Coinstar continues to build on its “4th Wall Program,”
a merchandising strategy based on the
variety of front-of-store businesses and including
coin conversion, pay-as-you-go
products/services, amusement vending, DVD rental, money
transfer, and coffee kiosks.
Coinstar launched the program based on research from
Meridian Consulting, to address the complexities and unique
needs and opportunities of the “4th side of the perimeter.”
This year the company developed best practices to reveal execution gaps
in retailer programs, and leveraged this information to improve compliance and
profits for retailers as well as Coinstar.
Armed with this field intelligence, Coinstar developed “core” (mandatory)
and “flex” (optional) elements of the program, to help drive execution within
a retailer across different store formats, sizes, and layouts.
As in previous years, the results speak for themselves:At one national grocery
chain, results in lead divisions showed existing “core” 4th Wall categories
grew 3 percent, while underdeveloped categories grew by over 100 percent,
with total 4th Wall gains ranging from 4 percent to 6 percent.
PROGRESSIVE GROCER’S annual Category Captains competition
is intended to shed light on the outstanding
category management initiatives implemented in the
retail grocery market over roughly the last 12 months.
As such,we trust this list of winners, based on our
judges’ selections from among the many entries we
received, to reflect some of the best strategic thinking
and execution in the category management field.
The contest relies on the accuracy and completeness
of the entries submitted for consideration. Each
entry is considered on an equal footing.As such, the
best entries deliver not only a selection of facts relating
to a manufacturer’s or a brand’s most recent category
management achievements over the past 12
months or so, they also tell a compelling story of
challenges confronted, strategies developed and
implemented, and results enjoyed by partners from
the manufacturing and retailing worlds,working
together toward a common goal.
In essence, the actual entry submitted is the key
to the judging process in this competition. In winning
entries, a company’s importance and influence in a
given category was represented as comprehensively
as possible.This keeps the awards process dynamic
from year to year, as well as keeping intact the possibility
that up-and-comers can be recognized, as well
as well-established players.
Each of the following award criteria was figured
into the judging of each entry, and given a weighted
score based on level of innovation and results. Scores
were added up to arrive at a total, to qualify each
entry for the award of Category Captain, Category
Advisor, or neither. Entries were to describe new category
management initiatives over the past 12 months.
The factors that figured into judging were:
- Product innovation
- Creativity in merchandising,marketing,
promotion, advertising
- Consumer insights
- Innovative, dynamic category management
tools
- Demonstrated commitment to meeting
retail customers’ specific needs
- Effectiveness at differentiating a line or
brand within the category
- Effectiveness at lifting sales for a brand’s
products in the category
- Effectiveness at lifting an entire category’s
sales for a retailer or retailers
- Hard evidence of market-specific or
account-specific sales results that support
the vendor’s claims of excellence
To win the premier award, Category Captains,
contestants had to demonstrate excellence in all of
the above criteria in their entries. Category Advisors
also exhibited excellence, but scored lower overall
than the threshold set for Category Captaincy. Both
designations reflect outstanding contributions to the
industry at the category level.