PM Interview Tips: Product Strategy & Vision

PM Interviews - Product Strategy & Vision (Part - 2)

How would you build a 6-month roadmap for Google Pay's user growth in India?

Building a 6-month roadmap for Google Pay’s user growth in India requires a balance of user acquisition, feature innovation, regional customization, and partnerships. With UPI becoming mainstream, the focus should shift from utility to habit formation and ecosystem stickiness. The roadmap must align with business goals, user behavior insights, and key metrics.

Lets assume the objective is to Increase Monthly Active Users (MAUs) by 25% in 6 months. I will firstly break it down in three phases

Phase 1: Months 1–2 – Localized Acquisition & Trust-Building

- Regional Referral Campaigns
  - Incentivize peer referrals in local communities with customized regional campaigns (vernacular creatives, culturally relevant rewards like mobile recharge, grocery vouchers).
  - Leverage local influencers and community WhatsApp groups.
- Multilingual Onboarding Flows
  - App walkthroughs, safety tips, and first transaction guides in vernacular languages (Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, etc.).
  - Visual-first onboarding with fewer text dependencies.
- Micro-Campaigns at Local Events/Transport Systems
  Partner with local fairs, mandis, temples, and marketplaces for on-ground activation (e.g., scan to get Prasad coupons or discounts).

Tie up with Auto unions/Bus transporters which will help with change problem

Phase 2: Months 3–4 – Deepening Usage & Habit Formation

Contextual Use-Case Nudges
- Encourage repeat transactions by promoting everyday use-cases: electricity bills, LPG booking, school fees, and local Kirana payments.
- Preloaded “bill payment reminders” for common services (Jio, BSNL, MSEB, etc.).
Gamified Engagement (Localized)
- “Weekly Challenge” scratch cards for paying to different types of merchants.
- Localized leaderboards and rewards (e.g., “Best Savers in Nagpur”).
Kirana & Petrol Pumps Loyalty Program
- Reward users who shop at verified local merchants using Google Pay (cashback + loyalty punch cards).
- Helps merchants grow and builds local network effects.

Provide bonus points for Petrol payments focusing on two wheelers

Phase 3: Months 5–6 – Ecosystem Scaling & Financial Upskilling

Merchant Upskilling Workshops
- Run Google Pay merchant education drives with NGOs and MFIs on how to use digital payments, track earnings, and reconcile.
- Offer print marketing kits and QR stands or we can even explore Sound Boxes
Microfinance & Lending Integration
- Launch partnerships with NBFCs for small-ticket loans accessible via GPay for self-employed workers and small traders.
Financial Literacy Content in-App
- Push 2-minute videos in regional languages explaining UPI, fraud prevention, budgeting tips, etc.
- Trust-building is crucial in lower-trust environments.

Key Metrics to Track in Tier 2/3 Context

% of New Users from Tier 2/3 Cities – Measures the effectiveness of regional penetration strategies.
Transactions per User – Indicates habit formation and repeat usage of Google Pay.
UPI Success Rate – Highlights payment reliability, especially important in areas with unstable internet or infrastructure.
Referral Conversion Rate – Assesses how well word-of-mouth and incentive-based acquisition campaigns are working in local communities.
Merchant Onboarding & Active Usage – Tracks the density of accepting outlets and how consistently they use the platform.

A competitor is offering the same product at 30% less price. What will you do?

When a competitor offers a similar product at 30% lower price, a knee-jerk price cut may hurt brand perception and margins. Instead, the focus should be on understanding the competitor’s value proposition, evaluating user behavior, and identifying differentiation levers. A well-balanced strategy should retain core users while protecting long-term brand and business value.

If a competitor offers a similar product at 30% lower price, the first step is to analyze whether their offering truly matches ours in terms of quality, features, and support—or if it’s a short-term pricing tactic.

Next, we should reinforce our product’s differentiated value by highlighting aspects like superior service, reliability, ecosystem integration, or customer support.

It’s also essential to segment our users—offer selective discounts or entry-level plans to price-sensitive customers while maintaining premium pricing for loyal or high-value users.

We can consider introducing a basic, no-frills version of our product to match competitor pricing without devaluing our flagship offering.

We should focus heavily on retention through loyalty rewards, user engagement, and surprise feature upgrades that increase stickiness.

We should monitor churn, NPS, and acquisition costs in real time to assess impact, and be ready to iterate fast.

The goal is to protect long-term brand value while addressing competitive pressure with strategic agility rather than reactive discounting.

When Disney+ Hotstar entered India with much lower pricing (499 vs 649 of Netflix), Netflix didn’t slash prices outright. Instead, it launched a ₹199 mobile-only plan to target price-sensitive users, reinforced its premium positioning through global content and ad-free viewing, and invested in Indian originals. This tiered, value-led approach helped Netflix compete without eroding brand equity.

What is your favorite product and why? How would you improve it?

One of my favorite products is Google Maps, a tool I rely on almost daily. It offers accurate navigation, real-time traffic updates, and multi-modal transit options that make commuting and travel seamless. Its integration with other Google products like Search, Calendar, and Assistant enhances its utility even further. The product stands out for its intuitive design, offline accessibility, and the power of community contributions—whether it’s live traffic, business reviews, or road closures. It has evolved from being just a navigation tool to a contextual assistant for movement.

However, there’s still scope to improve. Google Maps can enhance hyperlocal discovery by allowing users to explore curated “trails” or themed routes like “Best Street Food in Lucknow” or “Vegan Cafes in Indore,” contributed by the community. It can also introduce gamified incentives for local contributions—such as rewarding users with badges or local merchant coupons for timely updates, photos, or reviews. A “Daily Commute” dashboard could consolidate routine travel details—like traffic alerts, fuel prices, and parking availability—on one screen. Finally, an AI-based route recommender could personalize routes based on driving style, road conditions, and personal preferences (e.g., avoiding narrow lanes or pothole-prone areas). These enhancements would elevate Google Maps from a passive navigator to a more proactive, context-aware mobility assistant.

How would you define the success of a new subscription model for Amazon Prime?

The success of a new subscription model for Amazon Prime should be evaluated through a combination of adoption, engagement, retention, and revenue metrics, aligned with both user behavior and business objectives. Any new model—be it a mobile-only plan, student discount, or tiered pricing—must deliver value without diluting the core proposition of speed, convenience, and content.

First, adoption is a critical early indicator. Success here would be measured by the number of new sign-ups driven by the revised model, especially within targeted segments (e.g., students or

Tier 2 city users). It’s important to track conversion rates from free trial to paid as well as cost of acquisition per subscriber.

Next, engagement metrics will show whether users find ongoing value. For Amazon Prime, this could include frequency of orders, Prime Video viewing hours, and usage of bundled services like Prime Music or early-access sales. Higher engagement typically correlates with better retention.

Retention is the long-term success marker. If the new model improves D30, D90, and annual renewal rates, it signals that the offering is both relevant and sustainable. Additionally, if the new model leads to an uplift in cross-category purchases, such as a video-first subscriber eventually ordering groceries or electronics, it reflects deeper integration into the Amazon ecosystem.

Finally, from a business standpoint, the model should maintain or improve ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and CLTV (Customer Lifetime Value), even if margins per user are slightly lower. Combining these metrics provides a 360-degree view of product-market fit and commercial viability of the new subscription tier.

How would you decide whether to sunset a product feature?

Deciding to sunset a product feature requires a balanced evaluation of user value, business impact, technical cost, and strategic alignment. The process should be driven by both quantitative data and qualitative insights. The first step is to assess usage metrics—if a feature has consistently low adoption, minimal repeat usage, or high abandonment rates, it may signal that the feature no longer meets user needs or that it was poorly positioned. However, low usage alone isn’t a reason to sunset; it’s equally important to understand why users aren’t engaging.

Next, evaluate the maintenance cost and complexity of supporting the feature. Features that create technical debt, slow down development velocity, or frequently cause bugs can hinder product agility. Also consider strategic alignment—if the feature no longer fits the company’s direction or product vision (e.g., shifting from B2C to B2B), it may be wise to retire it to sharpen focus.

User feedback is essential. Engage with power users or early adopters of the feature to gauge the potential impact of its removal. If the feature serves a small but vocal niche, consider alternative solutions or replacements. It’s important to communicate transparently, giving users advance notice, and if possible, offer a migration path or compensation.

For example Instagram’s IGTV feature is a good example. Launched as a standalone long-form video product, it saw low engagement compared to Stories and Reels. Despite integration into the main app, users preferred short-form content. Maintaining IGTV as a separate format added complexity without significantly contributing to engagement or monetization. Eventually,

Instagram sunset IGTV in 2022, choosing to focus on Reels—better aligned with user behavior and the strategic goal of competing with TikTok.

Sunsetting should ultimately lead to a simpler, faster, and more user-aligned product, freeing up resources to invest in higher-impact areas.