Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, announced today that it is acquiring the team and company behind WooCommerce WordPress Plugin. WooCommerce plugin allows users to turn their WordPress self hosted install into an eCommerce space. The plugin was released in 2011 from WooThemes, and has become a widely popular plugin within the WordPress company. The plugin powers close to 650,000 online stores.
The entire 55-person Woo team will join Automattic. According to a blog post by CEO and cofounder Matt Mullenweg, this will bring Automattic’s total headcount to 370 people, distributed across 43 countries.
Automattic will keep WooThemes, WooCommerce, and other moving separate and fully operating. Matt Mullenweg says the team will work on making the plugin easier to install and use. Automattic will make WooThemes and the other plugins available on WordPress.com next year.
WordPress already powers over 23% of the web, and they want to power even more with this buy. They have strong competition from SquareSpace who also has built-in eCommerce tools that make it more appealing to shop owners then WordPress.
Tell us if you’ve used WooThemes or WooCommerce in the past or if you currently use it in the comments below!
Seems like a great acquisition by WordPress. Keeping it’s big players under the same roof.
Its a power play so they can grow their user base and power as a publishing CMS, and something more then a blogging platform.