Category composition and product variety are rapidly expanding across all retail verticals. In the Bev/Alc industry, a widening selection of products has created a confusing shopper landscape and has catalyzed widespread customer exploration and declines in brand loyalty. This presents a new set of challenges to both retailers and brands. It is increasingly difficult to proactively manage inventory and promotional initiatives. Wider product variety adds further complexity due to shelf-space constraints, causing friction between brands and retailers as they make decisions pertaining to the management of unproven SKUs. In this presentation, the speakers will demonstrate how retailers and brands can better align their category management strategy with using key drivers of consumer psychology. They will:

• Highlight the consumer trends that will have the greatest impact on brands’ and retailers’ businesses in the future.
• Demonstrate how brands and retailers can use a deeper understanding of how consumers make decisions to make low-cost, low-effort adjustments to their category management, merchandising and promotional strategies to find success in an increasingly dynamic market.
• Provide a few key concepts for retailers and brands to help them optimize their operations for greater shopper efficiency.