Circana

What Circana does

Circana is a Chicago-based, privately held data and analytics company serving consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers, retailers, and durables manufacturers. It sells subscription access to its data platforms alongside custom research and consulting, reaching more than 7,000 clients globally through enterprise field sales, self-serve, and platform/API integrations.

At the core sits the Liquid AI intelligence platform and Unify+ analytics environment, integrating data across 26 industries covering $5.8T in global consumer spend, 42M+ tracked CPG and general merchandise items, and 477K stores at 90-91% census coverage through the MULO+ universe. A product-plus-modules architecture layers industry-specific Complete solutions (Complete Market, Complete Consumer, Complete Beauty, Complete Food & Beverage) with functional modules spanning marketing measurement (Liquid Testing, Liquid Mix, Media Lift), consumer insights (Liquid Survey, Receipt Panel, National Eating Trends, CREST), and analytics (Complete Why, Market Share Drivers). Recent additions include Liquid Activation for purchase-based audience building and the Attribute Marketplace, a catalog-based third-party data integration layer.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring data and analytics subscriptions, supplemented by custom research and consulting engagements. Pricing is quote-based across enterprise, mid-market, and SMB tiers; Liquid Data Go provides a self-serve entry point for small and midsize CPG brands, while retail-media partners (Yahoo DSP, Sam's Club MAP) and retailer integrations (Sally Beauty, Ahold Delhaize) embed Circana data directly into client systems. The company was formed through the 2022 merger of IRI and NPD Group, completed acquisitions of NCSolutions and Nielsen's Marketing Mix Modeling business in 2024-2025, raised $1.2B from Vestar Capital Partners in 2024, and is currently executing an international expansion centered on the UK and supported by additional Asia/Europe leadership.

Name

Circana

Legal name

Circana, LLC

Website

https://circana.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Circana provides data, analytics, and AI-powered market measurement services to consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, and durables manufacturers, covering $5.8T in global consumer spend through its Liquid AI platform and Unify+ analytics environment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Data and Analytics Subscriptions: Circana provides subscription-based access to its data and analytics platforms including Unify+, Liquid Data, and industry-specific solutions. The company serves over 7,000 clients and partners worldwide with recurring subscription revenue.
2. Custom Research and Consulting: Professional services including custom research reports, consulting engagements, and specialized analytics projects tailored to specific client needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Circana provides subscription-based data, analytics, and AI-powered intelligence to consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers. Its core offering combines the Liquid AI intelligence platform and Unify+ analytics platform with proprietary point-of-sale, consumer panel, and loyalty data covering 26 industries, 42M+ items, and 477,000 stores globally, enabling market measurement, consumer insights, marketing effectiveness, and supply chain optimization.

Product overview

Circana is a data and analytics company providing technology, AI, and data solutions to consumer packaged goods companies, durables manufacturers, and retailers. The company operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the Liquid AI intelligence platform and Unify+ analytics platform, which integrate data across 26 industries covering over $5.8 trillion in global consumer spend, 42 million tracked CPG and general merchandise items, and 477,000 stores. The core product suite includes Liquid AI (GenAI-powered decision platform), Liquid Data (Go/Engage/Collaborate variants for different user segments), and industry-specific Complete solutions (Complete Market, Complete Consumer, Complete Beauty, Complete Food & Beverage). Supporting modules span marketing measurement (Liquid Testing, Liquid Mix, Media Lift), consumer insights (Liquid Survey, Receipt Panel, National Eating Trends, CREST), and analytics (Complete Why, Market Share Drivers). The NCS Solutions portfolio (Enabling, Optimization, Targeting, Measurement) extends retail media capabilities following the Nielsen acquisition. Additional offerings include Attribute Marketplace for third-party data integration, Social Commerce analytics, Purchase to Consumption linking, and specialized tracking products like BookScan and PubTrack Digital for the book industry. The company tracks approximately 90-91% census-based POS data across all major brick-and-mortar and e-commerce channels through its MULO+ universe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Liquid AI Next-generation intelligence platform powered by GenAI leveraging intelligent algorithms trained on six decades of domain expertise to accelerate decision-making at scale for CPG companies, retailers, and manufacturers.
• Liquid Data Go Self-serve data analytics solution designed for small to midsize CPG brands providing insights into performance, consumer behavior, e-commerce trends, and pricing across key retailers.
• Liquid Data Engage Curated reports and guided analysis solution providing structured analytics for users requiring pre-configured insights and analysis workflows.
• Liquid Data Collaborate Data and analytics solution for achieving a single source of truth, enabling comprehensive data integration across multiple sources for enterprise-wide analytics.
• Complete Why AI-enabled analytics solution processing trillions of data points to diagnose and quantify up to 60 distinct performance drivers per product and market at store and week levels, including pricing, promotions, distribution, competitive activity, economic conditions, and weather.
• Market Share Drivers Analytics solution helping U.S. CPG retailers identify factors driving changes in market share through integrated data assets combining Complete Market and Complete Consumer solutions with macroeconomic and weather data for automated, presentation-ready insights.
• Liquid Testing Always-on experimentation platform across media environments that measures true incremental sales impact with trusted POS data, enabling brands to adjust campaigns while still in flight. Expanded to include media measurement and campaign experimentation capabilities.
• Liquid Mix Marketing mix modeling solution that reveals incremental strategy impact, quantifies uncertainty, and optimizes ROI levers for confident ad budgeting.
• Liquid Survey Survey tool embedded within Unify+ platform using AI-powered plain-language prompts that automatically convert business challenges into structured questionnaires, significantly reducing development time for consumer feedback collection.
• Liquid Supply Chain Supply chain analytics solution enabling predictive inventory management, demand forecasting, and real-time data integration across suppliers and retailers to optimize distribution and prevent stockouts.
• Complete Market Robust POS measurement solution for in-store and online sales with fulfillment type breaks and UPC details across CPG categories.
• Complete Consumer 360-degree view of U.S. buyers tracking purchases across channels, powered by POS-aligned panel insights for comprehensive consumer behavior analysis.
• Complete Beauty Holistic view of beauty world combining mass and prestige POS data for manufacturers and retailers with comprehensive market analytics.
• Complete Food & Beverage Solution uniting retail, CPG, foodservice, and consumption data to track in one place what people eat and drink across all channels and eating occasions.
• Social Commerce Analytics offering providing brands with daily insights into the previously unmeasured social commerce channel, delivering measurement, discovery, and analysis across shop performance, trend identification, and strategic decision-making.
• Attribute Marketplace Data integration platform enabling clients to explore and integrate product attributes from third-party data providers including Guiding Stars, Harmonya, Sifter, and SPINS into syndicated premium attributes for enhanced product planning and competitive analysis.
• Liquid Activation Audience creation and activation solution enabling brands, agencies, and media partners to build, customize, and activate purchase-based audiences using verified consumer purchase data and behavioral insights from 200,000 static omnichannel receipt panelists and 500 million loyalty cards.
• NCSolutions Suite of solutions acquired from Nielsen including NCS Enablement, NCS Optimization, NCS Targeting, and NCS Measurement for retail media measurement and campaign optimization.
• BookScan Point-of-sale tracking for the publishing market covering approximately 85% of trade print books sold in the U.S. through direct reporting from all major retailers, independent bookstores, and other channels.
• PubTrack Digital Comprehensive view of the digital book market with information from more than 450 participants including small, medium, and large U.S. publishers.
• National Eating Trends Consumption data solution tracking what consumers eat and drink across occasions, enabling analysis of eating patterns and consumer behavior trends.
• CREST Consumer tracking solution providing continuous measurement of consumer purchases and behavior across retail channels.
• Growth Consulting Custom research and consulting engagements providing strategic guidance, specialized analytics, and tailored insights to address specific client business challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 45X ROI from Marketing Mix Modeling investment
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability11 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DatassentialminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Thought leadership partnership integrating Circana's SupplyTrack market data with Datassential's menu intelligence, consumer insights, and AI-powered analysis for foodservice industry reports.
• RedditminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Partnership with Attain examining CPG brand opportunities through Reddit promotions, validated by Circana showing Reddit delivers 1.5x higher ROAS for CPG advertisers.
• PinterestminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 202617 matched market tests across five countries and four CPG categories found 82% of campaigns generated positive incremental ROI. Research validates Pinterest as credible performance channel for CPG brands.
• Sally Beauty HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2026Multi-year strategic partnership implementing advanced supply chain technology platform providing daily operational data updates and actionable insights to improve service levels, inventory management, and on-shelf availability for Sally Beauty and BSG businesses.
• L.A. LibationsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2026Strategic partnership integrating Circana data insights into L.A. Libations ecosystem supporting emerging beverage brands and informing future industry events and initiatives.
• NCSolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2024Circana announced acquisition of NCSolutions through a definitive agreement, aiming to expand media measurement and marketing analysis capabilities. Expected to close Q4 2024 pending regulatory approval.
• Nielsen Marketing Mix Modeling BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2024Acquisition of Nielsen's Marketing Mix Modeling business to enhance Circana's advanced analytics capabilities in marketing mix modeling following prior acquisition of award-winning MMM business.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NielsenIQ: NielsenIQ is the closest direct competitor, providing POS measurement, retail analytics and consumer panels for CPG manufacturers and retailers globally, with overlapping capabilities spanning market share, retail measurement, and media analytics.
• Kantar: Kantar is a global market research and consumer insights firm offering panel-based purchase data, brand tracking, and media effectiveness, competing head-to-head with Circana across CPG, retail, and media measurement.
• GfK: GfK (now part of NIQ after merging with NielsenIQ's predecessor) is a direct peer providing POS and consumer panel data for CPG, tech, and durables manufacturers, with comparable coverage of international markets.
• Euromonitor International: Euromonitor provides syndicated market research, consumer data, and industry analysis across CPG, retail, and consumer durables, overlapping with Circana's industry rankings and Complete Market solutions.

Emerging players

• Numerator: Numerator is a tech-forward consumer panel and omni-channel measurement company with strong first-party receipt data and consumer insights serving CPG and retail buyers, overlapping with Circana's Receipt Panel and Complete Consumer solutions.
• SPINS: SPINS provides natural/organic product attribute and POS data across retail channels for CPG brands and retailers; it is also an Attribute Marketplace launch partner with Circana, indicating both collaboration and competitive overlap.
• Profitero: Profitero is an e-commerce analytics platform for CPG brands, tracking pricing, content, share of search and availability across digital shelves, comparable to Circana's e-commerce coverage within MULO+.
• Trax: Trax provides in-store execution, shelf-level data, and image-recognition analytics for CPG and retailers, overlapping with Circana's Liquid Supply Chain, Store Audit, and on-shelf availability offerings.
• Harmonya: Harmonya contributes AI-powered product attribute and performance analytics to Circana's Attribute Marketplace, while also competing with Circana's category-level analytics for CPG brands and retailers.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Ipsos is a large, diversified market research firm serving CPG, retail, and consumer durables with survey, panel, and analytics offerings that overlap with Circana's Liquid Survey and CREST products but with a broader agency-style portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WeAreCircana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wearecircana
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearecircana
• Xx.com/WeAreCircana

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Circana