Why do your customers buy from you? What motivates people to choose you, to choose your products over the hundreds of alternatives? What makes your company, and your products, better than the rest?
The answer: Your value proposition.
If you can perfect your value proposition, you can increase your conversion rate and improve your marketing strategies across many channels. Learning to present the value your company and products deliver in a compelling way is one of the most high-value, wide-reaching marketing activities.
In this article, we’ll cover what makes a great value proposition, how to write a value proposition, and look at some real-world examples of unique value propositions. Plus, a simple template with a winning formula you can use to craft your own powerful statement.
What is a value proposition?
A value proposition is a concise statement that communicates the unique benefits and value a product or service offers to its target audience. It highlights the specific problem it solves, the advantages it provides, and why it is superior to its competitors. A good value proposition helps differentiate a business and attract customers.
A compelling value proposition meets three criteria:
1. It’s specific: What are the specific benefits your target customer will receive?
2. It’s pain-focused: How will your product fix the customer’s problem or improve their life?
3. It’s exclusive: How is it both desirable and exclusive? How well does it highlight your company’s competitive advantage and set you apart from competitors?
“At its core, a value proposition is a promise you make to your customer post-purchase,” Unbound Merino cofounder Dan Demsky says on Learn With Shopify. “You’re essentially saying, this purchase will outperform your expectations and solve the problem that needs solving.”
Don’t confuse brand slogans, catchphrases, or even a positioning statement with a unique value proposition, as they’re different things.
Your value proposition should focus on the superpowers that potential customers get, not the product. Rarely is your value proposition the product itself or its features. Instead, it’s the way the brand or product fixes a meaningful pain point, improves the lives of your target audience, and the way it makes them feel (like they have superpowers, for example).
A value proposition should be front and center when a visitor arrives on your site. Although it’s often found above the fold on the homepage, you should be aware of other common entrance points (e.g., a landing page, category pages, blog posts, and product pages).
Even if you manage to create an effective value proposition, it won’t drive sales if it’s tucked away in a dusty corner of your website or absent on high-purchase-intent pages.
Value proposition vs. mission statement
Your mission statement is about what you hope to achieve in the world and reflects the business’s core values. Think of it as your company’s moral compass. You can make your mission statement public—most companies share it on the About Us or Our Story page of their website—but its main audience is your employees.
By contrast, your value proposition is about your potential customers: What does your product or service do for them? You can think of it as a small piece of your mission statement; your value proposition lays out what your customers can gain from your product, and this benefit should align with your overall mission.
4 important types of value propositions
- Your company value proposition
- Your homepage value proposition
- Your category value propositions
- Your product value propositions
In ecommerce, your value proposition is more than just the big, bold heading on your homepage. There are four distinct types of value propositions you should know about when optimizing your store.
1. Your company value proposition
Did you know there’s a difference between the value proposition of your company and products?
Take Studio Neat for example. The company’s value proposition would be something like this:
“Simple products that solve simple problems.”
The value proposition for its Material Dock is:
“It’s nice to have a designated spot to charge your devices.”
Now, you can see and feel the company value proposition in the product value proposition, but it’s important to see the distinction.
2. Your homepage value proposition
This is the type of value proposition you’re most familiar with. It’s the big, bold heading on your homepage.
Your homepage value proposition will depend on the type of store you run. For example, if you have a small number of products, your homepage value proposition might be more product-focused. If you have a wide range of products, your homepage value proposition might be more company- or brand-focused.
NOVO Watch’s homepage value proposition is product-focused, for example:
“We build the world’s most storied timepieces.”
Novo has a relatively small number of products and is specifically focused on watches. If it were to introduce a line of handcrafted pens and a line of handcrafted wallets, how might its homepage value proposition need to change?
3. Your category value propositions
Don’t overlook the need for a value prop on your category pages. Why? Just look at the search engine results page (SERP) for ��womens jeans.”
First, you’ll notice these are category pages.
Second, many of the page descriptions are value propositions in disguise. Abercrombie & Fitch has variety—the perfect fit for everyone. Bootlegger’s black jeans won’t fade. Old Navy jeans will make you look polished, even on a casual day.
When you click through to Abercrombie & Fitch, for example, you’ll see the value proposition reiterated in the on-site copy.
High rise, low rise, a variety of washes: “Fit for your story.” All of these triggers help reinforce the value proposition. As you can see, though, it’s still quite uncommon to find a clear and succinct value proposition on a category page.
With so much competition among category pages, especially on SERPs, that’s a huge missed opportunity that you can capitalize on. Ask yourself what each category of products on your site promises that’s specific, pain-focused, and exclusive.
4. Your product value propositions
A product value proposition goes—you guessed it—on your product page. Each product within each category needs a specific value proposition. Think back to the Neat Studio Material Dock example above.
Here’s another great product value proposition example from Studio Neat.
Anyone who has an Apple TV knows that losing that tiny remote is a common occurrence. Instead of having to tear the couch apart a couple times a day, buy Studio Neat’s Apple TV remote stand.
“You’re going to lose your remote. We made this little walnut stand so your Apple TV remote always has a home. Peace of mind.”
Simple, right? Perfect, because that’s Studio Neat’s company value prop.
By now, you’re starting to see how the value propositions trickle into and influence one another. Start with the company value proposition, then the homepage value proposition, then category value propositions, then product value propositions.
Value proposition formula
The basic value proposition formula is:
Value proposition = [adjective] [product or service] for [aspiration]
This version of the formula is adaptable enough that any business can use it.
For example, here’s the value proposition from canned food brand Heyday Canning Co.:
“Create flavor-packed meals presto pronto with our line of canned (but never bland) beans.”
Compare that to the value proposition from underwear brand ThirdLove:
“In-demand bras that make you look great and feel even better.”
At first glance, the value props from Heyday and ThirdLove couldn’t be more different—one sells beans and the other sells bras—but they actually follow the same structure. Both value props position their product as the path to a better life, one in which you look and feel amazing in your bra while you whip up a meal in no time using canned beans.
How to write a unique value proposition
- Understand your customer and their voice
- Focus on clarity before creativity
- Emphasize benefits, not hype
- Use a template
Where to begin writing a value proposition statement:
1. Understand your customer and their voice
A good value proposition uses the exact words of your current customers to hook your future customers.
For example, if they were interviewed for a case study, how would your target customers describe your product? How does it improve their lives? How do they describe your company? Why do they choose to associate with your brand?
Interview your customers or send out a survey to better understand how they speak about you, both to other people and to themselves. Pay attention to common words and phrases they use. You can keep track of responses and phrases in a simple Google doc.
Your visitors should see themselves in your value proposition. The language you use plays a big role in shaping their perspective. If you want to go the extra mile, spend some time looking at value proposition examples of your competition. What are they doing right? What could they improve?
Take note of how your competition talks to their customers by signing up for their newsletters and email flows.
2. Focus on clarity before creativity
Above all, you must ensure your value proposition is clear. Sounds obvious, right? Your value proposition needs to serve many purposes, so achieving crystal clarity can be quite difficult.
When evaluating your draft, ensure it answers the following questions:
- What product are you selling?
- Who should buy your product?
- How will buying your product improve the visitor or their life?
- Why should the visitor buy from you and not your competitors?
- When will the value be delivered?
Your value proposition should be relatively short—two or three short sentences, maximum. Every word should improve clarity or make your main selling point more compelling, otherwise it needs to be cut.
3. Emphasize benefits, not hype
How many “World’s Best Coffee” signs would you see in store windows walking down just one busy New York City street? Dozens. Each sign you encounter would make it a little more difficult to believe the previous one.
Hype, which can come in the form of superlatives (“best”) and exaggerations (“world’s best”), can be dangerous. Instead, focus on distinct benefits and the concrete value your product delivers.
If you need to use hype to sell your products, it’s a sign that your value proposition is not well defined. Or, perhaps, even that your product is not as valuable as you think. Don’t let the love for your product or service get in the way of viewing your brand objectively.
4. Use a template
When it comes to something as daunting as distilling your product’s value into a sentence or two, having a guide can help. This is where you can use value proposition templates to help you organize your thoughts. Consider printing out a hard copy of this free downloadable template so you can brainstorm without digital distractions.
What is a value proposition canvas?
The value proposition canvas is a framework developed by business consultant Alex Osterwalder for the book Value Proposition Design. It involves identifying customer jobs, customer pains, and customer gains and then using those insights to help you write your value proposition.
Customer jobs
Your product should help the customer accomplish specific jobs—tasks they might struggle to achieve without it.
“Think of your product from the perspective of being hired to do a job,” says Unbound Merino’s Dan Demsky on Learn With Shopify.
What job would your target customer hire your product to do? What would its job description look like?
For Unbound Merino, its clothes are hired to streamline and upgrade a customer’s wardrobe with a few quality pieces of gear that perform day in and day out.
Customer pains
You can also use your value proposition to highlight how your product addresses customer pains, or common frustrations. Think of your product as a solution to your customer’s pain points. What problems or obstacles or risks does your product help alleviate?
Take the first product launched by Dieux Skin, the Forever Eye Mask.
“That was an idea that I came up with because I was so tired of throwing out eye masks,” says Dieux cofounder and CEO Charlotte Palermino on the Shopify Masters podcast.
The pain point was the wastefulness of single-use moisturizing under-eye masks.
Dieux launched its reusable silicone gel eye pads with the tagline “The last eye mask you’ll ever need.”
The product page highlights the Forever Eye Mask as the solution to the problem of overconsumption:
“We all deserve deliverance from the plight of discarding sheet masks after every use. These masks allow you to treat yourself daily without accumulating unnecessary waste.”
Customer gains
Customer gains are the positive outcomes your target customers want: saving money, saving time, feeling good, looking good, etc. For example, Unbound Merino sells clothing made from merino wool—a lightweight, odor-resistant fabric. Some of the gains could include time saved by not having to wait for checked luggage or not having to do as much laundry. That simplicity is the value prop.
Value proposition template
It’s easy to create a clear value proposition for your brand by using a template. This free downloadable template offers three variations you can customize to your brand, each with real-world examples from successful companies.
Value proposition examples
Use these value propositions from major brands to inspire your own:
Unbound Merino
Unbound Merino has multiple value propositions. Let’s break down two of them. The first is:
“Simple. Versatile. High performance.”
On the homepage of its website, Unbound Merino is promising high-performance clothing. But the quality claim must run deeper than promise.
The next value proposition makes the logical jump from high performance to the product’s holistic impact on the customer’s life:
“Pack less. Experience more.”
This value prop translates the quality and versatility of the product into its real-world application. Since merino wool is odor-resistant, you can get more wear out of a single t-shirt, and therefore pack less when traveling. With this value proposition, Unbound Merino is making a promise about quality of life, not just quality of product.
Graza
Graza’s value proposition features prominently on its homepage:
“High-quality olive oil that’s meant to be squeezed, not saved.”
This value proposition effectively sums up the problem Graza solves: Home cooks want good olive oil, but since it tends to be expensive, they may only use it for special occasions rather than everyday cooking.
“Olive oil in North America has always been positioned as something that you shouldn’t cook with,” Graza founder Andrew Benin says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “On one side, things were really luxurious, and on the other side, things were really pared-back and private-label and no investment in product quality. I found a way to cut right through the middle.”
Graza’s one-sentence value proposition emphasizes the product’s quality and immediately differentiates it from the competition with “squeezed, not saved”—indicating that it’s meant for everyday use. The “squeezed” part of the tagline highlights another unique feature of Graza’s product: the squeezable bottle.
Dieux Skin
Skin care company Dieux’s value proposition is:
“Rituals, not miracles.”
Featured on the brand’s homepage, this short and sweet sentiment emphasizes what sets Dieux apart from other brands: a commitment to consistency.
Dieux focuses on education rather than promising overnight effects.
“I want people to understand what our products do and what they don’t do,” cofounder Charlotte Palermino says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “I would not tell you that Instant Angel [Dieux’s lipid-rich moisturizer] on its own is enough. I would tell you in a routine how to use it and how it may work for you. And I find that when you do it that way, you have a high loyalty rate.”
City Seltzer
City Seltzer’s value proposition is:
“Fizz without the shizz.”
This playful statement emphasizes that its seltzer is made with 100% natural flavors—no “shizz.” Since City Seltzer is a small brand, it has to differentiate itself from large, entrenched competitors.
“We have to reach people and communicate some of that humanity, authenticity,” City Seltzer cofounder Josh McJannett says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “I think people want to feel something in the choices that they make.”
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Value proposition FAQ
What is the difference between a value proposition and a positioning statement?
A positioning statement is an internal document describing what’s unique about your brand or product and how you plan to market it. A value proposition is a shorter, customer-facing statement that communicates the same unique value.
What is the purpose of a value proposition?
A value proposition shows potential customers why they should choose your product or service over the alternatives.
How many value propositions do you need?
If you sell multiple products—or multiple categories—you may need value propositions for each. For example, the accessories brand Ridge features this value proposition on its homepage:
“Ridge crafts products made to last a lifetime with simple, functional designs ready for anything and everything.”
But the category page for their rings has another: “Unique tungsten men’s rings designed to be worn day in and day out.”