I started with supply and demand levers which felt right but I think I jumped too fast into solutions without scoping what was actually causing the low fill rate.
Start by defining fill rate and its importance for sponsored product ads on listings pages, then break down the funnel to identify where ad requests go unfilled. Propose a structured set of levers across demand, supply, and auction mechanics, and prioritize based on impact and feasibility.
Pro tip: Emphasize that improving fill rate should not come at the cost of ad relevance or user experience; balance monetization with long-term trust. Also, mention the importance of setting up a real-time monitoring dashboard to track fill rate by category, device, and placement.
Clarify what fill rate means in this context (e.g., percentage of ad requests that get filled) and identify current baseline and segmentation (by page type, category, device, user segment).
Analyze the ad serving funnel to pinpoint why fill rate is low: lack of advertiser demand, low bids, targeting restrictions, auction inefficiencies, or technical issues.
Brainstorm potential solutions across demand (e.g., recruit more advertisers, offer incentives), supply (e.g., expand ad slots, improve targeting), and auction (e.g., dynamic pricing, floor optimization).
Evaluate ideas based on impact, effort, and risk; prioritize quick wins and run A/B tests to validate improvements without harming user experience or advertiser ROI.
Set up ongoing monitoring of fill rate and related metrics (e.g., CTR, revenue per search) and iterate based on learnings.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.