Behind the scenes

Category Management: No to-do lists, but solving problems with "drive

20.4.2022

Translation: machine translated

Online retail grew faster than ever before due to the corona pandemic. As an employer, too, it is therefore becoming increasingly interesting for those who want to work in industries with a promising future. Anne Limper-Menapace and Lennart Krüger manage their own category management teams at online retailer Galaxus in Hamburg. In this interview, you can find out more about their work, career opportunities at Galaxus, and what the Apple events in Cupertino have to do with it.

How does category management actually work, what is your job?
Lennart: Category Management is responsible for ensuring that we have an attractive range. We make sure that the relevant products are offered at an attractive price with good availability. In addition, the quality of the product data is important so that customers know exactly what they are buying.

Anne: Furthermore, everything has to be set up in such a way that it works as smoothly as possible for the customers, i.e. that suppliers deliver quickly and on time and also that the product can be taken back in the event of a return. We are not directly responsible for this, but we always agree with our partners that this will work.

Is that an exciting job?
Anne: Definitely. There are very different roles in category management*(note: you can find theroles here*). Each of the roles is exciting because you have very diverse tasks, from analysis to communication. You work with internal stakeholders as well as with external partners, suppliers and brands. You have to be able to negotiate and convince. In addition, e-commerce is already very dynamic in itself and at Galaxus again in particular because we want to expand into more and more EU countries. What you deal with today is definitely already very different from what was important a year ago. We are also getting better and want to get even better and for that we always have to put a new focus.

Lennart: A nice example is perhaps the Apple launch recently. On Tuesday, Apple announced new iPhones, iPads and a new Mac. We then quickly made sure the new products were in our store the next day and that they were ordered from suppliers. We had to figure out exactly how many to order without knowing how many we would sell. Not an easy task. We placed the orders with our suppliers and by Friday, customers were already able to pre-order the products on galaxus.co.uk. So we saw a video from Cupertino and three days later customers could buy the new products from us. And if we did a good job, two weeks later the customer already has the new iPhone SE at home. So as a category manager, you're very close to what's going on and you also see results immediately. On Monday, you can see how many people have ordered a product from us over the weekend that wasn't even available a week earlier.

You've both been working at Galaxus Germany for several years as category leaders with your own teams in Hamburg. Now you're also responsible for international teams. What does that mean exactly?
Anne: Before, we were only responsible for building up the business in Germany and Austria. Everything we did, we looked at very much with EU, growth and build-up glasses. And we were mainly busy building up assortments and convincing brands and manufacturers to work with us. Now we are also responsible for the Swiss business for each of our categories. So new topics and ways of looking at things have been added. The teams have become larger, but they also have to cover more ground. Depending on their role, the team members now work internationally, i.e. for all three markets, or continue to work locally, i.e. they look after either Switzerland, Germany or Austria. For example, Portfolio Development Manager Jan in my team is currently working on expanding the range for cryptowallets in all three countries.

Lennart: On the one hand, we are still the relatively unknown, small challenger. On the other hand, the real market power. It's an interesting area of tension. It's not always easy, but it's working out better and better.

Why should you apply for Category Management at Galaxus in Hamburg?
Lennart: Graduates and young professionals who are passionate about e-commerce should apply to us because we have really exciting roles and you can learn an incredible amount. The people from Hamburg are a cool team that offers a lot of support and picks people up quickly. There's a good sense of togetherness, and we also do a lot of things together in our private lives. For many, it develops into more than just work, as you can see again and again. That was the case three years ago and is still the case.

Anne: We have a cool office in Hamburg-Altona with a roof terrace and barbecue, which is very popular. It is also still familiar with about 30 employees. Because of Corona, we don't know everyone personally at the moment, but hopefully that will improve soon. To further intensify our exchange, there is a team of volunteers who make sure that we can live out our Hamburg location culture in joint meetings and parties.

From the parties back to business: What skills are needed for the job in Category Management?
Anne: We're not looking for any specific experience; you don't necessarily have to have already completed an internship in e-commerce. For me, it's more about skills like motivation and drive, a desire to learn. You have to understand the aspirations and the spirit of Galaxus. Analytical skills are important because we have a lot of important data. We use this to get better. But you also have to enjoy it. You don't have to be an Excel professional, but you definitely can't be afraid of touching data. Also, communication, presentation and negotiation skills are important. You don't have to have all the skills already, but you have to have the desire to develop and learn.

Lennart: I would like to emphasize the personal responsibility. You can learn a lot here and make a difference. But you have to want to do it yourself. If you just want to work through tasks without thinking about what is required, you won't be successful here. There is no one there to make you a to-do list. Rather, there are problems and the task is then: "Please solve". That requires a lot more than just working through things.

Finally, away from category management, back to the company: What makes Galaxus stand out from your point of view?
Anne: On the one hand, you have to know that Digitec Galaxus AG, with Migros behind it, is a large corporation with firepower. But Galaxus is still a start-up at heart, especially in Germany. We are anything but hierarchical, you can simply write an email up to the CEO and be on first name terms, that's okay and also desired . We are characterized by constant change. That doesn't make it boring, it makes it exciting. We are constantly asking ourselves whether what we are doing and how we are doing it is still the right way to become more successful.

Lennart: You can take on a lot of responsibility very quickly at Galaxus. Where else can a university graduate be responsible for sales in the double-digit millions after just a short time?

Thank you for the interview. Click herefor the Galaxus job vacancies in Germany.

Header image: Photo: Jan Johannsen

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Daniel Borchers

Senior Communications Manager

Daniel.Borchers@galaxus.de

A soft spot for good series, loud music, science fiction and (second division) football. As PR Manager, I am available to answer journalists' questions about Galaxus and honest e-commerce.

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