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Category Management

At ShopAbility, we are highly experienced in Category Management. We have managed and developed categories in blue-chip global FMCGs ourselves, and we now train the industry on best practice Category Management principles.

We help you to determine your category vision and strategic direction, starting with:

  • Category definition and segmentation
  • Category type and role for shoppers and retailers
  • Category drivers – current and future
  • Implications for suppliers and retailers

We work across the whole gamut of traditional in store sales drivers (RSVP3):

ShopAbility can provide comprehensive Category Management services via our outsourced Trade Marketing department, and we can train your people in best practice Category Management know-how via our FMCG Training programs.

We also provide a pathway from traditional Category Management toward Category Development for suppliers desiring a future-focussed approach and broader category vision.

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Category Development is about:

  • Identifying and surfing category trend waves for maximum growth
  • Step change for tomorrow via identifying future category influences
  • Action planning to leverage the identified trends and influences.

Benefits of the Category Development approach over and above traditional Category Management are:

  • Growing the entire category – overindex in your share of that growth
  • Take category leadership and expert position with retailers
  • Provide overarching vision and platform for all activities in the category
  • Unified direction for cross functional teams and plans (sales, marketing, category, trade marketing, customer)
  • In-depth category understanding

Outputs of the Category Development program include:

  • Market overview – trends & influences
  • Prioritised opportunities and category drivers
  • Category vision
  • Actionable category plan with timeframes per activity
  • Compelling retailer sell story
  • Scorecards and trade standards for subsequent trial and roll out
  • Field training to implement the above

Key Applications:

  • NPD and Range: new products for newly identified category segments and for existing category segments based on new occasions
  • Pack: new pack for new occasions
  • Instore marketing: theatre, occasion-based messaging, layout and merchandising
  • Marketing and above the line: messaging and occasions, campaign opportunities

We also offer comprehensive Category Management Training, feel free to visit our Training page.

Related service areas also include Shopper Marketing (Point of Purchase strategy) and Route to Market (channel activation).

To discuss your Category Management needs, call Peter Huskins on 0412 574 793 or Norrelle Goldring on 0411 735 190.