We're excited to share that our co-submission with Sweetgreen has been shortlisted for a 2026 ESOMAR Award in Excellence in AI and Automation in Market Research, Regional Award (North America).

ESOMAR is one of the industry's longest-standing global bodies

ESOMAR has spent more than 75 years defining what rigorous, trustworthy research looks like. It's the global professional body the industry defers to, from the code of conduct researchers follow to the standards agencies get measured against. 

The Awards program draws entries from the biggest names in the field, judged by an independent panel. Last year's Excellence in AI and Automation category saw global winners like Fonterra, Mars, and Viasat, with Material taking the North America regional award. 

This year, we're in that same field.

Judges confirmed what Sweetgreen's results already proved

Research is shifting from static surveys to AI-powered conversations at scale, and this category is where ESOMAR is recognizing that work. This nomination belongs to Sweetgreen as much as it does to us. 

Their story is a clear example of what this partnership can do.

Sweetgreen gets speed and depth, without the tradeoff

Sweetgreen (full case study) needed fast, market-by-market feedback across nearly 300 locations. Traditionally, research teams had to choose between quick, shallow data and deep, slow insight. That changed once Sweetgreen started working with Listen. 

For Brian Davia, Sweetgreen's Head of Consumer and Business Insights, that meant a question raised in a Monday executive meeting could come back with real data and insight by Thursday morning.

The results:

• A live macro-tracking feature that went from research to shipped product in weeks

• A 100g protein bowl built directly from what customers said they wanted

• 5x the speed and scale of research, at one-third the cost

• Rapid testing that shaped Sweetgreen's wraps launch, now in 67 restaurants

Congratulations to the whole Sweetgreen team.
We are honored to be shortlisted with you.

Curious how Listen could work for your team? Book a demo.