Shopper & Customer Activation Manager

Location: Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Work Setting: Hybrid

Employment Type: Full-time

Function: Shopper Marketing, Customer Activation, Trade Marketing, FMCG, Retail Marketing

About the Role

The Shopper & Customer Activation Manager will drive shopper marketing and customer activation across key German drugstore, grocery and discount retailers.

The role translates brand and category objectives into Perfect Store execution and customer-specific activation plans , with a strong focus on physical availability, shopper engagement and commercial performance. Working across Brand, Sales, Category, Marketing and other cross-functional teams, the position will use shopper insights, customer data, market trends and competitive intelligence to develop impactful activation strategies and strengthen retailer partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Customer Activation across drugstore customers and multiple FMCG categories and brands.
• Translate brand and category strategies into Perfect Store execution , activation grids and plans focused on physical availability and in-store excellence.
• Develop and implement customer-specific activation strategies and act as a key activation contact for retail customers.
• Analyze customer behavior, shopper insights, sell-out data, competitive activity and market trends to identify growth opportunities.
• Monitor competitor developments at customer level and develop innovative activation concepts and new routes to market.
• Build strong customer partnerships by presenting compelling commercial ideas and activation opportunities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on shopper insights, promotional performance, product launches, sales materials, market intelligence and competitive analysis .
• Use customer data, retailer portals and syndicated information to evaluate performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support trade marketing, shopper marketing and customer marketing initiatives across drugstore, grocery and discount channels.
• Translate brand priorities into effective in-store activation, promotional and shopper engagement programs.
• Contribute to launch planning and execution, ensuring new products achieve strong retailer visibility, availability and shopper conversion.

Requirements

• University degree in Business Administration, Economics, Marketing or a related discipline .
• Initial professional experience in Shopper Marketing, Trade Marketing, Customer Activation, Customer Marketing or a related commercial function .
• Experience within the FMCG/CPG industry .
• Strong understanding of the German retail and customer landscape , particularly drugstore, grocery and discount channels.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to turn customer and market data into actionable recommendations.
• Creative mindset with an interest in innovation, shopper behavior and new activation approaches .
• Strong stakeholder management and the ability to influence cross-functional teams and customer partners.
• Highly organised, able to manage multiple priorities and perform effectively in a fast-paced commercial environment.
• Strong project management and execution skills.
• Fluent written and spoken German and English .