I launched TeaSquares as a “Tea Infused Energy Snack” back in 2016. What is a “Tea Infused Energy Snack,” You may ask? Well, the product descriptor says it all, and nothing at all at the same time. Essentially, my goal was to make an energy bar made with tea powder for a natural caffeine boost.

BUT I thought I needed to make my product AS differentiated as possible, so I made:

• Multi-serve pouches instead of individual serving.
• Bite-sized squares instead of a bar.
• “Tea” as our hero ingredient, when almost no one consumes “Tea” as a food.
• Flavors including “Citrus Green Tea Matcha” instead of Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, and Blueberry.

What happened is that we built a moat around our product from competitors AND consumers. No one knew what the heck this thing was and why they should buy it.

The education hurdle was so expensive that it put us out of business. That’s when I learned the importance of adhering to category norms.

Category norms are the attributes that consumers come to expect from every product in a given category. When you’re innovating in a new product category, start with the expected attributes, then choose one or two areas to differentiate. Companies that deviate too much from category norms risk confusing or alienating customers. 

Here are some of the attributes to consider:

• Packaging Format 
• Flavors 
• Inner Pack / Case
• Manufacturing Processes 
• Temperature State
• Macronutrients

Category norms can be important for companies because they help establish customer expectations and can influence purchasing decisions. 

However, sometimes breaking category norms can help you differentiate a product and create a new category. 

For example, the protein bar company Perfect Bar differentiated itself by introducing a new category norm – refrigerated protein bars. 

Here are the category attributes for Protein Bars:

• Packaging Format – Packaged as a single-serving bar
• Flavors – Most popular flavors are Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Blueberry
• Inner Pack / Case – Sold in a case of 8-12 single-serving bars
• Manufacturing Processes – 3 ways of manufacturing: Slab Method, Extrusion Method, and Molding Method
• Temperature State – Shelf Stable
• Macronutrients – High Protein

By emphasizing the use of whole-food ingredients that were kept fresh through refrigeration, Perfect Bar could carve out a niche in the market and create a loyal customer base. 

Before Perfect Bar, most protein bars were shelf-stable and did not require refrigeration, helping the company stand out in a crowded market. 

Perfect Bar innovated in Temperature State while keeping everything else aligned with category norms. 

If you also want to make a splash with your new product, breaking one or two of these norms is the way to go.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Identify the existing category norms: Before breaking category norms, you need to understand what they are. Study your competitors and identify what they do and don’t do.
• Look for gaps in the market: Identify gaps in the market and create a product that fills those gaps. For example, if most protein bars are shelf-stable, consider creating refrigerated bars as Perfect Bar did.
• Analyze competition: Find out what other companies in your category are doing. Look at their website, social media posts, ads, and packaging. Study their customer service interactions and read their blog posts and tweets. Then find out what they’re not doing.

Discover customer expectations: Find out what customers expect from your category by surveying them or observing them in person (preferably both).