Circana (formerly The NPD Group)

Circana, the evolution of the merger between The NPD Group and IRI, represents the 2026 gold standard in market intelligence. Its technical architecture is built on the Liquid Data platform, a proprietary high-performance computing environment that integrates over 2,000 data sources, including point-of-sale (POS) records, e-commerce transactions, and longitudinal consumer panels. In 2026, Circana leverages advanced generative AI and machine learning to move beyond descriptive statistics into prescriptive forecasting. It provides granular visibility across more than 20 industries, utilizing automated data harmonization and cloud-native scaling to process trillions of rows of data. Its market position is defined by its ability to offer a 'Total Store' view, bridging the gap between hardware tracking and soft-line consumer trends. For the enterprise architect, Circana provides a robust suite of APIs and data lake integration capabilities, allowing real-time data flow into internal BI tools like Tableau or custom-built ML models, facilitating agile response to macroeconomic shifts and competitor movements.