Diagnosing category management in a pharmacy retail chain

The object of this study is the growing interest of the target audience in the introduction of category management tools to the business processes of pharmacy retail. In pharmaceutical practice, the methodical toolkit for the study of the category management system is not sufficiently widely presented. That is why, using the theoretical and methodological basis and conceptual principles of product category management, the evaluation methodology of the MARS Category Management Profile was devised. The purpose of the work is to introduce new approaches to the formation and management of the pharmacy assortment based on the concept of category management and to determine ways to increase the level of efficiency of its work. As a result of the research, the quantitative value of the existing and optimal result of category management in the network of pharmacies was determined. The calculations show that in the current state the goal orientation is 36 points, and in the optimal state this characteristic will be equal to 27 points, while the analysis orientation is 21 and 28 points, respectively. It has been established that categorical management is focused precisely on the analysis and adherence to research tools, and not on the uncontrolled achievement of the goal. The proposed organizational model of functional interaction of specialists in pharmacy retail could ensure the implementation of principles and the performance of complex tasks facing the category manager. The described components of the MARS category management profile will be used in practice to improve approaches to planning, information and analytical support, and control over the main management processes of the enterprise under study. This could avoid disagreements between management and medical specialists