What would be your product strategy if Jeff Bezos would ask you to develop a contactless grocery store?

Certainly, I'll provide a detailed, strategic answer to the product strategy question about developing a contactless grocery store for Jeff Bezos. I'll use a first-person perspective and structure the response as if I'm directly addressing the interviewer.

Introduction

Thank you for presenting this intriguing challenge. Developing a contactless grocery store aligns perfectly with Amazon's mission to be Earth's most customer-centric company. The key business objectives for this product strategy would be to revolutionize the grocery shopping experience, increase market share in the grocery sector, and leverage technology to improve operational efficiency.

I'll approach this challenge by first clarifying our strategic goals, then conducting a market and competitive analysis. From there, I'll define our product vision and roadmap, prioritize initiatives, outline an execution plan, establish key metrics, and finally address risk management. Let's begin.

Step 1

Clarify the Strategic Goals (3-4 minutes)

• Based on Amazon's recent moves in the grocery space, I'm assuming this initiative is part of a broader strategy to disrupt traditional retail. Could you confirm if this contactless grocery store is intended to be a standalone concept or an extension of existing Amazon grocery offerings like Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh?

Why it matters: Determines whether we're building on existing infrastructure or creating an entirely new brand and experience. Expected answer: Extension of existing offerings, leveraging Amazon's current grocery ecosystem. Impact on approach: Would focus on integrating with and enhancing current systems rather than building from scratch.

• Given Amazon's tech-forward approach, I'm curious about the primary objective for this contactless store. Are we prioritizing operational efficiency and cost reduction, or is the main goal to provide a superior customer experience that differentiates us in the market?

Why it matters: Shapes the focus of our product development and go-to-market strategy. Expected answer: Balancing both, with a slight emphasis on customer experience. Impact on approach: Would prioritize innovative customer-facing features while ensuring backend efficiency.

• Considering the varying adoption rates of new technologies across different demographics, could you provide insights into our target customer segment for this contactless grocery store concept?

Why it matters: Influences the complexity of the technology we implement and our marketing approach. Expected answer: Initially targeting tech-savvy urban professionals and gradually expanding to broader demographics. Impact on approach: Would design for early adopters first, with a plan to simplify and broaden appeal over time.

Based on these assumptions, our strategy will focus on creating a seamless, technology-driven grocery shopping experience that integrates with Amazon's existing ecosystem, prioritizes customer convenience while maintaining operational efficiency, and caters initially to tech-savvy urban professionals with plans for broader adoption.