The Category Management Association published the first Chapter of CatMan 3.0: Omnichannel Category Management, revealing a first look at the new framework for the rapidly-changing retail industry. The Category Management process is utilized by both retailers and manufacturers industry-wide to define strategies, identify tactics, and measure the results within different retail categories.
Founded in 2004, the Category Management Association (CMA) provides centralized training, certification, and thought leadership to the category management discipline. One of their main responsibilities includes updating the official industry-standard Category Management (CatMan) Process, which has been used by CatMan professionals across the discipline since the 1990s.
The last time CMA updated the CatMan Process was in 2016. Five years later, the time has come to update the process once again. The increased importance of eCommerce and evolving the category management process for the omnichannel world was the impetus for the creation of CatMan 3.0. The level of omnichannel importance will vary by organization and retailer, but it is becoming a greater reality for all companies.
To effectively account for all fulfillment methods and prepare professionals for the future of retail, the CatMan process must be reimagined. That reimagining is CMA’s CatMan 3.0: Omnichannel Category Management, which is available to CMA members now. This updated omnichannel view was developed over the last 8 months by a team of 12 member companies across retailers, manufacturers, and solution providers.
Per its introduction, the goal of CatMan 3.0 is “to provide a playbook for executing wholistic category management across shopping modalities (brick-and-mortar, pureplay eCommerce, click & collect, 3rd party delivery, etc.), including tactical steps to be completed through an omnichannel lens.” For companies new to the practice, this document should serve as a great starting point for establishing a category management process. For those seasoned in the discipline, each step can be reviewed in relation to your current process and advise on adjustments as needed.
“We couldn’t be more excited for the release of CatMan 3.0,” says CMA|SIMA President Mike McMahon. “This comes at a time of unprecedented change within the retail industry. The introduction of a complete omnichannel category management process will provide much-needed clarity and alignment for the industry going forward.”
The new graphical representation of the entire 7-step process as well as Chapter 1 of CatMan 3.0: Insights Immersion is available to all CMA members now. Subsequent chapters will be released in the coming weeks.
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