Customer Category Specialist

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa; Durban; On-site; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading beverage company is seeking a Customer Category Specialist to join their Category Development team in Durban. This role focuses on identifying and executing revenue growth strategies through category insights, customer research, and effective sales enablement. The ideal candidate will collaborate with various teams to optimize sales performance and ensure successful product visibility at retail locations. This position offers an exciting opportunity for those passionate about driving business growth in the dynamic beverage industry.

Responsibilities

• Develop bi-annual customer category opportunity mapping to identify revenue growth.
• Conduct customer and shopper research for actionable strategies.
• Create strategies for maximum product visibility at retail locations.
• Provide insights on category range and SKU rationalization.
• Deliver capability-building insights to enhance sales effectiveness.
• Develop systems to track category performance within customer accounts.

Job description

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) presents an exciting opportunity for a Customer Category Specialist, to join the Category Decelopment team at CCBA. The role will report to the Customer Marketing Manager in Durban.

CCBA is the 8th largest Coca-Cola?authorised bottler?in the world by revenue, and the largest on the continent. It accounts for over 40% of all Coca-Cola?ready-to-drink beverages?sold in Africa by volume. With over 14 000 employees in Africa, CCBA?group?services more than 800 000 customers with a host of international and local brands. CCBA group operates in 14 countries: South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi and the islands of Comoros and Mayotte.

Responsibilities

• Revenue Growth Identification and Execution: Develop and present bi-annual customer category opportunity mapping to customers, identifying innovative solutions and revenue growth opportunities. Establish measurable goals and track progress against set targets, ensuring effective execution of growth strategies that result in tangible revenue increases for both the customer and the business.
• Customer and Shopper Research for Strategy Development: Conduct in-depth customer and shopper research to uncover insights that provide clear opportunities for the customer within different categories. Collaborate with the Channel Development Managers, Customer Marketing Managers, and Sales teams to build actionable strategies and plans, directly contributing to optimized sales efforts and increased revenue.
• "Winning at the Point of Purchase" Strategy Development: Develop and track the look of success for category initiatives, with an emphasis on the channel strategy and its impact at the point of purchase. Analyze customer purchasing behavior and create strategies that align with customer needs, ensuring maximum product visibility and sales performance at retail locations.
• Category Range, SKU Rationalization, and Positioning Insights: Provide customers with valuable insights on category range, SKU rationalization, and optimal product positioning. Leverage market intelligence and category data to help customers streamline their product offerings and improve shelf space utilization, leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction.
• Capability Building and Sales Enablement: Deliver capability-building insights to the sales team, enabling them to drive revenue growth through effective category management and customer engagement. Provide actionable recommendations and best practices to sales teams to enhance their effectiveness in executing category initiatives at the customer level.
• Tracking and Reporting Category Performance: Develop systems to track and evaluate specific category performance within customer accounts, identifying areas of opportunity or concern. Proactively recommend remedial actions and insights to improve category performance and ensure alignment with the broader business objectives, as well as providing regular reporting on the performance of trials, promotions, and other initiatives.