WILTON, Conn. -- A new brand of category management -- Consumer Marketing at Retail -- is emerging in the consumer packaged goods industry, according to a survey from Cannondale Associates, a marketing consulting firm here.
While traditional category management is typically defined as a "distributor/supplier process of managing categories as strategic business units," CMAR calls for "influencing purchase behavior by marketing to the consumer in-store to deliver improved manufacturer/retailer results."
CMAR must begin and end with the consumer, starting with actionable insight and delivering the desired purchase behavior and satisfaction.
According to the study, too many category management efforts are focused on swapping volume across brands or time periods, as opposed to driving truly incremental consumption or trading shopping up to higher-value and higher-margin alternatives.
To begin moving toward CMAR, marketers should consider the following:
Think outside traditional category or product bounds. Organize efforts around the appropriate group of categories, aisle, occasion or department.
