The Category Management Handbook

Stage 3Analysis

Overview and benefits of this stage

At the heart of category management is the pursuit of an overarching strategy to manage corporate expenditure. The strategy needs to be both dynamic and flexible in order to adapt to changes in the competitive environment, hence the need for an iterative approach. Often the base facts and data within a category do not change much over the short term, but external markets can change rapidly, and so the overarching strategy for the category needs to change accordingly.

This stage of category management can be one of the most rewarding and challenging sets of activities within the full end-to-end process. To be certain of adding value, an accurate fact base and solid foundation of research are ...