Aziz Musa looks at the the compromises that many product managers in eCommerce are forced to make that damage the purity of their product

1. Ecommerce: The least
pure form of product
management
Questions to
@azizmusa

2. “Nothing distorts
reality as effectively
as the promise of
financial gain”
Edward Herman & Noam Chomsky
Manufacturing Consent

6. Jan 1, 2012
Jan 11, 2012
Jan 21, 2012
Jan 31, 2012
Feb 10, 2012
Feb 20, 2012
Mar 1, 2012
Mar 11, 2012
Mar 21, 2012
Mar 31, 2012
Apr 10, 2012
Apr 20, 2012
Apr 30, 2012
May 10, 2012
May 20, 2012
May 30, 2012
Jun 9, 2012
Jun 19, 2012
Jun 29, 2012
Jul 9, 2012
Jul 19, 2012
Jul 29, 2012
Aug 8, 2012
Aug 18, 2012
Aug 28, 2012
Sep 7, 2012
Sep 17, 2012
Sep 27, 2012
Oct 7, 2012
Oct 17, 2012
Oct 27, 2012
Nov 6, 2012
Nov 16, 2012
Nov 26, 2012
Dec 6, 2012
Dec 16, 2012
Dec 26, 2012
Visits
5X shift in 72
hours

7. Conversion Rate
-22% shift over
the year
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53

8. Visits
Orders
1,800,000
120,000
1,600,000
100,000
1,400,000
1,200,000
80,000
1,000,000
60,000
800,000
600,000
40,000
400,000
20,000
200,000
0
0
1
3
5
7
9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53

9. Desktop Percentage Visits
Mobile Percentage Visits
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

10. Desktop Percentage Visits
Mobile Percentage Visits
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

11. 15 times lower
conversion

12. The Problem
Mobile traffic increasing
Lower conversion of mobile traffic
Degrading overall conversion

16. The Objectives
 Double mobile conversion rate
 Launch in 5 weeks (code freeze)
 Make £50k within 6 weeks

17. The Process

20. • Build, and launch
• MOCCA room

26. The Results
Objectives:
 Double mobile conversion rate
 Launch in 5 weeks (code freeze)
 Make £50k within 6 weeks

27. Mobile Conversion
Mobile Conversion Rate
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53

28. Mobile Conversion
Mobile Conversion Rate
10x
Improvement
Conversion
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53

29. Jan 1, 2012
Jan 11, 2012
Jan 21, 2012
Jan 31, 2012
Feb 10, 2012
Feb 20, 2012
Mar 1, 2012
Mar 11, 2012
Mar 21, 2012
Mar 31, 2012
Apr 10, 2012
Apr 20, 2012
Apr 30, 2012
May 10, 2012
May 20, 2012
May 30, 2012
Jun 9, 2012
Jun 19, 2012
Jun 29, 2012
Jul 9, 2012
Jul 19, 2012
Jul 29, 2012
Aug 8, 2012
Aug 18, 2012
Aug 28, 2012
Sep 7, 2012
Sep 17, 2012
Sep 27, 2012
Oct 7, 2012
Oct 17, 2012
Oct 27, 2012
Nov 6, 2012
Nov 16, 2012
Nov 26, 2012
Dec 6, 2012
Dec 16, 2012
Dec 26, 2012
On Time
Visits
Code Freeze

30. Revenue
 Make £50k within 6 weeks

31. Revenue
 Make £50k within 6 weeks
 Actually £50k 6 DAYS

32. Revenue
 Make £50k within 6 weeks
 Actually £50k 6 DAYS
 In 6 weeks made £500k

39. Deconstructing Discomfort
Felt
uncomfortable
Didn’t deliver
pure product
Felt too much
pressure

40. Deconstructing Discomfort
Felt
uncomfortable
Didn’t deliver
pure product
Felt too much
pressure

43. Deconstructing Discomfort
Felt
uncomfortable
Didn’t deliver
pure product
Felt too much
pressure

44. PURE PRODUCT

45. Simple and beautiful
Random
Problem
Simple
Beautiful
Markers
Search
Create
Purity
of
Product
Perfect

46. Profound Simplicity
“…..to see inexplicable events as a time to flee
corresponds to superficial simplicity. People soon
realize that "it's not quite that simple." But the
moment they admit that, and the moment they
start to build a more nuanced explanation, then
confused complexity floods in.” Karl Wieck 2004

47. Profound Simplicity
Superficial Simplicity
Confused Complexity
Profound Simplicity

48. Profound Simplicity
“Profound Simplicity is not merely
the absence of complexity, it is the
exquisite mastery of it.”

51. Beautiful
“Hear my soul speak. Of the very instant
that I saw you, Did my heart fly at your
service” The Tempest. William
Shakespeare

54. Chrome adverts
John Lewis advert

55. iPod Shuffle dial

57. Deconstructing Discomfort
Felt
uncomfortable
Didn’t deliver
pure product
Felt too much
pressure

58. 4 Pressure sources
Seasonality
Distortive
Pressures
Time
Pressure
Competitive
Volatility

59. “For the love of money is the
root of all kinds of evil. And
some people, craving money,
have wandered from the true
faith and pierced themselves
with many sorrows” Timothy
6:10

61. “It’s impossible to unlearn what you
already know.” Chip and Dan Heath,
Made to Stick

62.  Have product principles, know them deeply
 If you break your principles do it consciously
 There’s no shame in striving for perfection and
failing