Insights for Category Management Best Practice

Why read this White Paper?

Category management is one of the most successful business processes developed in the 20th century.

It is used in one form or another globally by most manufacturers and retailers representing a variety of trade classes and business verticals, especially consumer packaged goods.

The retail landscape has changed dramatically since the discipline (CatMan 1.0) was originally developed in the early 1990s.

This paper summarizes how the industry is modifying category management disciplines (CatMan 2.0) to address the following major changes:

- A more diverse shopper base – in the past 20 years, the shopper base has segmented into a collection of unique behaviors based on a consumer’s lifestyle and life stage.
- New retail formats – since CatMan 1.0, we have seen the growth of supercenters, dollar stores, deep discounters, and online retailers.
- Data – since CatMan 1.0, new data sources including shopper insights, loyalty programs and social media.
- Analytical tools – new hardware and software solutions enable analytics with unprecedented speed and power, at the individual store level.
- Accredited by the Category Management Association
- Success models – 20 years of knowledge about what works and doesn’t work
- Shopper focus – The recognition of the importance of the shopping experience and shopper insights.