Define a category and build a shopper decision tree based on purchase behaviour, not supplier logic.
Marketing & Sales
Category Management and Shelf Strategy for Retail Brands
Master category management fundamentals, from assortment planning and planogramming to shelf strategy, so retail and brand teams grow category sales and defend space with retailers.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Retail buyers reward category captains who bring data-led range and space recommendations, not brands who simply ask for more facings. This course trains category managers, national account managers and shopper insight analysts to run a category review from market definition through to a signed-off planogram. Participants learn to segment a category into decision trees based on shopper behaviour, size an assortment using distribution and rate-of-sale data, and build planogram recommendations that balance retailer profitability with brand visibility. The course covers space-to-sales analysis, range rationalisation during a delist round, and the negotiation skills needed to present a category story that a buyer will act on rather than shelve. Teaching blends live planogramming software walkthroughs, category review case studies from grocery and health and beauty retail, and role-played buyer presentations, so participants finish able to lead a category review end to end and defend shelf space with evidence rather than opinion.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Analyse space-to-sales and space-to-profit data to justify facings for each product segment.
Build a planogram recommendation that balances retailer margin goals with brand visibility.
Lead a range review that rationalises underperforming lines without losing shelf presence.
Prepare a category story and joint business plan that a retail buyer can act on directly.
Assess new product listing requests against category role, incrementality and cannibalisation risk.
Negotiate shelf space and category captaincy status using evidence-based retailer arguments.
Who Should Attend
Category managers and national account managers at consumer goods manufacturers.
Retail buyers and space planners responsible for assortment and planogram decisions.
Shopper insight and category analysts supporting range review submissions.
Trade marketing managers preparing category stories for retailer negotiations.
Brand managers who need to influence distribution and shelf placement decisions.
Commercial teams at retail brands preparing for a category captaincy pitch.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Category Definition and Shopper Decision Trees
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Defining the Category from a Shopper Perspective
- Segment a category using shopper decision trees built from need states rather than product type.
- Map category roles such as destination, routine and convenience to guide retailer strategy.
- Distinguish category boundaries used by different retailer formats and channels.
- Translate shopper segmentation into a range architecture that guides assortment decisions.
Session 2Category Performance Diagnostics
- Analyse category growth, share and penetration data to identify where volume is being won or lost.
- Benchmark category performance against comparable categories to spot underinvestment.
- Identify white space opportunities using gap analysis across price tiers and pack formats.
- Build a category scorecard that tracks distribution, rate of sale and out-of-stock levels.
02Assortment Planning and Range Rationalisation
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Sizing and Structuring the Assortment
- Size an assortment by price tier, pack format and sub-segment using rate-of-sale data.
- Apply the 80/20 rule to identify core, seasonal and long-tail products within a range.
- Model the sales transfer effect of adding or removing items from an existing range.
- Build an assortment matrix that aligns product roles with retailer format and footfall.
Session 2Range Reviews and Delisting Decisions
- Lead a range review that scores products on sales, margin, incrementality and strategic fit.
- Manage a delist round that protects total category sales while removing weak performers.
- Assess cannibalisation risk before recommending a new product listing to a retailer.
- Communicate delisting decisions to affected suppliers and internal stakeholders.
03Space Planning and Planogramming
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Space-to-Sales Analysis and Planogram Principles
- Calculate space-to-sales and space-to-profit ratios to justify facings by segment.
- Apply planogram principles such as eye-level placement, block merchandising and adjacency.
- Use planogramming software to build a shelf layout from a category assortment plan.
- Adjust planograms for store size, format and regional range variation.
Session 2Shelf Strategy for Visibility and Conversion
- Design shelf blocking and vertical merchandising that guides shopper eye movement.
- Evaluate secondary siting and off-shelf display options for incremental category sales.
- Test planogram changes using controlled store trials before a full rollout.
- Audit planogram compliance in store and address gaps between plan and execution.
04Category Stories, Joint Business Plans and Negotiation
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building the Category Story
- Structure a category story that links shopper insight, performance data and a clear recommendation.
- Quantify the expected sales and margin uplift from a proposed range or space change.
- Anticipate buyer objections and prepare evidence-based responses for each one.
- Tailor a category presentation to the commercial priorities of a specific retail format.
Session 2Negotiating Category Captaincy and Retailer Partnership
- Prepare a joint business plan that aligns category goals between the retailer and the brand.
- Negotiate category captaincy status while managing conflicts of interest with competitors.
- Present a range or space recommendation in a mock buyer negotiation and defend it under challenge.
- Agree a review cadence and shared metrics to track the category plan after implementation.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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