Suppose you are PM at Zomato. You understand that people in an office eat together. They order from different restaurants, leading to each order getting delivered at different times. Sometimes it causes bad experience for customers as they have to receive the orders multiple times. How would you solve this problem?

I will approach thie question in the following way.

First, i will identify the problem the product is facing. Second, i will identify the Users of the product who are facing this problem.

Third, i will talk of the Use Cases for the problem. Fourth i will tell the current way users are solving this problem. FIfth, i will look at possible solution. Sixth, i will summarise and define the metrics for success.

Step One: Problem Identification.

So, the problem that Zomato is facing is related t bulk orders from different restaurants getting delivered at different times leading to incovenience in group eating. As there is no relation to different orders, they all reach independently and thus it causes inconvenience when they have to be consumed together.

 

Step Two: Users facing this problem.

It is mentioned that people eating in the office are facing this problem. Can we also find other Users? Students sitting in a canteen or flatmates ordering in are other possible Users who face the same problem.

 

Step Three: Use Cases of the Problem

Use Cases are very nearly have in common that different users are ordering independently for food that they want to consume together. It could be at office, schol/college or at home

 

Step Four: Current Solutions

Currently, users order separately and wait for all food to arrive and then eat or eat multiple times. Both are sub optimum solutions. First solution requires a microvave which may not may not be nearby.

Users may also be forced to order from one place which is also sub optimal.

 

Step Five: Possible Solutions

As the problem has got less to do with ordering and more with the delivery, i will give an option of Zomato Pool in the App.

This will tell zomato this is a bulk order from different restaurants to be delivered together.

This will be applicable on the restaurants that are in a radius of 2-3 Kms from the User and a maximum of 3 different restaurants' order can be pooled.

This will attract a Pool Delivery Charge( lets say Rs 30). This charge is for the rider to goto different restaurants and collect food and pool it.

For payment identification, the master user can add the user paying the bill against each dish to be ordered.

For the payment by the user, there will be two options:

1. Pay All together

This is the normal payment mechanism using credit cards, debit cards, wallet etc.

2. Pay in splits

This enables users to split bills. This will make use of Zomato wallet. One master payee has to collect the split amount share from friends' wallet at the time of payment in his own wallet and then pay zomato the entire amount.

This can also be setup for an auto debit basis from wallet for daily users.

Split amount calculation is on basis of dishes added against each user or divided equally if not marked.

Step Sixth: Metrics and Summary

Metrics to track the success will be:

1. No of DAU, MAU

2. ARPU - Pool vs ARPU- All base

3.Increase in ARPU- Pool

4. No. of Orders- Pool

5. Checker Metric- Are people pooling more and is zomato losing on individual orders' delivery charges- this should be seen by seeing ARPU - All base

 

To sum it up, this feature aims to solve a niche problem. But this can be a bigger use case than what it appears. Zomato should determine its Pool Orders delivery charges by taking into account the costs and price flexibility at various price points.