Corriemoor Outdoors range by season
Category matrix slide with five categories across four seasons
A category matrix slide puts a whole range on one page by crossing categories with a second dimension and writing one short line in each cell. This one maps the range of Corriemoor Outdoors, a fictional retailer, by season, so buyers can see what leads each category from summer to spring.
What is on the slide
- Title
- Range by Season. Corriemoor Outdoors, what leads each category in summer, autumn, winter and spring.
- Footwear
- Summer: trail runners, 40% of sales. Autumn: waterproof hiking boots. Winter: insulated boots and gaiters. Spring: approach shoes for climbing.
- Packs
- Summer: running vests, 20 L packs. Autumn: 35 L school holiday packs. Winter: ski touring packs. Spring: multi day 65 L packs.
- Shelter
- Summer: ultralight tents, 1.1 kg. Autumn: three season tent clearance. Winter: four season tents. Spring: hammocks and tarps.
- Clothing
- Summer: sun hoodies and shorts. Autumn: fleece mid layers. Winter: down jackets, peak in June. Spring: light wind shells.
- Water
- Summer: packrafts and dry bags. Autumn: packraft hire ends April. Winter: dry suits for guides. Spring: packraft courses open.
When this is the right slide
Choose this slide when two dimensions cross, such as categories and seasons, and every intersection holds a short phrase the audience should scan across rows and down columns on one page.
What to swap it for
Grouping: 2×2 Sections, Two Cards Each. Swap to the two by two sections layout when there are only four groups, each needing two named cards rather than a full five by four grid.
What this slide shows
A title reads Range by Season, with a framing line: Corriemoor Outdoors, what leads each category in summer, autumn, winter and spring. Below it a ruled grid has five rows and four cells per row. Footwear: summer, trail runners at 40% of sales; autumn, waterproof hiking boots; winter, insulated boots and gaiters; spring, approach shoes for climbing. Packs: summer, running vests and 20 litre packs; autumn, 35 litre school holiday packs; winter, ski touring packs; spring, multi day 65 litre packs. Shelter: summer, ultralight tents at 1.1 kg; autumn, three season tent clearance; winter, four season tents; spring, hammocks and tarps. Clothing: summer, sun hoodies and shorts; autumn, fleece mid layers; winter, down jackets peaking in June; spring, light wind shells. Water: summer, packrafts and dry bags; autumn, packraft hire ending in April; winter, dry suits for guides; spring, packraft courses opening. Category names sit in teal on the left; each cell has the season in bold above a short line. Seasons follow the southern hemisphere, which is why down jackets peak in June.
When this is the right slide
Use it in a range review, an annual operating plan, a capability map or a program overview, wherever two dimensions cross and each intersection holds a short phrase. Retail buying, school curriculum maps and service catalogues by region are typical cases. It is the wrong slide when the cells hold numbers that need comparing, which a table or a heat map handles better. It is also the wrong slide when there are only two or three categories, because a twenty cell layout with half its cells forced into use looks padded; a two by two sections layout with two cards per group is then the better fit.
How to adapt it
First, choose dimensions that the audience already thinks in. Buyers think in seasons and categories, so this grid matches how they plan. Second, write every cell in the same form, a product or event in under 30 characters, and keep lengths similar along each row so the layout does not shrink some columns and not others. Third, fill every cell, using a short note where nothing changes. For a services business, replace categories with service lines and seasons with regions, and write the lead offer in each cell. For an operating plan, replace seasons with quarters and write the initiative that lands each quarter. In each case the slide stays a map, and the numbers move to the slide that follows. If a cell keeps wanting a second line, that row is probably two categories and should be split. Finally, keep a copy of last year's grid. Comparing the two side by side in a buying meeting shows what moved between seasons, which lines were dropped and which arrived, and it turns a static range map into a record of decisions the team can learn from when planning the next year.
What makes this slide work
Every cell says what leads
Trail runners, 40% of sales. Down jackets, peak in June. Packraft courses open. Each of the twenty cells names one product or event, not a description of the season. A buyer can read across the clothing row and see the year in four phrases, which is the purpose of putting a range on one page.
Seasons repeat as cell headings
Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring head every cell in their column. Because the layout has no separate column header row, repeating the season in each cell keeps the grid readable at any point, and it survives being cropped into a screenshot for a buying email without losing its meaning.
The range matches the portfolio slide
Trail running packs, ultralight tents, down jackets and packrafts appear here and on the BCG growth share slide for the same fictional retailer. The two pages describe one business from two angles, so the seasonal plan can be read against which lines are stars and which are question marks.
Questions people ask
When does a grid beat a table for this kind of content?
When every cell holds a short phrase rather than a number, and the reader scans across rows and down columns looking for patterns. A table suits figures that will be compared or summed. A grid of words suits a plan, a range or a capability map, where the value is seeing at a glance that winter is the busiest season for three categories out of five.
How much text fits in each cell of a five by four matrix?
A heading of one or two words and a line of about 30 characters. Twenty cells on one canvas leave little room, and the layout shrinks text that runs long, which makes some columns smaller than others. Keep the lines similar in length across a row so the type size stays even, and move detail to a supporting table.
Should every cell be filled?
Yes, on a matrix of this kind an empty cell reads as a mistake. If a category genuinely has nothing to say in a season, write that, for example no range change, so the reader knows the cell was considered. Gaps in the plan are often the most useful finding, and an explicit note makes them visible rather than invisible.
When should a category matrix be split into two slides?
When one dimension grows past five rows or four columns, or when the audience needs numbers as well as words. Split by season into two slides of two columns each, or move to a table that can grow. A dense grid that no longer fits at readable size is worse than two clear slides the audience can compare.
Which chart pairs with a category matrix?
A stacked column chart of sales by category and season shows the volumes behind the words. It answers the question the matrix raises, which is how big each seasonal lead actually is. Place it on the next slide rather than inside a cell, and keep the categories in the same order on both so the reader can move between them.
How should a category matrix slide be presented?
Pick one row and one column to walk through, then let the audience read the rest. For a buying meeting, the winter column is usually the one to explain, because pre orders and stock commitments are made months in advance. Ask the room to check their own category row for anything missing; the matrix is a good prompt for that.
Build your own in about a minute
The button below opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own, generate, then edit anything you like.
Make one like thisOther slide examples
4P marketing mix slide with a number on every P
A 4P marketing mix slide works when each P states the decision that was made and the number that proves it, rather than a definition of what price or place means. This one sets out the March 2027 launch of Supperwick, a fictional meal kit service in two regional cities.
BCG matrix slide with six product lines on a three by three grid
A BCG matrix slide is useful when every product line sits in one cell with its revenue, so the room sees both where the money comes from and where it might come from next. This one places six lines for Corriemoor Outdoors, a fictional retailer with $25.5M in FY27 revenue.
OKR slide example with two objectives and measurable results
An OKR slide only works when each key result carries a baseline, a target and a name, because a result without those three is a wish with a number attached. This one sets a quarter for Fieldnote, a fictional farm record keeping app.
Want the steps in the builder? Read Add charts, maps and diagrams to slides, then Style text and add callouts, stats and lists. For everything this generator can do, see the slide maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .