Certified Professional Category Analyst (CPCA) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Consumer-centric category management focuses on understanding and meeting the needs of consumers to drive sales and enhance customer satisfaction. The correct answer—trade spending analysis—does not align with this approach as it primarily focuses on the company’s expenditures and negotiations with suppliers rather than directly addressing consumer needs or behaviors.

Segmenting and targeting consumers is foundational in consumer-centric strategies since it ensures that marketing efforts are tailored to specific consumer groups, enhancing relevance and effectiveness. Clustering stores is another key tactic that supports this approach by grouping stores based on consumer demographics and shopping behavior, allowing for more tailored product offerings and promotions.

Fair share analysis also connects to consumer-centric management as it assesses how well a category or product is performing relative to its potential consumer demand, guiding optimizations in product assortment and placement to better meet consumer preferences.

In contrast, trade spending analysis primarily looks at the funds allocated towards trade promotions and discounts. While important for overall business strategy, it does not directly reflect consumer needs or preferences, making it the option that does not fit within the context of a consumer-focused category management approach.