Products to Win Back Shoppers at a Supermarket Chain With Falling Same-Store Sales

Same-store sales are falling at one of the local supermarket chains you are responsible for. As its product manager, what products and features would you build to meet shoppers' needs and get sales growing again? ```hint Diagnose before you build Work out whether the chain is losing whole households, trips from the households it keeps, or spend per trip, and which shoppers are behind it, before you pick anything to build. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is this chain one banner inside a larger grocery group, with a shared loyalty program, app and supply chain to build on, or a standalone regional chain? - Do we know whether the decline comes from fewer transactions or smaller baskets, and when it started? - Is the drop spread across all stores or concentrated in some neighborhoods, for example where a discount grocer or a fast delivery service recently arrived? - Are online ordering, pickup and delivery in scope, or should I focus on the in-store experience? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A diagnosis of the decline (traffic versus basket, which stores, which shoppers) that drives every later choice - One clearly chosen shopper segment and its specific frustrations with the chain today - Two or three concrete products or features, prioritized by their expected effect on trips or basket size against effort and margin cost - A success metric tied to same-store sales, with guardrails on gross margin and store operations - Risks such as discount-led margin erosion, store-fulfilled orders crowding the aisles, and shoppers who will not adopt an app ### Follow-up Questions - If the data shows households are leaving mainly for a cheaper competitor, what can a product team do beyond cutting prices? - How would you show that your feature, and not seasonality or a competitor's closure, moved same-store sales? - With one quarter and a small team, what ships first and why?