of features are now becoming seen as the norm and the market is drifting away from what Sellerdeck can offer.

These kind of features can be developed to sit on top of Sellerdeck but it's a lot of development and it's hard work as the database wasn't designed to support this kind of thing. I did start prototyping some of this but decided that for me there's too much effort required for a solution that will always be a bit clunky.

I doubt if Sellerdeck is in a position to build all this into Desktop's capability so the future for Desktop is almost certainly continued decline. I'd love to hear otherwise but all my discussions with Sellerdeck have indicated it's unlikely to happen.

I will carry on with what I have for now but I would rather have a solution that includes these kind of features.

[fergusw]

The problem I see is that the more sophisticated retailers have been moving beyond this into websites with more dynamic features, better user engagement that can nudge first time visitors towards purchase and reward schemes that continue to build that relationship, share it with others and keep the customers coming back. I suspect these kind of features are now becoming seen as the norm and the market is drifting away from what Sellerdeck can offer.
...
I doubt if Sellerdeck is in a position to build all this into Desktop's capability so the future for Desktop is almost certainly continued decline. I'd love to hear otherwise but all my discussions with Sellerdeck have indicated it's unlikely to happen.

Just popped in to the forum for the first time in a long time, and wanted to add my tuppence to this thread.
Mike, you summed up my view of the issues with Sellerdeck very nicely.
SellerDeck was a great platform that ticked many of the boxes for many retailers; however, e-commerce functionality requirements, customer expectations, and platform integrations (payments, shipping etc) have progressed significantly in the last 5 to 10 years. Sellerdeck has not kept pace with these changes, and that has been to the detriment of the retailers in my view.

We have seen two familiar trends:
- Customers who remain on Sellerdeck see a halt in growth or, more likely, a slow decline in revenues and transaction volumes, as customers move away, and convert less.
- After migrating away from Sellerdeck to other platforms, customers have seen a doubling in website conversion rates in many cases i.e. more £££


I'm keen to know how you guys feel about Sellerdeck Desktop 3 months on, and whether anyone has made the move to EKM and seen significant improvements to their website performance in revenues/conversion rates?

[EdHarrison]

Hi Fergus
I have been in talks with EKM and on the surface it seems better, at least its cloud based.
However the restrictions of clearaccept as the only card option is a real shame.
My biggest concern is the same issue we see with sellerdeck, for example adding trustpilot, simple with all the bigger platforms but EKM.has pages of instructions to implement it!
Yes I've seen a big drop in conversions, rankings and of course sales.
I am nearly 60 so the thought of starting over learning a new platform is daunting to say the least.

[Buzby]

I am just starting to look around for possible alternatives for the future which will not be EKM, also not too keen on the one with Shop in its name. At the moment I am looking at Woo.

my main issue is we were not going to go on for too many years so do we just manage what we have, or jump ship with having to learn a new system and the teething problems. Would be interest in what other platforms people are looking at.

This came about after Andy from Codepath told me that Soapbox is no longer a supported item, and when enough people migrate from Sellerdeck and it isn’t profitable, he will close it. So even companies that have supported us for years are heading to the door.

[fergusw]

Yes I've seen a big drop in conversions, rankings and of course sales.
I am nearly 60 so the thought of starting over learning a new platform is daunting to say the least.

Hi Ed
This is a pretty common theme I've heard from many other (ex)Sellerdeck store owners.
The drop in conversions, and hence sales, is the main reason people need to move away from the platform, in my opinion. That's tough to have to say, especially as it was the basis of my business and living for a long time, as Sellerdeck has performed so well for so long. It is now responsible for the slow decline of some of these businesses that remain on the platform.

Now, if you're almost 60, then surely you've the next 30+ years to get used to a new platform.

In all seriousness, moving to a new platform doesn't have to be as painful as some think. The data migration piece, if done by companies that know Sellerdeck's database structures (components, attributes, permutations etc), can be pretty straightforward.
It is often more about matching or improving the functionality requirements e.g. back office systems, stock management systems etc.
We find that once we move people onto platforms like Aero commerce, Shopify, Big Commerce or even WooCommerce, they quickly take to the new way of working, quickly embracing all the benefits and new features, and start to enjoy using an up-to-date e-commerce platform.

[fergusw]

I am just starting to look around for possible alternatives for the future which will not be EKM, also not too keen on the one with Shop in its name. At the moment I am looking at Woo.

my main issue is we were not going to go on for too many years so do we just manage what we have, or jump ship with having to learn a new system and the teething problems. Would be interest in what other platforms people are looking at.

This came about after Andy from Codepath told me that Soapbox is no longer a supported item, and when enough people migrate from Sellerdeck and it isn’t profitable, he will close it. So even companies that have supported us for years are heading to the door.

Hi Jason,
WooCommerce can be great, however we find that as product quantities start to rise to higher levels, performance can often take a hit. Something to bear in mind.
In short, Woo is often the most cost-effective. The "one with Shop in its name" is probably next in terms of costs. And then other platforms, like Aero Commerce, that have incredible speed and performance, are great as well, but come with a higher price tag.