GAPbusters

In 1994, a company named GAPbusters was founded in Melbourne, Australia, with a straightforward mission: to measure and improve customer experience. It started by providing services like mystery shopping, brand audits, and competitor benchmarking for major global brands. The core of the business was data; they sent trained evaluators into stores, collected detailed observations, and provided companies with insights into their frontline performance. For over two decades, GAPbusters, which later became known as GBW, quietly grew into a global player in the customer experience (CX) space, operating in over 100 countries. The company evolved with the times, moving from traditional methods to a more platform-based approach, integrating technology to analyze and report on the vast amounts of data collected. This allowed them to offer a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for businesses looking to understand every step of the customer journey. The company's journey took a significant turn in March 2020. The India-based IT firm, Sonata Software, announced it was acquiring GBW for approximately $4.8 million. This move was a strategic play for Sonata, integrating GBW's deep expertise in CX measurement with its own technology and digital transformation services. For GBW, under the leadership of CEO Grant Salmon at the time, the acquisition offered an opportunity to leverage Sonata's technological capabilities and expand its reach even further.