I think fridge magnets are essentially a category of product that solve different kinds of pain points. Similar to pondering over the question 'What is the pain point solved by books', different books end up solving different pain points.

So, let's look at some of these categories, to begin with. Here I'm just trying to list down the different types of fridge magnets I can think of.

1. Whiteboard magnet

2. Souvenir magnet

3. Beer bottle opener magnet

Now, let's try to further understand what problems these are solving.

Whiteboard magnet

In shared accommodation setups (like families, friends living together, etc) a lot of times people want to communicate something recurring and noncritical with others when they are not present in the same room. (By non-critical, I mean something which does not warrant a phone call)

Examples of such communications can be the following:

1. Deciding what groceries to buy

2. Reminder notes or messages

3. House chores that need to be done.

The pain point is that there isn't a convenient way for the user to communicate with the group.

Souvenir magnet

It affects some people's moods if they don't feel a sense of belonging in their house. That's why living in a hotel and living at home has a different feel to it.

This type of magnet helps solve this by providing a way to personalize their fridge.

The pain point is that people are not feeling a sense of belonging to their homes.

Beer bottle opener magnet

If we think about the user journey one goes through while opening a bottle of beer at home, the following steps are involved:

1. Opening the fridge and taking out a beer

2. Trying to remember where the opener was kept

3. Searching and finding the opener

4. Opening the bottle

5. Keeping the opener back in its place

We also need to consider the state of mind of the user while they are using the opener. Any step that requires active thinking will result in some level of cognitive load since the user is consuming alcohol. So, steps 2, 3 and 5 are probably actions that give more friction to the overall process.

The fridge magnet beer opener is trying to alleviate this friction.

The pain point is the cognitive load the user experiences during the process of drinking beer at home.