Category Management Fundamentals

Build your knowledge of how categories work, what influences shoppers and how suppliers and retailers use category management to drive growth. Explore the fundamentals of strategy, range, space and promotions, so you can contribute with greater confidence. 

• Moving into category management or building your skills as a category manager or executive 

• An account manager or sales professional wanting to bring a category perspective to customer conversations 

• Working in shopper marketing, insights or another commercial role and looking to understand category decisions 

No previous category management training is needed. 

Strong commercial recommendations start with understanding the category and the people who shop it. 

This course helps you look beyond individual products to see the bigger picture: what shoppers need, where opportunities lie and how working collaboratively can deliver better results. 

Discover how category management connects shopper needs with commercial opportunities. From defining a category to understanding the path to purchase, you’ll explore how strategy, range, space, pricing and promotions work together. 

• Explain how category management benefits suppliers, retailers and shoppers 

• Understand how categories are defined and the roles they play 

• Recognise how shopper missions and purchase decisions influence category choices 

• Identify growth opportunities through a category assessment 

• Understand how category strategy guides range, space, pricing and promotional decisions 

• Bring a more informed, collaborative approach to conversations with customers and colleagues 

Explore practical principles and examples that connect category management to everyday commercial decisions. Build your understanding and identify how to use it in your own role. 

Use Fundamentals as a standalone grounding in category management or as the starting point for your full development journey. 

To complete the full category management journey, take Category Management Fundamentals followed by Advanced Category Management, building on your foundations to develop deeper capability.