Assistant Category Manager - General merchandise

Job Description

We are looking for a data-driven and customer-obsessed Assistant Category Manager Gifts to lead the growth, profitability, and assortment strategy of our gifting portfolio. This role will own end-to-end category performance from sourcing, new launches, curation and pricing to promotions and inventory planning.

You will work cross-functionally with merchandising, marketing, supply chain, and performance teams to drive revenue, margin, and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities:

Category Strategy & Growth

• Own P&L for the Gifts category.
• Define category roadmap aligned with seasonal and occasion-based demand (Valentines Day, Diwali, Christmas, Mothers Day, etc.).
• Identify white spaces and new product opportunities through data and trend analysis.
• Drive revenue, margin, AOV, and conversion rate growth.
• Monitor and analyze sales performance, customer trends, and competitor activities to optimize category performance

Assortment Planning & Merchandising

• Curate and optimize product assortment (bundles, personalization, premium gifting, etc.).
• Develop and maintain a compelling product assortment that aligns with customer preferences and market trends.
• Manage product lifecycle from ideation to launch and phase-out.
• Ensure strong online merchandising: collections, filters, product positioning.

New Product Launches:

• Lead the planning and execution of new product launches within the category, ensuring product visibility and engagement.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to develop promotional strategies and campaigns for new products.
• Track the performance of new launches, making necessary adjustments based on data insights.

Pricing & Promotions

• Develop pricing strategy based on competition and demand elasticity.
• Plan seasonal campaigns and promotional calendars and events.
• Collaborate with performance marketing for demand forecasting and offer structuring.

Performance Analysis and Reporting:

• Regularly monitor category KPIs such as sales, margins, stock levels, and customer engagement metrics.
• Prepare weekly and monthly performance reports, highlighting key insights, trends, and actionable recommendations.
• Use data analytics to make informed decisions on product curation, pricing, and marketing strategies.

Inventory Management and Liquidation:

• Oversee inventory levels to ensure optimal stock availability while minimizing excess inventory.
• Develop strategies to manage slow-moving and obsolete stock, including clearance sales, discounting, or repurposing.
• Ensure efficient liquidation of old inventory to avoid obsolescence and maximize revenue.
• Demand planning and forecasting for peak seasons.
• Optimize stock turn and minimize dead inventory.

Vendor and Supplier Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors and suppliers to negotiate better terms, product availability, and timely deliveries.
• Conduct regular vendor performance reviews to ensure consistent product quality and service levels.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with marketing, visual merchandising (VM), upload, and content teams to ensure seamless execution of category plans.
• Provide input to the marketing team for creating promotional campaigns that drive traffic and conversions.
• Collaborate with the upload team to ensure accurate and timely product uploads with correct descriptions and imagery.

Market Research and Trend Analysis:

• Stay updated on industry trends, competitor strategies, and consumer behaviour to maintain a competitive edge in the market.
• Conduct regular market research to identify new opportunities for category growth and expansion.

Key Requirements

• 36+ years of experience in category management, ecommerce merchandising, or buying.
• Experience in ecommerce (preferred).
• Strong analytical skills with comfort in Excel/Sheets & data dashboards.
• Experience in gifting, lifestyle, FMCG, or consumer brands is a plus.
• Strong understanding of seasonal retail cycles.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.

Key KPIs

• Revenue & Gross Margin
• Inventory Turnover
• Sell-through %
• AOV & Conversion Rate
• Stock-out Rate
• New Product Success Rate
• Availability fill rate