Learn how to build strategic thinking into your analysis to understand more advanced Shopper solutions I’ve been writing and speaking about the components of category management which relate directly to the Category Management Association’s certification requirements, including: Steps of the category management process and the importance of Retailer strategy; Key data sources available and the different data insights to uncover; Drilling through data (including in a limited data environment) to discover strategic insights; and Assessing the health of your business.

Retail POS (point of sale data) is the “king” of category management data. Are you maximizing the use of this important data source? Retailer Scanned point of sale data and Retailer Measurement data from 3rd parties like Nielsen and IRI (key account data) are derived from scanned point of sale data. Together, these 2 variations of POS data are the primary data sources with which we do category management work.

Have you had some stumbling blocks creating plans that get executed at retail? So you've completed an incredible category analysis, derived compelling data insights and tied in your analysis with some tactical changes to drive action in the category. Whether these are formal category plans for retail, or tied in with a new product launch or new news about a category, your work isn't done—now it needs to be implemented. Get ready to learn how to create a category plan that kills it! How many of you have either approved a plan at your desk (as a Category Manager or Buyer) or been given approval for the plan (as a Salesperson or Category Management Analyst), but it never ends up being successfully implemented in stores? I think we all have!

Here’s why you shouldn’t treat all your categories the same… Imagine a retailer who sells hundreds of categories and treats each of them exactly the same – including decisions on assortment, shelving, promotions and pricing. Remember – equal treatment would require the same number of resources and time spent against every category. Sound like a good idea? Absolutely not! Retailers need to assign roles across categories to get a broad look at their category mix, determine the category’s relative importance, and apply similar tactical strategies across categories with the same role. This is an important foundation of their overall Retailer strategy. Here are some great resources from CMKG for you to get started on your learning journey: Category Roles: Category management training course preview (video) Complimentary download that reviews the roles of the category Certified course details Before you determine roles for your categories, consider these 3 factors.