Vista Equity Partners signs definitive agreements to acquire Marketlive and Shopatron

Backed by Vista Equity Partners, two leaders in retail software will combine to create the most powerful commerce solution to serve consumers anytime, anywhere.

Austin, Texas (November 25, 2015) MarketLive Inc. and Shopatron, leading providers of software solutions for the global retail industry, today jointly announced that the companies will be acquired simultaneously by Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”), a leading private equity firm that focuses on investing in software, data and technology­ enabled companies.

“This is a unique opportunity to unite two complementary market leaders to advance the way that retailers and branded manufacturers connect with consumers in a world that relies on seamless digital and in­ store experiences,” said Robert F. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. “By integrating best­ of­ breed commerce solutions and combining industry­ leading expertise, MarketLive and Shopatron are incredibly well­ positioned to bring a highly adaptive omni­channel commerce platform to the rapidly expanding retail market.”

MarketLive provides digital commerce software and services for retailers, catalogers, direct marketers and manufacturers. The company’s flagship platform offers a responsive and user­ friendly interface, shopping carts that sync across devices, a dynamic pricing engine, and customer segmentation and personalization. MarketLive integrates with a wide variety of partners, such as PayPal and McAfee, in order to deliver all of the functionality required to operate an effective e­Commerce business.

“We are thrilled to team with Shopatron and Vista to expand our solutions as we continue to serve the needs of our customers in an evolving industry,” said Ken Burke, Founder and CEO of MarketLive. “Shoppers expect a seamless and dynamic integration between online and offline experiences, which can be an enormous challenge for retailers. We are pleased to be joining forces with two world­ class organizations so we can be better positioned to help sellers overcome those challenges and deliver the best possible shopping experience.”

Shopatron is the world’s leading provider of cloud­ based, distributed order management solutions. Shopatron enables manufacturers and multi­channel retailers to seamlessly leverage the available inventory of every retail storefront and distribution center when fulfilling online orders. Unlike legacy order management software or custom­ built solutions, Shopatron makes it easy and affordable to deploy advanced capabilities like in­ store pickup, ship­ from­ store, inventory lookup and vendor drop­ ship. With Shopatron, retail channels join forces to increase sales, turn inventory, and deliver a superior purchase experience to online shoppers.

“We are excited about the incredible possibilities this combination offers, both for our partner ecosystem and, more importantly, for our customers,” said Ed Stevens, Founder and CEO of Shopatron. “MarketLive’s solutions are a great complement to ours, and together, we will deliver optimized, omni­channel shopping experiences that delight end­users and improve business outcomes for sellers.”

“Shopatron and MarketLive have established themselves as leaders in the global retail space, giving their customers innovative, easy­ to­ use tools for overcoming modern retailing challenges,” said Patrick Severson, Principal at Vista Equity Partners. “Vista has a proven track record of bringing together businesses to create market leaders, and we look forward to collaborating with both companies to optimize their solutions and drive growth for sellers while delivering the best­ in­ class experiences for shoppers around the world.”

In the midst of peak season, both MarketLive and Shopatron continue to be focused on maintaining best­ in­ class service and performance for their customers. Both transactions are slated to close by year end, and the companies plan to explore integration and expansion plans in 2016.