Category Manager (E Commerce)

Vmart; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

V-Mart in Gurugram seeks a Category Strategy professional to own P&L on LimeRoad, shaping GMV, NMV, CM1/CM3, ASP and inventory health in line with the LimeRoad Online + Omni business plan.

You will build the annual, seasonal and event-wise category plan, define mix across V-Mart own assortment on LimeRoad, external vendors and One-Click orders, and coordinate with design and merchandising to drive growth.

Responsibilities

• Own the category P&L on LimeRoad: GMV, NMV, CM1/CM3, ASP and inventory health, in line with the LimeRoad Online + Omni business plan.
• Build the annual, seasonal and event-wise category plan (sales, margin, options, vendor mix) and cascade it to sub-category targets.
• Define the categorys mix across V-Mart own assortment on LimeRoad, external marketplace vendors and One-Click (endless aisle) orders from stores.
• Build the seasonal range architecture by sub-category, price band, fabric, fit, colour and occasion, anchored to an accessible value price ladder.
• Plan option counts, launch calendar and regular new-arrival drops, including festive, wedding, back-to-college, summer and winter events.
• Identify range gaps by benchmarking marketplaces and trend signals (search data, social media, influencer content); close gaps through external vendors or V-Mart private label.
• Work with V-Mart Merchandising category heads and design leads to pick online-exclusive and Gen-Z styles from the V-Mart / LR range.
• Decide breadth and depth by sub-category: live options, size curves, colour spread and broken-size thresholds; delist non-performers on time.
• Run OTB and replenishment of winning styles for own inventory; plan stock commitments and SKU coverage with SOR vendors.Use regional demand (metro vs Tier II), search and zero-result queries to tune the assortment for regional relevance.
• Ensure catalogue quality: correct attributes and tags (including AI-led tagging), size charts, imagery and product content, with catalogue and content teams.
• Identify, evaluate and onboard new vendors and brands, prioritising trend-led, higher-ASP selection that adds breadth V-Mart stores do not stock.
• Negotiate commercials: commission/margin, SOR or outright terms, pricing, discount funding, marketing/ad contribution and payment terms.
• Manage vendors through a scorecard (fill rate, dispatch SLA/OTIF, cancellations, quality and return rates, catalogue completeness) and hold regular business reviews.
• Grow key vendors into strategic partners through joint business plans, exclusive capsules, event participation and stock commitments.
• Ensure vendor compliance with quality, packaging, labelling and listing guidelines, working with QA.
• Set price architecture and discount strategy by sub-category; track competitor pricing and protect margin.
• Plan sale events, offers and coupons with Marketing, and ensure stock and vendor readiness for big events.
• Own on-site visibility for the category: home and category page curation, collections, banners, search ranking and notification inputs.
• Track the funnel (impressions, CTR, PDP views, add-to-cart, conversion) and take corrective action.
• Monitor sell-through, ageing and DOI; drive markdown and liquidation decisions for own and vendor stock.
• Reduce returns and RTO through better size/fit information, content, quality checks and vendor action; support prepaid adoption.
• Coordinate with SCM, fulfilment and One-Click teams on availability, dispatch timelines and online exposure of store-network inventory.
• Run daily, weekly and monthly category dashboards and share clear, actionable insights with leadership.
• Feed demand signals and trend intelligence back to V-Mart and LimeRoad Offline merchandising.

Job description

1. Category Strategy & P&L Ownership

• Own the category P&L on LimeRoad: GMV, NMV, CM1/CM3, ASP and inventory health, in line with the LimeRoad Online + Omni business plan.
• Build the annual, seasonal and event-wise category plan (sales, margin, options, vendor mix) and cascade it to sub-category targets.
• Define the categorys mix across V-Mart own assortment on LimeRoad, external marketplace vendors and One-Click (endless aisle) orders from stores.

2. Range Planning

• Build the seasonal range architecture by sub-category, price band, fabric, fit, colour and occasion, anchored to an accessible value price ladder.
• Plan option counts, launch calendar and regular new-arrival drops, including festive, wedding, back-to-college, summer and winter events.
• Identify range gaps by benchmarking marketplaces and trend signals (search data, social media, influencer content); close gaps through external vendors or V-Mart private label.
• Work with V-Mart Merchandising category heads and design leads to pick online-exclusive and Gen-Z styles from the V-Mart / LR range.

3. Assortment Planning & Catalogue Health

• Decide breadth and depth by sub-category: live options, size curves, colour spread and broken-size thresholds; delist non-performers on time.
• Run OTB and replenishment of winning styles for own inventory; plan stock commitments and SKU coverage with SOR vendors.Use regional demand (metro vs Tier II), search and zero-result queries to tune the assortment for regional relevance.
• Ensure catalogue quality: correct attributes and tags (including AI-led tagging), size charts, imagery and product content, with catalogue and content teams.

4. Vendor Management

• Identify, evaluate and onboard new vendors and brands, prioritising trend-led, higher-ASP selection that adds breadth V-Mart stores do not stock.
• Negotiate commercials: commission/margin, SOR or outright terms, pricing, discount funding, marketing/ad contribution and payment terms.
• Manage vendors through a scorecard (fill rate, dispatch SLA/OTIF, cancellations, quality and return rates, catalogue completeness) and hold regular business reviews.
• Grow key vendors into strategic partners through joint business plans, exclusive capsules, event participation and stock commitments.
• Ensure vendor compliance with quality, packaging, labelling and listing guidelines, working with QA.

5. Pricing, Promotions & Site Merchandising

• Set price architecture and discount strategy by sub-category; track competitor pricing and protect margin.
• Plan sale events, offers and coupons with Marketing, and ensure stock and vendor readiness for big events.
• Own on-site visibility for the category: home and category page curation, collections, banners, search ranking and notification inputs.
• Track the funnel (impressions, CTR, PDP views, add-to-cart, conversion) and take corrective action.

6. Inventory, Returns & Fulfilment

• Monitor sell-through, ageing and DOI; drive markdown and liquidation decisions for own and vendor stock.
• Reduce returns and RTO through better size/fit information, content, quality checks and vendor action; support prepaid adoption.
• Coordinate with SCM, fulfilment and One-Click teams on availability, dispatch timelines and online exposure of store-network inventory.

7. Analytics, Reporting & Team

• Run daily, weekly and monthly category dashboards and share clear, actionable insights with leadership.
• Feed demand signals and trend intelligence back to V-Mart and LimeRoad Offline merchandising.