Category Manager

Job Description: Category Lead – Buying & Merchandising (Footwear)

SUMMARY

To lead the Footwear category by offering the right assortment aligned with customer preferences and market trends, ensuring achievement of budgeted targets (sales, margin, stock turns, and sell-through). The role focuses on driving category growth through innovation, range optimization, vendor partnerships, and cross-functional collaboration while adapting to evolving fashion trends and consumer behavior.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Planning

• Achieve category targets (sales, margin, stock turn, and sell-through) by developing a competitive and customer-relevant footwear assortment.
• Plan product launches ahead of seasons, ensuring timely execution of collections aligned with footwear trends, seasonal demands.
• Collaborate with the planning team to create assortments that balance style, price, and functionality for various consumer segments.
• Incorporate feedback from planning, retail operations, and customer insights to refine the range continuously.
• Ensure strict adherence to the buying calendar and pre-defined category milestones.
• Select product lines considering materials ,design elements, comfort features, price points, and value propositions.
• Finalize the product assortment and approve commercial selling prices to ensure competitiveness and profitability.

Market Focus and Strategy

• Understand customer behavior, aspirations, activity-based requirements, and lifestyle trends to translate them into category offerings.
• Conduct regular competitor analysis to stay informed of market pricing, offers, and assortment strategies.
• Bridge customer needs with product development by collaborating with designers and influencing the creative process with data-backed insights.
• Lead post-launch performance analysis, identify gaps, and implement corrective measures quickly.
• Work with the marketing team to highlight footwear launches through campaigns, influencer tie-ups, and digital platforms.
• Lead market visits with the team to study competitor offerings, customer footfall, and retail execution.

Vendor Management

• Build and nurture long-term partnerships with footwear vendors and manufacturers, ensuring a consistent supply chain.
• Develop a pipeline of alternative vendors to safeguard supply and enable category scalability.
• Orient vendors about the company's expectations regarding design, quality, sustainability, and delivery schedules.
• Provide inputs for vendor evaluation based on quality, pricing, capacity, and reliability.
• Oversee order placement and approval of materials, styles, molds, and pre-production samples.
• Ensure on-time delivery and resolve escalations related to vendor delays, quality issues, or material shortages.
• Support vendors with order consolidation, cost optimization, and bulk buying strategies.
• Strengthen vendor relationships by building a collaborative and solution-oriented support system.

Financial Planning

• Manage and optimize the Open-to-Buy (OTB) budget for the Footwear category ensuring maximum ROI.
• Analyze costing structures, pricing strategies, and margin behavior to guide commercial decision-making.
• Lead vendor negotiations to achieve favorable commercial terms without compromising product quality.
• Monitor category performance to ensure budget discipline and profitability.

Product Presentation

• Work closely with the marketing and visual merchandising teams to ensure impactful footwear displays across all stores.
• Plan new product launches, effective space utilization, and suggest fixture improvements to enhance product visibility.
• Collaborate with retail teams to develop and review Planograms, ensuring consistent brand presentation.
• Drive initiatives to enhance in-store experience, making footwear displays attractive, accessible, and customer-friendly.

People Management

• Build, coach, and mentor a high-performing team to achieve category goals and develop footwear-specific expertise.
• Foster engagement, motivation, and ownership within the team.
• Identify and groom emerging leaders with footwear product knowledge, attention to detail, and merchandising insights.
• Encourage cross-functional collaboration to enhance learning and execution.