š§¢ Coach T's Recap
Exploring category penetration might reveal a bigger story behind your brand metrics, sometimes your slice changes because the pie does.
When interpreting your brand funnel in Tracksuit, itās important to remember: your brand doesnāt exist in isolation, it lives within the context of your broader category.
Thatās why we start by measuring category penetration, identifying who actively buys or uses products in your category. This gives more meaningful context to brand metrics.
How category trends can affect funnel metrics
Letās use a pie analogy š
š„§ Your category = the whole pie
š° Your brand = one slice of that pie
As the size of the pie changes, the your brandās slice can shift, too.
Head to the Funnel Timeline page to get across the category dynamics (make sure you have 'Category penetration' toggled on in the 'Display options' dropdown).
If category penetration is increasing
If category penetration is increasing
The pie is growing which means more people are entering the category.
What it means: Youāre now competing for attention with more brands, and need to work harder to maintain or grow awareness and consideration.
Use your data to: Focus on brand fitness - be distinctive, consistent, and invest in mental availability to keep up with the growing pool of consumers.
If category penetration is stable
If category penetration is stable
The pie remains the same size which means things are steady.
What it means: Consumer behaviour is relatively consistent.
Use your data to: Look for opportunity in brand positioning to sharpen your relevance, consistency and emotional connection to grow share.
If category penetration is decreasing
If category penetration is decreasing
The pie is shrinking which means fewer people are engaging with the category.
What it means: You might see short-term lifts in your brand metrics as the remaining pie gets divided among fewer players. But over time, a shrinking category can limit growth opportunities.
Use your data to:
Understand which audiences are driving declines
Explore ways to build category growth into your strategy
Spot opportunities to grow into adjacent spaces or unmet needs
Hereās how Tracksuit customers are putting category penetration data to work š
Tell the right story: Use category shifts to explain brand movements e.g. holding steady in a growing category = strong performance.
Spot growth levers: Is the category growing among younger audiences? New regions? Use it to guide targeting or NPD.
Align your team: Help internal stakeholders see the full picture, not just isolated brand metrics.