The decision by ROM means the company will shelve its ad-hoc, sample only and panel building tools to concentrate on programmatic sampling.

ROM was set up in 2018 in Beirut, Lebanon, to combine digital technology and mobile phones with market research to gain consumer understanding.

Nader Kobeissi (pictured), chief executive and co-founder of ROM, said that the decision to refocus the company’s efforts on programmatic sampling was because ROM believed programmatic sampling was the “future” of the global market research industry.

“The current trends in the global market research industry have been heavily influenced by automated processes like programmatic execution of sampling,” Kobeissi added.

“It wasn’t just a no-brainer to concentrate our efforts in this direction; it became integral to our mission as an organisation.”