The Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is a method for understanding the real-life situations that lead consumers to choose a product. Instead of looking at basic demographics or purchase data alone, JTBD asks a key question: What job is the consumer hiring this product to do in their life? This could be a highly functional job (like staying energized between meetings) or an emotional one (like avoiding guilt after snacking).

This focus is particularly important when it comes to better-for-you products – items marketed as healthier, more nutritious, or more aligned with wellness trends. These products aren’t just competing on taste or price. They’re appealing to deeper motivations, values, and lifestyles that drive modern CPG consumer behavior.

Why JTBD Works for Better-for-You Innovation

Many products in the health food market are developed around features – they might be sugar-free, keto-friendly, or plant-based. However, features alone don’t always equate to value in the mind of the consumer. JTBD shifts the focus from what the product is, to what the product does for someone in a specific moment.

For example, a consumer buying a protein-rich smoothie may not just want nutrients. They might want:

• A post-exercise recovery solution that fits into a busy day
• Something that replaces fast food without making them feel like they’re missing out
• To feel like they’re doing something positive for their body

By identifying these nuanced needs, the JTBD approach helps brands design more relevant products and messaging that connect on a deeper level – aligning both with functional needs and emotional outcomes.

JTBD and the CPG Landscape

CPG trends show that consumers are increasingly seeking personalized solutions and functional foods that meet specific health goals. At the same time, the marketplace is crowded. Better-for-you brands must work harder than ever to rise above the noise and truly differentiate.

Using JTBD within your market research toolkit gives you a clearer path to identifying white space – those unmet or underserved opportunities that leading brands use to drive meaningful innovation. Combined with qualitative and quantitative research, JTBD becomes a lens through which CPG leaders can prioritize new product ideas based on what people are actually trying to achieve in their daily lives.

And importantly, JTBD doesn’t replace traditional consumer insights methods – it enhances them. At SIVO Insights, we often apply this lens within broader custom research programs to distill complex human behavior into actionable strategies.

In the world of better-for-you products, consumers aren’t just choosing items because they’re labeled healthy – they’re choosing them based on how they fit specific needs and routines. When we apply the Jobs To Be Done framework, we start to see healthier options not as categories, but as solutions to distinct problems.

So, what are some common jobs people hire health-forward snacks, drinks, or meals to do? Here are a few examples that simplify the logic behind real shopper behavior in the health and wellness space:

1. Help Me Stay Energized Without Crashing

Energy is one of the most in-demand functional needs across the entire CPG landscape. A health-conscious shopper might hire a protein bar or adaptogenic beverage to keep them clear-headed and steady throughout a busy workday – without the spike and crash of high-sugar alternatives.

2. Give Me a Guilt-Free Indulgence

Many consumers want to treat themselves while still feeling they’re on track with wellness goals. A plant-based frozen dessert or low-carb cookie might be hired to deliver both taste and a sense of self-control, offering emotional satisfaction without regret.

3. Support My Digestion or Gut Health

With the rise in probiotics and digestive-friendly formulations, more people are selecting foods that do more than satisfy hunger. Whether it’s yogurt with live cultures or fermented snacks, these products get hired to support physical balance and long-term wellness.

4. Simplify My Health-Conscious Lifestyle

Time-strapped but wellness-aware consumers often look for convenience that doesn’t compromise health. For example, a ready-to-drink green juice can be hired as a “shortcut” to getting in daily nutrients without chopping vegetables or cleaning a blender.

5. Help Me Feel in Control of My Health

Especially in turbulent times, functional foods and better-for-you products are often purchased based on emotional needs. A shopper might pick a calming herbal tea to wind down in the evening – not just to stay hydrated, but to regain a sense of calm and routine.

Why Defining Jobs Matters

By identifying these consumer jobs, CPG brands can assess whether their products align with the right needs. It’s a powerful way to ensure you’re not just following a healthy product trend, but solving something real for your audience. This insight also helps avoid developing products that compete for shelf space without a clear purpose or consumer benefit.

At SIVO Insights, we often guide teams through this process – helping them understand both the apparent and the underlying motivations driving purchase decisions. When you know the job a product is being hired to do, innovation becomes less about guessing and more about meeting real-world demand.

Even fictional examples like a granola bar hired for “staying focused during late-night study sessions” or sparkling water hired to “replace sugary sodas in social settings” can be useful reference points as you map out your own JTBD insights. These simple but powerful statements can lead to meaningful choices in brand positioning, product development, and segmentation strategies within the better-for-you space.

How To Use Jobs To Be Done To Guide Product Innovation in Health-Focused Categories

In a market saturated with better-for-you products promising cleaner labels, added functionality, and health-forward benefits, it's increasingly difficult for brands to stand out. This is where the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework becomes a game-changer for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies looking to identify true consumer needs and unlock smarter product innovation.

JTBD shifts the focus from demographics and product features toward a deeper understanding of what consumers are actually trying to achieve when they make buying decisions. In the health and wellness space, this approach helps uncover not just what consumers are eating, but why. Are they fighting fatigue? Seeking emotional comfort? Aligning purchases with personal identity? These “jobs” go beyond nutrients – they tap into human motivations.

Applying JTBD in Better-for-You Product Development

To begin using the JTBD framework effectively, start with these foundational steps:

• Talk to real consumers: Use qualitative research methods like in-depth interviews or shopalongs to explore the context behind purchase decisions. Look for patterns in how people describe their goals, emotions, and routines.
• Uncover the desired outcomes: Ask consumers what success looks like when they use a better-for-you product. Is it sustained energy? Feeling in control? A guilt-free indulgence after work?
• Segment by job, not persona: Rather than grouping consumers by age or diet labels, cluster them based on their functional and emotional needs. One product can address multiple jobs across different segments.
• Create prototypes that solve real jobs: Use the insights to drive functional food concepts that satisfy unmet needs – like a fiber bar that calms bloating and fits discreetly into a busy commute, or a plant-based dessert that satisfies cravings while supporting fitness goals.

When used as a market research tool, JTBD provides a roadmap that connects healthy product trends directly to CPG consumer behavior. It helps teams avoid generic wellness promises and focus on what truly motivates behavior change in consumers.

This process also complements other approaches in consumer insights like quantitative validation and sensory testing. JTBD doesn’t replace these tools – it works best when used as a foundation for aligning all innovation efforts to what customers are really hiring products to do.

In a competitive health food market, innovation rooted in real-life consumer jobs allows teams to build products that don’t just check boxes – they create real value in people’s lives.

Examples of JTBD in the Health and Wellness CPG Space

The best way to understand how to use Jobs To Be Done for product innovation is to see it in action. While every brand's discovery process is unique, fictional examples below illustrate how common jobs emerge in the better-for-you space and the types of product concepts they can inspire. These are not SIVO client cases, but simplified illustrations designed to show JTBD thinking in motion.

Fictional Example 1: The ‘Recharge Without Crash’ Job

A health-conscious shopper works long hours and wants sustained energy without the post-caffeine crash. Through JTBD interviews, the brand learns the core job isn’t just “get energy” – it’s “feel alert and focused through 3 PM without jitters or a sugar crash.”

Product innovation based on this job leads to a clean-label energy drink using adaptogenic herbs and B vitamins – positioned as a workplace-friendly option for steady performance with no crash.

Fictional Example 2: The ‘Snack That Doesn’t Derail Progress’ Job

Consumers trying to manage weight want to enjoy snacks without triggering guilt or derailing health goals. Through qualitative insights, the job clarifies into “treat myself in the afternoon without feeling like I fell off track.”

This insight might inspire a brand to develop a functional snack bite with indulgent flavors, minimal sugar, and added protein. The structure and portion size support the emotional outcome of “a safe treat” while delivering on nutritional benchmarks.

Fictional Example 3: The ‘Quick Gut Relief’ Job

Shoppers looking for digestive support aren’t just chasing probiotics; they want fast, visible results. One emerging job in interviews is, “find something that calms my stomach within a few hours, especially before work or travel.”

This might lead to a convenient drinkable yogurt pouch with clinically-supported cultures, clearly labeled for time-to-effect. The product is designed to fulfill both the functional and time-sensitive needs in this job.

These examples demonstrate how understanding functional needs in healthy snacks or wellness products leads to more targeted, desirable solutions. JTBD helps tie emotional drivers behind better-for-you choices – like confidence, relief, or control – directly to formulation and positioning strategies.

In a category where new launches flood shelves every week, winning products are those that are not just better – they’re better for something. JTBD makes those connections visible.

Why Understanding Consumer Jobs Leads to Smarter Growth Strategies

Knowing what “job” a consumer hires a product to do doesn’t just help with product development – it informs broader business strategy. When better-for-you brands use JTBD to align innovation, messaging, and go-to-market plans, they reduce guesswork and improve relevance at every stage of the consumer journey.

Traditional segmentation models often build strategies around who the consumer is – such as their age, income, or diet preference. But JTBD focuses on why and how they buy, revealing valuable unmet needs that cut across demographics. These insights help teams prioritize ideas that directly support consumer behavior in health products.

Smarter Segmentation and Targeting

Instead of chasing major trends without clear consumer connection, brands can define growth platforms based on the most common jobs in their target category. For example, a company might discover multiple 'jobs' related to stress relief or improving sleep – not by assumption, but through structured conversations and observation. That knowledge refines product design, but also informs where and how to market – from social media targeting to in-store placement.

Clearer Brand Positioning

Understanding JTBD helps marketing teams develop positioning that resonates deeply. Rather than generic claims like “high protein” or “clean label,” the brand can speak to emotional outcomes: “Stay energized, stay calm” or “Helps you recover without regret.” Language that connects back to consumer jobs builds stronger affinity and loyalty.

Focused Innovation Pipelines

With limited resources, not every product idea can move forward. JTBD acts as a filter, ensuring teams develop items that solve meaningful problems. This focus increases the chance of in-market success, while reducing the risk of launching concepts that don’t resonate.

And importantly, JTBD-based strategies don’t require replacing existing research methods. Instead, they complement tools like usage & attitude studies or segmentation research – all of which can reinforce the core jobs uncovered, giving brands a full-picture view of consumer motivations.

In the evolving health food market, it’s not enough to just follow CPG trends. Winning brands commit to understanding targeted, authentic human needs. Using JTBD helps businesses create healthy products people actually want – and build smart, scalable strategies around those desires. Growth becomes a byproduct of better alignment with what consumers are truly trying to achieve.