Product ranges: why tracking your sales by customer type changes everything

Claire Brunaud
2 days ago
3 min read

For a Category Manager, product assortment is a strategic lever.

It is this factor that determines performance, customer satisfaction, and credibility with distributors. Yet, in many organizations, its management still relies on an overly general view of sales .

We know what's coming out.

We know what is progressing or regressing.

But we don't always know for whom .

And that's precisely where the problem lies.

When an “average” assortment masks very different realities

An assortment may seem correct on a global scale, while sometimes being unsuitable for certain end customers.

Conversely, a range considered to be underperforming may be extremely effective in a specific segment.

Without data broken down by customer type, everything gets mixed up.

The performance of fast casual restaurants is diluted by that of institutional catering.

The expectations of independent businesses are drowned out by the sheer volume of the chains.

Decisions are made based on an average… which doesn't really represent anyone.

For a Category Manager, this partial reading complicates everything: arbitration, recommendations, negotiations.

Not all foodservice customers buy for the same reasons.

In foodservice, the diversity of practices is an asset. But it becomes a problem when it is not interpreted correctly.

A player in the institutional catering sector will consider costs, regularity and security of supply.

A fast casual restaurant will look for differentiated products that are quick to implement and have a clear promise.

A traditional restaurant will place more importance on the taste, origin, or versatility of the products.

To think that the same assortment can perform the same way across all these segments is to deprive oneself of a huge growth lever.

Customer segmentation as a key to understanding and tracking product ranges

Tracking your sales and product ranges by customer type radically changes your analysis.

You no longer just look at whether a product is selling, but at which retailers it is selling .

You identify the product lines that drive performance in certain segments, and those that hold back elsewhere.

You understand why a product works very well in one circuit… and not at all in another.

The product range is no longer fixed. It becomes a tool for adapting to the market.

More nuanced, fairer, more effective decisions

By analyzing end-customer typologies, your decisions become more precise.

You adjust the assortments according to actual usage.

You recommend promotional strategies that are consistent with the expectations of each segment.

You build solid arguments to justify your choices to distributors.

Above all, you stop thinking solely in terms of the “product”. You start thinking in terms of the “customer”.

Improve collaboration with sales and distributors

This segmentation is also a great tool for collaboration.

Internally, it allows Category Management and field teams to align around a clear understanding of the market. Salespeople understand why certain products are prioritized for one type of customer, and not another.

From the distributor's perspective, the discussion escalates. You're no longer just talking about volumes, but about the relevance of the offering for each segment. You bring real added value to the building of product ranges.

When data finally reveals usage patterns

The real challenge is not to imagine the behavior of end customers.

It's about being able to objectify them.

With KaryonFood , sell-out data is analyzed by end-customer type. You gain a clear understanding of your product range's performance across segments: fast casual, institutional catering, independent restaurants, chains, etc.

Data becomes a decision-making tool, not simply a post-hoc observation.

A relevant assortment is a targeted assortment

Today, managing an assortment without customer segmentation means accepting to make decisions with an incomplete vision.

Conversely, tracking your sales by customer type allows you to understand what works, for whom, and why.

You gain relevance, credibility, and business impact.

What if your next assortment decisions were finally based on the actual practices of the Foodservice market?

👉 Request a KaryonFood demo and discover how end-customer segmentation can transform your assortment management.