What National Consumer Panel does

National Consumer Panel (NCP) is a U.S. consumer panel data collection joint venture founded in 2010 by NielsenIQ and Circana (formerly IRI), the two leading longitudinal consumer insights providers in the United States. Headquartered in Syosset, New York, NCP recruits and manages a representative sample of U.S. consumers across 48 continental states, equipping them with handheld scanning devices or its NCPMobile mobile application to record and transmit household-level purchase data. This panel output functions as the raw data input that powers the market intelligence products NielsenIQ and Circana deliver separately to their CPG manufacturer and retailer clients.

The company's product surface spans the full panel lifecycle: online recruitment via a secure portal (join.ncponline.com), ongoing panelist management with compliance monitoring, purchase data capture through scanning hardware and mobile app, full-service survey design and reporting capabilities for qualitative insights, and a dedicated data processing and tabulation function performing validation, editing, and quality control on all deliverables. NCP also supports supplementary survey research across thousands of U.S. households, providing the "why" behind the quantitative "buy."

NCP's revenue model is structured as data monetisation services delivered to its two parent companies under the joint venture arrangement; no external client revenue is disclosed and pricing is not publicly available. Panel membership is free to consumers, who are incentivized through points and rewards. Marketing and distribution are primarily consumer-facing (corporate website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, blog) and aimed at panelist recruitment and brand engagement rather than commercial sales.

Name

National Consumer Panel

Legal name

National Consumer Panel LLC

Website

https://ncppanel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

National Consumer Panel is a 2010 NielsenIQ–Circana joint venture that recruits and manages a representative U.S. consumer panel across 48 states, capturing purchase data via scanning devices and the NCPMobile app to feed both parents' market intelligence products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fieldwork & Data Collection (Online Panels, CATI/CAPI, Fieldwork) (MPAAALAD)

Keywords

• Consumer panel data
• Market research
• Shopper insights
• Purchase tracking
• Retail analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Syosset

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer Panel Data Services: NCP recruits, rewards, and provides a representative sample of U.S. consumers with scanning devices and mobile access to collect shopping data. This consumer data is provided to parent companies NielsenIQ and Circana as the raw material that powers their insights and solutions delivered to clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Consumer Panel (NCP) recruits and manages a large, demographically representative panel of U.S. households who record their shopping purchases through the NCPMobile app or handheld barcode scanning devices. The longitudinal consumer purchase data and supplementary survey responses are then delivered to its parent companies NielsenIQ and Circana, who use the inputs to produce market research insights for CPG manufacturers and retailers. Panel membership is free for households, who earn points and rewards in exchange for their data.

Product overview

National Consumer Panel operates as a joint venture between NielsenIQ and Circana, providing a unified consumer insights platform built on panel-based data collection. The core offering consists of NCPMobile App and handheld scanning devices that enable panel members to report purchase data, supplemented by survey services and data processing/tabulation modules that transform raw consumer behavior into actionable market intelligence for manufacturers and retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCPMobile Mobile App
• Handheld Barcode Scanning Devices Proprietary handheld in-home barcode scanners provided to panel households as an alternative or complement to the NCPMobile app, enabling automatic capture of UPCs from grocery and retail purchases as they are brought into the home.
• Longitudinal Consumer Purchase Data Ongoing, household-level purchase data from a large, demographically representative sample of U.S. consumers, delivered to NielsenIQ and Circana for use in their syndicated and custom market research products serving CPG manufacturers and retailers.
• Consumer Survey Services Supplementary consumer survey administration delivered to panel households, capturing attitudes, usage, demographics, and other information to enrich the purchase data delivered to NielsenIQ and Circana clients.
• Panelist Rewards Program Points-based rewards program for U.S. household panel members who regularly record purchases, redeemable for merchandise, gift cards, or other incentives.

Quantifiable outcome

• NCP panel data helps manufacturers understand consumer preferences on specific brands and allows retailers to stock the right item assortment for their local markets

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NielsenIQcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNielsenIQ is one of the two leading longitudinal consumer insights providers in the United States and parent company of the National Consumer Panel joint venture. NCP provides the highest quality, actionable consumer data to support NielsenIQ's needs and the insights/solutions delivered to their clients.
• CircanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCircana (formerly IRi) is one of the two leading longitudinal consumer insights providers in the United States and parent company of the National Consumer Panel joint venture. NCP provides the highest quality, actionable consumer data to support Circana's needs and the insights/solutions delivered to their clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research firm with large-scale consumer and household panels (Ipsos Observer, mobility panels), competing for the same CPG insight budgets that consume NCP-style panel data.
• Circana: NCP's other parent/owner (formerly IRI), a global CPG measurement incumbent; comparable because it commercializes NCP panel data alongside its own scanner and syndicated services.
• NielsenIQ: One of NCP's two parent/owners and a global consumer insights incumbent; comparable because it ultimately commercializes NCP data and competes with Circana using the same underlying panel outputs.
• GfK: Runs consumer panels (e.g., GfK Consumer Panel) in many European and global markets, serving the same CPG/retail measurement use cases as NCP-derived insights.
• Kantar: Operates consumer panels (including Worldpanel) in numerous countries and competes with NielsenIQ/Circana for CPG measurement budgets — directly comparable as a panel-and-insights incumbent.

Emerging players

• YouGov: Panel-based consumer insights company with a large proprietary opted-in panel used for brand tracking and purchase behavior research — overlapping with NCP's panel + survey value proposition.
• Toluna: Operates a large global online consumer panel used for survey-based consumer insights; comparable because it provides panel-recruitment infrastructure that competes with NCP's survey add-on business.
• Dynata: Operates one of the world's largest first-party online panels for market research; competes for the same survey/consumer-insight RFPs that NCP's survey services target.

Others

• SPINS: Specialty retail/CPG data provider that aggregates natural and conventional channel data; adjacent to NCP because it serves the same CPG/retail measurement buyer with alternative data inputs that can compete with or complement panel data.

Direct peers

• Numerator: Operates large-scale consumer panels (including its own household panel and receipt-image panel) collecting purchase behavior for CPG/retail clients — the most direct competitor to NCP's panel-based model in the U.S. market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfrzcrOt-OMNjFi3MOGwGqQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalConsumerPanel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-consumer-panel
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncppanel
• Xx.com/NCPPANEL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 National Consumer Panel