Diagnosing Decline in Cart Additions at Flipkart

Jul 4, 2024

Lecture Notes: Diagnosing Decline in Cart Additions at Flipkart

Introduction

  • Scenario: Working at Flipkart, noticing a 15% decline in additions to the shopping cart over the last 3 days.
  • Goal: Diagnose the issue.

Participants

  • Presenter: Leading the mock interview focused on root cause analysis.
  • Interviewee (Kanjin): Product Manager at Razorpay.

Initial Questions and Clarifications

  • Cart Additions Definition: Users adding an item to their shopping cart on Flipkart.
  • Platform Specificity: Decline observed mostly on the mobile app.

Framework to Diagnose the Issue

  1. External Factors
    • Check for competitor actions such as new product launches or announcements.
    • Review any Flipkart campaigns that could shift user focus.
    • External announcements or seasonal impacts.
  2. Demographics Analysis
    • Check if specific customer segments or regions are impacted.
  3. Internal Factors
    • Review recent updates or changes in the mobile app.
    • Look at the user journey to identify any glitches or bugs.
  4. Event Data and Analytics
    • Ensure the accuracy of analytics tools.
    • Review logs for incidents or bugs.

Detailed Investigation

  • External Factors
    • Competitors: No direct indication of major competitor campaigns impacting cart additions.
    • Demographics: No significant demographic deviations noticed.
  • Internal Factors
    • Flipkart Campaigns: No direct correlation found with ongoing campaigns.
  • Technical Concerns
    • Recent Mobile App Updates: Major update deployed influencing the checkout process.
    • Key Finding: Issue predominantly on Android platform.

Hypothesis Formation & Testing

  • Focus on Add to Cart Button: Validate if the button visibility and functionality are consistent across the app.
  • Event Logging: Check if 'Add to Cart' events are transitioning into actual additions in the cart.
  • Bug Reports: Notable increase in bug reports around the checkout process.

Conclusion

  • The decline seems to be rooted in the changes made to the Android app update affecting the 'Add to Cart' button functionality.
  • Next steps involve a deeper log analysis and investigating the event flow for Android app users.

Feedback & Reflection

  • Interviewee Self-Feedback
    • Improvement in asking about specific versions and data points early.
    • Better utilization of data analytics dashboards for comprehensive data.
    • Keeping a 360-degree viewpoint to solve complex problems.
  • Interviewer Feedback
    • Clear framework and methodical approach were strong points.
    • Revisit hypotheses and summarize findings effectively.
    • Avoiding up-speaking to maintain confidence and gravitas.

Tips and Advice

  • Practice with mock interviews and real-world scenarios.
  • Engage in conversational problem-solving and avoid getting lost in assumptions.
  • Use analytics tools effectively to back your analysis.

Closing Thoughts

  • Practicing and seeking feedback helps in improving problem-solving skills.
  • Discussing findings and approaching problems methodically is key to success in product management interviews.