CATEGORY MANAGEMENT AS PART OF THE COMPANY’S COMPETITIVE STRATEGY
Winning customer loyalty has a direct say in the increase in sales, therefore, the formation of customers attachment to a particular store or a brand is an important part of a company’s functioning. The article discusses the main trends of consumer market fluctuations in general and consumer behavior in particular. The authors put stress on the shift in marketing concepts to emotional marketing. Any company, regardless of the industry moves toward a certain goal which requires a clear tactic. The point at issue In this article is the strategy of a company as well as category management that can be regarded as an integral part of competitive strategy, and vice versa. The authors propose that the standard concept of category management should be extended and looked at from a different perspective. Arguments are provided by a comparative analysis of elements of category management and the generic strategies suggested by Michael Porter. The objects of analysis are focus strategy, differentiation strategy and leadership strategy. The similarity of category management and strategic planning can be seen through algorithm analysis of business processes. It is important to emphasize that both category management and strategic planning focus on improving the effectiveness of each product item. The authors emphasize the exceptional nature of category management, which is inherent in the very core of the concept. Thus, the main conclusion is the presentation of category management as part of the strategy as well as consideration of strategic planning as an integral part of category management in the forming of a separate category.