Manager Category, Shopper

Roles and Responsibilities:

1. Category, Consumer & Shopper Insight Leadership:

Lead the insights agenda by understanding both consumers and shoppers their behaviors, motivations, and purchase patterns. Conduct analyses such as basket composition (what products are bought together), brand-switching trends (why shoppers move between brands), product incrementality (how new products contribute to incremental growth), distribution/brand performance, and consumer preference mapping . Turn these insights into actionable recommendations that shape strategy, strengthen brand positioning, and maintain category leadership.

2. Portfolio & Assortment Optimization:

Evaluate existing and new product performance to optimize assortment, considering consumer preferences, purchasing behavior, and demand patterns . Recommend which products should be stocked where, how they should be displayed, and how to maximize sales per shelf space, ensuring alignment with both shopper needs and consumer expectations.

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Trade Marketing, and Supply Chain teams to ensure insights about consumers, shoppers, and categories are embedded in business decisions. Act as a trusted advisor , translating complex data into actionable insights and helping teams understand what drives consumer choices.

4. Market & Channel Analysis:

Monitor distribution channels, identify gaps, and evaluate store-level performance. Recommend strategies to expand reach, improve visibility, and increase sales , ensuring that both consumer needs and shopper behaviors are effectively addressed across all channels.

5. Digital & Social Listening:

Analyze online consumer conversations, trends, and sentiments via social media and digital platforms. Convert these findings into actionable insights that guide marketing campaigns, innovation, and engagement strategies, reflecting the real-time voice of the consumer.

6. Insight to Action:

Transform complex data into clear, actionable insights and recommendations . Present findings in ways that help the business understand consumer motivations, category dynamics, and shopper behavior , leading to strategies that drive growth, engagement, and market share.

7. Business Planning & Forecasting Support:

Support business planning, forecasting, and performance reviews by providing data-backed insights into consumer demand and category trends . Help predict trends, identify growth opportunities, and guide decision-making to improve overall business performance.

8. Tools, Processes & Best Practices:

Develop and maintain dashboards, templates, and standardized processes to ensure insights are delivered consistently and accurately. Leverage data from syndicated sources (Nielsen, Kantar, Ipsos) and advanced analytics techniques to generate actionable insights. Promote best practices in data visualization, reporting, and storytelling , ensuring insights about both consumers and shoppers are easily interpreted and acted upon.

Desired Experience:

• 8/10 years in Category Insights, Shopper & Consumer Analytics, Consumer Research, or Business Intelligence , preferably in FMCG/CPG, Retail, or Consulting.- Hands-on experience with syndicated data sources ( Nielsen, Kantar, Ipsos ) and social listening tools.- Proven ability to translate consumer and shopper insights into actionable business strategies that deliver measurable results.

Desired Competencies:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and data storytelling abilities.
• Proficiency in data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, etc.).
• Deep understanding of FMCG trade dynamics and consumer behavior.
• Effective stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Adaptability in fast-paced and evolving business environments.