Research the product category:
Conduct a store audit by visiting a store to observe/record the following in a table:
Identify each of the category’s brands, varieties of these brands (e.g. size, flavor, etc.).
Identify each product’s parent manufacturer, unit price, and brand imagery (as communicated by the package copy and graphics).
Identify segments or buckets these products can be divided into (ie dividing the category by product types, price or quality segments, important benefits offered, consumer groups served, and so forth).
Identify how products are displayed and what role each manufacturer plays within the category (e.g., leaders, challenger, nicher).
Research and write an analysis in which you obtain basic information about the category and its competitors from secondary research sources. This includes information on:
Category size
Rate of growth or decline
Primary competitors and their brands
Market shares of manufacturers and their brands
Channels of distribution
Recent product innovations
