Category Managers. The kind of people the world needs more of. The supermarket shelf. Where two world views collide. Sometimes being in Category Management might feel like being a United Nations peacekeeper, a global summit negotiator, or like you dropped into an episode of Game of Thrones. (We have a whole booklet of cartoons
Stop looking for the killer insight Insight can be many things. For some, it’s a department buried deep within a business. If you’re lucky it’s the hub that drives a culture of new ideas. Willy Wonka’s secret lab where the unbelievable or unknown are whipped into a deliciously warm bar of ‘oooooh, that’s interesting!’
These insights about beer shopping behaviour were first published as part of The Grocer's Alcohol Category Report 2020. From Lock-in to Lockdown: changes in Beer Shopping Behaviour during Covid Corona anyone? This may have sounded like a tasteless joke as we entered this pandemic. Yet, somewhat ironically, the Mexican lager brand has seen a
We all cook World Foods on Instagram. But what happens in-store? These insights were first published as part of The Grocer's World Foods Category Report 2020 (Nov 2020). Figures have been updated to reflect our most recent data. Do you miss eating out during the pandemic? Dream about your favourite restaurant's flavours - let
Cut the cr*p and be a better storyteller When was the last time you were asked to show more charts? I suspect that’s never happened. However, if you haven’t created a deck with 64 slides of charts and one slide of recommendations, I’m sure you’ve seen one. If you’re a Category Manager then you’re
What’s so good about two people conversing? My phone hardly ever rings these days. I am inundated by emails. My family now seem to prefer WhatsApp. Business life is dominated by Zoom meetings and webinars. What I crave is old fashioned conversation. By phone is OK (yes, it does actually work as a phone,
There are 3 types of Category Manager. Only one is of any real use. I’m not a classically trained Category Manager, I’m not sure many of us are. If you were lucky enough to be given formal training, or taught by someone who was, you’ll be familiar with the framework we all work to, more
Shoppers heavily rely on promotions We see a heavy reliance on promotions and shoppers certainly notice it! 30% of shoppers claim to buy on promotions in the Oral Care, Personal Care and Toiletries department. The store average (across 165 FMCG categories) is only 23%. Despite this promotional awareness, it
If you're a Category Manager are you the next CEO or stuck for life? “Let’s be realistic, if you stay in Category then the best you can hope for is heading up the Category Team. After that if you want to go up, you’ll have to get out.” You might not have been told
About the author: Bill Bean is Vice President of Insights and Research at Shopper Intelligence USA. He is a nationally recognized American senior marketing executive with expertise in marketing analytics, shopper insights and innovative tech solutions in shopper research. This article was first published in Quirk's Media in July/August 2020, posted here with permission.
