🧢 Coach T's Recap
Category penetration isn’t just a number, it can give you clues about how your brand might show up. In bigger categories, you might focus on standing out and winning share. In smaller or emerging categories, it may involve educating people, inviting new buyers in, and building your brand alongside the category to unlock future growth.
Category penetration shows the percentage of people in your market who buy (or intend to buy) from your category.
In your Tracksuit survey, the category is defined by a qualifying question, so you’re only seeing responses from people who shop within your category (not the general population, which would dilute the data).
Why does this matter? This is your addressable market, the size of the buyer pool your brand can play in. It helps you see whether you’re in a big, competitive category where the job is to win share, or a smaller category where the job is to grow the category itself.
For example
Naked Life operates in the non-alcoholic drinks category, which is still emerging. Tracksuit’s data shows 47% of the population purchased a non-alcoholic drink in the last three months, yet many people are still discovering the space. Naked Life’s job isn’t only to grow their own brand, but also to bring more people into the category, giving them the confidence to try something new. This dual focus, grow the category and grow the brand, expands the number of people they can sell to over time.
Where do I find it in the dashboard?
Head to the Funnel Overview page and look for the green section on the right-hand side.
Here you’ll see:
How your category is defined
The category penetration value (% of people in market)
What that translates to in number of people in your market
💡 Tip
Use filters to see how category penetration (and your addressable market) shifts for different segments like age, gender or region.
Shape your brand strategy
Understanding your market size gives context to how your brand can grow. In big categories, most people are already buying (e.g. toothpaste). The challenge isn’t explaining the category, it’s making sure your brand is the one they choose. When customers are ready to choose, the decision feels easy when brands are familiar, consistent and stand out.
Build familiarity: show up often, be mentally available when your customer needs you and go beyond exposure by connecting emotionally, telling stories and building trust.
Stay consistent: think long-term, stay top of mind and keep your brand’s tone, look, and story unified.
Be distinctive: avoid blending in, use unique brand assets like logos, colors, jingles, or taglines to stand out.
In smaller categories (e.g. electric vehicles), fewer buyers are in the market right now, so your job is to grow awareness of the category and your brand together. A low penetration score isn’t bad news, it just means the rules of play are different.
Education first: Help people understand what this category is, why it exists, why it’s relevant (health, lifestyle, values etc.).
Recruitment and openness: Look for people who might not yet purchase but are open to the idea. Convert non-buyers by speaking to their motivations.
Positioning shapes perception: How you tell the story (tone, messaging, values) can help define what the category stands for in consumers’ minds.
Explore further category metrics
Category penetration tells you how many people are in your category, but that’s just the starting point. To further shape your strategy, you’ll also want to know who those people are and where you can reach them.
That’s where the other Tracksuit pages come in. The Category Profile page helps you break down who your category buyers are, from demographics to regions and life stage. The Media Consumption page then shows you where they spend their time and which channels they engage with most.
Put together, these pages help you answer three big questions: How big is the opportunity? Who should I focus on? And where do I reach them?