#30 Building the largest mobile wallet in the Nordics, leading Product through a Merger, the power of simplicity, and more | Ninni Høver (Head of Product, Vipps MobilePay)
Feb 22, 2025
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Ninni Høver, Head of Product at Vipps MobilePay, shares insights on leading the largest mobile wallet in the Nordics. She discusses navigating growth through a significant merger and the importance of customer-centric product development. Ninni emphasizes the power of simplicity in strategy and how understanding diverse market needs shapes their offerings. She also covers balancing user convenience and merchant benefits, the emotional dynamics of team changes, and the critical need for adaptable leadership in tech.
Simplicity is vital for product success at Vipps MobilePay, enhancing user experience while avoiding complications that may lead to failures.
The merger between Vipps and MobilePay necessitated navigating cultural differences, fostering trust, and adapting strategies to address diverse market dynamics across the Nordics.
Deep dives
Importance of Simplicity in Product Development
Simplicity is crucial in product development, particularly in the context of Vips MobilePay. The company recognizes that complications in user experience often lead to failures, as evidenced by their unsuccessful attempt to launch a telecom subscription that did not meet user expectations. An emphasis on simplicity also means ensuring that new features or products genuinely enhance usability rather than complicate the process. By consistently focusing on simplicity, Vips aims to improve overall user engagement and satisfaction, which are essential for profitability and growth.
Challenges of Merging Different Corporate Cultures
The merger between Vips and MobilePay presented significant challenges in integrating different organizational cultures. Leaders at Vips had to navigate the cultural differences that emerged from the merger, as the prior informal and fast-paced environment clashed with MobilePay's more structured approach. Developing trust across teams required ongoing communication, transparency, and organizational strategies like cross-location team formations. Despite initial divisions, the focus on building a unified culture remains a work in progress as the company continues to learn and adapt.
Adapting to Diverse Market Needs
After the merger, Vips MobilePay expanded its operations into multiple Nordic countries, requiring a nuanced understanding of varying market dynamics. The company's ability to provide consistent user experiences while addressing specific local preferences highlights the complexity of operating in different regions. For instance, while Denmark and Norway readily adopted the app, Finland presented challenges due to stronger local alternatives and brand trust issues. This requires product leads to adapt strategies while leveraging insights gained from each region, ensuring the product still meets diverse consumer needs.
The Role of Product Managers in a Growing Organization
The podcast discusses the evolving role of product managers in Vips MobilePay as the organization grows and diversifies. The expectation of product managers has shifted toward not only emphasizing technical and strategic capabilities but also fostering a strong collaborative environment within their teams. The speaker highlights the need for PMs to have a deep understanding of the commercial prospects of their products while managing timelines and cross-functional collaboration. This multifaceted role is essential for driving product success in a competitive landscape, especially after integrating diverse teams post-merger.
My guest today is Ninni Høver - Head of Product at Vipps MobilePay, the largest mobile wallet in the Nordics.
This conversation is part of my series of talks with more than 20 product leaders in Scandinavia. Make sure you subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss out!
This episode is packed with lessons learned from both scaling and going through a large merger.
I don’t know a single Norwegian who doesn’t use Vipps. So how does Ninni's team decide what to build? How do they balance priorities between different markets? What has changed in her leadership style before and after the merger with MobilePay? We cover all of this and so much more:
* How Vipps MobilePay became the Nordics’ #1 mobile wallet
* Leading Product through a merger
* The power of simplicity and other product principles at Vipps MobilePay
* How to navigate different market needs
* Where most PMs and teams need to step up
* How to test and kill a bad idea fast
* And more
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com
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