At its core, the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework is about understanding why consumers 'hire' products – not just what they buy, but what they’re trying to accomplish when they use them. It moves beyond traditional segmentation to ask: What job is the person trying to get done, and how well does the product fulfill that role?

In the context of consumer packaged goods, this means examining the routines, motivations, and desired outcomes that drive purchase and usage behavior. A person doesn’t just buy toothpaste – they might be trying to feel confident before a presentation or keep their kids’ teeth healthy despite sugar-laden snacks. These are the jobs that drive product choice.

Why JTBD Is Especially Valuable in CPG Strategy

CPG markets are often crowded and fast-moving. Trends change quickly, brand loyalty can be fickle, and innovation cycles are constant. With so many product formats, ingredient trends, and use occasions in play, JTBD provides a stable lens. It helps brand teams avoid the trap of innovating for the sake of novelty, and instead innovate in direct response to consumer needs that persist over time.

For portfolio optimization, this shift in thinking is critical. It turns attention away from comparing features – for example, flavor or format – and redirects it to evaluating function. What consumer problem is each SKU solving? From there, you can assess which products are essential, which can be reworked, and which may be taking up space without delivering distinct value.

JTBD in Practice: Simple Examples

• A busy parent chooses a snack bar not just because it's healthy, but because it solves the job of calming toddler hunger without a mess during car rides.
• A commuter selects a ready-to-drink coffee that helps them feel prepared and alert before a long workday – not just because it tastes good.

These product choices are driven by context, emotional needs, and practical outcomes – all of which JTBD helps uncover.

How SIVO Uses JTBD in Consumer Insights

At SIVO Insights, we use JTBD as a framework to help CPG leaders uncover hidden drivers behind product use. When combined with qualitative and quantitative market research, JTBD can reveal patterns in consumer behavior and support smarter decisions. Whether you're evaluating existing lines or planning a new launch, understanding jobs – and how you fulfill them – lays the foundation for meaningful brand growth.

One of the most practical ways to apply the Jobs To Be Done framework in CPG is through product prioritization. Rather than looking at performance metrics alone, you look at which SKUs are clearly serving a defined consumer job. This can be a game-changer, especially when you're faced with SKU proliferation and need a structured approach to SKU rationalization.

In many portfolios, brands accumulate products with small variations – different flavors, sizes, or packaging types – each intended to appeal to a slightly different niche. But not every SKU aligns with a meaningful or unmet consumer need. JTBD gives you a tool to assess each product based on the purpose it serves, rather than assuming each variation is equally valuable.

Three Ways JTBD Clarifies Product Prioritization

1. Highlights Essential SKUs

JTBD helps identify which products are truly essential because they fulfill a distinct job that is not replicated by others. These are the SKUs that address real consumer pain points or unmet needs – the ones people will actively seek out and rely on. These become your 'core' offerings in the CPG product portfolio strategy.

2. Reveals Overlap or Cannibalization

Sometimes, multiple SKUs are trying to serve the same job – resulting in internal competition. JTBD shows you where there's functional overlap. For example, two similar granola bars may both be positioned as an energy boost before workouts. This might justify keeping one and repositioning or removing the other.

3. Informs Innovation – not Just Elimination

JTBD is not only about reducing products – it's also about discovering new opportunities. If a job is emerging or underserved in your category, you can create something new that fits more naturally into people's lives. This supports informed product innovation, not just SKU rationalization.

Putting Insights into Action

Here’s a fictional example. A CPG snack company reviews its 10-bar lineup using JTBD. It finds that 3 flavors serve the same job – a travel-friendly snack with sustained energy. One bar, however, uniquely addresses the job of indulgence without guilt after dinner. JTBD clarifies which products resonate for which purpose and helps the team prioritize the right mix.

Using consumer insights anchored in JTBD, brands can then make data-driven decisions around:

• Which products to retain or retire
• Where to reposition offerings
• Which jobs are emerging and present opportunities for concept development

At SIVO, this kind of analysis is where research and strategy meet. By aligning your CPG product portfolio with people’s real needs, you build not only a simpler portfolio – but a stronger, more relevant one. Combined with other tools like qualitative interviews, in-market testing, and segmentation, JTBD becomes part of a powerful insights toolkit that leads to smarter portfolio optimization examples in CPG industries.

Steps to Apply JTBD in CPG Product Portfolio Planning

Applying the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework in your CPG product portfolio strategy doesn't require a complete restructuring of your processes – but it does demand a shift in mindset. The focus moves from what your product is or does, to why your customer chooses it in the first place. Once you understand what job the consumer is hiring your product to perform, you can make better decisions around SKU planning, product prioritization, and overall portfolio optimization.

1. Start with Consumer Conversations

Interview real customers to understand the context behind their purchase decisions. What were they trying to accomplish when they picked your product? Pay attention to their functional, emotional, and social drivers. These insights fuel the identification of true consumer 'jobs.'

2. Synthesize and Map Jobs to Your Current Portfolio

Once key customer jobs are defined, map them to your existing SKUs. Which SKUs serve which jobs – and how well? Are there areas of overlap or unmet needs? This step often reveals opportunities for portfolio streamlining or new product innovation.

3. Evaluate Product Performance by Job Fit

Go beyond sales data. Analyze each product’s alignment with the core job it's intended to complete. A product might be underperforming not because it lacks value, but because it doesn't clearly solve a job consumers care about.

4. Identify Gaps, Redundancies, and Opportunities

With each SKU aligned to a consumer job, ask:

• Are multiple SKUs serving the same job?
• Are some jobs overrepresented while others are unaddressed?
• Are there new jobs emerging that the current portfolio doesn’t serve?

This analysis supports both SKU rationalization and informed product innovation – unlocking a smarter, more focused CPG strategy.

5. Develop an Actionable Plan

With a firm grasp on your Jobs-To-Be-Done landscape, you can categorize SKUs for retention, repositioning, or retirement. Use these insights to restructure your product portfolio around what consumers truly need, not what’s merely available.

This approach empowers product development teams, marketing, and leadership to work from a shared understanding of consumer priorities – streamlining product management for CPG brands as a whole.

Real-World Benefits of Using JTBD for CPG Portfolio Optimization

Many brands grapple with bloated product lines and unclear SKU value. The JTBD framework brings clarity by aligning every product with a meaningful consumer purpose. This has several tangible benefits when applied to product portfolio optimization in CPG.

Improved Consumer Insight-Driven Strategy

By focusing on the true jobs your products are hired to do, you create a deeper connection with your audience. This consumer insight becomes the anchor for product innovation and messaging that resonate, strengthening brand loyalty and driving long-term brand growth.

Clearer Product Prioritization

One of the most immediate benefits of using jobs to be done in CPG is smarter product prioritization. When each SKU is tied to a validated job, it becomes much easier to determine where to invest resources – and where to scale back. Teams gain a common language for decision-making, reducing internal debate and accelerating action.

Effective SKU Rationalization

JTBD doesn’t just support adding new products – it helps reduce noise. Products that no longer map to a high-value job or overlap with others can be deprioritized or removed. This kind of thoughtful SKU rationalization improves operational efficiency, reduces shelf clutter, and clarifies brand purpose in each category.

Informed Innovation

With a better understanding of unmet needs, JTBD unlocks more purposeful innovation. Instead of launching based on gut feel or trend-chasing, CPG brands can create new offerings that solve real jobs consumers face today – or anticipate tomorrow’s needs. This results in innovation with built-in demand.

Simplified Portfolio Mapping Across Markets

For global or regional brands, JTBD helps untangle market-by-market complexity. Even when product formats differ, the underlying job can remain consistent. This makes it easier to align portfolios across geographies without losing personal relevance.

For example, imagine a fictional beverage company that learns through JTBD research that customers “hire” their sparkling water during the late afternoon when they want to feel refreshed without sugar or caffeine. This insight can drive standardization of product positioning globally, simplify the product range, and open doors to new innovations – such as functional ingredients or sleek packaging for on-the-go use.

When to Consider Repositioning or Retiring a Product

Not every product in your portfolio will keep pace with evolving consumer needs – and that’s okay. What matters is knowing when to take action. The Jobs To Be Done framework gives CPG brands the clarity needed to identify whether a product still has a role to play or has reached the end of its lifecycle.

Signals It’s Time to Reposition

If a product isn’t meeting performance expectations but still aligns with a valid consumer job, it might just need a clearer fit. Consider repositioning if:

• The product solves a relevant job, but consumers don’t associate it with that job
• Your messaging emphasizes features, not outcomes
• The product is being used differently from what it was designed for

Repositioning through updated packaging, naming, use cases, or education can reframe a product around the job it supports – revitalizing interest and sales.

When Retirement Makes Sense

Sometimes, even a good product no longer justifies its place in the portfolio. Retirement may be the right move when:

• The product doesn’t clearly serve a high-value job
• Its job is already being served better by another SKU
• Consumer interest in the job itself has declined
• Costs of maintaining or producing it outweigh its value

Here, SKU rationalization driven by consumer insights ensures you're pruning based on strategy – not gut feel. It also frees up shelf space, simplifies operations, and strengthens your overall CPG product portfolio.

A JTBD Lens Enables Confident Action

These decisions aren’t just about cutting underperformers. They are about focusing your resources on the products that meaningfully serve your audience. When your portfolio truly matches the jobs your consumers need done, every product has a purpose – and your brand communicates that value more clearly to the market.

Whether repositioning or retiring, JTBD offers a smart, structured approach to product management for CPG brands navigating the demands of today’s marketplaces.