Is your Category Strategy really a Category Vision? 🤔

“I don’t think that word means what you think it means.”

– Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

A client once asked me to create a category strategy.

Towards the end, I booked in a workshop to map out tactics, innovation plans and in-store execution ideas. Halfway through, they stopped me.

“Oh no, we don’t need that level of detail.”

What they actually wanted wasn’t a strategy at all, it was a category vision.

The two often get mixed up, and while they are connected, they play very different roles.

Understanding the difference can make your plans sharper and easier to deliver.

Here’s how I break it down:

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Category Vision 🔮 = the ‘where’

This is the future of your category. The big picture.

A category vision focuses on where you want it to be in the long term, not just the next few years.

A good vision is shopper-led, inspiring and easy to picture. It paints a clear ‘from’ and ‘to’ that makes sense to everyone, ideally with numbers that bring it to life.

It should make people feel excited and confident about the direction you’re heading. It’s your chance to have a strong voice and stand out.

Unlike a category strategy, it doesn’t need every step mapped out today, but should guide your decisions for years to come.

Category Strategy 🎯 = the ‘how’

This is your plan to make the vision happen.

A category strategy focuses on how to grow the category, usually looking at the next 1–3 years. It sets out the specific actions and choices that will move you towards the vision.

It should be grounded in data and insights to feel credible, and flexible enough to adapt as shoppers and the market change.

Your strategy needs to align with your wider business goals and get buy-in from stakeholders. When everyone is pulling in the same direction, it’s much easier to turn a plan into real results.

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Where do ‘Category Drivers’ fit in?

Category drivers, sometimes known as pillars or growth engines, are what most people think of when they think category vision or strategy.

Drivers should focus on key shopper behaviours or missions that unlock category growth. They bring focus and help your business prioritise.

You should see them in the vision - that big-picture ‘where’ you want to go.

Each driver should highlight a shopper behaviour that we can target, whether it’s bringing in new shoppers, getting existing shoppers to spend more or getting them to shop more frequently.

Then, in your strategy - the ‘how’ - you plan the specific actions that target those drivers to make the vision happen, we call these tactics.

This could focus on innovation, in-store execution, marketing campaigns, or anything else that might trigger that specific shopper behaviour.

Think of drivers as the bridge between your vision and strategy. Without them, you’d have a goal with no clear reasons or plan. Or a load of actions, without a clear vision.

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You can have a category vision without a strategy, and a strategy without a vision. But the real impact comes from combining both.

The words we use don’t matter as much as the intentions behind them and the goals we set. The vision gives us the direction, the strategy outlines the path, and the drivers keep you focused on what matters most.

If you're looking to ensure your category strategy drives action and delivers real growth, check out our article on 5 ways to ensure your category strategy drives action.

Need support in developing a compelling category vision or actionable strategy? Get in touch to discuss how we can help!

Not sure what’s right for you? Get in touch and we’ll help you figure it out.

All the best,

Ella & the May Insight Team

August 2025