The Product for 5000+ Products: An insight into the Product Team at Milkbasket

This is an exciting time to be at Milkbasket – full of growth, learning, and purpose-driven contributions. We’re becoming bigger – launching in new cities, adding new serviceable areas within existing hubs, and perfecting our processes and service. However, with so many additions to the landscape and transformations from the bottom up, how does the foundation still stay rock solid? For answers, we turn to the Product Team at Milkbasket.

We got into a conversation with Ankit Malhotra, Director of Product at Milkbasket, to get insights into the central philosophy, what’s it like working with him and his team, and what aspiring Product Managers can look forward to when they join Milkbasket.

The Present and Future of the Product Team at Milkbasket

In the mobile-first and digitally powered business ecosystem of today, Product forms the backbone that ensures the efficiency of all related processes in an organization. It has the power to make or break a business story – despite the promise and viability of the business idea. 

“From customers to our warehouse personnel, delivery partners to our Customer Care, everyone communicates with each other through an interface – which is our Product. With the volumes of orders and customer queries that we handle on a daily basis, we need a robust platform that syncs all aspects and keeps it all working in harmony as a single unit. Creating an efficient spinal structure is where the Product Team comes in,” shares Ankit Malhotra, Director of Product at Milkbasket.

The Philosophy of Product

“The Product team must always work with a bias towards the customer. Pardon my enthusiasm, but, as Product Managers, you have got to be obsessed with your customers. What most companies fail to get right is that the convenience of the customer is just as important as their experience. The goal is to make the process of reaching the desired action as short, simple, and hassle-free as possible, for the customer,” adds Ankit.

When asked about the thumb rules of the Product Team at Milkbasket, Ankit opines, “In today’s Product ecosystem, it is most important for Product Managers to have a minimalistic approach. A clean and neat interface, with data-backed insights, and a strong and effective voice – is what the mantra is. Add some creative thinking and a little bit of risk-taking to the pot, and you have the recipe for a successful product.”

We recently launched our new Recycling Initiative to repurpose and recycle plastic packaging. Read more about it in this blog post.

The Culture in the Product Team at Milkbasket

“When working with consumer experience, you always require tonnes of conviction along with data. If ever there are mistakes, it is important to find the root cause and multiple factors affecting it, and see how that can be bettered. I believe that more than mistake correction, there needs to be a mindset of ‘problem-solving,” shares Ankit.

When asked about his tenets of leadership, he says, “As a leader, my focus is to empower my team with my own life experiences as well as knowledge as a Product Manager. In turn, I look forward to learning from them, their ideas, and their experiences. We as a team work on collective feedback and enhance the consumer’s experience. There can be hits and misses on the way – but it’s most important to learn from them.”

Hiring in Milkbasket’s Product Team

Ankit shares, “We’re in that phase in our journey where we look forward to working with Product Managers who identify as hustlers and go-getters. It’s always a great experience working with people who can bring a varied but actionable approach to the table.”

He also adds, “As a leader, I give my team a free hand to experiment, brainstorm, fail, and get back up from it stronger. Breakdowns will never end, and they only lead to unlocking new learnings and growth. Especially when you’re catering to such a wide audience, there are definitely challenging situations that come up frequently. We cannot afford to falter beyond a point because people’s lives depend on us being on time. It’s us who make their mornings sorted. So yeah, people who aren’t scared to achieve impeccability and who’re eager to problem solve through these predicaments – are the ones I really look forward to having on board.”

Horizons to look forward to

Expansion and widening of the organization’s horizons come with scaling current processes and operations. So obviously, there’s a lot in the works and plenty of opportunities to do exciting, meaningful work. We wanted to know more about the kind of projects that are in the pipeline, and we did get a sneak peek too!

“I think we’re working on some really exciting projects at the moment. We’re not just looking to add more convenience to our customer’s life but also our coworkers who help in the seamless working of the organization. For example, by this time next year, we estimate to be processing 5x the order volume. So one of the most exciting problems we’re working on right now is to keep the picking-packing-delivering as smooth and seamless as ever,” mentions Ankit.

He also comments, “With new city launches, we’re also working on how to make the service available to more people than just specific residential areas. More customers would also mean that our Customer Care teams will have their hands full. So the Product Team at Milkbasket is also working on making their work easier so that customer issues can be solved quickly and more efficiently.”

Are you a Product Manager? Or a Product Enthusiast? Would love to know more about the open positions in the Milkbasket Product Team? Send your resumes or write to us at tech.hiring@milkbasket.com.