Consumer Insights Deputy Manager (Softline)

Primary Objective:
A Market Strategist creates and executes strategies that align market opportunities with product offerings by conducting market research, analyzing customer needs, identifying trends, and defining new product concepts to drive growth and brand positioning. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to inform product roadmaps, validate ideas, and oversee successful product launches, ultimately ensuring products meet market demands and company objectives.
Key Activities:
• Research market, customers, and competitors → identify unmet needs.
• Build Product concepts (i.e "Basic & Lifestyle", "Sustainable Fashion line"...)
• Identify Value Proposition of Products/Category: Target Pricing, Sales contribution, GP, expected volume, Category role.
• Work with PB MD, PBA & Technologists to ensure feasibility.
• Provide product direction to Merchandisers for execution.
Roles and responsibilities:
List in order of importance the major responsibilities of the job and estimate the percentage of time spent on each responsibility (the main function of the job may or may not be the one where the most time is spent).
1. Market Research & Consumer Insights (30%)
- Conduct in-depth 3C analysis (Customer, Competitor, Company) to identify consumer preferences, emerging trends, and potential opportunities for product innovation.
- Proactively identify new market opportunities and potential risks related to product development and market fit.
- Prioritize categories/sub-categories for PB development based on market opportunity.
- Interpret research insights into long-term PB development strategies.
- Lead innovation initiatives, identifying emerging trends and opportunities in PB.
2. Product Concept & Proposal Development (30%)
- Define the product vision and strategy, market positioning, translating market insights into actionable plans for new products or enhancements that address market gaps and customer needs.
- Inform and shape the long-term product proposals and category roadmap by providing strategic insights and validating product ideas.
- Lead category and portfolio planning and ensure concepts align with company vision.
- Validate commercial feasibility: target margin, positioning, differentiation.
- Provide final endorsement before PB products move to execution stage.
- Integrate sustainability and customer lifestyle trends into PB development strategy.
3. Cross-Functional Collaboration (20%)
- Act as the strategic bridge between Merchandisers, Technologists, PBA and related departments.
- Align directions with Manager/General Manager and ensure team execution consistency to deliver consistent PB direction..
- Ensure PB product direction aligns with corporate strategy, not just sales KPIs.
4. Performance Monitoring & Strategic Improvement (10%)
- Review overall category performance against business objectives.
- Recommend strategic adjustments to PB portfolio and market positioning.
5. Other Duties (10%)
Any necessary task that is deemed important from time to time.