Australian Service Directory Oneflare Acquires Review Site WOMO

Oneflare, a local services directory based in Sydney, Australia, announced today that it has acquired WOMO, which claims to be the country’s largest customer reviews site. The amount of the deal was undisclosed.

Marcus Lim, the founder of Oneflare, said the acquisition will allow his company to grow more quickly because WOMO (which stands for “word of mouth online”) currently has over 420,000 customer reviews and 175,000 businesses registered on its site, which is similar to Yelp.

“The integration of both WOMO and Oneflare customer reviews will enable consumers on both platforms to make the most informed decision in their hiring process. Oneflare’s businesses will be able to leverage WOMO’s market leading review platform in building their online profile and helping them win more work online,” Lim told TechCrunch.

He added that the deal will also allow Oneflare, which currently letting customers get quotes on home maintenance services from local businesses, expand into more verticals. Its competitors include directory sites like TrueLocal and Gumtree, but Oneflare seeks to differentiate by offering multiple quotes and pre-screening businesses.

WOMO, which was founded in 2007, will continue to operate and remain a separate brand from Oneflare.

Launched in 2011, Oneflare currently has 60,000 businesses registered in its database and has raised $1.5 million AUD (about $1.2 million) in funding.