Category managers know the challenge all too well—shoppers’ preferences evolve, new trends emerge, and suddenly, your once well-optimized shelf strategy no longer reflects what consumers actually want. But what if brands could move beyond broad category trends and start making data-driven decisions at the attribute level?
At CMA | SIMA 2025, we had the opportunity to present alongside Rylee Rogers, Category Sales Advisor at The Coca-Cola Company, to explore how enriched product data is transforming space planning, assortment strategy, and retailer collaboration.
What We Presented at CMA: Bringing Smarter Data to Shelf Strategies
Coca-Cola, like many CPG leaders, has relied on traditional space planning methods—brand blocking, package size segmentation, and general category rules. But in today's market, consumers are thinking and shopping differently, and that means brands need to rethink their approach, too.
1. The Challenge: Moving Beyond Traditional Category Management
Historically, category managers have relied on broad product classifications—placing items based on brand, size, or package type. But as shoppers become more ingredient-conscious, key differentiators like sweetener type, electrolyte source, and functional benefits have a growing influence on purchasing decisions.
Coca-Cola wanted to see the category through a new lens—one that would allow them to spot growth opportunities hidden beneath traditional segmentation.
2. The Approach: Using Harmonya’s Enriched Product Data to Rethink Space Planning
With Harmonya’s AI-powered product data enrichment, Coca-Cola was able to:
- Analyze ingredient-level insights—understanding how product attributes (like stevia vs. cane sugar) impact shopper choices
- Refine their planograms by integrating enriched tags into space planning tools
- Compare brands side-by-side to see which attributes drive differentiation or create white space opportunities
This new level of visibility helped Coca-Cola better align shelves with consumer demand—optimizing product placement based on real shopper behaviors rather than the standard data they had access to before.
3. The Results: A More Consumer-Centric Shelf Strategy
By taking this approach, Coca-Cola was able to:
- Identify gaps where high-growth product attributes weren’t positioned optimally on the shelf
- Uncover new opportunities for refining their assortment and competitive positioning
- Strengthen retailer conversations with insights that demonstrate how consumers actually shop the category
Instead of guessing where to place products, Coca-Cola now has the data to make smarter, more informed decisions—turning insights into action and improving category performance across key retailers.
Watch the Full CMA Presentation
This was just a glimpse of the conversation we had with Coca-Cola at CMA 2025. If you’re in category management, space planning, or retail strategy, this session is packed with real-world takeaways on how to use smarter data to build better shelf strategies.
📺 Watch the full session here: https://youtu.be/7TvvvBufEo4
Interested in learning how Harmonya can help your team? Let’s talk. Get in touch at info@harmonya.com to see how enriched product data can power smarter category decisions.
