Introduction
How Top Brands Use Jobs to Be Done to Understand Consumer Needs
Leading companies across industries have turned to the Jobs to Be Done framework to help them understand not just who their customers are, but what they need to accomplish. This insight-first approach shifts the focus from product features to customer motivations, resulting in more innovative products and effective business strategies.
Understanding the "Job" Behind the Purchase
At its core, JTBD is about uncovering the underlying challenges customers are trying to solve – the functional, emotional, or social "jobs" they are looking to get done. While traditional customer research might ask, “What do you like about this product?”, the JTBD lens dives deeper and asks questions like, “What triggered you to look for this solution?” or “What outcome were you hoping for?”
This deeper line of inquiry enables companies to target their product innovation and messaging more effectively.
By using JTBD in market research, businesses can:
- Uncover hidden patterns in customer behavior
- Identify gaps where current solutions fall short
- Design meaningful products and experiences
- Align internal teams around a common customer purpose
In short, JTBD is more than a theory – it’s a practical, accessible framework for anyone looking to better understand customer needs, drive product innovation, and craft a smarter business strategy.
JTBD Case Study: A Quick Service Restaurant Innovates Its Menu
The story of how a fast food chain used the Jobs to Be Done framework is often cited as one of the most accessible and impactful examples of JTBD in action. The case involves a major quick service restaurant (QSR) seeking to boost sales of its milkshakes – a seemingly small challenge with surprisingly deep insights.
Identifying the Real "Job" of the Milkshake
The brand initially conducted traditional product research with focus groups and customer interviews. They asked customers what they liked or didn’t like about their milkshakes, aiming to improve flavor, size, and price. However, after making changes based on this feedback, sales stayed flat.
That’s when researchers invited to the project used the Jobs to Be Done framework to take a step back and observe buying behavior more holistically. They discovered that a large number of milkshakes were purchased in the morning. This led to a new question: what job are people hiring this milkshake to do at 8 a.m.?
Customer Needs, Rethought
The research uncovered that people weren’t simply craving a milkshake – they were looking for a convenient, mess-free, and satisfying breakfast option they could consume during a long, boring commute. Bagels and breakfast sandwiches didn’t keep them full or were too messy. A milkshake, on the other hand, could be held with one hand, sipped slowly, and kept them content until lunch.
So the real job wasn’t “enjoy a sweet treat” – it was: “make my commute tolerable while keeping me full.” This insight transformed how the brand thought about product development, messaging, and even store operations.
Results and Changes Implemented
This case study illustrates how JTBD improves customer understanding and helps businesses make smarter decisions based on real-world behavior. Based on these findings, the restaurant:
- Adjusted milkshake recipes to make them more filling
- Streamlined morning service to reduce wait times
- Targeted morning commuters in campaigns for milkshakes
Sales of milkshakes increased significantly – not because the product itself changed dramatically, but because the company finally aligned the offering with the actual customer need.
What This JTBD Example Teaches Us
This jobs to be done case study demonstrates how even small, everyday products can have overlooked value when viewed through the right lens. For business leaders, it’s a clear reminder that the key to innovation doesn’t always lie in features – it’s in understanding the deeper motivation behind a purchase.
Whether you're looking to evolve your menu, reimagine a core product, or better serve your customer base, JTBD helps connect the dots between product design and the real challenges people are trying to solve. It’s not just about what people are buying – it's why they’re buying it, and what outcome they expect in return.
Tech Industry Example: Using JTBD to Enhance User Experience
One of the most powerful applications of the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework is in the tech industry, where user experience and satisfaction often determine product success. Companies like Netflix, Slack, and Spotify have used JTBD thinking to understand what their users are truly trying to accomplish, leading to more intuitive experiences and better product-market fit.
Case in Point: Spotify and the Job of Personalization
Spotify is more than a music streaming platform – it’s a tool people use to achieve emotional, functional, and social jobs. When users open the app, they aren’t just looking to “listen to music.” They're often trying to boost their mood, stay focused at work, discover new tracks, or even impress others with their music taste. By framing these tasks as specific jobs to be done, Spotify continually refines its recommendation algorithms, playlist curation, and discovery features.
This JTBD lens helped Spotify shift from being a massive catalog of songs to becoming a personalized experience that delivers on users' hidden needs. Their famous “Discover Weekly” playlist is a direct response to the job of “help me find new music I’ll like without having to search for it.”
Why JTBD Works So Well in Tech
In fast-moving tech environments, traditional demographic data may fall short in explaining behavior. JTBD digs deeper into the “why” behind choices, giving teams a framework to:
- Design features that align with real user goals
- Prioritize roadmap items based on the impact to customer jobs
- Improve retention by addressing unmet needs more precisely
Another prime example is Intercom, a customer messaging platform. Rather than segmenting users by company size, they asked what job their customers were hiring them for: onboarding users, offering support, or driving sales conversations. This job-based segmentation helped them simplify their product interface and reposition their offerings more effectively.
Each product update within these tech brands becomes more than just functional – it's a strategic move guided by deep customer research. These real world jobs to be done examples show how JTBD can bridge the gap between data and empathy, allowing tech companies to create products that feel tailor-made.
Retail Brand Success: Improving Customer Loyalty with JTBD
In the competitive world of retail, brands that understand their customers’ motivations stand out. One standout example of using the JTBD framework in retail comes from Nike – a company that’s mastered aligning its products with emotional and functional customer jobs.
Nike: Selling More Than Shoes
People don’t just buy running shoes to “go running.” They may be trying to stay healthy, train for a marathon, gain confidence, or look stylish while being active. By applying Jobs to Be Done thinking, Nike designs shoes and apparel that meet specific jobs across different segments of users.
For instance, Nike’s FlyEase shoes were designed after extensive customer research revealed a common job: “Help me put shoes on quickly and easily without bending over.” This was especially meaningful for people living with disabilities, older consumers, and even parents with young kids. JTBD led to an inclusive innovation that widened Nike’s customer base and boosted brand loyalty.
JTBD in Loyalty Programs and Storytelling
Beyond physical product design, JTBD has helped retail brands improve customer loyalty through tailored experiences. Consider a typical loyalty program – offering points or discounts. When viewed through a JTBD lens, these programs can be reimagined to fulfill emotional jobs like “make me feel valued” or “let me belong to something bigger.”
Sephora’s Beauty Insider program is a strong example. It moves beyond transactions and taps into the job of “help me express myself and feel confident.” Customers gain access to exclusive content, insider perks, and events that create a sense of personal fulfillment and community.
These successful JTBD business cases show that when companies align products, services, and messaging to both functional and emotional customer needs, the result is greater satisfaction and lasting loyalty.
For retailers, using JTBD in market research sheds light on why people really choose one brand over another – and how to meet them where it truly matters.
Lessons for Any Business: How to Start Using JTBD Effectively
Whether you're a startup founder, product manager, or marketing leader, the Jobs to Be Done framework provides a practical and powerful tool to uncover genuine customer needs. It’s more than a theory – it’s an innovation framework that helps businesses prioritize what matters and avoid guesswork.
Start with Curiosity, Not Assumptions
Companies often rely on existing customer personas, but these don’t always explain why someone chooses your product or why they switch to a competitor. JTBD challenges teams to dig deeper: What outcome is the person really trying to achieve? Frame this in language that reflects real life. Not “increase productivity,” but “help me finish this project before lunch so I’m not stressed.”
Simple Ways to Begin Using JTBD
- Interview customers using job-based questions: Ask what triggered them to start looking for a solution, what alternatives they considered, and what a successful outcome looks like.
- Map customer journeys around outcomes: Identify moments when a product helps (or fails to help) achieve their desired job.
- Use customer insights to generate new ideas: Look for patterns in how people define success – these can lead to unexpected innovation opportunities.
Pair JTBD with Research Methods That Fit
JTBD is flexible – it can be integrated into qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, or observational research. At SIVO Insights, we often combine JTBD with full-service custom research, tailoring methods to uncover the most meaningful drivers behind behavior. This allows businesses to go beyond demographics and uncover the emotional and practical motivations behind choices.
JTBD also complements growth frameworks and customer research efforts, ensuring product innovation decisions are rooted in real human needs.
When implemented thoughtfully, JTBD helps companies make better strategic choices, develop solutions people actually want, and differentiate themselves in crowded markets. You don’t need a massive team or advanced tech – just a genuine interest in understanding what your customers are trying to achieve.
The path to long-term growth begins by asking the right questions – and JTBD helps you ask better ones.
Summary
From fast-food chains rethinking their menus to tech giants enhancing UX and retailers designing more inclusive products, the Jobs to Be Done framework is helping brands re-center their strategies around real human needs. These JTBD case study examples show that businesses across industries can unlock innovation, strengthen customer loyalty, and improve product-market fit by focusing on the underlying jobs customers are trying to accomplish.
Whether you're looking to improve an existing offer or launch something new, JTBD can guide you toward deeper consumer insights and smarter business strategy. The key isn’t just asking what your customer wants – it’s asking what they want to get done.
Summary
From fast-food chains rethinking their menus to tech giants enhancing UX and retailers designing more inclusive products, the Jobs to Be Done framework is helping brands re-center their strategies around real human needs. These JTBD case study examples show that businesses across industries can unlock innovation, strengthen customer loyalty, and improve product-market fit by focusing on the underlying jobs customers are trying to accomplish.
Whether you're looking to improve an existing offer or launch something new, JTBD can guide you toward deeper consumer insights and smarter business strategy. The key isn’t just asking what your customer wants – it’s asking what they want to get done.