Stop Making Shoppers Do the Work

How to win the aisle with one clear promise

Shopping is exhausting. So stop making the shopper do all the work. 👈

I watched a mom stand in the cereal aisle for three whole minutes yesterday. Paralyzed. Not because she couldn’t decide between brands… but because every brand was screaming everything at her at once:

“High protein! Keto-friendly! Gluten-free! Non-GMO! Sustainably sourced! Kid-approved!”

She grabbed something and by the time she put it in the cart… she already looked disappointed.

This is what happens when brands make shoppers work for it. You think you’re being helpful by listing every possible benefit. You’re actually creating a part-time job called “figure out what matters to me from this wall of claims.”

Nobody wants that job, especially not at 6 p.m. after work with kids melting down in the cart.

Shopping is work. Brands should reduce the work!

What exhausts shoppers

🛒 Decoding what your product actually does
🛒 Comparing 47 similar options with no clear difference
🛒 Translating features into benefits that matter to their life
🛒 Remembering why they picked you last time (spoiler: they don’t)

The brands winning at the shelf do the work for the shopper. They lead with one clear benefit that matters to one specific person.

Not “great for everyone!” but “Keeps you full until lunch.”
Not “made with superfoods!” but “The only bar that won’t melt in your gym bag.”

When you know exactly who you’re for and why they care, you can end the feature parade and start solving a real problem.

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The One-Job Promise (OJP)

Anchor everything to a single buyer's job:

Buyer Job → Clear Benefit → Proof → Context

• Buyer Job: What they’re hiring you to do (satiety, no-melt, calm gut, kid peace).

• Clear Benefit (front-of-pack): One plain-English promise.

• Proof (visible): A number, a badge, a test, or a short quote.

• Context (two words): The moment it matters (Desk, School, Gym, Drive-thru).

Formula to steal: 1–2–Proof
1 benefit. 2 words of context. Proof they can see.

“Stay Full ’Til Lunch” — Desk — 12g Protein + 8g Fiber
“Won’t Melt on You” — Gym Bag — Passed 95°F Melt Test
“No Tummy Drama” — School Snack — Low FODMAP Certified

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Build your claim hierarchy (and cut the rest)

1. Promise (front): Your OJP in ≤6 words.

2. Reason to believe (front/side): One metric or certification.

3. Objection killers (side/back): The two things that stop the target buyer from saying “yes.”

4. Nice-to-haves (back/website): Everything else. If it doesn’t help the target decide now, it moves off the front.

The Claim Diet: If a claim doesn’t support the Promise, it’s either backstage or gone.

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Five-Second Shelf Test (use this before your next print run)

Stand six feet away. Give yourself five seconds.

• Can a stranger say what it does, who it’s for, and why it’s credible?

• Is the benefit the biggest thing on the pack?

• Is proof scannable without turning the box?

• Do color, icon, and photo reinforce the job (not just the brand palette)?

• Which two elements would you remove to make the promise even clearer?

If you can’t pass this in five seconds, neither can your buyer.

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Make it memorable next time (so they remember why they chose you)

• On-pack memory hook: Repeat the Promise on the opening flap or inner seal.

• First-purchase insert: One card, one line: “Use me when ____.” (their moment)

• Post-purchase trigger: Email/SMS that repeats the Promise + proof and offers a subscribe option aligned to the moment (e.g., weekday lunches).

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Packaging checklist (save this)

• Single promise in ≤6 words

• Two-word context (moment) present

• Numeric or third-party proof visible from the front

• The two biggest objections addressed (side/back)

• No claim on front that doesn’t support the promise

• Color/iconography match the job and moment

• Five-second shelf test passed by a stranger

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Make the choice obvious. Do the thinking for them.
Because if shoppers have to work to understand why you matter, they’ll grab whatever’s on sale.

What’s the hardest shopping decision you’ve had to make lately, and what would’ve made it an easy “yes”?

🥣 If you’re in food & beverage and want help applying the One-Job Promise to your brand, I hold weekly office hours for founders and brand managers.