Retailers present their products in categories according to consumer needs. By doing category management they also position themselves as a brand. 
Closer to Customers
In order to be more successful retail companies have to tune their product assortments to the demands to their customers. But no two customers are alike – the needs and expectations of consumers are as individual as the people are themselves. Defining categories against this backdrop is quite a challenge: How many different beer brands make sense? Which varieties of a brand should be carried? Which additional products do consumers buy when they buy beer? Should barbecue sausages be positioned near beer shelves in the summer and crisps in winter? Finding answers to these questions is not only of vital importance to retail groups but also to suppliers. The more the marketing strategy is fine-tuned to customer-needs, the more revenue can be generated. This explains why retailers and consumer goods manufactures are cooperating closely in Category Management Projects to design product assortments.
MMS-OBM: Managing Private Labels Efficiently
METRO Group also cooperates closely with suppliers and service providers in managing its own brands. The retailing group’s partners have expertise in optimizing package design, package leaflets and other visual components. Software called Metro Merchandising System Own Brand Management (MMS-OBM) supports all involved parties to deal with these tasks.
SMS Creates Unmistakable Stores
The ShelfManagementSystem (SMS) helps METRO Group’s Category Managers to plan how goods are displayed in stores. Special software is used to simulate on a computer screen how goods are stacked in shelves, with detailed shelf-plans being the result. They show exactly how goods are to be stacked. This means that all stores in a sales division have a standard appearance, resulting in customers finding their way around “their store“ without any difficulty.
