Walmart Product Design: Showing Shoppers the Environmental Impact of What They Buy

You are a product manager at Walmart. Design a product that lets Walmart shoppers follow the environmental impact of what they buy, so they can keep track of how sustainable their purchases are. Cover the goal you would set, which shoppers you would build for, the problems they face today, what you would build first, and how you would measure success. ```hint Track to change the next purchase A record of past purchases is useful mainly if it changes what the shopper buys next, so look for the moments in a Walmart order where better information could still change the choice, and ask where trustworthy data would come from. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the main aim to win and keep shoppers who care about sustainability, to shift sales toward greener products, or to support Walmart's public climate commitments? - Which channels are in scope: the website and app, in-store shopping, or both? - Can we assume Walmart has reliable sustainability data for each product, or is collecting and verifying it from suppliers part of the problem? - Does "sustainable" mean carbon footprint only, or also packaging, sourcing and certifications? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal that fits Walmart's price-focused customers and its business, rather than a generic eco-tracking app - A chosen shopper segment and the points in its shopping journey where sustainability information is missing or hard to act on - A prioritized product with a concrete first version that links choices at the moment of purchase with a view of past impact - A credible data plan: where ratings come from, how uncertainty is shown, and how misleading environmental claims are avoided - Success metrics based on changes in what people buy, with guardrails on price perception, conversion and trust ### Follow-up Questions - A supplier disputes the low rating your product gives its item; how is that handled, and what do shoppers see in the meantime? - How would you get shoppers whose first concern is price to pick greener products? - Should delivery and pickup choices count toward a shopper's footprint, and how would you show them?