Category Manager

This role is for one of Weekday’s clients
Salary range: Rs 1500000 - Rs 2500000 (ie INR 15 - 25 LPA)

Min Experience: 5+ years
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
JobType: full-time

We are looking for a results-oriented Category Manager to manage the product portfolio and drive revenue growth and profitability within the luxury retail segment, preferably in fine jewellery or a related premium category. The role will focus on category strategy, range planning, pricing, promotions, and product lifecycle management to achieve topline and bottom-line objectives.

The ideal candidate will combine strong analytical capabilities with an understanding of consumer preferences, product trends, competitive positioning, and retail performance. The role requires close collaboration with factory teams, vendors, retail operations, marketing, and production to ensure the right product assortment, pricing strategy, and promotional initiatives are implemented effectively.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

1. Category and Product Portfolio Management

• Manage the product portfolio and design assortment to drive sales growth, profitability, and gross contribution in line with the category strategy.
• Evaluate product and design performance using sales data, margins, consumer insights, and retail feedback.
• Rationalise underperforming designs based on sales performance, profitability, and strategic relevance.
• Identify product gaps and opportunities for new designs, assortment refreshes, and portfolio expansion.
• Monitor product lifecycle performance and determine the role of each design within the overall category and brand portfolio.
• Track competitor benchmarks, market developments, and emerging trends in the luxury jewellery segment, including designs, pricing, assortment, and commercial policies.
• Use consumer research, analytics, retail feedback, and early indicators of changing consumer preferences to inform category decisions.

2. Range Planning and Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute range-planning initiatives to align the product assortment with customer demand, market trends, and business objectives.
• Identify opportunities to improve product mix, sales conversion, and category contribution.
• Monitor category performance against sales, revenue, and profitability targets.
• Recommend assortment changes and growth initiatives based on product performance and market opportunities.

3. Pricing and Profitability

• Support the development and implementation of product pricing strategies across categories and relevant price and weight bands.
• Ensure pricing decisions align with profitability targets and category-level commercial objectives.
• Analyse pricing effectiveness, product margins, and competitive positioning to identify opportunities for revenue and gross contribution improvement.
• Work with the Category Manager and relevant stakeholders to evaluate pricing changes and their potential impact on sales and profitability.

4. Promotions and Retail Activation

• Plan and support promotional campaigns, retail offers, and sales incentives to improve product sell-through.
• Collaborate with retail teams to drive execution of category initiatives and achieve sales targets.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of promotions and incentives using sales performance and profitability metrics.
• Recommend improvements to promotional strategies based on customer response, retail feedback, and commercial outcomes.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with factory, vendors, production, retail, and marketing teams to ensure effective product planning and execution.
• Coordinate product assortment, availability, pricing, and promotional activities across relevant stakeholders.
• Translate consumer insights and retail requirements into actionable product and category initiatives.
• Track implementation and business outcomes to ensure category plans deliver the intended results.

Must-Have Skills

• Category Management
• Range Planning
• Revenue Growth and Performance Management
• Product Portfolio Management
• Strong Analytical and Commercial Skills

Good-to-Have Skills

• Pricing Strategy
• Commercial Planning
• Luxury Retail or Jewellery Industry Experience
• Product Lifecycle Management
• Consumer Research and Market Trend Analysis