Flipkart Display Ads: Turning Unsold Banner Impressions Into Paid Placements

You are a product manager at Flipkart. How would you increase the fill rate of Flipkart's banner ads, the display placements that advertisers buy on its pages? ```hint Find where the empty inventory sits Map the unsold banner impressions by placement, page and period before proposing anything. Empty inventory is rarely spread evenly, and the reason a homepage slot goes unsold is unlikely to be the reason a deep category page does. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Which banner placements are in scope: the homepage, category and store pages, search results, or all of them, and on the app, the website or both? - How are banners sold today: booked in advance for set dates, bought through a self-serve auction, or both? - Does an unsold slot that shows one of Flipkart's own promotions count as filled? - Is the goal more display revenue, more advertisers using banners, or fewer slots showing filler content? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A definition of fill rate that separates paid ads from Flipkart's own promotions, and the business goal behind it. - Where unsold banner impressions concentrate (placement, page, sale versus ordinary periods) and the cause behind each pocket. - Solutions matched to the main causes with a prioritized first release, including how smaller advertisers could start buying banners. - Metrics and guardrails covering display revenue, premium booking prices, shopper experience and advertiser renewal. ### Follow-up Questions - Banners sell out before major sales and sit mostly empty in the weeks after. How would you even out demand? - Opening unsold banners to an auction lowers the average price brands pay. How do you decide whether it is worth it? - How would you show a first-time banner advertiser that their spend paid off?