A comprehensive outline and proposal for a platform as a service (PaaS) product in part by New York University Stern School of Business. The presentation covers user research insights, KPIs, risks, monetization, and more.

1. Final
Product
Case
Tech Product
Management
Madeline Grimes
October 29, 2020

2. Product &
Customer
Description
With her partner's birthday approaching, Tanya is adamant about finding a gift without her usual
feelings of uncertainty, frustration, anxiety, or second-guessing throughout the process. She's
concerned about having time to consult others on ideas, such as family members or her partner's
friends, and wants to both show her partner how she feels while knowing that the item is something
that will actually be used rather than stuffed in a closet.
Tanya is overwhelmed, unconfident, is financially conscious, and is not a procrastinator. Willing to
spend about $50 and to give enough effort so that she feels she "gets it right," she deeply values how
she is perceived by those she cares about and would partner with a new external source if she is
informed of this person's gift-giving track record and can develop a relationship with them over time.
The product we are proposing is a platform that pairs people like Tanya with gift curators who are
socially-proven experts in their craft. After completing a profile for the person she's shopping for with
information like personality traits, habits, and ways their time is spent - we deliberately avoid and go
beyond the question, "what do they like?" - Tanya is matched with a curator who then reviews the
profile she's written. It is the relationship formed with the curator over time that differentiates our
product from what currently exists in the market.
The curator will then communicate directly with Tanya with additional questions, research items based
on the specifications Tanya has made, and either send the gift to Tanya or, with Tanya's permission,
directly to the recipient. After Tanya has placed a review for her curator, she can track the gifts she's
given, feedback received from her partner and others, sync her personal calendar to plan for future
events, and more.
The product is compelling because it takes the pressure of choosing a gift away from the buyer without
removing the involvement of making it personal to the recipient. This proposal will examine the
product need with supporting data, go-to-market strategy, risks and constraints, and next steps.

3. Primary Use Cases &
Customer Segments
A hopeless partner is looking to purchase "the right" gift for their loved one's birthday.
They're planning to shop for a gift a month in advance, want to show their partner they're
giving an extra effort to show how they feel, experience insecurity from the anticipation of
their partner not using the gift on a regular basis, and is usually relieved once the gift-giving
process is completed.
Sub-cases: Track events and gifts over time, match their partners' personalities and
habits with a specific item - maybe even get to know their partner at a new level.
A distanced family member lives out of town and has a brother ten years younger than him.
He's aware of his brother's interests but wants to make up for the time they don't physically
spend together with an item that reflects his brother's daily life and the closeness of their
family as a unit. This family member usually consults his parents and another sibling who
lives at home but is determined to feel connected to his brother and that their relationship
is genuine and long-lasting despite time and distance apart.
Sub-cases: Win the affection and warmth of a notoriously difficult elder, collaborate with
siblings for a collective gift for their parents, track spending over time to ensure each
child receives roughly the same amount spent on gifts while having unique gifts chosen
for them.
A long-distance friend is preparing for her sorority sister's wedding. She's been selected as a
member of the bridal party and wants to get her sister something special even though a few
years have passed since they've seen each other on a regular basis. The long-distance friend
wants to invoke nostalgia and sentimentality but also to choose an item with utility - one
that will not be found in the back of the linen closet when she visits her sorority sister in her
new apartment that she'll share with her husband.
Sub-cases: Locate a gift that matches a friend's new working lifestyle instead of her
interests from the sorority days, differentiate from what others may be buying based on
high-level personality traits, work with an outside party to get a fresh opinion.
User selects New Gift in the top-right corner of the screen.
User completes profile for the gift recipient.
User is matched with a curator, who then reviews the profile and remains
available to communicate while choosing gift options.
User is charged a styling fee up front, which is then deducted from the
final total after items have been chosen.
Curator presents gift options to buyer, who can create a bundle with all
items or buy individual items.
User pays for items and either receives gifts in the mail or chooses to have
them delivered directly to the recipient.
Choose a Gift for a Loved One
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Use Case Steps
User selects the Calendar icon from the portal dashboard.
User opts in to sync their Google, Microsoft Outlook, or Apple Calendar.
User views and may add special occasions, set reminders to purchase a
gift, and associate the event with a profile they've made for a loved one.
Track Special Occasions & Set Reminders
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3.
User selects the Gift icon from the portal dashboard.
User reviews gifts chosen previously on the platform, to whom the gift was
given, and the option to give and review feedback to curators.
Review Gifts Given Over Time
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2.

4. Go-to-Market Strategy
& Supporting Evidence
In a two-sided market, a crucial decision is in solving the chicken-or-egg problem: In our case, who should be
recruited first, the curators or the buyers? Since our differentiating factor is based on the relationships
buyers form with curators and the trust they build over time, establishing a set of curators is necessary in
order to have a complete product and to effectively solve buyers' needs. Having a one-sided portal for buyers
to exchange ideas exists today in the form of tools such as Pinterest and Facebook Groups and would likely
not incentivize new users to join due to multi-homing costs.
Curators are digitally savvy, energetic, idealistic, and are confident in sharing their skills with others. They
likely own or have a dream of owning a small business but are stunted by COVID-19 restrictions, the need to
raise capital, and/or in communicating with shoppers with low consumer sentiment. Recruiting curators will
initially require outbound strategies such as job board postings and contacting owners of physical and digital
gift shops and later involve referral programs and retail partnerships. Incentives to join our platform include
complete transparency in platform fees and commission earned, increased credibility from feedback loops
and a thorough screening process, and the opportunity to externally link experience within curator profiles
as a means of centralizing other business pursuits of the curator, such as their online stores.
We are targeting buyers who are stressed about the time requirements to search for a gift, want to gain
confidence in how they participate in special events with others, and aim to show loved ones their care for
them without the uncertainty, anxiety, and frustration they often feel when choosing a gift. We’ll test this
market by asking curators to route 10% of their digital traffic to our alternative to see the difference in results
compared with their existing alternatives.
To refine the value proposition for buyers, multiple layers of qualitative research were conducted to
thoroughly understand the customer and how we can best meet their needs. In terms of monetization
impact and go-to-market impact, the following assumptions proved to be most influential in the product-
shaping process and are accompanied by methods and insights gleaned from user research.
Buyers value how they are perceived by those they care about. Conversations centered on
personal relationships including friends, family, and significant others; professional relationships were
not mentioned. This assumption held but deserves more nuance as prospective buyers value how they
are perceived on various levels reflected in the time they are willing to spend consulting others on gift
ideas, who they consult, and the time they are willing to search for the gift once it has been decided
upon.
KPIs: Monthly active users (primary), willingness to pay (WTP) (secondary).
Buyers have a fear of rejection, not being "enough," and need to feel that their actions are
congruent with their values. The assumption did not hold in that it was originally worded in an
extreme sense and acknowledged that buyers apply their gift-giving abilities to their entire identity.
Instead, the assumption was reiterated by research respondents in a mixture of more mild sentiments
such as frustration and awkwardness on the topic of gift-giving.
KPIs: Monthly active users (primary), curator ratings given (secondary), willingness to pay (tertiary).
Prospects want external assistance with choosing gifts for others. Almost all respondents (85%)
mentioned that they consult at least one external source when deciding a gift for a recipient, the
breadth of which included mutual friends, family, and even the recipient themselves.
KPIs: Buyer referrals completed (primary), curator ratings given (secondary).
Buyers are willing to spend $30-50 per gift. This open-ended question found that prospective buyers
are financially conscious and are aware of their spending limitations and habits as well as in exceptions
to their habits, such as spending a high amount for an annual or important event.
KPIs: Transaction funnel completion (primary), wIllingness to pay by pricing thresholds per gift
(secondary).

5. Monetization &
Cost Considerations
So, we've reached the crucial question: How does this product make money?
As an e-commerce platform, the product will leverage one-off transactions by providing profile
creation and storage, digital calendar event sync and tracking, and access to communities within
the platform for free and by charging individual gifts at a price higher than the retail value
and capturing the margin. Because we are building a multi-sided market, it is important that the
curator sees the styling fee they keep is appropriate compared to the portion of the sale (captured
margin of retail value) the company keeps. At the time of payment, the buyer will also be informed
of the breakdown of service fees.
To choose the best pricing model, competitor and comparator approaches were closely evaluated.
Direct competitors such as Happy Box, whose differentiation is in taking care of logistics and
includes curated items from a limited list of partners, uses a fixed pricing model based on vendor-
agreed repayments plus shipping; indirect alternatives such as Amazon and physically going to the
store incur non-monetary costs including time, perceived inconvenience and stress, gas, and risk of
COVID-19 contact. Our pricing model compares closely to that of StitchFix, which also charges a flat
fee up front with an additional percentage of the order total given to the curator.
In addition to competitive research, user research played an important role in deciding this
revenue structure. By gauging the customer's willingness to pay in addition to understanding their
monthly and annual budgets for gift-giving - as well as how they have been influenced in light of
the pandemic -, their financial conscientiousness was taken into account in the decision to deliver
full transparency on pricing structure. Although buyers will choose the price range when
completing a profile for a given person and occasion, they have also identified approximately a $20
range when setting a price limit throughout the research process - thus, we have decided on a flat
$20 service fee that will be charged up from and deduced from the final total. A breakdown of
operations, scaling, and research and development (R&D) costs is outlined to further demonstrate
how we will efficiently deliver value to the customer while creating revenue to grow our service.
Public relations
Search engine optimization expertise
Awareness Building
Google AdWords
Instagram advertising (direct, influencer)
Paid Media
Curator commission
Shipping cost reimbursement to curator
Cost of Sales
Initial: None
Scalability: Third-party customer support, web design
consultant/specialist
Operational Costs
Domain
Shopify website and fees
Customer relationship management (CRM) software
Annually Recurring Digital Costs
Initial: Cybersecurity measures
Scalability: Fully-loaded employee costs
Research and Development
ROIRevenue from retail margins -
Operational costs
Cybersecurity measures,
fully-loaded employee costs

6. Monetization & KPIs
Capture. Leads enter the funnel by
curator referrals, paid, and organic
media methods.
Register. User selects "Try It" from the
homepage and is added to marketing
communications once they provide their
email address before entering their
customized portals.
Lock in. To proceed with receiving
curated gift choices, the user must pay a
$20 service fee that will then be
deducted from the order total.
Complete purchase. Since curated
items are priced higher than their retail
value, we capture the margin when the
buyer chooses gifts to either have sent
to their home or directly to the recipient.

7. Abandoning the platform when completing a profile. It is possible that the user
could find the platform to be overwhelming after the initial onboarding process -
answering a few questions about how they intend to use the platform - and
abandon it shortly after registering with their email address. However, since their
email address has been captured, email campaigns that feed the user advice on
gift-giving that helps the process seem less daunting can help to reach them when
they are ready to use the service.
Complicating the process instead of simplifying. As an interviewee noted,
consumers are already overwhelmed by infinite choice and are looking for a
product that helps filter results, not multiply them. Although interviewees who
viewed the wireframes had positive feedback on portal simplicity, adding features
in the future is a risk in that it could turn away users for one of the precise reasons
they joined.
Failure to develop trust between buyers and curators. This is the risk that is
known to keep the product owner up at night as it affects both monetization and
go-to-market strategies. Multiple layers of reaffirming trust between both sides of
the platform, such as by maintaining feedback loops and profile transparency, are
needed to establish trust from the first user touchpoint and to exceed
expectations among both user groups.
Cybersecurity. As a platform that deals directly with consumer payment methods,
it is an attractive opportunity to hackers looking to steal this data. As such, we not
only need to invest in cybersecurity tools and measures but also make them
known to customers to reinforce trust in facilitation of transactions.
When reviewing use cases, storyboards, and wire frames, users voiced concerns that
validated risks and constraints to consider at product launch and beyond. The top
concerns from user interviews and internal product review, which are related to both
technology design and adoption, are outlined below.
Product Risks
& Constraints
"It is often
overwhelming to
live in a culture
of too many
options available
to consumers."
-Emma
"The product
needs to be
something that
gives me a
reason to keep
coming back."
-Nick
"The most
important thing
is to establish
trust that a
stranger is an
expert in solving
my problem."
-Abdullah

8. Next Steps
In light of the described user research and market analysis, we would like to recommend a product launch. To
go to market, we will first target and test the user sub-segment of Hopeless Partners as this has been the most
common use case in research conducted thus far. Channels to raise awareness include a mix of organic and
paid media: Guest blog posts, offering incentives to curators with existing enterprises, targeted Instagram ads
based on user behavior, and search engine optimization. Incentives to curators have been accounted for as an
initial loss, but we believe same-side network effects - for example, "it wouldn't hurt to be present on another
platform to get my name out there - what if my competitors are on it, too?" - will provide the impetus to attract
gift buyers once the curators are onboarded.
Curators are not only an important component of creating revenue; they are business partners in our endeavor
to connect unconfident buyers with expert advise and friendly intervention. As such, we will strive to build trust
by way of monetary transparency, proactive communication on policy and price changes, technical excellence,
and buyer data protection. Of course, these cannot be achieved without incurring the up-front costs of technical
infrastructure as well as recruiting talent, CRM services, and external support as we scale.
The recommendation to push the product stems from a thorough validation of the user need and the ability to
fulfill it with minimal up-front costs; however, this does not preclude the need to plan for scalability in terms of
curator commission negotiations and incentives, lost or stolen items claims, platform security measures, and
other potential unexpected costs. The most important component of our spending is research and
development in creating the clearest, most trustworthy user experience; although we are committed to
continual improvement, we believe extensive research prior to and in the beginning phases of product launch
will create dividends in trust as buyers are introduced to the solution.
Due to the nature of a six-week course to cover the product-building process from ideation to proposal, the
customer research process was primarily qualitative and limited from collecting statistically significant data.
Although we feel confident that the research completed thus far provides for a basis to proceed with a test sub-
segment, we also advise continuing to invest in customer research at a larger scale to reinforce findings and
proposed expenditures.
Launch Prioritization
Complete prototype based on existing customer research. Conduct customer research in
tandem to find quantitative, statistically significant data that reinforces qualitative findings.
Hire a contractor to incorporate cybersecurity measures and place recommendations for
additional tools and software as necessary.
Personally reach out to small- (1-10 employees) to medium-sized (11-25 employees)
business owners; the New York City Metropolitan area is ideal as it would provide the
opportunity to conduct meetings in person as frequent as is helpful and permitting
COVID-19 guidelines.
Onboard business owners to the platform while actively gathering feedback on the user
interface and experience. Offer incentives to the business owners to nudge their buyers to
the platform as a way of working together more closely during a time of physical distance.
Focus on the business owners as the voice of their own customers. Target paid media
spending - from current research on the most effective tools in our market, Instagram and
Google AdWords - to followers and followers similar to those of our curators' accounts and
offer a commission bonus to for curators to drive traffic to their profile on the platform.
Nudging business owners to bring their current customers to the platform emphasizes the
trust those customers have in their small business owner as well as filters early adopters
based on their willingness to try a new means of shopping online.
As the buyer user base grows, hire a web design specialist to become an expert in the
product and collaborate on ways to draw insights from user data and modify UX as such.
Equipped with user data, choose to launch the product to multiple buyer segments.
With a continually growing user base in both curators and buyers, train and negotiate a
contract for an external support team and refer to user data on the necessity for 24/7
support coverage.
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9. Storyboard

10. We were surprised and encouraged to find that the interviewees were eager to share product feature ideas
to reduce friction in the product’s proposed usage. They were thoughtful in sharing points of skepticism that
affected (hypothetically) taking a chance on the product; in this way, my assumption of users requiring
informational proof to build trust with their gift-buyer was correct. Once the product launches, we will test
signals of social proof to find if they contribute to building trust between the customer and the gift-buyer.
When asked if the solution made sense, we appreciated the thoughtful responses that ensued beyond a
simple “yes” or “no.” Immediately after answering the question directly, interviewees described doubts they
were having or identified detailed steps within the process that needed to be more clearly defined. We felt
confident in the storyboard because time was spent on additional details of the solution, not in explaining
the solution itself.
For example, an interviewee referred to the third block in the storyboard to question exactly what details
the gift-buyer is gathering on the gift recipient and what that process looks like, such as a written form
versus a one-on-one conversation with the customer. This interviewee even went so far as to provide
examples of ideal form configurations he had experienced in the past and what made them valuable, such
as conditions and the database he was working within as well as saving his information for a later date so
that he would not have to enter it more than once.
The second question, “do you identify with the solution?”, seemed to resonate on an emotional level with
the interviewees and provided more insight on how the value proposition should be positioned.
Interviewees expressed confusion on deciding which occasions are appropriate to purchase gifts, provided
detailed scenarios in which the solution would be useful, and outlined situations in which they would be
more apt to use the solution than others, which was arguably the most helpful response for this question.
Lastly, we were impressed by the excitement and thoughtfulness shown by the interviewees when asked
how they would improve the solution. Building relationships between gift-buyers and customers was a
common theme that interviewees described would help them track the gifts they’ve given, create profiles for
whom they’ve shopped, and engage in feedback loops with gift-buyers.
Storyboard

11. Flows & Wires

12. Flows & Wires
User selects to
try the product and
is launched into the
portal creation quiz
Quiz begins by asking
the user of their
confidence level when
shopping for a gift
User selects
components of gift-
giving process they
would like to improve
upon, which is later
shared with curators
User chooses method
to authenticate the
account, which they will
later use to login

13. Flows & Wires
User "sees" their
responses being taken
into account into how
their portal is organized
User selects to proceed
to their customized
dashboard, which is
captured as a step in the
adoption funnel.
Customized portal displays
with a brief popup tutorial,
guiding the user through
features and ways to
connect with curators and
other buyers.
Clear indication
on where to begin
creating a new gift

14. Users expressed initial acceptance with the wireframes but shared suggestions and feature
ideas once asked about specific points in the process flow. These ideas included extending the
questions of the user quiz to three or four instead of two for the use case shown, reordering
the questions so that the recipient of the gift is established first, and a question more directly
relating to curator matching with skills and experience relevant to the user's profile. Simplicity
of the interface was the most common sentiment expressed.
In light of the current pandemic, the preference to stay home was also noted as a tradeoff for
the traditional process of going to a store and browsing for a gift. A particular respondent, age
60, showed hesitation to use a digital product due to his uncomfortability in his computer
skills; however, the following was recorded when asked what would make the digital process
more approachable:
"I am inclined to just go out and buy an item myself if I can find a way to find a gift more
quickly and because I'm used to going in person, but the health precautions with the pandemic
are competing with this approach. As a result, my enthusiasm for shopping is lessened from
the low level at which it started!"
We were pleased to hear that users found the UI to be clear, non-intimidating, and that the
value of the service they're seeking was reflected in the process flow. A pattern we are seeing
throughout user testing iterations is that the value propositions of convenience and saving
time seem to be more prominent than receiving expert advice and curation; however, this
does not deter the need for users to feel comfortable that the curators are screened and have
social proof for the work that they complete for other clients. Creating and clearly displaying
feedback loops for gift buyer-curator interactions, such as a rating system, will help to
establish trust in this two-sided platform.
Flows & Wires