Have you ever wondered who is actually buying your product? Your core consumer is the person that buys your product most frequently. They are your avid fans that can't live without your product. They shape how you design your product, how you package it, how you price it, and how you market it. When you know exactly who needs your product and why, you can create something people buy again and again.
This guide explains who your core consumer is and how to determine who they are.
Your core consumer is the person who goes out of their way to buy your product. They urgently want the solution you’re offering to their specific pain point. They’re willing to try your product even before everything is perfect—before your packaging is polished, your messaging is refined, or your brand is fully developed.
People want a lot of different things. Some want really salty snacks, others want healthier options. Sometimes, customers contradict themselves and want healthy and salty snacks! The core consumer anchors these trade-offs and provides clarity. As a brand, you can’t be everything to everyone. If you try to market your product to everyone, you will lack specificity and risk not resonating with anyone.
A brand cannot be everything to everyone. Your job is to be the best choice for the specific person who feels the pain point most acutely.
When you're first launching, you don’t yet have sales data or category velocity to guide your decision. But there are practical ways to understand who wants your product.
1. Visit the Grocery Store
Start by studying the brands already selling in the category you want to enter.
Ask yourself:
Who does this packaging appeal to?
What colors, callouts, or claims are they using?
What is the size and format?
What price point are they at?
Who would pick this up and why?
This gives you a sense of who already buys products like yours and what they care about.
2. Think About Examples
Coca-Cola is a simple illustration. It’s sweet, sugary, and built around fun and enjoyment. Their core consumer is not a 60-year-old prioritizing health.
Your product has the same dynamic. Who is naturally drawn to it? Who gets excited about it? Who is hungry for the solution you offer?
3. Demo and Talk to Consumers
Demos are one of the most effective ways to see who truly responds to your product. Ask for feedback. Look for patterns.
Who keeps coming back to the table?
Who buys it again the next week?
Whose eyes light up when they taste it?
You don't need a finish product to demo. All you need is food-safe samples for a group of people to give you feedback. These could be friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends (you get the idea).
Your core consumer is the person who feels a real pain point and sees your product as the solution. To find them, you need to study the market, talk to real customers, and demo your product. As you collect more data and have more conversations, your understanding becomes sharper—and your marketing becomes far more effective.