Columinate acquired by Belgian market research firm InSites Consulting
Johannesburg-based market research and insights consultancy Columinate has been acquired by Belgian online market research and consulting firm InSites Consulting. The acquisition constitutes a part of the latter’s plans to establish and expand a base of operations in Africa.
InSites Consulting is headquartered in Ghent, and offers a broad suite of services that includes online marketing research through surveys and observations with research communities, in addition to youth research on social media platforms and consumer insight activation.
In recent months, the firm has been looking to expand its operations across the world, to which end it announced a partnership with private equity firm Mentha Capital last month, securing substantial financial support from the latter. The firm has now leveraged this support to establish its first foothold in South Africa.
Consumer insights and market research services are increasingly gaining popularity in South Africa, particularly since it came to light that a majority of South African's have gaps in their perception about their own country and market. Firms are looking to better understand the consumer market.
InSites Consulting has acquired Johannesburg-based insights agency Columinate. The latter aligns perfectly with the former’s operational areas, given that its services offerings include online and mobile market research, brand equity studies, advanced statistical analysis and a range of other services.
The firm additionally delves in the domains of segmentation & modeling, usage and attitude research, consumer journey mapping and panel research services. Columinate’s current Managing Director Henk Pretorius will continue to lead the South Africa office, in addition to joining InSite Consulting’s global network as a Managing Partner.
Commenting on the deal, Pretorius said, “We are fortunate to have such a strong, future-focused partner in InSites Consulting, which means that more global brands can benefit from our methodologies. Not to mention being able to better service more regional and global brands right here at home.”
The Co-Founder and Chief Executive at InSites Consulting, Kristof de Wulf added, “With the intellectual capital, client network and digital technology which Columinate brings to the table, we will be able to better service the needs of and unlock more benefits for our global clients.”
