A coffee catalog doesn't necessarily need to treat its best-selling product as the sole center. One product can be an entry point for newcomers, another can serve a core need, while a supporting product opens up a new occasion or need group. The catalog's value lies in the relationship between these roles, not in the number of product codes.

"Flagship" should be understood by role

Calling a product flagship just because it's priced high, placed prominently, or sold a lot during one period can lead to a narrow view. In catalog terms, a flagship product is one that holds a central role for the need the brand wants to serve. A supporting product expands the scope of need without necessarily replacing the central product.

A catalog can have an entry-point product, a product serving the main need, and an expansion product. These roles can overlap but shouldn't be defined by name alone. What matters is that buyers have a clear reason to choose each product.

Looking at things by role helps a brand avoid adding a product just because the current catalog "looks thin."

Variety only has value when it creates a meaningful difference

Research on choice overload shows the number of options isn't the only variable determining choice experience. The complexity of the choice set, task difficulty, and how unclear preferences are can turn many options into a burden.

So a supporting product should have a difference buyers can actually use: a different brewing method, a different occasion, a different taste, or a different specific need. If two product codes are nearly identical but differ in name and packaging, the catalog can grow in number without a corresponding increase in informational value.

Kahn and Wansink also showed that how a catalog is organized affects perceived variety. With the same number of products, the arrangement can make the catalog feel clearer or more complicated to users.

Expanding the catalog can create internal competition

When adding a new product, a brand shouldn't just ask "how much extra can be sold," but also "does the new customer come from the old product." This is the issue of internal competition between products under the same brand.

Research by Mason and Milne provides an approach for identifying the phenomenon of a new product taking customers from an existing one. This concept is especially useful for a coffee catalog since many products can serve the same group of drinkers. If the difference between two lines is too small, expansion may just split sales rather than expand demand.

Conversely, if the new product serves an occasion or need the brand hasn't previously met, it's more likely to be additive than a replacement. This is why a product's role needs to be defined before deciding to add a product code.

A supporting product needs a reason to exist

A good supporting product can do one of three things: serve a different need, complete the product system, or expand the occasion of use. Without pointing to at least one specific reason, a product can easily become a redundant choice.

For example, a product for someone who wants to try might have a package size suited to experimentation. A product for a regular drinker might prioritize a different package size. A seasonal product might open up a short-term occasion of use. These roles differ even when the basic raw material might be similar.

These examples shouldn't be turned into a fixed formula for An Khuong. The actual catalog needs to be assessed using sales data, repurchase behavior, and user feedback.

Run the catalog based on the relationship between product and buyer

Instead of counting product codes, you can build a simple map: who does this product serve, in what circumstance, where does it differ from that product, and if removed, which need would no longer be met. If two products answer the same buyer question in nearly the same way, the necessity of both should be reconsidered.

Actual data should be used to test assumptions. Which products are often bought together? Which are bought as substitutes? Which attract new buyers? Which tend to get overlooked when customers face many options? These questions help distinguish a genuine supporting product from one that just makes the catalog longer.

A well-run catalog isn't the one with the most products. It's the one where each product has a clear job, the different options are distinct enough to create value, and buyers still understand the difference between them.

References

• Chernev, A., Böckenholt, U. & Goodman, J. (2015). Choice overload: A conceptual review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25, 333–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.08.002
• Mason, C. H. & Milne, G. R. (1994). An approach for identifying cannibalization within product line extensions and multi-brand strategies. Journal of Business Research, 31, 163–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-2963(94)90080-9
• Desai, P. (2001). Quality segmentation in spatial markets: When does cannibalization affect product line design? Marketing Science, 20(3), 265–283. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.20.3.265
• Gayle, P. G. & Lin, X. (2022). Product-line decisions in the coffee market. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy. https://doi.org/10.1111/jems.12474