Understanding what consumers are purchasing in and across stores is key to addressing issues such as:

• Which products drive category growth?

• Which categories drive store growth?
• Which categories drive department growth?
• Where are the retail opportunities for my category?
• How does my category perform by retail banner?

In addition, getting the right mix and number of products in the category is a challenge. Category Managers face issues, including:

• Assortment – what is the most appropriate product mix?
• What is the optimal number of SKUs within a category / brand?
• Where will volume go if SKUs are deleted?