Category Manager

6 days ago


Greater Bengaluru Area, India EasyBuy Full time ₹ 5,00,000 - ₹ 8,00,000 per year

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.

  • Category Director

    1 week ago


    Greater Bengaluru Area, India AppsForBharat Full time US$ 15,00,000 - US$ 20,00,000 per year

    About the jobJob Title:Category Director - PujaFunction:Category (Puja)Location:HSR Layout, Bangalore (Onsite)Role Type:Full-timeAbout AppsForBharat (Sri Mandir App)AppsForBharat, now a Series C funded faith-tech startup, is backed by India's top venture capital firms including Fundamentum, Susquehanna Asia VC, Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital),...

  • Category Manager

    6 days ago


    Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India dropdash Full time ₹ 4,20,000 - ₹ 5,40,000 per year

    About the RoleWe're looking for a proactive and strategic Category Manager to join our team at Dropdash.You will own and grow a product category – from selecting the right assortment to negotiating with suppliers, defining pricing, and driving profitability. If you have worked with leading fashion/e-commerce companies like Myntra, Ajio, or Nykaa Fashion,...

  • Category manager

    2 weeks ago


    Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Amazon Full time ₹ 10,00,000 - ₹ 25,00,000 per year

    Category Manager, P3Produce, Perishables and Proteins (P3) comprises everyday essentials – F&V, Dairy, Meats & seafood, Frozen RTC etc., all of which are temperature controlled with short shelf life. These categories are frequency drivers to the platform and are critical to improve UPO on Fresh. These categories are considered to be 'basket breakers' and...

  • Category manager

    2 weeks ago


    Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Amazon Full time ₹ 10,00,000 - ₹ 25,00,000 per year

    DESCRIPTIONCategory Manager, P3Produce, Perishables and Proteins (P3) comprises everyday essentials – F&V, Dairy, Meats & seafood, Frozen RTC etc., all of which are temperature controlled with short shelf life. These categories are frequency drivers to the platform and are critical to improve UPO on Fresh. These categories are considered to be 'basket...

  • Category Manager

    3 weeks ago


    Bengaluru, India Unacademy Full time

    About the RoleWe are looking for a dynamic and driven Category Manager to join our team. This role is perfect for someone early in their career who has a flair for marketing, event management, stakeholder collaboration, and campaign execution. You’ll play a key role in driving category growth, optimizing monetization opportunities, and ensuring seamless...

  • Category Manager

    4 weeks ago


    Bengaluru, India Unacademy Full time

    About the Role We are looking for a dynamic and driven Category Manager to join our team. This role is perfect for someone early in their career who has a flair for marketing, event management, stakeholder collaboration, and campaign execution . You’ll play a key role in driving category growth, optimizing monetization opportunities, and ensuring...

  • Category Manager

    4 weeks ago


    Bengaluru, India Masai Full time

    This role is critical for driving Category growth and driving sales in close partnership with Sales, Academic, Product, and other functional teams. As a Category Manager at Masai, you will not only own the P&L of your category but also shape sales strategy, influence conversion funnels, and forge partnerships that directly impact business growth.Key...

  • Category Manager

    1 week ago


    Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Blinkit Full time ₹ 9,00,000 - ₹ 12,00,000 per year

    Company DescriptionBlinkit, a Zomato company, is a leading grocery and e-commerce platform in India. We pioneered the instant delivery model and have over 10 million users shopping on Blinkit for a diverse range of products including groceries, vegetables, emergency supplies, electronics, and more. Our mission is to provide a seamless and efficient shopping...

  • Category Manager

    2 weeks ago


    Bengaluru, India Worko Full time

    Hiring for Worko's partner Company which is fastest growing premium Q-commerce brandRole OverviewThe Category Manager – F&V will own the strategy, growth, and profitability of the fresh produce vertical. The role involves assortment planning, sourcing, vendor management, pricing, and supply chain optimization, ensuring premium quality and consumer delight....

  • Category Manager

    1 week ago


    Bengaluru, India Worko Full time

    Hiring for Worko's partner Company which is fastest growing premium Q-commerce brandRole OverviewThe Category Manager – F&V will own the strategy, growth, and profitability of the fresh produce vertical. The role involves assortment planning, sourcing, vendor management, pricing, and supply chain optimization, ensuring premium quality and consumer delight....