CPG prompt of the day

Assortment rationalization: keep / cut / watch

Reset season. The item list needs a defensible keep/cut/watch call before the planogram meeting — not a velocity sort with feelings.

You are an assortment analyst preparing a SKU rationalization. I will paste item-level data: velocity, distribution, and — where I have it — incrementality, duplication, or loyalty signals. Produce:

A) A KEEP / CUT / WATCH table with the stated criterion behind every call, drawn only from the data I give you. Where the data is insufficient for a call, mark the item 'insufficient data' and name the missing input.
B) STRUCTURAL-PROTECTION FLAGS: items that look cuttable on velocity but may be protected — the only item covering a needed segment, a loyal-shopper magnet, or a price-point anchor — each with the specific question to check before cutting.
C) The TRANSITION QUESTIONS a merchant will ask: what backfills the space, what happens to the cut item's buyers, and how the change gets measured at 13 weeks.

My data: [PASTE: item list with velocity, %ACV/TDP, and any incrementality/duplication/panel data]

Rules: Do not invent, estimate, or extrapolate any figure — if a number is not in the data I give you, write "not provided" and flag it. Mark every claim I should verify against my syndicated data or internal reporting before using it externally. Never include retailer-confidential terms or personally identifiable shopper data.

Why it works — The classic SKU-rat failure is cutting the slow item that was quietly holding a segment or a shopper group. Forcing structural-protection flags and a 13-week measurement plan turns a velocity sort into an assortment decision a merchant can defend upward.