Selling to retail chains, retail category review & management
Category Review Content & Presentation
Retail Marketing no longer tolerates weak marketing. Category Management is a science and those without the scientific knowledge of Category Management are quickly exposed when Category Reviews are presented.
A Category Review is an opportunity to star, or to strike out, but the rewards are plentiful for those that undertake diligent analysis in their Category.Our leading-edge-strategy consultants are experts in this field… ask for help… Category Management is not something you just ‘work out as you go”.
What is Category Management?
Evolving out of grocery retailing, Category Management is a retail management approach of dividing a business into distinct groups by product categories and managing the retail dynamics productively to optimise retail efficiency and maximise customer satisfaction .
What is a Category Review?
The process a Category Manager uses to objectively assess each participant in his/her category to determine the validity of the win/win relationship shared between trade partners.
The future of brands can be decided in the period of a week or less, so it is crucial to employ every piece of knowledge you have from the market research and analysis, to present the perfect permutation of products for the Category.
Using knowledge you have gained from market research, performance analysis, customer experience feedback, and trade partner intelligence, it is up to the Key Account Manager, Marketing Consultant or Food Broker to construct a Category Review Assessment that assist the Category Manager to draw up the best possible Category Plan.
The Category Review Presentation
A formal Category Review Presentation should include salient market research, analysis, range review and business development plan. It is vital to remember that retailers do “not have rubber walls” and the limitations on their space is exceed by the demands of aspiring marketers to win shelf presence.
8 Category Review Analysis & Planning Steps
You need four key things when you search for external funding necessary to fund your business aspirations:
- Define the Win/Win Business Opportunity – SWOT & Critical assessment of any contingencies, Consider Macro/micro issues, PESTLE, Industry, Competitive and market forces.
- Develop the Plan – Minimize assumptions validate data identify sensitivities
- Assemble organise and collate and evaluate data
- Analyse & interpret data
- Identify & Summarize key findings & Issues
- Develop treatment, implementation and action program
- Review the Analysis & Action Steps with the Decision Maker Review purpose, approach, conclusions & tactics for implementation
- Refine and distribute action program with monitoring feedback & control mechanisms and checklist.
Common Category Management Category Review Mistakes
- Believing your buyer knows less than you do
- Trying to push buyers into buying stock that will not turn over fast enough
- Presenting without sophisticated market research and information analysis
- A shoe-string budget
- Not understanding the purpose of a Category Management Category Review
Category Review and Management
Optimise your Category Management opportunity with insightful Market Segmentation, P.E.E.R.S.M.A.R.T. Marketing Planning and a collaborative understanding of Marketing.
Ask us to undertake a comprehensive Category Review, or if you’re confident, simply use the Category Review Template we’ve compiled below.
Category Management Training Workshop
Click here to download our latest Category Management training workshop that provides details of the content. Category Management Training Workshop Outline.
… or contact us to scope put your own, in-house, training workshop!
Category Review Template
Ask us to undertake a comprehensive Category Review, or if you’re confident, simply use the Category Review Template we’ve compiled below.
23 Things to Think About for a Category Review
- Category Management Overview
- Retailer Strategy
- Category Definition
- Category Roles
- Category Strategies
- Market Segments
- Data Sources
- Category Assessment
- Sales Fundamentals
- Category Management with Limited Data
- Implementation of the Category Plan
- Effective Category Management Analysis
- Accurate Category Assessment
- Promotion Analysis
- Pricing Analysis
- Fact Based Selling & Category Review
- Space Management Issues & Practice
- Advanced Shelving Solutions
- Cross Channel Conversion
- Psychology of Shopper Behaviour
- Retailer Economics & Strategic Supply Chain Management
- Strategic Selling & Collaborative Business Planning
- Competitive Assessment & Competition Analysis
Not Confident about New Line Submissions, Category Reviews or Category Management?
If you have read this far, you may want to talk with someone who can help… so why wait? Get started now… Just fill out this form and consultant will get back to you ASAP. Remember, “Procrastination is the thief of time” and the sooner you know watch direction you are going in, the sooner you’ll achieve your goals!
