Oracle to buy FatWire Software

Oracle said yesterday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire FatWire Software, a privately-held company that specialises in software for businesses to manage their websites.

FatWire’s software provides business managers with the ability to easily modify site content and design, enable social interaction, analyse and optimise content, and create customer segmentation to deliver tailored messages, Oracle said.

With FatWire, customer interactions in cross-channel touch points, including in-store, online store, contact centre, and e-mail will now be further extended to the web, mobile and social channels, it added.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The proposed transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close by the middle of the year, Oracle said. Until the transaction closes, each company will continue to operate independently, it said.

The FatWire management team and employees are expected to join Oracle after the transaction closes.

According to Oracle, FatWire’s products complement its other products including Oracle Fusion Middleware, Business Intelligence, Enterprise Content Management, and Portal technology.

Oracle acquired e-commerce vendor Art Technology Group earlier this year, saying that the growing convergence between traditional and Internet commerce calls for a unified technology platform that ties together all channels.

FatWire, with headquarters in Mineola, New York, has Barclays, Best Buy, Cisco, Ford, and Pfizer as customers. Over 300 global enterprises across financial services, healthcare, media and retail industries use FatWire’s software to optimise their web sites, Oracle said. The two companies have common customers across multiple industries