Category & Shopper Insights Consultant

Category & Shopper Insights Consultant (1099 Contract)

This is a long-term, full-time (40 hours per week Mon-Fri) Consulting (1099 Contract) position and can be located in either Hackensack, NJ or Bentonville, AR . Must be able to work on-site, in the office on a weekly hybrid basis.

The Shopper & Category Insights Consultant is responsible for driving growth strategies to help meet both the goals of the company and customer. The ideal candidate provides category and shopper insights through primary and secondary research, analyzing data and translating research findings into insights and strategies impacting customer, category, and/or brand performance. They will support multiple functional partners including internal sales, marketing, and field sales, acting as an active and influential internal business strategy consultant, ensuring that consumer and shopper analytics and insights are at the foundation of our company business strategy and execution with the customer.

Responsibilities:

• Category: Support category strategy development including growth plans for focused segments, customer-specific opportunities and assortment gaps, and execution of planogram activation including merchandising improvements and assortment.
• Business Planning & Insights: Acts as a key partner providing category & shopper expertise in the customer and brand business planning cycle providing relevant trends and insights to drive future plans. Provides category support and insight for customer meetings & line reviews to drive brand performance.
• Analytics: Uncovers business trends and opportunities with deep-dive analytics using a variety of resources including, but not limited to Nielsen syndicated, and Walmart Luminate/Scintilla.
• Research: Conducts primary research development and synthesizing secondary research to build customer and company sales.

Required Qualifications Include the Following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field
• 3+ years working in consumer package goods across category, customer, and/or shopper
• Advanced skills using Microsoft Excel, Nielsen syndicated, and retailer data is required
• Prior experience working in the Beauty and/or Personal Care industry preferred
• Broad-based experience across Mass, Value, and Grocery channels and/or across customers
• Must have the ability to conduct & interpret shopper and category insights research and convey that research and data via exceptional storytelling

Preferred Qualifications Include the Following:

• Proven analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, problem solve and translate into action-oriented recommendations
• Using integrative thinking to solve tough business problems leveraging diverse sources of knowledge from analytics to psychology
• Intellectual curiosity about uncovering human needs and desires and translating those insights into compelling stories that will help us better understand how to serve our consumer and shopper
• The ability to influence decision-makers up and down one or more levels, with and without direct authority, to ensure a fully-aligned customer/company business plan
• Utilizing integrative thinking to convey research findings (data-driven insights and facts) to drive actions with your business partners
• Ability to develop and oversee the execution of project plans and to implement, execute and draw conclusions from a variety of customer, shopper and category studies