TABSPak

TABSPak is TABS Group’s outsourced category management service, and it accounts for the majority of our client base. If your company has little data and does not want to invest in data, software, hardware and analytical personnel in order to support your retail sales efforts, TABSPak is the service for you. With TABSPak you will have fact-based analyses prepared for your retail customers that will put you in a best-in-class position, even against the mega-CPG companies. TABS Group provides you this expertise at a fraction of the cost of your competitors!

There are two levels of TABSPak service – TABSPak I and TABSPak II - depending on your service needs and budget constraints. The core bundle of service includes the following features:

  • Data Acquisition Support: We will assist in securing an affordable monthly data delivery from one of the syndicated data suppliers.
  • Database Customization: The syndicated data is loaded into a custom database developed by TABS Group Consultants. The database features the attributes of importance to your consumers and your retailers. In fact, TABS Group has re-engineered the customization process so that your database can be aligned to specific retailer definition, and it takes weeks – not months – to implement.
  • QuickTABS® Software: This software is a user-friendly, Microsoft Excel® based analytics and reporting tool that gives you instantaneous access to your information by all members of your organization. The tool does not require online access, software, expertise or additional money for seat licenses. It is built to be simple to use and unbreakable!
  • Category Management: Senior-level consultants will developed compelling, fact-based sales presentations for your top retail customers. Our proprietary metrics like Sales Productivity, Organic Growth and Innovation Index means that your buyers will see information that they can only get from you…and they come with the 10-years of credibility and reliability established by TABS Group analytics.
  • Business Analysis: Monthly management reports and quarterly business reviews will ensure that you understand current state of your business. Our proprietary analytics also means that you will have the most accurate predictions of future trends for the category and your brands.

Category Management Outsourcing: Is it Right for You?

TABS Group serves as an outsourced category management resource for over two dozen CPG companies. These outsourcing engagements take several forms:
  1. Full Outsourcing: TABS Group fulfills all the analytical functions of a traditional Category Management Department to include Account Reviews, Planogramming, Promotional Planning, SKU Assortment and Ad Hoc Analysis.
  2. Arms & Legs Outsourcing: TABS Group fulfills most of the analytical functions of category management for the client, particularly for major business reviews at the top retailers. We typically report to a Director of Category Management or Trade Marketing, who manages the internal processes as well as external suppliers. The Director also handles some of the analytical workload, but time constraints and broad responsibilities don’t permit them to do it all.
  3. Specific Assignment Outsourcing: For some of our larger clients, TABS Group will fill the category captain and chief analyst role at specific retailers. This usually happens in instances where a company’s internal manpower is stretched thin or they have been unable to make meaningful inroads with the customer through analytics. TABS Group also fills category management roles for clients and second tier retailers. In these assignments TABS Group reports to a Team Leader or a Category Management Manager.

Category Management Outsourcing provides a variety benefits anytime, but even more so in the current economic environment. Some of the more notable and quantifiable gains are as follows:

  • Immediate Cost Savings: Rather than filling a full-time position that will cost your organization around $125,000 per year fully loaded, you can spend much less than that to get the service you need.
  • Financial Flexibility: The bulk of category management centers on planogram review season. Why spend money during the off-season? In addition, you can increase or decrease the amount of service you need at any point in time without incurring the search or severance costs of full-time employees.
  • Immediate Expertise: TABS Group professionals have worked in every category in the store, including perimeter categories. There is little or no training involved with engaging TABS Group for your analytical needs.
  • Major Revenue Upside: Because our analytics are unique in the market, we can deliver distribution wins that can’t be replicated by any company or any individual. Just one incremental SKU at a major national chain can pay for our services over the next two years.
  • Additional Services: In addition to just getting a “body” to fill a position, you also receive full Planogramming support, TABS Group software - like QuickTABS® - and proprietary models that give you a competitive advantage.