Shopper Centric Category Management in Convenience Stores: a Qualitative Study

Abstract

The literature shows that category management is an important concept and tool for retailers and suppliers, but that there is a trend to move to a more shopper-centric category management approach, linked to the shoppermarketing approach. However, the knowledge on this issue is scarce on some retailing sectors, like convenience stores. The present study is focused on convenience stores, with the main purpose of finding out to what extent non-major food retailers successfully adopt a shopper-centric category management. The study is relevant in order to evaluate if a more shopper-centric approach is adequate to smaller companies/stores. To accomplish that goal, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted among convenience store retailers and suppliers. Six semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with Commercial Directors and Trade Marketing Managers. This data was complemented with thirteen interviews with shopper marketing experts. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis technique, identifying themes, categories, subcategories, units of meaning and relations. The results revealed that convenience store retailers use some of the principles and techniques of the shopper-marketing and shopper-centric category management approaches, which they do in a non-standardized and non-formal approach or process. Their suppliers (the manufacturers) do it in a more formal and structured manner, probably as a result of previous interaction with major supermarkets chains. Both direct and indirect evidences of a shopper-centric approach were found, which, however, were slight, discrete and not formal.

Influence of Food and Beverage Companies on Retailer Marketing Strategies and Consumer Behavior

“…Twenty articles were identified that described TPP used by manufacturers to influence retailer marketing strategies [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Of these, 13 articles were published in the peer-reviewed literature or through conference proceedings and seven articles were published in trade publications.…”

“…Eleven articles focused on category management [ 27 , 28 , 31 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 43 , 44 ]. Category management is the collaboration between manufacturers and retailers to make decisions regarding product assortment, space allocation, pricing, and in-store promotion for entire product categories.…”

“…Categories (e.g., ice cream, yogurt) are treated as strategic business units to ensure maximum efficiency and boost sales for the whole category, rather than for individual brands [ 27 ]. Category management typically uses a shopper-centric and research-based approach to promote consumer satisfaction and loyalty [ 39 , 41 , 44 ].…”