With 60%-70% of purchase decisions made in store, the way products are presented has never been more critical. Yet as consumer expectations evolve and competition intensifies, many businesses find themselves stretched thin—juggling complex planogram tasks, rising tech costs, and the need for faster execution.
Maintaining a high-performing category management program in this environment requires more than good intentions. It demands advanced tools, specialized expertise, and the ability to adapt quickly. That’s why more retailers and brands are turning to trusted partners to manage the operational load—so they can focus on what matters most: strategy, growth, and staying ahead of the curve.
Here are five key benefits of partnering with a category management services provider—and how it can elevate in-store success.
1. Drive cost efficiency and reduce operational overhead
Contracting planogram and category management functions to a trusted category management partner is a strategic move that can deliver substantial cost savings. By reducing the need to recruit, train, and retain a specialized in-house team of full-time employees, companies can maximize their internal resources for more strategic tasks while leveraging a professional team for time-consuming planogram tasks.
2. Cut tech costs without cutting corners
Building and maintaining an internal category analyst team often comes with a hefty price tag, especially when it comes to technology. Licenses for space planning software can cost thousands of dollars per user each year. These tools also require ongoing training and support, even if they’re used only sporadically.
External partners have access to best-in-class tools and provide technical expertise to use them efficiently. This model turns fixed technology expenses into variable costs, allowing businesses to scale services up or down as needed—without the burden of maintaining expensive software or infrastructure in-house.
3. Achieve flexibility and scale across space planning projects
Leveraging external category analysts offer brands and retailers a powerful way to scale space planning efforts when needed, with agility and precision. Whether it’s producing and updating schematics, developing gold-standard planograms, or delivering data-driven space analyses and reporting, bringing in experts for specific tasks or time periods allows organizations to seamlessly adapt to a wide range of project types and deliverables—tailored to specific needs.
Integrating external category specialists—either as a complement to an in-house team or as a standalone solution—enables companies to flex resources in real time. With faster turnaround times, businesses accelerate Time to Shelf, enabling quicker market response and stronger sales impact.
4. Transform merchandising with specialized expertise
Category management programs today demand specialized expertise in space planning and merchandising—grounded in data, responsive to trends, and built to meet evolving shopper expectations.Many organizations, however, lack dedicated in-house teams with the specialized knowledge needed to fully optimize merchandising strategies. Internal analysts may have limited experience with complex floor and shelf planning software, or they may not be using these tools to their full potential. From underutilized features to inefficient workflows, these gaps can lead to missed opportunities.
Having a partner for merchandising tasks provides immediate access to experienced professionals who specialize in category management.These experts bring a wealth of experience in creating data-driven floor and shelf plans, and performance reports that are aligned with key merchandising principles and focused on maximizing product visibility and space efficiency.
5. Refocus internal resources on strategic growth
By partnering with an external space planning services provider, companies can offload the operational complexity of category management tasks and redirect their internal teams toward high-impact, strategic initiatives. Tasks like planogram file conversions, planogram production and updates, space planning reports while essential, are time-intensive and often repetitive. When handled in-house, they can consume valuable hours that could be better spent on activities that drive growth such as optimizing assortments, planning promotions, and analyzing market trends and shopper behavior. Relying on outside experts for these activities empowers internal teams to focus on driving growth, innovation, and competitive advantage.
Syndigo’s Category Management Services: Unlock the Power of Expert-Led In-Store Strategy
In a constantly evolving and fiercely competitive retail landscape, Syndigo’s Category Management Services team delivers the specialized expertise and agility that businesses need to stay ahead. Whether acting as a fully outsourced solution or seamlessly integrating with an existing team, we bring the tools, talent, and impartial perspective to elevate category performance.
With access to the industry’s most comprehensive space management content—over 800,000+ products with high-quality images and precise dimensions—our experts build accurate, data-driven planograms faster and more efficiently. We are fluent in leading space planning software and bring decades of hands-on experience supporting manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and brokers across every major category. Our experts offer a deep understanding of industry best practices and category-specific merchandising principles—ensuring every planogram and recommendation is tailored for maximum impact.
We don’t just execute—we empower. Through tailored Blue Yonder training, our clients gain practical, category relevant knowledge from analysts who use the platform daily. And with our responsive Help Desk support, technical questions and software issues are resolved quickly, keeping your operations running smoothly.
When you partner with Syndigo, you’re gaining more than just operational support; you’re getting industry-proven and trusted category management services to accelerate your in-store success.
Contact us to learn more about how Syndigo’s Category Management Services solution can transform your in-store program and drive retail success.
