What a WWII Ration Book Taught Me About Your SKU

I am alone in a Museum of Brands in London.

Walking down a long aisle, studying how Kellogg's cereal boxes have changed over a century. Packaging. Fonts. Colors. The slow evolution of a brand. Tony the Tiger slowly getting more… intense.

Then I stop.

A WWII-era section. Ration books. Plain packaging. One option per category. That was it. You got what you got.

Then I look at what came after.

Toilet paper: scented, unscented, semi-scented, quilted, double-ply, triple-ply, bamboo, recycled, extra-soft, ultra-strong. For something you use once and throw away. We've solved a problem nobody had.

Barry Schwartz called it the Paradox of Choice.

175 salad dressings in one supermarket. At that point, I don’t want a salad. I want a therapist.

More choice. More confusion. Less satisfaction.

I think about that museum visit every time a founder shows me their SKU list.

62 SKUs. A new variation launching next quarter.

Their warehouse looks like that supermarket aisle. Their cash is buried in inventory that isn't moving. Their team is stretched too thin to do anything well.

Fewer SKUs, done exceptionally, will almost always outperform many SKUs done adequately.

The best brands in the world aren't remembered for their range.

They're remembered for their thing.

And ideally… not their 14th variation of scented toilet paper.