Why More Products Don’t Always Mean More Sales: A Superfoods Brand’s Turnaround Story with CURVEJUMPER
With functional foods on trend and alternative proteins such as plant-based food projected to reach $95 billion by 2029, demand for innovative, high-quality alternatives is higher than ever. However, many brands fail to leverage this demand, focusing on expanding their product line instead of focusing on consumer insights and aligning their brand positioning.
Carter, the VP of Products at a fast-growing functional foods company, was no different. Encouraged by early success, his brand expanded its product lineup extensively—but instead of fueling growth, it led to disappointing sales.
The VP of Products at a fast-growing food company, was no different. Encouraged by early success, his brand expanded its product lineup extensively—but instead of fueling growth, it led to disappointing sales.
How could he break the cycle and build a portfolio that truly resonated with consumers and contributed to brand equity and sales? Keep reading to find out!
The Hidden Cost of a Bloated Product Line on Sales and Brand Equity
Carter’s had recently been promoted to the positon of VP of products and had a reputation to protect. Their early launches were met with enthusiasm from the consumers — quickly securing a loyal customer base and a steady demand in key retail stores.
Encouraged by this success, Carter decided to expand the brand portfolio, introducing new formats, flavors, and product variations. However, as the lineup grew, the impact declined.
Encouraged by this success, the decided to expand the brand portfolio, introducing new formats, flavors, and product variations. However, as the lineup grew, the impact declined.
New product launches failed to enhance brand equity, and with signs of slow velocities on shelves and within apps, they clearly did not resonate with the consumers.
Finally, a promising opportunity arrived. A leading national grocery chain expressed interest in partnering with the brand. Carter saw this as an opportunity to turn things around for himself and the brand.
The review meeting was scheduled for the upcoming week. It could redefine their trajectory for the foreseeable future.
The Wake-Up Call: A Major Retailer’s Harsh Feedback
When the day arrived, the meeting turned out to be nothing like Carter had expected. The category buyer flipped through their product catalog in silence. Carter waited, hoping for enthusiasm, but instead, she pointed to a predominant issue —their product lineup lacked focus: too many SKUs, a vague brand positioning, and not enough “why’s”.
She highlighted two major areas of concern:
Overwhelming Product Variety: There were too many overlapping flavors, with only subtle differences that failed to justify their presence. The sheer variety created internal competition, making it difficult for both retailers and consumers to understand why each product needed to exist within the broader line.
Inconsistent Brand Messaging: Beyond the excessive variety, the brand’s messaging lacked consistency. Some products highlighted high protein content, others emphasized clean ingredients, while a few positioned themselves as energy-boosting options. Rather than reinforcing a strong identity, the fragmented messaging left room for confusion, both on the shelf and in business growth strategy.
The feedback wasn’t new, but hearing it from such a major retail partner made it impossible to ignore.
The category buyer didn’t mince words. She made it clear that they couldn’t move forward with the partnership unless Carter could streamline the portfolio and present a more cohesive growth strategy.
How CURVEJUMPER Streamlined the Portfolio Restoring Brand Equity
Faced with the loss of a major retailer, Carter started looking for alternatives. Finally, an old colleague recommended CURVEJUMPER, a strategic marketing consulting and advisory partner that accelerates business growth 3x at a 70% lower cost compared to conventional consulting firms.
Faced with the loss of a major retailer, Carter started looking for alternatives. Finally, an old colleague recommended CURVEJUMPER, a strategic marketing consulting and advisory partner that accelerates business growth 3x at a 70% lower cost compared to conventional consulting firms.
Impressed by their agile approach to brand positioning, Carter implemented their services. The CURVEJUMPER team wasted no time dissecting the problem.
First, they conducted fast-track secondary research and consumer store intercepts within 2 weeks to quickly turn around a Market Structure perspective to Carter’s team. The idea of the Market Structure is for Carter’s team to have a working hypothesis that outlines the ORDER of decisions consumers make when selecting products in his brand’s category and adjacent categories.
Using the Market Structure as a start, the CURVEJUMPER team then worked with Carter’s team to streamline the product lineup. CURVEJUMPER helped Carter and his team analyze sales data, consumer insights from intercepts, and retail performance to FIRST align each SKU to a Market Structure reason for being, and then nominate specific SKUs to be reprioritized, usually due to redundant flavors and underperformance. Instead of an overwhelming assortment, they crafted a focused selection that stood out on the shelf, but also a strategy to adapt their recommendations across and within specific retailers and formats.
Next, they redefined how the team gathered consumer insights. Knowing the Market Structure was a working hypothesis, it created the blueprint for the team to gather SPECIFIC insights instead of relying on broad market trends.
CURVEJUMPER also introduced targeted product evaluation versus the highly dated practice of always evaluating full product concepts—by implementing a methodology that broke ideas down into component parts like flavors, formats, and claims – Carter’s team was better prepared to kill bad ideas quickly, and only waste limited R&D efforts on product concepts that have a REASON for being in the brand, and early evidence of success
The results were eye-opening. Consumers weren’t just looking for functional nutrition, clean labels, or alternative proteins just to have them; they wanted products that fit seamlessly into their existing routines. Regional flavors and ease of preparation, plus a functional benefit, mattered far more than generic health claims. With these insights, Carter’s team repositioned the brand offerings.
CURVEJUMPER further refined product concepts, adjusted packaging and messaging, and even tested in-market visuals to see what caught shoppers’ attention.
When Carter sat down for his second meeting with the category buyer from the grocery chain, he walked in with confidence — their lineup was cohesive, the value proposition was clear, their brand equity had improved, and their sales projection was strong.
When Carter sat down for his second meeting with the category buyer from the grocery chain, he walked in with confidence — their lineup was cohesive, the value proposition was clear, their brand equity had improved, and their sales projection was strong.
Partnering up with CURVEJUMPER was a turning point for Carter’s brand — their refined portfolio outperformed the original projections, consumer appeal scores hit an all-time high, and internal screenings showed the strongest concept acceptance rate in the company’s history. Carter’s team is driving forward with strong momentum, because the CURVEJUMPER team asked the right questions, with the right agility, to keep his team moving most effectively towards their next wave of growth.
How CURVEJUMPER Transformed Carter’s Portfolio Strategy
Accelerated growth by 3x at 70% lower cost
Create a clear, focused product lineup
Helped build stronger retail partnerships
Built a growth strategy for continued success
The CURVEJUMPER Difference: A Partner for Sustainable Growth
Carter’s journey proved that success isn’t about endless expansion—it’s about a systematic growth strategy. CURVEJUMPER helped his brand cut through the noise, refine its portfolio, and secure stronger retail partnerships 3x faster at up to 70% lower cost than traditional consulting firms.
With their agile, insight-driven approach, CURVEJUMPER eliminated guesswork, streamlined brand positioning, and turned data into actionable strategies.
Now, armed with a focused, scalable portfolio strategy, his brand is positioned for long-term success.
Does Carter’s story sound too familiar? CURVEJUMPER can turn things around.
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Brian Myers
Founder and CEO of CURVEJUMPER
Brian Myers is the Founder and CEO of CURVEJUMPER Growth Foundry who has specialized in Growth Acceleration, Business Design, World Class Marketing, Brand Management, Innovation, Design, and Growth Strategy for over 25 years. Brian has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, serves on the Kellogg Advisory Council, and is a prior SMD / Practice Leader for Accenture, Partner with Prophet, and General Manager / Brand Manager with SC Johnson and Son.