Your product’s benefits must seem related

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📝 Intro

You’re down with a bad cough and are at the pharmacy to buy some medicine. You come across two options:

• CoughGone claims it relieves bad coughs and sore throats.

• HealthWell claims it relieves bad coughs and sore throats, but also helps with digestion.

Both are priced the same. Which one would you choose?

HealthWell may seem like a better deal. But if it can help such a diverse group of medical issues, how good could it really be at tackling your cough?

New research tells us when it’s better to claim multiple benefits or stay focused on one.

P.S.: In your ads, show your product next to the problem it solves (e.g. dishwashing liquid next to dirty dishes) to make people up to 26% more likely to choose it.

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Multiple product benefits (vs a single benefit) drive more sales only when they seem related

Topics: Product | Messaging and Copy
For: B2B. Can be tested for B2C
Research date: December 2024
Universities: Guangdong University of Technology, NEOMA Business School, National University of Singapore, Sun Yat-sen University

📈 Recommendation

Present your product as having multiple benefits that are closely related (e.g. a cream that hydrates and also softens your skin).

People will be more likely to choose and recommend your product, compared to when it has only one benefit (a cream that hydrates) or multiple benefits that feel unrelated (a cream that helps with tanning and combating acne at the same time).

🎓 Findings

• People prefer, are more likely to recommend, and are more likely to choose products and services that claim multiple benefits related to one another (e.g. a shampoo that moisturizes your scalp and reduces dandruff), compared to products with a single benefit or multiple benefits that don’t seem related (e.g. a shampoo that reduces dandruff and covers grey hair).

• As part of a series of 4 experiments and an analysis of sales data of an online pharmacy, researchers found that:

  • Across 1059 healthcare products, those with multiple, related benefits generated 42% higher sales compared to those with a single benefit. When multiple benefits weren’t related, those products had 66% fewer orders compared to single-benefit products

  • 4.8x more people preferred a cold medicine with multiple related benefits over one with a single benefit

  • A maternity matron service listing multiple related benefits (e.g. postpartum care, professional feeding, game companionship) was considered 6.2% more favorably than one offering only a single benefit (maternity matron services). When the benefits were unrelated (maternity matron plus pet care, gardening, etc.) it was rated 9% worse than an offering with a single benefit

• The effect disappears for products or services seen as low quality (e.g. basic store-brand body wash).

🧠 Why it works

• When we see an item that has multiple benefits that are related to one another (e.g. lotion with multiple benefits that all make our skin healthier), we see the benefits as connected and reinforcing one another.

• This makes us think the item will be more effective at its ultimate goal (healthier skin) compared to a skin lotion with only one benefit (e.g. removes dirt and oil).

• When we see a product with multiple benefits that aren’t related, we think its effectiveness is diluted, because it addresses different needs.

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✋ Limitations

• The study looked at healthcare products and services with practical benefits. It’s unknown if this effect holds for abstract benefits (e.g. an investing app offering a sense of financial security).

• The research didn’t look at whether - or how - the effect would work for products expected to have multiple unrelated benefits (e.g. a smartphone expected to have a long-lasting battery, good camera and fast processing speed).

• The study looked exclusively at first-time purchases. It’s unclear if this effect would hold for repeat customers who have already used the product. 

• The research didn’t look at whether there was a certain number of related benefits that optimized this effect. Most experiments featured 3 benefits - other research also shows 3 is the optimal number in terms of persuasion.

🏢 Companies using this

• Companies usually highlight multiple related benefits together:

  • Dyson hair dryer ads feature multiple benefits related to hair health and beauty (enhances natural shine and protects scalp health)

  • Health drink V8 showcases various health benefits on its cans (2 servings of vegetables, no sugar added, excellent source of potassium)

  • Personal care products from Pantene’s Pro-V Miracles shampoo to Listerine mouthwash to Clean & Clear face wash all highlight multiple benefits linked to hair, mouth or face skin health respectively

• Some brands that offer multiple unrelated benefits tend to highlight just one benefit per ad:

  • Meditation and wellness app Headspace uses different ads to highlight the benefits of staying calm, having energy for socializing, or managing stress

  • Airlines such as Etihad Airlines use different ad creatives to highlight low prices, the span of their network, and the features of their premium cabins

Colgate toothpaste correctly highlights its various benefits related to oral health in a list on its packaging.

⚡ Steps to implement

• Look at the various benefits your product or service offers, and try to group them by how they relate to one another or a larger goal.

• If your product benefits are clearly related to one another (e.g. a face wash that removes dirt and oil) or link to a larger goal (e.g. a TV with superior display and sound quality to provide the best viewing experience), highlight the multiple benefits together and emphasize how they work towards the same goal.

• If your product’s benefits seem unrelated (e.g. a calendar app that works offline and allows you to view coworkers’ schedules), either focus on the strongest benefit - or the one most relevant to your customers - or frame the benefits as working together (e.g. accessing your - and your teammates’ - calendar on the go anywhere).

• When you’re highlighting the benefits of your product, remember that informational messages work best for functional items.

• Highlighting 3 benefits is the best way to persuade people, because mentioning too many benefits dilutes the best ones.

🔍 Study type

Online experiments and market observation (analysis of 1059 products from a large online pharmacy in China from July 2018 to June 2019).

📖 Research

Claiming single or multiple product benefits: Moderating role of intergoal association. Journal of Business Research (December 2024)

🏫 Researchers

• Manqiong Shen. Guangdong University of Technology

• Yiping (Amy) Song. NEOMA Business School

• Xiuping Li. National University of Singapore

• Haizhong Wang. Sun Yat-sen University

Remember: This is a new scientific discovery. In the future it will probably be better understood and could even be proven wrong (that’s how science works). It may also not be generalizable to your situation. If it’s a risky change, always test it on a small scale before rolling it out widely.

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🎓 It took 3 of us 16 hours to accurately turn this 14 page research paper into this 3min insight. 

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