Sue Nicholls, Founder & President CMKG

Embracing the Joy of Learning and Teaching. Hi there! I'm deeply passionate about training and learning. Since the pioneering days of category management at P&G in the '80s, I've been fortunate to embark on a journey of teaching and inspiring others. My career has been a delightful tapestry woven with long-term collaborations with major retailers and CPG executives, contributing to industry standards, and sharing insights at numerous conferences. I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to shape minds as an Adjunct Professor in Marketing, focusing on consumer behavior.

150 Hours of Knowledge and Countless Moments of Insight. Creating over 150 hours of online curriculum and leading hundreds of instructor-led sessions has been an enriching experience. I've had the honor of collaborating with diverse professionals across the globe, adapting to an ever-evolving industry. The goal? To forecast the future and equip our learners with the skills to thrive and stay relevant.

Learning: A Collective Adventure. I believe learning is a dynamic journey that encompasses individuals, teams, organizations, and yes, even us training professionals. It's not about rigid methods but nurturing a continuous, evolving process. My aim through this blog and other platforms is to share my wealth of experience and encourage open, ongoing dialogues. Together, we can enhance any team's ability to implement effective business strategies and realize their strategic goals. Let's embark on this learning adventure together, growing and evolving with every shared experience! Happy learning!

Recent Posts

Category Definition: 3 Considerations For Success

Who owns Category Definition in the store anyways? Determining the best definition for categories (including their segments) is one of the core foundations in category management. In its simplest form, defining categories is about what items belong in a category based on Shopper expectations — and this responsibility belongs to the Retailer. It sounds like an easy task, but in practice, it is not because there are many considerations in this strategic component of category management. Here are some great resources from CMKG for you to get started: Category Definition & Segmentation course preview (video) Category Definition complimentary download Category Definition & Segmentation certified course details Before you define your categories, read these 3 considerations.
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Why be “Retailer Centric” in your Category Management Approach?

Who really owns Category Management? When working with clients and students, I often ask them, “who owns the category management process?” About 50% respond “both Retailer and Vendor”, 30% respond “the Vendor” and 20% think it’s the Retailer. It is actually the Retailer who owns the process – Vendors play a role in the process to provide data and resources as category experts but they don’t own the process. Retailers each have their own unique approach to category management based on their internal strategies, guidelines and processes and Vendors work with them to develop strategic category plans and improve the Shopper experience. Here are some great resources from CMKG for you to get started: “Retailer Strategy” course preview (video) Category Management Continuum complimentary download "Retailer Strategy" certified course details
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Category Management Overview - Back To The Foundations

Category Management is evolving. Are you? Category Management has been around for a long time. It was introduced in the early 1990s as part of Efficient Consumer Response to address the industry problems associated with the entire demand and supply operating continuum. It has evolved – and continues to evolve – as the Shopper changes, data and technology become more sophisticated, digital continues to play a bigger role and organizations are striving to achieve collaboration with their retail and vendor partners. Despite all of these industry changes, many organizations fail to make the necessary changes internally to meet the changing needs. Here are some great resources from CMKG for you to get started: “Category Management Overview” course preview (video) Category Management Continuum complimentary download "Category Management Overview" certified course details
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Improve Shopper Satisfaction With Category Management Foundations

Collaboration + Shopper Marketing How can you be successful in both? This is what the Category Management Association (CMA) has to say, “Building a marketing plan ‘through the eyes of the Shopper’ to create value for both the Retailer and Vendor requires collaboration using the best practice methodologies, insights, data and tools available. Category Management can serve as the umbrella under which the collaborative process is facilitated” (Strategic Collaboration for Shopper Satisfaction, 2015). Here are some great resources from CMKG for you to get started: "Strategic Collaboration: Are you Really Prepared?" blog posting Understanding Shopper Trip Missions complimentary download
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Moving your team to a fact-based sales approach

Fact-based skills are a requirement in today's world The combination of an increasingly complex world, the vast proliferation of data and the need to stay one step ahead of the competition has sharpened focus on using analytics within organizations. Here are some great downloads from Category Management Knowledge Group for you to get started on fact based sales: Turning Data Into Insights complimentary download 5 Requirements for Compeling, Fact-Based Presentations infographic complimentary download
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Increasing Shopper Data ROI - Here’s what you need to know

Move toward increasing shopper data ROI in your organization with these 4 “must haves”. Most retailer and supplier organizations purchase shopper data — whether it's used to collaborate with your business partners, measure results vs. objectives, forecast, make fact-based decisions, find business opportunities, etc. The problems come with how to analyze category management data and then understand how to tie in action with data analysis. Data is getting more complex and even more costly. Do you know if your team is generating a return on your organization’s data investment by knowing how to turn that data into action? Here are some great resources for you to help you improve your data ROI: Training video previews with accredited content on “Category Assessment” (plus other previews) from Category Management Knowledge Group Infographic on “How to Increase ROI On Your Data Investment”
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You CAN Do Category Management on Limited Data

How do you use category management analytics when you have limited data? To complete analytics, you obviously need data. In fact, it’s one of the key requirements in category management and to strategically understand and measure your business. Despite all of the new data sources available in today’s world, many of us still find ourselves in “low data” scenarios – whether it’s in an entire industry, a region or a category. Are you in a limited data environment but want to learn how to be more strategic in your approach? Here are some great resources to help you do category management on limited data: Category Management Continuum: A complimentary download that walks you through the different levels of category management you can practice in a limited data environment Free Resource on “How to Address Data Gaps in a Limited Data Environment"
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Strategic Collaboration - Are You Really Prepared?

Strategic collaboration is a buzzword in the industry. Many Retailers and Vendors have it embedded somewhere in their strategic plans for 2015. Do you have a plan on how to get there? Here are some great resources for you to get started on collaboration: Category Management Training video previews with accredited content on “Collaborative Business Planning” and “Retailer Strategy” (plus other previews) from Category Management Knowledge Group
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