Category Management: Understanding the Consumer is the Key to Success

As part of the session "Category Managers of the Drogerie Union", Anastasia Dzhafarova, Business Development Director of ROMIR, emphasized the importance of understanding the consumer and their values ​​when working with category management.

19% of spending falls on the "appearance" category, which includes personal care products, as well as sponges, makeup brushes, clothing, shoes and accessories. Nowadays, consumers pay a lot of attention to how they look. In particular, for a young audience under 20, appearance and body beauty are one of the key values.

"Hair care, long and light hair are what is typical in terms of value for young girls. Therefore, all related products (accessories, combs, hair ties) should also be considered within the framework of category management," noted Anastasia Dzhafarova.

According to the expert, in order to attract a buyer to a category and then lead him through other product groups, it is important to correctly build a product matrix so that the category not only sells effectively, but also helps to form loyalty to the chain.

"One of the main formulas for working with a buyer is precisely his retention, repeat purchase, and therefore, no matter what category we are talking about, it is important to understand what the buyer needs today and what he lives for," Anastasia Dzhafarova emphasized.

The expert also noted that facial care products have a saturated competitive market, and the consumer has a wide choice of products. And only through the analysis of values ​​and needs can we identify and offer a new niche product that the consumer needs. And category managers need to work in this direction to achieve results.

"In addition to values, it is necessary to understand the financial capabilities of the consumer and the time they have for self-care. And, as a result, stores that offer online services win. But also, if we talk about offline trade, cross-category displays or promotional offers help save both time and wallet," noted Anastasia Dzhafarova. Anastasia Dzhafarova also emphasized the importance of physical contact with the product and communication with consultants in the store to gain an emotional experience and build loyalty. According to the ROMIR study, 62% answer that when choosing a chain, it is important for them to enjoy making a purchase and 76% - the convenience of the purchase is important.