KIMBERLY R. ALLEN
CHARLOTTE,NC
Summary
Accomplished Director of Category Management with over 17 years of experience in category development, sales, and analytics. Skilled at conducting detailed category and channel analyses, translating complex metrics into valuable insights, and developing strategic business plans to achieve objectives. Adept at leading influential category management teams and fostering strong relationships with customers, passionate about leveraging advanced data analyses and consumer/shopper insights to drive dynamic category and brand growth.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Independent Consumer Insights Consultant
Self Employed
10.2021 - Current
- Synthesized shopper insights, industry market dynamics, and trends, syndicated data, and sales analyses into actionable recommendations that addressed research objectives and strategies, resulting in boosted brand awareness by 12%.
- Identified and analyzed 30 emerging trends in consumer behavior within six months, resulting in strategic product innovation roadmap for annual marketing planning and increased internal stakeholder satisfaction.
- Increased number of consumer research initiatives by 50% within first year, resulting in comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior and preferences.
Head of Category Management Strategy
Bakkavor Foods USA
01.2022 - 10.2022
- Executed comprehensive Go-To-Market Strategy in collaboration with cross-functional teams, grew customer satisfaction by 7% with support of competitive insights, customer needs, and internal business priorities.
- Increased market expansion and retailer penetration by 10%- utilizing syndicated data analysis to evaluate customer specific breadth and depth category performance.
- Generated 100+ new meal product offerings within 6 months by leveraging emerging food trends and consumer-centric dining lifestyle and behaviors.
- Increased Usage of Syndicated Research Resources by 1000%; maximized use of syndicated research resources, shopper insights platforms, and category management teams to support sales organization and ensure linkage with category management plan, leading to improved decision-making and results.
Senior Manager-Category/Consumer Insights
OLD WORLD INDUSTRIES (OWI)
01.2020 - 08.2021
- Delivered highest brand share gain in company’s history through segmentation of consumer base by developing strategic plan for automotive consumers.
- Coached team on best category management practices to optimize customer-facing analyses and selling materials focusing on fact-based data resulting in first ever Category Captains status at top retailer.
- Increased number of successful product concept tests by 40% within year 1 resulting in development and launch of new products that generated $5 million in revenue.
Manager - Category Management Insights
OLD WORLD INDUSTRIES (OWI)
08.2016 - 12.2019
- Improved Customer Satisfaction by 55% within year one, utilized category expertise and unique research to penetrate additional influencers at customer level; increasing credibility and developing more strategic partnerships with retailers to unlock growth opportunities.
- Increased Category Sales by 4% by leveraging consumer insight analytics to implement comprehensive category growth strategy for Herculiner brand.
- Collaborated with field sales to develop medium and long-term business opportunities at accounts within assigned category, resulting in sustained growth and profitability.
Category Management Strategy & Insights Manager - Ace Hardware
VALSPAR
04.2014 - 03.2016
- Created company’s 1st category and shopper insights department to support brand and retail teams, affecting entire portfolio of paint products offered at Ace Hardware.
- In collaboration with cross functional team i.e. Commerce Marketing, Digital Marketing, Finance, and RGM, achieved 20% increase in ROI and 15% increase in post-event analysis accuracy within paint and coatings category.
- Streamlined data reporting by 65% in 1 year by leading efforts to strategically gather, analyze, and utilize POS data.
Director of Consulting Insights
SPINS,LLC
03.2013 - 04.2014
- Improved planogram recommendations by 22%: in collaboration with assigned CPG clients provided comprehensive planogram recommendations at grocery channel level, resulting in optimized product placement on shelves and increased sales.
- Increased revenue from new clients in first year by 40%; identified white space within category resulting in increase in revenue from new clients,
- Optimized pricing strategy for top 10 assigned customers; analyzed market data and competition which led to increased sales and profitability within assigned categories.
Education
MASTER OF ARTS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY -
American University
Washington, DC06.2011
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MARKETING -
University of North Carolina At Charlotte
Charlotte, NC12.2002
Skills
- Category Management/Strategy
- Strategy Development
- Shopper Engagement
- Cross Functional Collaboration
- Leadership
- Detail Orientation
- Effective Communication
- Analytical /Problem Solving
Additional Information
Nielsen, Information Resources Inc. (IRI), Numerator, SPINS, Salesforce, Tableau, MicroStrategy, PowerBI, EDITED, Euromonitor, Kroger 84.51, Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency, Syndicated Data, Category/Customer Strategy Development, Customer Relationship Management, Data Analysis and Insights, Go-to-Market Strategies, Commercial Strategy Implementation, Leadership & Teamwork, Shopper Engagement Strategies, Product Innovation, New Product Launches, Financial Management & Budgeting, Project Management and Time Management, Market Expansion, Cross Functional Leadership, , Consumer Insights, Business Planning, Promotional Analysis, Self-motivation and Goal Orientation,Organizational Skills
Timeline
Head of Category Management Strategy
Bakkavor Foods USA
01.2022 - 10.2022
Independent Consumer Insights Consultant
Self Employed
10.2021 - Current
Senior Manager-Category/Consumer Insights
OLD WORLD INDUSTRIES (OWI)
01.2020 - 08.2021
Manager - Category Management Insights
OLD WORLD INDUSTRIES (OWI)
08.2016 - 12.2019
Category Management Strategy & Insights Manager - Ace Hardware
VALSPAR
04.2014 - 03.2016
Director of Consulting Insights
SPINS,LLC
03.2013 - 04.2014
MASTER OF ARTS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY -
American University
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MARKETING -
University of North Carolina At Charlotte
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