Category Performance Diagnosis

Overview

Category Performance Diagnosis provides a structured, root-cause-driven analysis of why a product category is performing the way it is. Rather than simply reporting metrics, this skill decomposes performance into its component drivers—traffic, conversion, basket, price, mix, distribution—and isolates the factors most responsible for observed changes. The output is an actionable diagnostic narrative with prioritized levers for improvement.

This methodology mirrors how leading CPG companies (P&G, Unilever, PepsiCo) conduct category reviews with retail partners, combining the rigor of a consulting-style decomposition with the specificity of CPG domain expertise.

When to Use

• Quarterly or annual category business review preparation
• A category shows unexpected decline or acceleration and the user asks "why"
• Cross-category portfolio prioritization requiring standardized health assessments
• Retailer-supplier joint business planning sessions
• Post-event analysis (e.g., after a major promotion, competitor launch, or assortment reset)
• User provides category sales data and asks for a performance diagnosis

Required Inputs