Why are Amazon Shopping cart items disappearing for 25% of users?

Introduction

Amazon's shopping cart functionality is a critical component of the e-commerce experience, directly impacting user satisfaction and conversion rates. The reported issue of cart items disappearing for 25% of users is a significant problem that requires immediate attention and a thorough root cause analysis.

In this analysis, we'll systematically investigate the potential causes, validate our hypotheses, and develop a comprehensive plan to address the issue. Our approach will cover technical, user behavior, and product-related factors, ensuring we consider all possible angles.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the scale of the issue, I'm wondering about the timing. Has this 25% disappearance rate been consistent, or did it spike suddenly?

Why it matters: This helps determine if it's a new issue or an ongoing problem. Expected answer: It's a recent spike in the last 48 hours. Impact on approach: A sudden spike would suggest a recent change or external factor.

• Considering user segments, I'm curious if this affects all user types equally. Are we seeing any patterns in terms of new vs. returning customers, or desktop vs. mobile users?

Why it matters: This could point to specific user journeys or technical issues. Expected answer: It's more prevalent among mobile app users. Impact on approach: We'd focus on mobile app-specific factors and recent app updates.

• Thinking about recent changes, have there been any deployments, feature releases, or backend updates in the past week?

Why it matters: Recent changes are often the culprit in sudden issues. Expected answer: A new version of the mobile app was released three days ago. Impact on approach: We'd prioritize investigating the new app version and its changes.

• Regarding system health, are we seeing any unusual patterns in server logs, API responses, or database performance?

Why it matters: Technical issues often manifest in system metrics before user-facing problems occur. Expected answer: There's been an increase in timeout errors for a specific API endpoint. Impact on approach: We'd focus on that API endpoint and its dependencies.