She also notes that the systems need to link people, as well as data. It's not just tying people together within the company, but also linking retailers with suppliers. Ocean Spray Moves Toward Integration Ocean Spray is working on not only the systems, but also the business processes and cooperation needed to accomplish effective category management. Communication between marketing and sales and has changed significantly over the years. Those walls have been broken down, and now that interaction is much greater across all facets of the company.
Brokers are also very involved in category management plans.
The company has invested heavily in category management tools and hasn't been afraid to try new technology. We also use category management as an internal function. We do not just look at the category as it appears at a retailer's doorstep, but also at what we are doing in the production, management, and sales of our products. We put ourselves under the category management microscope and see where we can reduce costs. For space management, Trottier uses Intactix's InterCept software, because it translates easily into tools used by retailers and brokers.