Who is a Category Manager and what does he do?

Currently, the profession of a category manager is gaining great popularity. This position is quite common in large companies. Today we will talk about the main features of this profession and the history of its emergence.

Category manager should be involved in managing the assortment of products in large stores to maximize sales. The employee holding this position is directly involved in purchasing, storing goods, as well as in merchandising and sales. Such a manager must be well versed in logistics, economics and marketing.

All products that fall into the same category, as a rule, have the same transportation and storage conditions. The entire assortment can consist of interrelated or interchangeable goods. This profession implies multifunctionality, the ability to make quick independent decisions. Commodity turnover and the income received largely depend on such an employee.

This unusual and heterogeneous position implies a fairly wide range of powers and tasks. It is considered a prestigious trade profession and is characterized by high wages. The profession of a category manager offers good career prospects.Experienced specialists can become successful leaders of various trade organizations. Often they also later become brand managers or even owners of their own business.

But it should be remembered that this position is considered quite complex due to its versatility. It assumes a high level of employee responsibility and strongly depends on the state of the market for goods in this category. The position of a category manager occupies a high place in the general hierarchy of employees within the company, so their share in the open market today is relatively small.

Category management work first appeared in the United States in the early 1990s. Brian Harris is considered the founder of the new profession.... He proposed to manage separate categories of goods, to perceive them as separate units on the market. The theory developed by Harris quickly gained great popularity, as it helped to significantly increase production efficiency in a short time. This economic strategy has become an excellent retail option.

Harris believed that managing a specific category was much easier than managing a line item. In Russia, the specialty of a category manager is still underdeveloped and widespread. But with the constant growth of competition in the market for goods, this profession is beginning to gain more and more popularity.

A Category Manager has several important responsibilities.

• Purchase and subsequent control of the stock of goods... This function involves working with suppliers of products, monitoring the shelf life of products.
• Control over pricing. The category manager must make forecasts for the rate of sale of the assortment, as well as monitor the margins on products.
• Sales promotion... This function includes the launch of advertisements, promotions, sales.
• Assortment formation... The manager must carefully study the demand of consumers for this category, analyze the range of competitors, calculate the profit from sales.

In addition to these main tasks, the category manager must also coordinate the work of all merchandisers and forwarders, look for suppliers with the most favorable terms and establish relationships with regular suppliers. In addition, such a production specialist is obliged to approve marketing plans and projects for the fastest possible sale of the assortment, analyze the profit of goods individually and for the entire category as a whole. Such a specialist can develop wholesale and retail price lists, organize storage and delivery of products. His competence also includes planning the quantity of volumes of goods for sales and deliveries. At the same time, this employee is not responsible for the correctness of the pricing process and for the formation of a balance. The specialist only indicates the most favorable prices for the products of the assortment. Its design is the responsibility of other employees.

The tasks facing the category manager can be roughly divided into two large groups:

• implementation of the planned turnover and profit;
• organizing all the necessary supplies of goods and establishing relationships with suppliers.

To become a Category Manager, there are a number of prerequisites that must be met. Among them are the presence of higher education (in specialties related to economics, marketing or management). Sometimes incomplete higher education is allowed. Besides, the specialist must have a good knowledge of the PC. First of all, this concerns the 1C program. He is also required to have a good knowledge of the features of the promoted products. Often employers indicate as a prerequisite experience in procurement and sales.

Employers can establish additional desirable conditions for specialists. So, many require knowledge of English (both written and spoken), knowledge of a foreign language is most often required in companies that actively cooperate with firms in other countries. Knowledge of financial accounting and merchandising is also a plus.

If you want to get a Category Manager position, then you must have such essential qualities as creativity and emotional balance. In addition, such a specialist must have an analytical mindset and have a desire to achieve their goals. For such an employee, sociability, friendliness, good knowledge of business etiquette are also important.

Such specialists can work in trading companies and network firms (wholesale and retail plan), in supply departments at manufacturing enterprises.

Before taking this position in a large company, it is necessary to undergo training in higher educational institutions at the faculties of economics, management or marketing and to know well the basic principles and mechanisms of the functioning of the goods market. Each specialist must learn to understand how purchases from suppliers are carried out and how warehouse accounting is done. The employee must learn the special rules for placing goods in the store.

If you are going to work with foreign trading companies, then you definitely need to gain knowledge on the basis of foreign economic activity (foreign economic activity), as well as be fluent in a foreign language. Most employers give preference to individuals who have previously completed special courses, preferably an MBA degree (Master of Business Administration). The most common and in demand in this area are courses related to the basics of merchandising and sales promotion, competitive category management in the retail sector, and more.

It is also possible to take separate courses on financial analysis and, of course, commodity science. Knowledge in the field of advertising is also desirable. In some cases, professionals already employed in large trade enterprises may receive training in this new profession. Many employers point out that employees show good results within six months.

Many employers point out that the resume of a person who wants to get a job as a category manager must reflect all the qualities necessary for this specialty. At the same time, the employee may not have experience in the field of trade, but possess ambition, the ability to analyze the financial situation and the market as a whole, make the necessary decisions quickly, and have a business acumen.