The Reference
The Reference is a Belgian full-service digital agency specializing in composable/MACH architecture and digital transformation for enterprise B2B clients, operating as a subsidiary of EPAM Systems and rebranding to Empathy Lab.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersGent, Belgium
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Reference does
The Reference is a Belgian full-service digital agency, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Ghent with a secondary office in Antwerp. It operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of EPAM Systems Inc. (NYSE: EPAM) and is in the process of rebranding to Empathy Lab as of September 2025. The firm provides end-to-end digital services spanning strategy, marketing, technology, creative, and AI to enterprise and mid-market B2B clients, organized into seven service lines: Data and Business Intelligence, Commerce Acceleration, Digital Solutions, Digital Architecture, Content and Storytelling, Performance and Growth, and Artificial Intelligence Services.
The agency's core technical proposition is composable/MACH architecture (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) implementation, with premier-tier certified delivery partnerships at commercetools (highest EMEA tier), Sitecore (Platinum, 15+ years), and certified status at Contentful, Kontent.ai, Storyblok, and Headless Drupal. Frontend stacks center on Next.js, Gatsby, and React; data infrastructure combines Twilio Segment, BigQuery, and Power BI; and search is delivered via Algolia. The firm uses a proprietary IMUNA transformation methodology (Initiate, Measure, Understand, Act) and an embedded digital expert staffing model for long-tenured engagements.
The Reference generates revenue through three streams: project-based digital strategy and consulting engagements, project-based digital implementation services, and ongoing managed services/SLA agreements including consultant staffing. Pricing is custom-quoted, multi-year, and tied to scope and complexity. Customer concentration sits across more than 20 disclosed enterprise logos spanning ports (Port of Antwerp-Bruges), media (DPG Media), industrial manufacturing (Atlas Copco, Owens Corning, Carglass, Mennens), education (Vlerick Business School), retail e-commerce (LensOnline), and lighting (Delta Light), with several multi-year anchor relationships.
The Reference firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Reference
- Legal name
- The Reference
- Website
- https://the-reference.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Reference is a Belgian full-service digital agency specializing in composable/MACH architecture and digital transformation for enterprise B2B clients, operating as a subsidiary of EPAM Systems and rebranding to Empathy Lab.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Reference industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Agency Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B/ABM Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAI)
Keywords
Where The Reference is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gent
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Reference business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Digital Strategy & Consulting Services: Strategy workshops, discovery projects, digital roadmaps, and consulting engagements. Typically project-based with defined scopes.
- Digital Implementation Services: Implementation of digital platforms including website development, composable architecture setup, CMS implementation, integrations, and digital marketing campaigns.
- Ongoing Digital Services: SLA agreements for ongoing support, maintenance, incident management, and digital expert staffing (consultants joining client teams in-house).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based engagements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Reference product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Reference is a full-service digital agency that delivers strategy, marketing, technology, and creative services for enterprise and mid-market B2B clients. It specializes in composable/MACH architecture implementations (headless CMS, commerce platforms, CDPs) and end-to-end digital transformation engagements including website builds, digital marketing campaigns, data engineering, and AI integration.
Product overview
The Reference is a full-service digital agency (rebranding to Empathy Lab under EPAM) offering a comprehensive portfolio of digital transformation services. The core offerings span Data & Business Intelligence, Commerce Acceleration, Digital Solutions, Digital Architecture, Content & Storytelling, Performance & Growth, and Artificial Intelligence Services. Their approach emphasizes MACH architecture (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) and composable technology stacks, with premier partnerships with commercetools and Sitecore (Platinum partner). They specialize in headless CMS implementations (Kontent.ai, Contentful, Sitecore), customer data platforms (Twilio Segment), and AI-driven personalization. The company publishes thought leadership content including whitepapers on conversational search optimization and B2B commerce strategies, and hosts roundtable events on composable architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Data & Business Intelligence Marketing data engineering, data analytics dashboarding and reporting, qualitative research, digital strategy and roadmap, and user testing services to help enterprise clients make data-driven decisions.
- Commerce Acceleration Services focused on conversion optimization, commerce re-platforming, and hyper personalization to drive online revenue growth for B2B commerce clients.
- Digital Solutions Digital interfaces, platforms and applications, UX/UI design, and replatforming services for building modern digital experiences.
- Digital Architecture Composable architecture, marketing technology architecture, API development and integrations, and cloud and managed services for building flexible, scalable digital ecosystems.
- Content & Storytelling Branding, creative concept development, content strategy, and content migration services to build compelling brand narratives.
- Performance & Growth Online advertising, SEO/AEO/GEO, marketing automation, digital expert staffing, digital marketing strategy, and marketing training and coaching services to drive business growth.
- Artificial Intelligence Services AI integration services to help clients unlock growth, speed, and clarity without disrupting existing operations, moving from AI innovation to measurable business impact.
- Conversational Search Optimization Expert services to help brands optimize for AI-powered conversational search tools like Google SGE and ChatGPT, including content strategy for conversational language and visual/interactive content.
- MACH Architecture Implementation Implementation of MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) principles for composable technology stacks. Premier partner with commercetools, with expertise in headless CMS platforms including Kontent.ai, Contentful, and Sitecore.
- Customer Data Platform Implementation Implementation services for CDPs like Twilio Segment to unify customer data across online and offline touchpoints, enable GDPR-compliant data governance, and drive personalized marketing campaigns.
Quantifiable outcome
- +41.2% organic visibility for Port of Antwerp-Bruges
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use The Reference
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Reference technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration18 records
AI capability9 records
Feature3 records
The Reference partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- EPAMcoreThe Reference is part of EPAM Systems Inc. (NYSE: EPAM), a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and software development services. This provides access to global delivery capabilities, expanded resources, and enterprise client relationships.
- commercetoolsflagshipPremier level partnership (highest tier for EMEA region) with commercetools, the composable commerce platform. The Reference has proven track record of delivering B2B commerce solutions and access to highest level of support, training, and experts from commercetools.
- SitecoreflagshipSitecore Platinum partner (highest partner level) with more than 15 years of experience, numerous Sitecore certified professionals and MVPs, and numerous Sitecore awards. Full reliance on EPAM's vast expertise with Sitecore platform.
- ContentfulcoreCertified partnership for Contentful headless CMS implementation. The Reference has trained and certified engineers with deep knowledge of creating and organizing content within the MACH/composable architecture context.
- Kontent.aicoreCertified partnership for Kontent.ai headless CMS implementation. Multiple certified profiles on the platform with extensive experience in setting up the platform.
- Twilio SegmentcoreLeading Customer Data Platform (CDP) used for data transformation projects. Implementation partner for Segment with BigQuery as underlying data warehouse.
- AlgoliacoreSearch technology partner for powerful search solutions. Used as the focal point for corporate websites (e.g., Port of Antwerp-Bruges) enabling categorized search results and visitor insights.
- Next.jscoreFrontend technology used for composable architecture implementations. Preferred for modern, performant web applications.
- GatsbycoreFrontend technology partner for composable architecture implementations. Used as preferred front-end technology for projects like Vlerick Business School.
- Google BigQuerycoreServerless data warehouse used as underlying infrastructure for marketing data warehouses and CDP implementations. Free GA4 connector available.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Reference competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AKQA: AKQA is a global creative and digital experience agency within the WPP network, delivering strategy, design, and technology at enterprise scale. It is a broader incumbent that competes with The Reference for large, multi-disciplinary digital programs.
- Accenture Song: Accenture Song is the digital creative and marketing services arm of Accenture, offering end-to-end digital transformation work. It is a large incumbent overlapping with The Reference on enterprise digital strategy, commerce, and content engagements.
- Capgemini Invent / Digital Engineering: Capgemini's digital practice delivers large-scale digital transformation, customer experience, and platform engineering services to global enterprises. It competes with The Reference on multi-country digital platform mandates and is closely related to EPAM's own positioning.
- Isobar (dentsu): Isobar is dentsu's global digital experience agency, offering strategy, creative, commerce, and technology services. It overlaps with The Reference on enterprise digital transformation and CX-led engagements across multiple industries.
- Mirum (Wipro): Mirum is Wipro's digital experience agency, combining strategy, design, and technology for enterprise clients. It competes with The Reference on platform-led digital programs and shares similar commerce and CMS delivery capabilities.
Direct peers
- Valtech: Valtech is a global digital agency specializing in MACH/composable commerce and content platform implementations, with comparable offerings across commercetools, Sitecore, Contentful, and similar headless CMS technologies. The two agencies compete head-to-head for enterprise B2B transformation mandates in EMEA.
- Dept Agency: Dept is a full-service digital agency with strong Benelux roots and a similar end-to-end offering spanning strategy, creative, technology, and data. It overlaps with The Reference on enterprise customers, data/engineering capabilities, and MACH-aligned transformation work.
- Vaimo: Vaimo is a digital commerce agency and commercetools partner delivering composable commerce, content, and data services globally. It is a direct competitor on B2B commerce implementations and shares the same MACH-centric toolset and enterprise customer base.
- Elastique: Elastique is a Dutch digital agency with deep content platform expertise (including Sitecore) and a similar focus on enterprise digital transformation. The two compete for Benelux-based enterprise customers seeking headless CMS and digital experience projects.
Regional players
- Netcentric (a Cognizant company): Netcentric is a digital agency focused on Adobe Experience Cloud and similar enterprise marketing platforms, headquartered in Europe. It is a relevant peer for the Sitecore/headless CMS and enterprise transformation work that The Reference performs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Reference social profiles
Digital presenceThe Reference financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Reference leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
The Reference funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Reference M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Reference
What does The Reference do?
The Reference is a full-service digital agency that delivers strategy, marketing, technology, and creative services for enterprise and mid-market B2B clients. It specializes in composable/MACH architecture implementations (headless CMS, commerce platforms, CDPs) and end-to-end digital transformation engagements including website builds, digital marketing campaigns, data engineering, and AI integration.
Is The Reference a public or private company?
The Reference is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Reference founded?
The Reference was founded in 1993. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Reference based?
The Reference is headquartered in Gent, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does The Reference make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Digital Strategy & Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are digital Implementation Services and ongoing Digital Services.
Who are The Reference's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AKQA, Accenture Song, Capgemini Invent / Digital Engineering, Isobar (dentsu) and Mirum (Wipro). Direct peers are Valtech, Dept Agency, Vaimo and Elastique. Netcentric (a Cognizant company) is listed as a regional player.
Does The Reference have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Reference.
What industry is The Reference in?
The Reference's product category is Digital Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAI, B2B/ABM Creative Agencies. Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.