Why doesn't your closest grocery store carry your favorite product yet it's available at the store just a bit farther away?
It's because creating an assortment of products at an individual store-level is incredibly difficult to do at scale.
In order to do so, a category manager (aka buyer) needs to consider what set of products they need to carry for their category, for the entire company, and then work with analysts, merchandisers, supply chain experts, suppliers, and a myriad of other professionals to refine that huge set of products so that each store carries exactly what's best for the community it serves.
This process can be insanely time-consuming and error prone. Communities are changing faster than ever—explosive growth, shifting socioeconomics, changing consumer behaviors...
We decided to make this process a bit better, quicker, and more scientific, and launched what we call Assortment Hub for the entire procurement team at H-E-B. Now, all the experts can collaborate together and create better store-level assortments that meet customer expectations.
It's because creating an assortment of products at an individual store-level is incredibly difficult to do at scale.
In order to do so, a category manager (aka buyer) needs to consider what set of products they need to carry for their category, for the entire company, and then work with analysts, merchandisers, supply chain experts, suppliers, and a myriad of other professionals to refine that huge set of products so that each store carries exactly what's best for the community it serves.
This process can be insanely time-consuming and error prone. Communities are changing faster than ever—explosive growth, shifting socioeconomics, changing consumer behaviors...
We decided to make this process a bit better, quicker, and more scientific, and launched what we call Assortment Hub for the entire procurement team at H-E-B. Now, all the experts can collaborate together and create better store-level assortments that meet customer expectations.