ECRS

What ECRS does

ECRS (ECR Software Corporation) is a privately-held, family-owned retail automation software and hardware company founded in 1989 by Pete Catoe and headquartered in Boone, North Carolina. The company develops and sells the CATAPULT Retail POS platform, which is differentiated by a "Unified Transaction Logic" architecture in which a single transactional engine runs across every retail touchpoint — point of sale, self-checkout, deli scales, pharmacy, fuel pumps, and eCommerce — eliminating the data silos typical of multi-vendor POS stacks. ECRS serves independent and mid-market retailers across verticals including supermarket/grocery, prepared foods, pharmacy, convenience, liquor, food co-ops, micro markets, natural grocery, and specialty foods, with installations spanning the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. The company has been ranked #1 in grocery software by RIS Leaderboard for five consecutive years and named a Top 25 Evergreen Company by Tugboat Institute for three consecutive years, reflecting durable, long-tenured operations.

The company monetizes through software licensing and subscription for the CATAPULT platform, hardware sales (POS terminals, self-checkout systems including Fujitsu U-Scan, AutoScale weighing solutions, and the Secure OneTouch biometric reader), professional services delivered through its Success Navigation onboarding team, and add-on analytics subscriptions via CATAPULT Cognition. The product portfolio extends beyond core POS to include CATAPULT WebCart e-commerce with Artemis AI personalization, DemandFill 3.0 for AI-powered demand forecasting and automated ordering, Inventory & Supply Chain management, Loyalty & Marketing suites, Payments & Security (PCI QIR certified), Enterprise Management for multi-location retailers, and a Back Office module. ECRS maintains strategic technology partnerships with Pricer (electronic shelf labels), reciProfity (prepared foods production automation, expanded April 2026), National Co-op Grocers (covering 165+ co-ops and 240+ stores), and Inmar (digital coupons), and exposes an open REST API layer (CATAPULT Passport) for third-party integrators. Leadership remains family-controlled, with founder Pete Catoe continuing as CEO, Caroline Catoe as President, John White as CTO, and David Sprague as COO; the firm has reported a 98% customer retention rate and operates from a single Boone, NC headquarters with 51–250 employees.

RETAIL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS — Simplify, automate, and thrive with CATAPULT. CATAPULT Retail POS unifies retail operations in real time — eliminating silos and delivering friction-free automation across every touchpoint. With practical AI and intuitive tools, CATAPULT empowers teams to work smarter and creates seamless shopper experiences that turn transactions into lasting relationships.

Name

ECRS

Legal name

ECR Software Corporation

Website

https://ecrs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ECRS is a family-owned retail automation company (founded 1989) that provides the CATAPULT unified POS platform and CATAPULT Cognition AI analytics to independent and mid-market grocers, food co-ops, convenience, and specialty food retailers across North America and the Caribbean.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Point-of-Sale Software

NAICS

Electronics and Appliance Retailers (44921)

SIC

Retail-Computer & Computer Software Stores (5734)

akta.pro primary industry

POS Terminals & All-in-One Retail Computers (HDACAKAA)

Keywords

• Retail point of sale
• Grocery automation software
• Unified commerce platform
• Retail inventory management
• Self-checkout solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Boone

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing (CATAPULT POS): CATAPULT retail management platform licensed to retailers, typically on a subscription or licensing model with ongoing support and updates.
2. Hardware Sales: Sale of POS terminals, self-checkout systems, AutoScale weighing solutions, biometric readers, and other retail hardware.
3. Professional Services: Implementation, training, and consulting services through Success Navigation team, including onboarding, system installation, and ongoing support.
4. CATAPULT Cognition Analytics: Cloud-based data warehouse and AI analytics platform offered as add-on packages with various feature tiers including base packages and power-up enhancements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ECRS builds and sells CATAPULT, a unified retail automation platform powered by Unified Transaction Logic that connects all retail touchpoints (point of sale, self-checkout, deli scales, pharmacy, fuel pumps, and eCommerce) into a single transactional system. The company licenses CATAPULT Retail POS to independent grocery retailers, supplements it with CATAPULT Cognition AI-powered analytics, CATAPULT WebCart eCommerce, DemandFill 3.0 demand forecasting, and complementary hardware including AutoScale Max G3 weighing scales and Secure OneTouch biometric payment devices.

Product overview

ECRS offers CATAPULT, a unified retail automation platform powered by Unified Transaction Logic that connects all retail touchpoints into one transactional system. The platform encompasses core CATAPULT Retail POS for unified commerce, CATAPULT Cognition AI-powered analytics, CATAPULT WebCart ecommerce with Artemis AI personalization, DemandFill 3.0 predictive ordering, and various add-on modules for inventory, loyalty, payments, enterprise management, and back office operations. Hardware offerings include AutoScale Max G3 weighing and labeling scales, Self-Checkout Systems (Fujitsu U-Scan, Express Market), Secure OneTouch biometric reader, and POS terminals. Integration capabilities are enabled through CATAPULT Passport API, ECRS Gateway, and partnerships with reciProfity, Pricer, and Inmar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CATAPULT Retail POS

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% customer retention rate over 30+ years of operation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• reciProfitycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2026Expanded integration between CATAPULT and reciProfity delivering end-to-end automation for prepared foods production, ordering, and inventory. CATAPULT generates purchase orders sent directly to reciProfity via ECRS Gateway, with automatic inventory and cost updates when items are produced. The integration eliminates manual entry and ensures real-time accuracy between systems.
• PricercoreTechnology or Integration · 18 January 2017ECRS partnered with Pricer, the global leader in digital shelf edge solutions, to offer integrated Electronic Shelf Labeling (ESL) systems to the North American market. After two years of extensive testing, ECRS selected Pricer to complement its CATAPULT retail automation suite, providing retailers with complete POS and ESL integration for price optimization, labor efficiencies, and pricing integrity. Pricer has sold over 140 million electronic shelf labels to 15,000 stores in over 50 countries.
• National Co-op Grocers (NCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECRS partners with National Co-op Grocers, an organization representing over 165 co-ops with more than 240 total stores across North America. ECRS provides technology solutions specifically designed for the cooperative model, enabling efficient operations, smarter decision-making, and stronger community connections for member-owned grocery cooperatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Pyramid Computer Systems: European provider of in-store hardware and IT solutions (POS, self-checkout, kiosk) for retail and hospitality. Comparable as an adjacent hardware-focused retail IT peer serving independent and mid-market retailers.

Direct peers

• Retail Pro: Retail POS and store-operations platform focused on specialty retail and apparel-adjacent merchants. Comparable on multi-store POS, loyalty, and inventory modules, though heavier in specialty softlines than grocery.
• Diebold Nixdorf: Provider of POS, self-checkout, and branch automation to retail and banking. Competes with ECRS in grocery and convenience self-checkout and POS hardware/software globally.
• Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions: Major retail POS hardware/software provider with a deep grocery installed base (e.g., Kroger, Albertsons). Directly competes with ECRS for unified commerce and self-checkout wins at large supermarket chains.
• NCR Voyix: Largest US grocery POS and self-checkout vendor (formerly NCR Retail, spun out as NCR Voyix in 2023). Directly comparable on supermarket POS, self-checkout, payments, and store-level analytics, with significantly greater scale and an installed base of large national grocery chains.
• Aptos: Retail-focused technology vendor (formerly PCMS, Aptos, and LS Retail-adjacent) selling POS, CRM, and merchandising software to grocery and specialty retailers. Strongest direct competitor in unified commerce for grocery, convenience, and specialty verticals.
• Epicor (Industry / Retail): Enterprise software provider with retail POS solutions (Epicor Eagle) targeting independent and mid-market hardlines and grocery retailers. Directly comparable on mid-market retail POS and store-level operations.

Broad incumbents

• Oracle Retail (MICROS): Enterprise retail suite (POS via MICROS, merchandising, planning, analytics). Often competes with ECRS for large grocery and specialty chains that want a single enterprise software vendor.

Emerging players

• Shoptelligence: AI-driven product recommendation and personal shopping platform for retailers including grocers. Comparable on AI-driven eCommerce personalization functionality within CATAPULT WebCart / Artemis.
• Swiftly (Instacart): Grocery-specific AI personalization, digital ads, and shoppable eCommerce platform acquired by Instacart. Overlaps with ECRS on digital coupons, AI personalization (Artemis), and grocery-specific eCommerce.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecrsoftware
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/ECRSoftware
• Facebookfacebook.com/ECRSoftware
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecr-software-corporation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ECRS