An uncrowded category can mean untapped opportunity, or it can mean no one is buying. Competitive intensity only tells executives something once it is read against demand, and at the price point where the brand would actually compete.

A category's headline margin tells executives little about whether it will pay in a new market. What matters is what it earns after the value chain and at the volume a distributor can actually absorb. The gap between the two is where launches quietly lose money.

Second-wave categories are often ranked lower because their route to market is slower, not because they matter less. Executives who wait for the first category to sell before starting the next one's groundwork turn a planned sequence into an unplanned stall.

A home-market bestseller is not always the right opening move. Category prioritisation helps companies decide what to lead with, what to follow with and what to hold back in each new market, protecting distributor confidence, margin and momentum.