Woo is turning up the volume on its marketing. Since February’s rebrand, the team’s been busy rolling out campaigns, reorganizing internally, and rethinking how they show up in the market. There’s a bigger budget behind it now, too — and a clearer focus on the merchants they’re trying to reach.

In a community call held last week, CMO Tamara Niesen, VP of Integrated Marketing Mahrie Boyle, and Developer Advocate Brian Coords provided a behind-the-scenes look at how Woo’s marketing team has been restructured, how their strategy has evolved, and the kinds of campaigns that are now in play.

The key takeaways: Woo has 10x’d its marketing spend. They’re targeting larger merchants with $1 million+ in annual sales. And they plan to “get louder” with more targeted digital campaigns across multiple channels.

“We’ve built a full-stack marketing team,” said Niesen, who joined Woo in early 2024, after previously spending five years at Shopify, where she led global go-to-market and demand generation. “We’re now operating a cross-functional crew of strategists, storytellers, and growth drivers anchored around a shared mission: to help merchants succeed with the most flexible, open, and powerful commerce platform on the planet.”

A restructured team and a new brand identity

Woo’s marketing team has gone through major changes since late 2024, with a reorganization heading into this year and new leadership shaping how the team operates. It’s now structured around a set of interconnected pillars — including product marketing, developer advocacy, integrated strategy, performance and ops, brand and creative, and customer success.

Earlier this year, Woo also rolled out a new logo, refreshed color palette, and updated voice and tone, part of a broader brand refresh. Developed in-house by Head of Design Daniel Nieuwenhuizen, the rebrand was introduced by Niesen as a move to help Woo stand out in a market dominated by SaaS brands like Shopify that have bigger budgets and more established brand recognition.

“We’re more confident, more modern,” Niesen said on the call, “but still flexible and open.”

According to W3Techs, WooCommerce is used by 8.9% of all websites, followed by Shopify (4.8%), Wix (3.9%), and Squarespace (2.4%).

Building long-term demand, not just leads

The rebrand coincided with a deeper shift in how Woo thinks about customer acquisition. Boyle described the team’s new focus as building a “complete demand engine” — one that prioritizes long-term awareness and trust over quick conversions.

She said customer acquisition isn’t as straightforward as showing someone an ad once and expecting them to switch platforms. “They’re infrequent, they are high consideration, they’re complex decisions — they’re not spontaneous,” she said, adding that buying cycles typically involve a founder or CEO, a technical buyer, someone in marketing, and typically take three to six years, or even longer.

The team estimates that only 5% of their target audience is “in-market” at any given time, which is why their campaigns aim to educate and build credibility well before merchants are ready to make a switch.

In May, Woo launched its first major campaign, “Yours Truly,” focused on ownership and flexibility. Ads are running across display, social, podcasts, and video, including a customer spotlight on Boost Oxygen.

A second campaign focused on total cost of ownership is rolling out this week, designed to reinforce the narrative that store owners who choose Woo retain control over their expenses. The campaign includes an expert panel, a cost calculator, and a chart comparing fees charged by other ecommerce platforms to Woo’s.

“We’ve 10x’d our spend this year,” said Boyle. “We’re showing up in new places and doing it with a clear message.”

Upcoming campaigns include a partnership with Klaviyo, a commerce outlook report, and a conversion and peak selling campaign.

A sharper focus on mid-sized and scaling merchants

Woo is now zeroing in on a specific customer segment: mid-sized to larger merchants, earning over $1 million a year. These businesses are typically supported by an agency or internal development team, and often work in B2B, cross-border, or recurring revenue models.

“Focusing here helps us make better product decisions and allows us to go to market more effectively,” said Niesen. “We want to build trust with these merchants and we want to support them with you.”

The campaigns are tailored not just to different funnel stages, but also to different roles within a merchant’s buying team, from founders to marketers to technical leads.

Expanding beyond WordPress circles

Boyle said the team is expanding its presence beyond the usual channels. Woo has increased its event schedule this year and plans to attend more non-WordPress industry events “in a more official capacity” starting in 2026.

The marketing team is also relaunching analyst relations, including outreach to firms like Gartner, and plans to invest more in PR and public storytelling. They’re also looking to sponsor industry content on platforms like Retail Brew, and new case studies and social campaigns are on the way.

“We’ve built a really strong internal narrative around investment,” said Boyle. “And that’s started to pay off.”

Investing in the ecosystem

While Woo is targeting higher-value merchants, Niesen and Boyle were clear that their strategy is built to support the broader ecosystem, including developers, agencies, and partners whose products and services continue to power the platform.

“There’s no Woo to build around if developers aren’t contributing back into the ecosystem,” said Niesen.

While marketplace extensions remain a core part of the platform, Woo is seeing growing revenue from WooPayments and strategic partners — a shift that’s helping to fund product development and new programs.

“Growing monetization is important because it enables reinvestment back into the product, into the ecosystem. It’s that revenue flywheel, and our ecosystem partners are critical to that success,” said Niesen.

“It also allows us to invest in more programs — marketing to create more demand for products, services, and businesses in the ecosystem — to really help all boats rise.”

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