Category Strategy Playbook — Version 1 with Anand Shankar

For retail and D2C professionals who want to think more sharply about category strategy, margin, and execution.

This playbook covers everything a category manager needs to know — from what a category actually is, to how money moves through it, to how to build a range that converts and a plan that gets executed.

What is inside:

1. The 8-step category management process — the industry standard framework explained in full
2. Category architecture — why most categories are built wrong and how to rebuild them
3. Assortment and range strategy — what to stock, at what depth, and when to cut
4. Pricing, margin and profitability — markup, markdown, contribution margin, and where money silently leaks
5. Execution checklists — for category launches, seasonal planning, and weekly operating rhythm

Written from 17 years of P&L ownership across retail and D2C businesses. Practical, direct, and immediately applicable.