Plan the Zero-to-One Launch of an On-Demand Grocery Delivery Service at Uber

Uber has decided to add grocery delivery to its platform, a service it has never offered before. As the product manager, take it from zero to one: why Uber should do it, whom the first version serves, what has to be built for each side of the marketplace, how you would roll it out, and how you would judge whether the launch worked. ```hint Groceries are not restaurant meals Compare a grocery order with a restaurant order on basket size, urgency and how often the inventory changes. Then sort Uber's existing assets into the ones that carry over and the ones a grocery launch has to build new. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does the plan cover only the product, or operations, store partnerships and marketing as well? - Does grocery live as a tab inside the existing Uber apps, sharing accounts, payments and couriers, or as a separate app? - Is it delivery only, or can customers also order ahead and pick up at the store? Who takes items off the shelf: store staff or the courier? - Should the first launch be one pilot city or nationwide, and is the near-term goal adoption or profitability? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A launch goal tied to why groceries make sense for Uber, plus a justified choice of first customer segment and first market - How grocery differs from restaurant delivery, and the product scope that follows for customers, partner stores and couriers - A phased plan from pre-launch through pilot to expansion, covering store and courier supply, support, pricing and promotions - Launch metrics: a north star, the ordering funnel, order quality such as missing items and substitutions, supply health, and guardrails for Uber's rides and restaurant delivery - Risks such as thin grocery margins, inaccurate store inventory and the cold start, with mitigations ### Follow-up Questions - The pilot brings in many first orders, but few customers order a second time. How do you find out why, and what do you change before expanding? - Should store employees or couriers do the picking? How does each choice affect cost, order accuracy and speed? - What evidence from the pilot city would convince you to launch in a second city?