CATEGORY MANAGEMENT
Category development and optimization
Increasing distinctiveness and gaining market share, with healthy returns
Assortment is one of the key drivers of distinctiveness. Category Management has the important task of keeping the assortment up to date and also achieving targets on sales, margin and market share.
Gwynt has extensive experience in category management and we understand the daily hectic nature of retail and supplier-side operations. We provide support on various issues, when necessary also as (interim) category manager or project manager. Conceivable topics include creating a strategic plan, improving processes, promoting cooperation between departments or customer-supplier and accelerating innovation processes.
Why category management?
- Increase sales and profitability of a category
- Improve relevance to customer resulting in higher customer satisfaction
- Increase differentiation through the right offering
- More efficient operation: more efficient purchasing, inventory and assortment management
- Optimization of marketing and promotions
- Making a category more sustainable: less waste, making (own brand) products more sustainable, healthier offerings
- The right products in the right place: an omnichannel approach with a differentiated offering
It has been a very valuable approach to start working together constructively and that it makes you see things in processes that you can continue to improve continuously. You are never done. We were able to reduce inventory significantly thanks to the implementation.
OUR VISION OF CATEGORY MANAGEMENT
Category Management is a profession dat is constantly evolving. Our vision is that it starts with formulaic principles and commercial frameworks. Based on this, a strategic category plan (3-5 years) and/or annual plan is created. This includes Among other trends, competitive insights, category development, focal points and a roadmap for implementation. Next the plan must be implemented in cooperation with various departments.
What Gwynt can help with:
- Sharpening formula principles or commercial frameworks
- Improve data-driven work by implementing tools and training category managers
- Establish or improve processes, such as strategic category plans, annual plans, own brand, item markup, price, promotion
- Improve collaboration by clarifying roles and responsibilities
- Support in implementing differentiated offerings
- Interim category management