PMI-ACP Practice Questions #94
An e-commerce company recently launched the first version of its online marketplace, featuring product listings, search functionality, and a basic checkout process.
Since the release, the Product Owner has received mixed feedback. While traffic to the platform is growing steadily, many users are abandoning their carts before completing purchases. Additionally, some customers have reported difficulty finding relevant products using the search feature.
To determine which issues are impacting conversions the most and validate whether the implemented features are meeting customer expectations, the Product Owner needs to select the most relevant metric to track.
Which of the following metrics would be the most effective in validating the Product Owner’s hypothesis?
A. Cart abandonment rate – Measures the percentage of users who add items to their cart but do not complete the purchase.
B. Number of total transactions completed – Tracks the absolute number of purchases made on the platform.
C. Page load time metrics – Measures how quickly key pages (e.g., product pages, checkout) load for users.
D. Google search performance metrics – Tracks how well the platform ranks in search engine results and the volume of traffic from search engines.
Analysis
The question focuses on selecting the most relevant metric to track in order to understand why users are abandoning their carts before completing purchases and whether the implemented features are meeting customer expectations.
Since traffic to the platform is increasing, the primary concern is conversion rate—why users fail to complete their purchase after adding items to the cart. The ideal metric should provide insights into where and why users drop off during the purchasing process.
Metrics related to total transactions, page load times, or search engine rankings provide useful data, but they do not specifically address the core issue of cart abandonment and user experience within the checkout flow. The best approach is to use a metric that captures drop-off points in the buying journey, which helps optimize the checkout process and improve conversions.
Analysis of Options
A: Cart abandonment rate – Measures the percentage of users who add items to their cart but do not complete the purchase.
This is the best metric for tracking the core problem. Since the issue is users abandoning their carts, tracking how many users fail to complete their purchase after adding items provides direct insights. This data can help identify checkout process inefficiencies, such as complicated steps, unclear pricing, or missing payment options. Understanding cart abandonment helps the team improve the purchasing flow, making it easier for customers to complete transactions.
B: Number of total transactions completed – Tracks the absolute number of purchases made on the platform.
While tracking total purchases provides a measure of platform success, it does not explain why users drop off before completing a purchase. This metric only measures successful checkouts but does not provide insights into user behavior during the purchasing journey. Since the question is about why conversions are being impacted, this option does not directly address the issue.
C: Page load time metrics – Measures how quickly key pages (e.g., product pages, checkout) load for users.
Page load time is important for technical performance and user experience, but it is not directly tied to checkout abandonment. If users were leaving due to slow load times, this could be useful, but the issue in the question is specifically about cart abandonment and difficulties in search. While poor performance could contribute to frustration, the question suggests users are reaching the cart but not completing purchases, making cart abandonment a more relevant metric.
D: Google search performance metrics – Tracks how well the platform ranks in search engine results and the volume of traffic from search engines.
This metric focuses on visibility and acquisition rather than conversion. While strong search engine rankings drive more users to the site, the question states that traffic is already growing, so this is not the issue. The focus is on why users are failing to complete purchases, making this an irrelevant choice for the problem at hand.
Conclusion
The best choice is Option A (Cart abandonment rate) because it directly measures where users drop off in the purchasing journey. Understanding this metric helps identify pain points in the checkout process, allowing the team to refine the experience and improve conversions. Agile principles emphasize frequent inspection and adaptation, and tracking cart abandonment aligns with this by providing actionable insights to enhance user experience and business outcomes.
PMI – ACP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
| Product | Manage increments |
| Product | Visualize Work |
Topics Covered:
- Tracking user behavior to optimize conversion rates
- Using data-driven insights to refine product experience
- Measuring cart abandonment rate to improve checkout flow
- Aligning Agile principles with customer-centric decision-making
- Identifying barriers to purchase and validating user feedback with metrics
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