Bengaluru-based infotech firm Sonata Software Ltd has acquired a Melbourne-based company that focusses on enterprise-level solutions for measuring customer experience.
The company said in a stock-exchange filing it would pay around $4.8 million (approximately Rs 35.26 crore at current exchange rates) to acquire 100% of GAPbusters Ltd, UK (GBW).
The transaction includes a sum of $500,000, a deferred consideration that will be payable after one year.
“This acquisition is exciting for Sonata as it is a reaffirmation of our platformation-led approach to digital transformation,” Srikar Reddy, MD and CEO at Sonata, said. The move would allow it to offer an end-to-end solution within the larger customer experience space, he added.
GAPbusters, which was set up in 1994, provides solutions including mystery shopping, brand and compliance audits, and competitor benchmarking programmes. In recent years, the company has used a platform-based approach to provide solutions such as employee surveys and management feedback.
Separately, GAPbusters CEO Grant Salmon said the acquisition would help the company leverage Sonata’s networks and technology to provide a wider set of capabilities to its clients. Apart from Australia, the company maintains a presence in the UK, US and Asia.
Sonata, apart from its IT service offerings, also acts as a distributor of software products in India. The company has also invested in other firms to augment its services, product, and technology portfolio.
The GBW acquisition comes less than ten days after the Sonata announced that it had decided to acquire a stake of up to 17% in SemiCab Inc., a US-based startup that offers technology platforms to logistics providers.
The company said it would invest up to $1.4 million (around Rs 10 crore) for the stake, with an additional $300,000 for SemiCab’s services.
In March last year, for example, the company said it had invested in Retail10X Inc., a Silicon Valley-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup for offline retailers.
In December 2018, Sonata agreed to acquire Brisbane, Australia-based Scalable Data Systems Pty. Ltd for an enterprise value up to 5.5 million Australian dollars ($4 million).
In December 2017, the firm said it would buy a 15% stake in Denmark-based IZARA ApS to grow its presence in the Nordic region.
