We’ve all noticed Automattic launch its recent sites targeted at verticals such as cities, weddings and music, so it’s no surprise to anyone that they just launched WordPress.com Restaurants. This puts them in direct competition with happytables, the restaurant web app created by our own Noel Tock. WordPress.com restaurants offers menus, maps, and reservations, provides users with a mobile version of the website, as well as all of the usual good stuff from WordPress.com.
I asked Noel what he thinks of Automattic’s latest move:
It’s only logical for Automattic to start tackling different verticals, and restaurants are certainly one of those niches that has a lot of appeal. It’s also impressive how well they’ve been executing and experimenting on that front the past few weeks.
Moving into verticals makes sense for WordPress.com, but as anyone who is targeting verticals knows, it’s more than just launching a service with some functionality. Successfully working within verticals means working on the ground with people in that vertical, conducting market research, seeing what functionality people really need, marketing outside of your comfort zone. By targeting so many at once, are Automattic spreading themselves too thin? And, is this latest move an indication that Automattic is preparing to place themselves into direct competition with other WordPress SaaS businesses?