AI in Category Management
A research-led course for Category Managers, Controllers and analysts who want to use AI well in real category work - not a generic AI skills class.
Across three live online sessions, you'll get a practical, evidence-based grounding in how AI is actually being used in category work today, hands-on practice with your own AI tools, and a personal plan to put it into practice back in your role.
- 9.00am - 11.30am, UK time
- Live and online
- 3 x 2.5hr modules, run in consecutive weeks
- A short practical task between sessions embeds the learning, building steadily across the three weeks
- Cohorts are kept deliberately small so there's real space for discussion and hands-on practice
- £795 + VAT
Choice of Dates
- 27 October 2026
- 3 November 2026
- 10 November 2026
- 26 November 2026
- 3 December 2026
- 10 December 2026
Category Managers, Controllers and analysts
in FMCG, grocery and consumer goods
Any starting level of AI experience
cohorts are shaped around who's actually in the room
Individual places
bringing 6 or more people? An in-house session usually works out better - get in touch
"More than four in ten suppliers aren't confident their category approach will still be fit for purpose in five years."
In our ongoing research with professionals working across 100+ organisations, that confidence gap comes through consistently - set against retailers' rising analytical capability on one side, and AI already changing how organisations work and how decisions get made on the other.
This course is built on live research into what's actually changing, updated cohort to cohort - not a one-off demo. There's no established standard yet for AI skills in category management; this gives you a practical head start, grounded in cross-industry research rather than generic AI training repackaged for retail.
— 3 modules, 2.5 hours each, delivered live online across 3 consecutive weeks
— A short self-guided warm-up before Module 1, so live time is spent applying, not setting up
— Runs in the morning, UK time
The AI Landscape in Category Management
Where category management stands today, and a clear, current view of how AI is actually being used in category work - what's proven, what's still overhyped, and where human involvement and oversight remains critical. Grounded in Optima's own ongoing research, not vendor demos.
Practical Application and Hands-On AI
Guided, hands-on practice inside the AI tools you already have access to, plus a take-away prompt library built and validated for category work.
Making AI Part of How You Work
Turning the first two modules into changed day-to-day practice: how to read and challenge an AI-generated recommendation rather than defer to it, and how to start building AI into your regular workflow. We look at what changes when AI use becomes a habit rather than an occasional experiment - in speed, in clarity, and in the quality of the questions you ask - and you leave with a personal plan to take back to your role.
Each module runs live for 2.5 hours, with a short practical task between sessions to help embed what you've learned before the next one
- building steadily across the three weeks rather than covering everything in one sitting.
A working prompt library for category tasks - each one with guidance on when to trust it and when to check it
A 90-day personal action plan you build, using our framework, to take back to your role
A practical way of deciding when to trust an AI output and when to dig in yourself
Reference materials released as you go through the three modules
All demonstrations and shared exercises use synthetic category data provided by the course leaders. Applying what you learn to your own real work happens privately, on your own screen - nothing about your business, prices or plans is shared with the group.
Simon Dunn facilitates throughout. Hands-on category management experience, the research programme behind this course, and involvement in the ECR's AI in Category Management working group combine to give the depth this course is built on.
For Module 2, Simon is joined by an experienced AI practitioner who works day-to-day helping commercial and category teams put AI tools to use - practical experience, not theory.
You'll be learning from people doing this work, not just teaching it.
Do I need AI experience already?
No - cohorts flex around the group, and there's a short warm-up before Module 1.
What tools do I need?
Whatever you already have access to - this covers the AI assistants already in everyday use across category teams. Worth checking your IT permissions before the course starts.
Can I book for my whole team?
The open course is built for individual places. For six or more from one business, get in touch about an in-house session.
Will I need to share my own data?
No - demonstrations use synthetic data provided by the facilitators. The value comes from doing the work yourself: the exercises, the prompt practice and your personal plan are all built around your own hands-on input, on your own screen.