ECRM

What ECRM does

ECRM, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Solon, Ohio, operates a curated B2B meeting platform that connects consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and suppliers with retail and foodservice buyers through pre-scheduled, category-specific Sessions. Since 1994 the company has facilitated more than 3 million face-to-face meetings across more than 1,941 executed Sessions, with 47,000+ retailers, foodservice operators, and brands participating. Sessions are organized across four regions — North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia — and span five vertical categories: Food & Beverage, Pharmacy & Medical, Health & Beauty Care, General Merchandise, and Foodservice. Named retail participants cited across sources include Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS Health, Meijer, Albertsons, Hy-Vee, Dollar General, PetSmart, and Gordon Food Service.

The company's core technology is the proprietary MarketGate platform, which orchestrates pre-scheduled 1-on-1 buyer-seller meetings in both in-person (at hotels and resorts) and virtual formats. Participants use the ECRM Portal for meeting preparation, note-taking, and follow-up tracking, while iPad-based meeting management tools support on-site execution. Three primary session formats are offered: Planning Sessions (20-minute private meetings with up to two attendees), Innovation Pipeline (10-minute meetings in 10x10 booths), and Discovery Hub (tabletop format for first-time attendees). ECRM owns RangeMe — an online product discovery and sourcing platform acquired in June 2017 — which gives suppliers year-round exposure to retail buyers and feeds Session pipelines with on-demand sourcing activity. RangeMe is integrated at the registration layer, allowing suppliers to link RangeMe profiles into Sessions. Each participant is supported by a dedicated Client Success Manager throughout the engagement lifecycle.

ECRM's revenue model is primarily transactional: suppliers (brands) pay per-Session registration fees, with list prices ranging from $7,125 for Discovery Hub to $10,688 for Innovation Pipeline to $15,913 for Planning Session (early-bird pricing), rising to $7,500 / $11,250 / $16,750 at full price. Fees cover meeting space, lodging, meals, and session services; suppliers bear their own travel costs. Buyers participate at no charge, with ECRM absorbing buyer costs as a deliberate network-acquisition strategy. A second revenue stream is RangeMe platform access, treated as a recurring subscription. Additional revenue mechanics include a $650 per-person-per-day extra-attendee fee and co-hosted summits with industry partners (e.g., the Convenience Leadership Summit with retailmediaIQ). ECRM states that Session participation costs approximately 39% less than the average trade show ($11,500 vs. $19,000), and participants typically receive 20–50 pre-qualified meetings per Session. The company operates as a privately held corporation with 251–500 employees and no institutional investor or PE ownership disclosed in the input data.

Name

ECRM

Legal name

ECRM

Website

https://ecrm.marketgate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ECRM operates a curated B2B meeting platform connecting CPG brands and suppliers with retail and foodservice buyers through category-specific virtual and in-person Sessions across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, supported by its RangeMe online product discovery platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Retail Matchmaking Platform

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail, Consumer Goods & Lifestyle Shows Organizers (THAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conference & Trade Show Registration Platforms (THAHAFAB)

Keywords

• B2B retail matchmaking
• Product discovery platform
• Category sourcing sessions
• Buyer-seller meeting platform
• CPG retail distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Solon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Supplier Registration Fees: Suppliers (brands) pay a registration fee to participate in ECRM Sessions. The fee covers meeting facility access, lodging accommodations, meals, and session services. Suppliers are responsible for their own travel expenses to the host city. Participation tiers range from Discovery Hub tabletop ($7,125–$7,500) to Innovation Pipeline private booth ($10,688–$11,250) to Planning Session with 20-minute meetings ($15,913–$16,750).
2. RangeMe Platform Access: RangeMe is ECRM's online product discovery and sourcing platform, providing year-round exposure for suppliers to retail and foodservice buyers. It serves as an additional revenue/engagement stream integrated with the in-person Session model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ECRM curates pre-scheduled 1-on-1 meetings between consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands and retail and foodservice buyers through category-specific virtual and in-person Sessions. Its MarketGate platform orchestrates meeting scheduling, note-taking, and follow-up tracking, while the wholly-owned RangeMe platform provides year-round online product discovery and sourcing between events. Suppliers pay registration fees to participate in Sessions; retail and foodservice buyers attend free of charge.

Product overview

ECRM provides a curated B2B meeting platform that connects consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands with retail and foodservice buyers through category-specific virtual and in-person Sessions. The core MarketGate platform orchestrates pre-scheduled 1-on-1 meetings between qualified suppliers and buyers, while RangeMe extends year-round online product discovery. Session formats include Planning Sessions (20-minute private meetings in suites), Innovation Pipeline (10-minute booth meetings), and Discovery Hub (tabletop format). Programs span five vertical categories: Food & Beverage, Pharmacy & Medical, Health & Beauty Care, General Merchandise, and Foodservice, with sessions organized across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RangeMe ECRM's online product discovery, sourcing, and purchasing marketplace that connects retailers and suppliers year-round. Suppliers gain year-round exposure to buyers from retail chains and foodservice operators; buyers use it for on-demand product discovery and sourcing.
• MarketGate ECRM's proprietary web platform powering meeting scheduling, participant management, and program delivery across virtual and in-person Sessions. Includes the ECRM Portal for participant preparation, note-taking, follow-up tracking, and meeting rating.
• Food & Beverage Sessions Category-specific Sessions covering Candy, Foodservice, Produce, Frozen, Beverage, Snack, Meat & Seafood, Deli/Dairy/Bakery, Coffee/Tea/Cocoa, Center Store Grocery, and Adult Beverage categories for grocery buyers and CPG suppliers.
• Pharmacy & Medical Market Sessions Sessions covering Pharmaceuticals, Health Systems, Home Health & Diabetes Care, and Pharmacy Technology for pharmacy buyers, health systems, and medical product suppliers.
• Health & Beauty Care Sessions Sessions covering Health & Wellness, Beauty, and Personal Care categories for retail buyers and brand suppliers in the health and beauty sectors, including contract manufacturing, packaging, and logistics topics.
• General Merchandise Sessions Sessions covering Baby, Home, Pet, School & Office, Seasonal & Outdoor, Household & Cleaning, Personal Goods, and Convenience & Impulse categories for general merchandise retail buyers and suppliers, including pet category buyers such as PetSmart.
• Foodservice Sessions Sessions connecting foodservice operators (restaurants, hotels, hospital dining, college campuses) with consumer packaged goods brands for menu innovation, supplier vetting, and sourcing efficiency.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39% lower cost than average trade show ($11,500 vs. $19,000 total cost)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RangeMecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRangeMe is ECRM's online product discovery, sourcing, and purchasing platform. ECRM owns RangeMe, and the two platforms are tightly integrated: suppliers can link their RangeMe profiles during ECRM Session registration, and RangeMe provides year-round exposure between Sessions. ECRM Session participants automatically gain RangeMe access.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Informa Markets: Informa Markets is one of the world's largest B2B exhibition and event organizers, with deep presence in food, beverage, retail, and CPG verticals (e.g., Natural Products Expo, Fancy Food Show). Directly competes with ECRM for CPG-retail buyer and supplier mindshare via traditional trade shows and curated matchmaking programs.
• Emerald Holding: Emerald operates B2B trade shows and events across retail, design, and consumer goods, including curated buyer-seller programs comparable to ECRM's Session format. Directly comparable as a publicly visible event-driven platform serving overlapping CPG/retail audiences.
• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): RX Global organizes large-scale trade exhibitions and curated buyer-seller programs across food, retail, beauty, and pharma. Directly comparable to ECRM's Session model on both the in-person event format and the buyer-supplier matchmaking function.
• Clarion Events: Clarion Events is a global event organizer with food, retail, and consumer goods portfolios (e.g., ICE Europe, trade exhibitions). Directly comparable to ECRM as a curated B2B event operator serving CPG-retail audiences across multiple geographies.
• dmg events: dmg events operates large-scale exhibitions across hospitality, food, retail, and construction, including buyer-seller matchmaking formats. Directly comparable to ECRM in event-driven CPG/retail buyer-supplier connection.

Emerging players

• Faire: Faire is a fast-growing B2B wholesale marketplace that connects independent brands and retailers, increasingly expanding into CPG categories ECRM serves via RangeMe. Comparable as a digital-first alternative to ECRM's curated discovery model.
• Ankorstore: Ankorstore is a European B2B marketplace connecting independent brands and retailers with curated product discovery. Comparable to ECRM's RangeMe platform in providing digital buyer-supplier matchmaking for retail categories.
• Tundra (by Shopify): Tundra is a B2B wholesale marketplace backed by Shopify that connects brands and retailers with zero-commission sourcing. Comparable to ECRM's RangeMe as a digital product discovery and supplier-buyer connection platform.

Others

• National Retail Federation (NRF): NRF is the world's largest retail trade association running NRF Big Show and adjacent retail media/content. Comparable as an industry convener for the same retail buyers ECRM serves, though operating as a non-profit association rather than a commercial matchmaking platform.
• KeHE Distributors: KeHE is a specialty food and natural products distributor with deep CPG-retail buyer relationships. Comparable as an adjacent participant in ECRM's foodservice and grocery Sessions, and as a potential channel partner or competitor in supplier-buyer matching.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkmLFx2VZexZRnBlZwaiOfg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecrm1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecrm_2
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecrm_yourspark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ECRM