Behind the scenes

From bestseller to shelf warmer: inside Category Management at Galaxus

15.8.2023

Translation: Katherine Martin

Galaxus in Germany is looking for people to join the Category Management Team at its Hamburg branch. Virginia Eckhardt has been on board since the company’s foundation in 2018. In this interview, she reveals what makes the job unique.

You’re one of the few people who joined Galaxus.de right back when it was founded in 2018. Would you have thought back then that you’d still be here today?
Of course! Or to put it another way: why did I come on board? I was looking for a new challenge. And what attracted me to the position at Galaxus was the fact that although it’s a start-up in Germany, it has an established market leader, Digitec Galaxus, behind it in Switzerland. The opportunity to watch a new online retailer in Germany grow from nothing appealed to me. And of course, I want to be here for the long haul.

Within the Category Management Team, you became Business Management Team Leader for Consumer Electronics in April 2022. How has your team evolved since then? What challenges are you facing?
I mean, I was initially a team of one, so I had to build up my team first. On the one hand, that meant twice the work, on the other, it was obviously really exciting. There are now three of us on the team in Hamburg – myself, Leon Sichler and Johannes Duensing. But we’re looking for a fourth team member. In a nutshell, we Category Managers are responsible for ensuring that the products in our category sell. To achieve that, we closely work with brands and suppliers, plan marketing activities together and oversee product launches. There are still a couple of brands we need to win over. Our audio range is already really well established, but there’s still more to do in the camera sector.

Generally speaking, what are a Category Manager’s responsibilities?
We take care of purchasing the products, communicate with brands, distributors and wholesalers, and negotiate. We promote new products and make sure we stock them on time. Not only that, but we have to ensure our bestsellers are always available too. Another one of our jobs is backlog management – we have to keep an eye on what’s selling and what isn’t.

What do you enjoy most?
The fact that the job isn’t just the same day in, day out. It’s very varied. It’s nice to have shared successes – that is, generating sales alongside brands and distributors.

And what’s less enjoyable?
Clearing away the shelf warmers. Basically, these are products we have in stock, which, for whatever reason, haven’t sold. In order to free up warehouse space, we need to identify and sell off shelf warmers on a regular basis.

Galaxus headquarters in the Bahrenfeld district of Hamburg

What’s changed since Galaxus launched in Germany in 2018?
When I started, there were five of us in the office, which wasn’t set up yet. Now there are 55 of us employees, and we’ve had to rent additional space. We used to discuss everything together at a team meeting every Friday – every decision. That wouldn’t work now. Just as well – we need to be able to make decisions quickly, after all. The thing that hasn’t changed is that everyone can get involved in the issues that interest them. Another key development has been the merging of the German and Swiss teams. Everybody in Hamburg is now on international teams, and we no longer focus solely on the German market. We work together for Galaxus in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy and every other market that’s been added since.

And the shop has changed too, right?
Of course. The shop has changed massively. We’ve gone from having 50,000 products in 2018 to nearly 3 million in 2023, and we continue to grow. Unique features such as price transparency and warranty scores set us apart from other online shops. We’re now also more than just an online shop in Germany – we’re a marketplace.

Why should someone apply for a job at Galaxus?
We’ve got some exciting vacancies – just take a look at galaxus.com/jobs. The working environment is really relaxed, but professional at the same time. Galaxus.de has also seen strong growth in 2022, unlike the market as a whole. In Germany, we can take advantage of fringe benefits such as employee discounts and a budget for professional development (1,200 euros per person), which each employee can spend as they choose.

What have you done with your EDU points (linked article in German) so far?
Lots of different things, really. Tickets to conferences, specialist books on leadership, and negotiation courses at our parent company Migros in Switzerland.

Where can we catch you when you’re not in the office?
Heading off on a trip! I absolutely love travelling. But when I’m in Hamburg, you’ll often find me in cafés in Eimsbüttel or Sternschanze – I’m a sucker for coffee and sweet treats.

Thanks for the chat!

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Daniel Borchers

Senior Communications Manager

Daniel.Borchers@galaxus.de

A soft spot for good series, loud music, science fiction and (second division) football. As PR Manager, I am available to answer journalists' questions about Galaxus and honest e-commerce.

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