As out of stocks remain high and retailer/manufacturer collaboration remains low, JDA will convene leaders in industry to discuss approaches to advance the category management discipline Scottsdale, Ariz. - March 11, 2015 - A recent GMA/FMI Trading Partner Alliance study found that, despite many programs from retailers and manufacturers, out-of-stocks remain at eight percent on average.  The underlying obstacles are many, and to make headway against this widespread challenge JDA Software Group, Inc., will convene thought leaders from throughout the industry, including Constellation Brands, DePaul University and Accenture, to discuss their journeys and best practice such as joint business planning, localization and personalization.  This half day event will take place in Minneapolis on March 12th from 7:30-1:00.

"The omni-channel consumer has pushed retailers and manufacturers to get much more sophisticated around the discipline of category management," said Danny Halim, vice president of industry strategyat JDA Software.  "Localization, personalization and advancements in some of the core principals of assortment optimization necessitate an infusion of new thinking.  In convening this meeting JDA has brought thought leaders together to discuss what state-of-the-art is and how companies can make progress towards higher levels of maturity."

In addition to the FMI/GMA study and its recommendations for addressing the out of stock challengef, JDA teamed with the Category Management Association (CMA) on an eBookto dig deeper into the opportunity that customized assortments presents to retailers and manufacturers.  In addition to pragmatic advice this publication outlines a maturity model to guide the category management discipline forward.  It also discusses some intersections between category management and Big Data - as the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to produce more consumer behavior and sentiment data, category management organizations that aspire to reach higher levels of maturity will need to become proficient in extracting insights from this ever growing ocean of data.

Following the Category Management event, JDA and its customers will continue these and other thought provoking discussions at FOCUS, April 26-29 in Orlando Florida.  At FOCUs, more than 2000 of the world's leading retailers and manufacturers will come together to discuss emerging trends, best practice and emerging technologies to solve longstanding and emerging challenges.

Tweet this: Join @JDASoftware this Thursday in Minneapolis to discuss category management best practice http://jda.com/TYTDWR

About JDA Software Group, Inc.
At JDA, we're fearless leaders. We're the leading provider of end-to-end, integrated retail and supply chain planning and execution solutions for more than 4,000 customers worldwide.  Our unique solutions empower our clients to achieve more by optimizing costs, increasing revenue and reducing time to value so they can always deliver on their customer promises.  Using JDA, you can plan to deliver. www.jda.com

RSS Feeds:
JDA press releases: www.jda.com/rss.asp?a=press
JDA news: http://www.jda.com/rss.asp?a=news
JDA events: http://www.jda.com/rss.asp?a=events

Social Networks:
Web: www.jda.com
Blog: http://blog.jda.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/JDASoftware
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JDASoftwareGroup
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/JDA-Software
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/JDASoftware
SlideShare: www.slideshare.net/JDASoftware

"JDA" is a trademark or registered trademark of JDA Software Group, Inc. Any trade, product or service name referenced in this document using the name "JDA" is a trademark and/or property of JDA Software Group, Inc.

JDA Software Group, Inc.
14400 N. 87th Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

###

128



distributed by