Improving your Category Range Review Results
Let our team of experts help you to improve the results of your category range review using our proven methodologies and extensive industry experience.
With thousands of products entering the Australian and New Zealand markets each year, only a handful of these will EVER reach the retail shelves.
Many of these products are innovative, fresh, and exciting, but are they what the category needs? And how do they align with your retail customer’s category strategies?
To ensure that the right products are being introduced to already limited shelf space within each category, retail chains conduct category reviews (also known as a business review).
An effective category range review process is an opportunity for brand manufacturers and the retail buyer to develop a collaborative working relationship that is focused on growing the category and improving the shopper’s in-store experience.
TIPs to BOOST your Category Range Review Results!
Category reviews are an opportunity to work more closely with retail buyers to strategize and introduce new products. It’s also the perfect chance to set out future goals and expectations that will grow the category and ultimately benefit the consumer at the shelf.
1. Understand how reviews work.
The first thing to know is that each retailer will most likely have their own way of conducting category reviews. No two categories are the same, and no two retailers use the same process.
But there are some commonalities among category reviews, such as pricing information, growth information, or performance measurement KPIs.
This is an important sales opportunity for your business. Have the right resources and skills in place to build your BEST category argument and to gain the MOST from your business review (and position you as a category leader).
2. Determine the KPI’s of your Retail Buyer
Each retail chain and the category buyer you will deal with will have a different set of objectives (KPIs). It’s crucial that you understand what these drivers are e.g. sales, profit, turns, category growth etc.3.
3. Know your Category and your Range
Utilise your consumer shopping sales data to analyse your category and understand the category trends and growth opportunities. Have a clear picture of which of your products need to be introduced (or removed) and why?
4. Understand the Category Influencer Metrics
The Category Influencer Metrics is a set of business rules or criteria which retail chains such as Woolworths, Coles and Metcash (IGA) use to determine the BEST product range to meet their business performance criteria (performance KPI’s).
5. Determine your Product and Category Risks
It’s important that you build resilience around your product range. Take some time to review your product portfolio and plan for which products should be recommended for deletion to make way for new growth (and sales) opportunities.
6. Plan out your Retail Activation Tasks
There is nothing more embarrassing for retail account managers than not having the trade activation tasks completed on time. Create a trade marketing checklist which contains items such as GS1 Barcode Reports, Planograms, Retail Buying Forms, National Product Catalogue (NPC), RangeMe, and Trade Samples etc.
7. Prepare for your Category Review Sales Presentation
You only get ONE CHANCE to impress your retail buyer and present your category plan. It’s critical that your sales and account managers are well-prepared, and have a quality sales toolkit.
Ensure that you have all the supporting data analysis prepared in easy-to-understand graphical reports, planograms, buying forms, presentation slide deck, and of course, a well-rehearsed retail argument.
8. Adopt Digital
rev™ Branding has helped connect the world’s leading consumer brands with retail buyers through beautifully designed digital brand experiences. We help you to turn a traditional product launch into a carefully orchestrated brand experience using a range of digital brand marketing tools.
rev™ Branding has been able to provide our business with a range of category development services to improve our category review process AND boost the selling skills of our the sales team who deal with our major retail customers like Coles, Woolworths and Metcash.
Elyse Hockley – Simplot Australia
Category Development Programs
rev™ Branding is a specialist brand agency that has helped some of the world’s leading brands to integrate digital technology with their marketing to drive offline AND online sales.
Over the last 20-years, we’ve worked with 70 of the top 100 Global FMCG / CPG brands to change how they market and sell products and connect their brands with today’s consumer.
Our team creates digital brand experiences and high-performance omnichannel marketing campaigns that allow you to expedite access to new markets and increase sales opportunities.
rev™ Go-to-Shelf Solutions help you to achieve;
• Achieve speed-to-market for your NPD and NPI process
• Build credibility and position your company as a category champion
• Improve your ranging, distribution and retailer shelf space management
• Achieve your category milestones to ultimately sell more products
• Optimiseing eCommerce Programs for Cartology and CitrusAd.
1. Category Range Review Service
A professional outsourcing service that helps companies through their category review process. Our experienced team work with you to assess the performance of the category and to determine the best range selection that benefits the retail buyer’s KPIs and the overall development of the category.
Service covers:
• Category Strategy
• Category Tactics
• Category Alignment
• Range Analysis & Tail Assessments
• Range Management
• Category Influencer Metrics
• Trade Pricing Maths
• Category Presentations
• NPD Introduction & Analysis.
2. Visual Merchandising Review Service
Navigating retailer range reviews to gain ranging of products utilising our highly experienced team. Tailored services for smaller suppliers operating within tier-2 & 3 categories. These companies are more focused on category positioning and layouts than a detailed analysis of consumer sales data. We help you to decide the most relevant product range and create layouts that meet your retail buyers’ store design and business objectives.
Service covers:
• Category Strategy
• Category Tactics
• Category Alignment
• Category Influencer Metrics
• Range Management
• Trade Pricing Maths
• Visual Merchandise Display Plan
• Category Presentations
• NPD Go-to-Market Presentations.
3. Sales Presentation Toolkit & Sales Training
Get the most out of your business review meetings and presentations. Our sales-ready toolkit ensures that your account managers and sales team have easy access to relevant category information, development plans and sales tools thus ensuring a professional and unified launch.
Service covers:
• Consumer Research
• Retail Activation Plan
• Promotional Plan
• Sales Presentation Deck
• Retailer Buying Forms
• Retailer Presentation Agenda.
*NEW* Sales Training & Coaching: Sales training workshops to up-skill business and account managers to improve their sales results. [Learn More]
4. Product Risk & Category Resilience
Identify and manage category and product risks ahead of time. Our product portfolio & category risk review helps you to understand any product or category risks well in advance of your category review. We look at your existing range and identify and non-performing products as well as highlighting potential growth opportunity segments.
Program covers:
• Category Review
• Product Range Review
• Category Strategy & Tactics
• Category Alignment
• Range Analysis
• Sales & Shopper Analysis
• Early Engagement Planning
• Risk Summary
• Exit Strategy for non-performing SKUs
• Growth Opportunity Plan.
5. Trade Activation Services
Our outsourced Trade Marketing and Retail Activation Services remove the delays, bottlenecks and distractions by providing an external specialist resource. Let our highly-skilled team handle the completion of tasks such as planograms, GS1 reports, buying forms, NPC data synchronisation etc.
Program covers:
• Planograms & Shelf Space Management
• Item & Price Data Maintenance
• Retailer Buying Forms (UBF)
• National Product Catalogue (NPC) and RangeMe
• GS1 Compliance Reports
• POS Concepts
• Retail Activation Planning
• eCommerce Activation (Coles Online, Woolworths Online etc)
• Gold Standard Space & Range Template.
6. Brand Launch & Marketing Services
Our Brand & Product Launch Marketing service promotes brands and drives consumer engagement.
We bring together powerful strategy, planning, creative and digital to engage your audience through sales-focused campaigns and brand marketing media.
Service covers:
• Brand Identity, Message & Positioning
• Brand Launch Marketing
• Promotional Campaign Development
• Media Buying
• Brand Ambassadors
• Instore Merchandisers
• Affiliate Marketing
• Branded Merchandise & Giveaways
• Consumer Engagement Tactics
• Digital Marketing Campaigns
• eCommerce Paid Search (Coles Online, Woolworths Online)
• Digital Brand Experiences (Augmented Reality)
• Trade Show and Conference Management
• eMarketplaces (eBay, Amazon, Catch, Alibaba…).
7. Digital Media Marketing and Paid Search Campaigns
If you are selling your products through a reseller, retail chain, or perhaps an eMarketplace, these channels often have ‘pay-to-promote’ services that allow you to boost your product’s visibility and expand its brand marketing reach.
Work with a digital agency like rev Branding who has experience managing paid search campaigns for Woolworths (Cartology), Coles (CitrusAd), eBay, Amazon, Google Ads, and Endeavour Marketplace (Cartology).
Learn More >>>
Don’t let your competitors own the online search for your category.
Here to help!
rev™ Go-to-Shelf Solutions
Learn more about how rev Branding helps leading consumer brands with product development, launch, category and eCommerce marketing services?
Category Development Services
Improve Ranging – Gain More Shelf Space – Become a Category Influencer!
Optimise your product launch through market-leading category, shopper and sales activation services from rev™ Branding.
If you need help with your next category review, speak with us about how we can optimise your brand campaigns through market-leading category, shopper and sales activation services.
Contact us on +61 3 9863-7444 or email [email protected]
