Course Description

This course is designed to review the purpose, rationale and evolution of the industry’s Best Practices in category management. Participants will build awareness and experience by creating a fictitious, but realistic, category plan, adhering to the best practice approach. Each step in the planning and implementation process will be illuminated through real-life industry examples, underscoring the most effective way to achieve category differentiation by employing insight, strategy and initiative design and execution.

Learning Objectives

• Learn the purpose, rationale and practices of category management
• Recognize the advantages stemming from the evolution of category management to shopper & category development
• Identify the key steps of the shopper & category development process
• Understand how retailers and manufacturers collaborate most effectively in each area of category plan development and deployment
• Identify key implementation watch-outs, tools and enablers
• Plan how to practice shopper & category development in their company, the next day, with or without a formal, corporate-wide program

Delivery

• Instructor led
• Webinar
• Experiential

Target Audience

Any person from a Manufacturer, Retailer, Distributor or Agency, within the Consumer Product Goods industry, who seeks a basic, actionable understanding of Shopper and Category Development and how Category Management has Evolved. Typical participants include roles such as Category Managers, Buyers, Merchandisers, Account Executives, Brand Managers, Pricing & Promotion Managers, Finance Managers, Business Managers, Operations Managers, Retail or Sales Strategy Managers, Trade Marketers, Category Analysts, etc.

Supported Behaviors

Strategic Business Planning
Analysis & Insights
Trading Partner Development