Cheil Kazakhstan: launching a marketplace MVP and making the decision to shut it down
Cheil Kazakhstan • 2021
This marketplace product was designed to sell consumer electronics — primarily Samsung devices — through a unified digital channel that brought together multiple partners and retailers.
The goal was not just to launch a new sales channel, but to test whether it made sense for the company to build an in-house product and technology function around this direction.
Context
The product was built from scratch inside a team with no prior experience in digital product development and no established product process.
At the company level, this was also a broader strategic test:
- could a marketplace model work in this context?
- was there enough demand to justify growth?
- did it make sense to invest in a dedicated internal product team?
In other words, the product was both a market test and an organizational test.
Problem
The challenge was complex from the start:
- the product had to be built from zero;
- the team had no prior product development experience;
- there were no established product processes;
- resources were limited;
- and there was no clear evidence yet that the business opportunity was large enough.
This was a 0→1 product in a high-uncertainty environment.
Opportunity
At the same time, the opportunity was meaningful:
- create a unified online sales channel;
- bring multiple retailers into one product;
- test a marketplace hypothesis in the local market;
- build a foundation for a future in-house product direction.
My Role
I led product development while also taking on a significant share of product design work.
My responsibilities included:
- designing the product architecture;
- defining core flows and product logic;
- introducing product thinking into the team;
- running research and testing hypotheses;
- coordinating development and stakeholder communication;
- shaping product strategy and unit economics.
This was also a key transition point in my own path from Product Design to Product Management.
What I Did
Designed the product from scratch
Built the product architecture from the ground up:
- defined the core purchase flow;
- structured the main user scenarios;
- designed how the product should work end to end.
This gave the team a clear product foundation and reduced ambiguity during development.
Launched the MVP in 4 months
Built and released an MVP within roughly four months.
The first version included:
- product catalog;
- cart flow;
- checkout and purchase;
- the essential e-commerce journey needed to validate demand.
For a team without prior experience in product development, this was a major delivery milestone.
Introduced product thinking into the team
A big part of the work was not just building the product, but teaching the team how to build products.
That included:
- introducing hypothesis-driven work;
- building basic product processes;
- aligning work around product goals rather than disconnected tasks.
The team gradually moved from reactive execution to structured product development.
Worked through research and experimentation
Ran extensive research and hypothesis work:
- studied competitors and market patterns;
- analyzed best practices;
- generated and tested product ideas;
- ran early experiments and A/B tests.
This allowed the product to evolve based on evidence, not just assumptions.
Started shaping the growth path
Beyond MVP delivery, I also began working on:
- product growth scenarios;
- activation opportunities;
- longer-term product strategy;
- potential future solutions for sellers.
This helped position the product as more than just a first release.
Built the economic model and made the call
After launch, once the first metrics started coming in, I worked through:
- conversion dynamics;
- GMV signals;
- repeat usage;
- retention;
- unit economics;
- expected revenue vs. cost trajectory.
The product showed promising early signals and even some product–market fit characteristics for a startup-stage initiative. But at the broader business level, its projected contribution remained too limited to justify a larger long-term investment.
Based on that, the decision was made to shut the product down.
Challenges
The project was difficult for several reasons:
- the team was learning while building;
- there were no established product habits;
- the environment was highly uncertain;
- I was effectively operating across both product and design;
- and the final decision to shut the product down was emotionally difficult for the team.
That last part mattered. The team had done strong work, and the product had real momentum. Choosing not to scale it was a mature business decision, not a sign of failure.
Results
Even though the product was eventually shut down, the outcome was meaningful:
- MVP launched in ~4 months
- the product showed early product–market fit signals
- initial marketplace metrics began to form:
- GMV growth
- purchase conversion
- repeat usage
- early retention patterns
- a basic unit economics model was built
- the team developed a much stronger understanding of product work and delivery
Most importantly, the product made it possible to reach an informed business decision:
- not to scale the marketplace further;
- not to invest in a dedicated internal IT/product division for this direction;
- and not to continue funding growth without sufficient upside.
Why This Project Matters
This project is important to me because it sits at the intersection of 0→1 product work, uncertainty, and strategic judgment.
It taught me:
- how to build a product where there are no existing processes;
- how to combine design and product thinking in one role;
- how to work through hypotheses and early data;
- how to evaluate product economics;
- and how to make the right decision even when that decision is to stop.
This was a formative step in my transition from Product Design to Product Management and shaped the way I think about product work today.