Category Manager - AT
Samsonite · Mumbai
1.Product development & range architecture
- Lead end-to-end new product development across hardside, soft side, and duffle – from consumer insight to shelf-ready product.
- Build a clear range architecture by size (cabin, medium, large, sets), material, and price ladder – and by channel: what goes to GT, MT, ecommerce, CSD, retail, and B2B, with no range overlap and sharp price-point logic.
- Benchmark features that drive choice in this category – weight, durability, wheels, locks, expandability, warranty – against competitors at every price point.
- Write detailed product briefs with the India design team and the Singapore regional design office, translating consumer needs, trend direction, and commercial parameters into actionable design direction.
- Own the development pipeline with suppliers outside India and domestic manufacturing partners – timelines, sample reviews, cost negotiations, and quality sign-offs.
- Balance global brand standards with India-specific consumer expectations, retail requirements, and price sensitivity.
- Deliver products to defined price points, target margins, and launch timelines without compromising design or quality.
2. Business management & P&L
- Own the commercial performance of the company's largest category across all channels – revenue, sell-through, margins, inventory health, and return on marketing investment.
- Build and manage the annual category plan – SKU-level launch calendar, pricing architecture, channel allocation, and trade promotion budgets – built around the category's seasonal peaks.
- Work with supply chain on demand forecasting and stock planning so the right sizes and colours are available ahead of wedding, holiday, festive, and sale-event peaks.
- Define and execute consumer promotions, seasonal offers, and trade schemes for each channel, understanding the distinct levers in GT vs MT vs ecommerce vs CSD vs B2B.
- Partner with Sales so the right product is in the right channel at the right time, with a clear commercial story for each range.
- Track performance closely – spotting trends, gaps, ageing stock, and risks early, and course-correcting fast.
3. BTL execution & content ownership
- Own all BTL assets for the category: catalogues, POSMs, in-store creatives, shelf-talkers, display units, and trade collateral across channels.
- Lead ecommerce content for the category – A+ and B+ content on Amazon and Flipkart, size-wise listings, and conversion-optimised imagery and copy.
- Develop channel-specific content for Modern Trade activations, CSD catalogues, and B2B pitch decks and range presentations.
4. Communications support
- As the brand's lead category, Travel & Duffle is at the heart of most American Tourister campaigns. Give the Communications Head accurate category, product, and consumer inputs for ATL campaign planning and production.
- Act as the category subject-matter expert for the communications team, so product details, range logic, and consumer context are clear before campaigns go into production.
- Contribute category direction for digital and ecommerce content where the range has a distinct story to tell.
5. Consumer & market intelligence
- Keep a sharp, current view of the competitive landscape in luggage – Indian competitors, D2C brands, and global entrants – across price points and channels.
- Track consumer trends across key buyer groups – first-time flyers, young professionals, families, frequent travellers, and wedding and gifting buyers – and turn insights into product and marketing action.
- Understand channel-specific purchase behaviour – what makes a trolley convert on Amazon vs what makes it sell off a GT shelf.