11 Unique Selling Proposition Examples (& Why They Work)

Updated by Tara Malone

What makes your business stand out from the crowd?

As a business owner, you know the competition is high, no matter what niche you’re in.

The good news is, setting yourself apart from your competitors is easier than you may think.

It all comes down to having a strong unique selling proposition, a specific benefit that makes you stand out from everyone else.

But what does a good unique selling proposition look like?

Glad you asked, because we’ve uncovered 11 amazing unique selling proposition examples to inspire you.

But first, let’s take a closer look at what a unique selling proposition is – and what it’s not.

What is a Unique Selling Proposition?

A unique selling proposition (also referred to as a USP) is a specific benefit that helps your business stand out from all the others.

With a strong unique selling proposition, you can:

• Attract new customers
• Retain existing ones (and build loyalty)
• Reduce customer churn rate 
• Reduce customer acquisition costs
• Find your perfect avatar and build a Customer Profile

A USP can take on many forms, but all great unique selling propositions share a few things in common.

1. They’re memorable.
2. They’re assertive and often, polarizing.
3. They focus on the customer and the value you give them.
4. They evoke feelings, emotion, and memories.

We’ll share some of the best unique selling proposition examples with you in this article. 

Yet before we get to those, it’s important you appreciate what a unique selling proposition isn’t.

A unique selling proposition is NOT:

• A 10% discount

• Free shipping

• 24/7 customer service

• Your return policy

Your unique selling proposition can include these, but it has to go beyond them.

Why? Because your competitors can copy these.

So please, as you read the rest of this article, don’t associate the unique selling proposition examples we share with slogans, logos, and free shipping. 

At all times, ask: what do they do that nobody else can copy?

This is what makes a USP.

7 Unique Selling Proposition Best Practices

Before we get to those unique selling proposition examples, let’s first cover some USP fundamentals.

1: Define Your Business’s Mission, Goals, And Identity

What’s your story?

This is the one thing none of your competitors can replicate. It’s yours to own, and by owning it you set yourself up to create a memorable and powerful unique selling proposition.

• What is your mission and value statement?
• What is the big promise you make to your customers?
• What’s your culture and what creates your entire identity?

This is where your unique selling proposition begins. You won’t find it by only looking at your products or services. You need to dive into what makes you who you are.

2: Offer Something Your Competitors Don’t

This begins by researching your competition and making a note of what their USP is.

• Who do they target?
• How are they targeting them?
• What do they offer that nobody else does?
• Why do people sing their praises?
• What do they do that upsets people or creates issues?

Figure out what they do well and what they don’t do well. Then, rather than trying to replicate what they do well, instead focus on any gaps and weaknesses. By offering something other people are not, you differentiate yourself from your competitors. For example, the MLS software development services company can attract good client by developing excellent software with robust support system.

This will often ignite your unique selling proposition.

3: Get In Your Customers’ Heads

The most important part of this whole process centers around your customers.

• Who are they?
• What causes them pain?
• What do they want and need?
• How does what they want differ from what they need?
• Where do they go for support?

We’ve written a separate guide that helps you build the perfect Customer Profile. By knowing your core customer inside and out, your unique selling point will often rise to the surface.

Combine what you do best with what they need, and you’ll have your answer.

4: Explain How Your Business Solves Your Ideal Customers’ Problems

Would you like to know why those animated “explainer” videos are so popular?

They allow you to explain how you solve a problem visually (and quickly).

Your unique selling proposition needs to stand out in an instant.

It needs to paint a clear picture as to why you’re different from the other options.

You don’t have your audience’s attention for long.

They want to know that you can solve their problem better than anyone else.

So, how do you?

How can you explain this in one or two sentences?

How can you SHOW it via a 30-second video?

5: Make Your USP Irresistible, Compelling, And Straightforward 

This follows on from above because no matter what your unique selling proposition is, it has to stand out.

Without even thinking about it, your customer needs to have a good feeling about you.

They may not even understand it, but deep down they just know you are what they need.

This doesn’t happen by accident.

You have to consciously and intentionally create this.

• Make it irresistible, a true no-brainer
• Ensure it’s compelling and lasts in their mind
• Above all, make sure it’s clear and straightforward

You’ll see this in action with the unique selling proposition examples below.

There’s an art to creating a straightforward yet irresistible message.

It’s an art form you must learn if you want to create a powerful USP of your own.

6: Condense It (Elevator Pitch)

Whatever you create, condense it.

All great unique selling proposition examples have one powerful thing in common – they’re instant!

Within a few sentences, they explain all you need to know.

In the time it takes you to ride an elevator, you learn all you need to.

However short or long your USP is, you can always condense it.

7: Deliver On What You Promise

Above all, you need to deliver what you promised.

Having a BIG promise plays a large role in your unique selling proposition.

However, you cannot simply talk about it – you need to actually do it, time and time again.

Whatever your promise is, be good to your word.

Show up the way you said you would; be who you said you would be.

If you fail at this stage, everything else you build will fall apart.

Remember, whatever your business is and whoever your customer may be, someone else can do what you do. Nothing you can offer them is unique…it’s how you offer it to them that sets you apart.

Deliver on this promise.

For example, StudioSuits, a men’s custom suits brand, promises to customize their garments for every customer’s needs, which is their USP, and they try to deliver this promise with every order.

If you do this, you may create a USP that rivals one of these unique selling proposition examples.

11 Winning Unique Selling Proposition Examples to Inspire Your Own 

These 11 unique selling proposition examples will help you see what happens when you create a message that truly stands out. The point here isn’t for you to copy any of these examples.

Instead, study these 11 unique selling proposition examples. 

Let’s dive in!

1. Hiut Denim

“We make jeans. That’s it. Nothing else. No distractions. Nothing to steal our focus. No kidding ourselves that we can be good at everything. No trying to conquer the whole world. We just do our best to conquer our bit of it.”

Just Do One Thing Well. This is Hiut Denim’s promise to you.

Their Unique Selling Proposition goes beyond a simple slogan. Hiut Denim lives and breathes this promise, having reinvigorated a previously thriving Welsh village.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

In a world of fast fashion where clothing empires produce every item imaginable, Hiut Denim goes against this trend by doing just ONE thing (but promising to do it very well).

They also go against the grain by encouraging you to not wash your jeans, promising they will last a lifetime and showing you exactly where (and how) your jeans are made.

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

When everyone seems to be doing one thing, it makes sense to do the opposite.

The world has enough designers that deliver fast fashion at a cheap price.

Hiut Denim sells their jeans at a premium but does so for a reason.

It appeals to SOMEONE, rather than trying to cater to everyone.

When it comes to crafting a unique selling proposition for your own brand, this is good advice to follow.

2. Apple

As one of the wealthiest and most famed companies in the world, Apple must be doing something right.

Apple, as a brand, has always spoken to people who want to stand out.

Where everyone else gets a Microsoft computer, those who are “different” prefer a Mac.

Apple spent years communicating with these outcasts and misfits, providing a high-quality, creative, and often unique (without being inventive) product and service. From the products themselves to the packaging, Apple Store experience, and creative-led marketing…Apple’s unique selling proposition has always been to offer what other companies won’t.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

Like Hiut Denim, they go against the grain. Whereas most of its competitors focus on features, Apple focuses on the benefits.

In addition to standing out and appealing to the creatives of the world, Apple has built its entire culture around its values and promise. To build a unique selling proposition that lasts the test of time, you need to do more than talk about your USP.

You need to truly LIVE it!

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

It isn’t that Apple’s competitors haven’t been able to do what Apple has over the years. They simply chose not to and focused on features, price, and practicality. 

They chose not to think outside the box.

To play it safe.

Something the best unique selling proposition examples have in common is that they are bold.

Push the boundaries with what you do.

Do what nobody else in your space is willing to.

3. Death Wish Coffee

Coffee is big business these days. It’s getting harder and harder to stand out from the crowd.

Death Wish Coffee has done this through its bold approach and BIG promise:

“We Produce The World’s Strongest Coffee!”

That’s a bold claim. Most of their competitors focus on having a “smooth” coffee or the one with the “richest” taste. Few talk about how strong it is. 

Death Wish Coffee wants you to know their coffee packs a punch.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

Death Wish Coffee backs up this bold claim by not only showing you how it’s made but by offering a full refund if you don’t consider it to be the boldest cup you’ve ever had.

They live and die on this promise.

Spend just a few minutes on their website and you’ll see how everything (their branding, messaging, products, services, culture) aligns with their unique selling proposition.

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

Whatever your unique selling proposition is, back up your claims and live up to it.

If you see your USP as a marketing gimmick, you’ll never create one.

It has to be something that becomes a part of your company culture.

Live it. Breathe it. Make a bold promise and die on that mountain.

4. Warby Parker

Choosing a new pair of glasses or sunglasses is no easy feat. Everyone’s face is different, and until you try a pair on you just do not know whether it’s the right one. As an online retailer, Warby Parker had to find a way to overcome this obstacle.

As well as offering a buy one, gift one model (a unique selling proposition in its own right), they have always gone the extra mile to help you choose the right pair for you.

Through a “virtual try-on” feature, to an offer where they send you five pairs to try on before you buy, Warby Parker has built an empire with its customer at the forefront.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

If you want a unique selling proposition that lasts, you NEED to have your customer as the focal point.

As a consumer, you have no shortage of options when buying a new pair of glasses. 

Every town has at least a few opticians where you can go in and try them on in person.

Yet Warby Parker has found success by bringing superior service into the online world (which blends over into the real world through their try-on service). 

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

Whatever business you’re in, your customers are the most important people of all.

Your unique selling proposition has to serve them. It needs to:

• Bring them true value.
• Alleviate their pain.
• Help them feel like they’re doing the right thing.

Warby Parker achieves this through their buy one, gift one model. They take it even further by making every other part of the business focused solely on their end-user.

5. Saddleback Leather

“They’ll fight over it when you’re dead.”

This is what Saddleback Leather promises you. They also back this bold claim up by declaring that their products: :

1. Come with a 100-year warranty
2. Have no breakable parts
3. Are over-engineered

Saddleback Leather’s unique selling proposition focuses on the quality of their products. 

Yet what really stands out (and sets them apart from all other competitors) is their unique story.

Amateur bullfighting. Escaping from a corrupt Mexican police officer. 

Trading puppies for 100 tacos in Juarez…

Their story is full of humor, adventure, and unbelievable anecdotes.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

Their story stands out. After reading their About Page, you will not forget about Saddleback Leather anytime soon. This is the goal of any unique selling proposition. You not only want to stand out for the right reasons but remain fixed in your audience’s mind forever.

When you combine this with a high-quality product that lasts a long time, you have a perfect formula.

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

Your story is yours and yours alone. You may not have the same crazy anecdotes as Saddleback Leather, but you do have something that nobody else has.

What is it?

What is your story?

With a commitment to storytelling, you increase your chances of crafting a unique selling proposition that stands the test of time.

6. Nerd Fitness

“We help nerds, misfits and mutants lose weight, get strong and get healthy permanently!”

If there’s ever a message that speaks to a certain someone, this is it!

Nerd Fitness provides an online community, program, and support to help you lose weight and get healthy. Many businesses can create this, but few can copy what Nerd Fitness offers.

Because at Nerd Fitness, they focus on WHO the person they’re helping is.

Not what they want (lose weight and get fit), but rather what fuels them every day.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

When you join Nerd Fitness, you create a new character/avatar, in the same way you would when buying a new video game. Everything thereafter focuses on quests and other forms of gamification.

If you’re a fan of video games, comic books, and the like, this is what lights you up inside.

Whereas going to the gym, heading outside for a jog, or eating a healthy snack…not so much.

This is one of the best unique selling proposition examples on this list because it goes a mile deep with who it serves. It makes no sense for the majority of people. 

But for those it does make sense to, it’s real, vivid, and exactly what they need.

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

It isn’t enough to know who your ideal customer is and what they need (and how you can help them).

A good unique selling proposition dives deeper into their mind. It helps you understand:

• What they LOVE to do.
• The kind of person they trust and relate to.
• The fears that keep them awake and night and cause them anxiety.

If you can build a unique selling proposition around what fuels your audience, you will stand out in a big way. It’s better to hone in and speak directly to someone, rather than try to create a vague message for different groups of people.

Go deep with one person; so deep that they will never forget you.

7. TOMS Shoes

As one of the first companies to utilize the buy one, gift one model, TOMS Shoes creates a unique selling proposition that many companies since have tried to replicate.

They brought a human element into the buying process. In doing so, they opened the eyes of many.

It’s easy to get caught up in your own needs and wants.

Yet there’s a whole different world that you don’t often see.

TOMS provided an insight into this world and gives its customers a chance to support and help.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

It’s easy to discount TOMS’ unique selling proposition today because so many companies offer a similar one-for-one model. Yet they were one of the first to do it, which goes to show how powerful a unique selling proposition can become.

What’s great about their USP is that it creates a direct link between three parties:

• The company
• The customer
• The greater good

This combination of rich storytelling and the option to help those in need allowed TOMS Shoes to stand out from their competitors. It brought a selfless act into an otherwise selfish industry (an industry renowned for taking short cuts and underpaying their workers in third world countries).

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

What’s the bigger picture?

How can you create a win+win+win?

A win for you, for your customer, and for someone else in need…

Building a unique selling proposition around this always lasts longer than one that takes only you and/or your customer into account. As people, we ultimately want to help others. 

The problem is, we often don’t have the time or understanding of how to do so. 

8. Zappos

As well as focusing on your customers, the best unique selling proposition examples place focus on those who make the company tick – the team!

Zappos has created one of the best company cultures.

It’s a culture of kindness and going the extra mile with their customers.

It’s also a culture that empowers those who work at Zappos to be their best self.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

Whatever industry you’re in, at some stage the culture you build has a huge impact on what you do.

• The people on your team
• Your core values and ethics
• Your mission and vision for the future
• The process and systems that run your business

The culture you build is the bridge between your customers and your team.

By building a unique selling proposition that places your culture at the heart of what you do, you’ll create something that benefits both you and those you serve.

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

If there’s one thing you can take from Zappos’ unique selling proposition, it’s to stand for something.

Create a USP that has a purpose, not one that sounds good on an About Page.

Involve your team. Make your story a huge part of the entire process.

Build a unique culture and you’ll create a unique selling proposition that stands out for the right reason.

9. Muse 

When it comes to unique selling proposition examples that stand out, Muse is a great one to study. 

Their product is a unique one; literally a first on the market.

This has its benefits, as you provide something new to the world.

Yet it also brings its issues, as you have to convince people they need it.

• Do you really need this product to meditate?
• What are the benefits that justify the cost?
• How does it work?

Muse not only has to create a unique selling proposition for their brand but make a case for the very existence of their product.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

If you study Muse’s website, you’ll notice they not only advocate meditation and its many benefits but how their product allows you to get more out of meditation.

It’s a unique selling proposition that therefore has two core angles.

Meditation is good, and meditating with our product is easier.

It solves a common pain, as most people find meditation hard in the beginning.

They form doubts over whether they can do it and whether it is worth it.

A product that removes this doubt and offers better results…that’s memorable.

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

Go beyond your own product. A unique selling proposition rarely focuses on the features. It has to dive deep into the benefits on offer. 

Is there a way to not only advocate your industry but also affirm how your product:

• Makes it easier…
• More effective…
• Saves you money…
• Saves you time…
• Simplifies the whole process…?

Focus on the benefits and your unique selling proposition will often reveal itself.

10. Fabletics

Fabletics is a fashion brand that provides athletic wear to gym goers, running aficionados, and those who wish to build the best body they can. Founded by the actress Kate Hudson, Fabletics offers a few elements that are unique to the marketplace.

Most of these focus on Customer Experience, delivering a service that not only saves you time but money, too. This begins with an Online Quiz that allows you to tailor your experience.

From there, Fabletics deliver specific deals, products, and promotions that are most relevant to you.

When you combine this with its unique subscription model, it creates a memorable USP.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

The reason Amazon built its success is that it placed the customer experience at the center of all it does. Fabletics mirrors this, basing their entire model on the end-user in order to:

• Save them time and money.
• Give them what they want, when they need it.
• Make the whole experience fun and different.

The products they sell are basically the same as any other business that sells leisurewear. Yet the way they sell it is unlike any of their competitors.

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

Find an angle that everyone else in your industry seems to be overlooking.

In essence, Fabletics’ model is similar to the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and how you pay for your cell phone each month. They didn’t need to do anything unique or inventive, merely find something that other people in their space weren’t doing.

It allows you to stand out and build a tribe, appealing to a group of people who are tired of how everyone else does it.

11. ASKET

ASKET is very open about the fact they want you to buy fewer clothes.

This may sound strange, coming from a company that sells clothes.

Yet their “less is more” approach is the perfect USP for today’s conscious consumer.

Like Hiut Denim, they focus on quality.

They’re committed to creating products that last.

More important than this, they’re committed to showing you where your products come from.

Why This Unique Selling Proposition is So Good

ASKET literally shows you where your products come from. Not only do they showcase the different factories they use, but they also strive to make each of their products as ‘traceable’ as possible.

This means you, as the consumer, get to know how your product was made and where your money goes. 

For those interested in fast fashion, this unique selling proposition makes little sense.

Whereas for those interested in their carbon footprint…it makes A LOT of sense!

What You Can Learn From This USP Example

As well as creating a unique selling proposition that has a purpose and that you’re proud of, look around you and take note of the world.

• What are the big talking points?
• What new trends are taking place?
• Where are the biggest conversations?
• What’s causing the biggest rifts and arguments?

And, how can you, as a business, speak to SOMEONE who may feel they’re not being heard?

All 11 of these Unique Selling Proposition Examples offer something different.

Yet as I hope you see, they all follow the same rules.

So now that you’ve seen what some of the world’s best unique selling proposition examples look like, it’s time to start creating your own.

Ready to Craft Your Compelling Unique Selling Proposition?

Creating a compelling unique selling proposition isn’t as hard as you may think.

Ultimately, the most important part of the whole process is your customer.

Your unique selling proposition has to align with their needs. It has to “trigger” them in some way and remain stuck in their head. It has to appeal to them, speak to them, and make them feel like they’ve found what they were looking for.

So the best thing you can do right now is to get clear on who your customer is, and from there you’ll be ready to start crafting your own winning USP.

Are you struggling to figure out who your customer is? We’ve created an-depth post and free template designed to help you create the perfect Customer Profile so you know who they are, their biggest pain points, and how to speak to them in a way that catches their attention. Click Here to read the post and download your Free Customer Profile Template.