Journal
What to prepare before commissioning a personal care category map
Category maps fail quietly when the brief is vague and the decision deadline is imaginary. The observation work still happens; the meeting afterwards does not.
Bring a one-page category definition, a current SKU list with roles (hero, support, experimental), and the channels that matter this quarter. Name the decision the map must support: assortment freeze, launch brief, or trade presentation.
Share recent packaging changes and any lines you plan to discontinue. Mapping teams waste time documenting SKUs that are already leaving the shelf if that context stays hidden.
Agree who will attend the review session and who can change assortment or brief direction. A map that lands with an audience that can only admire it will not repay the field days.