WP Product Talk

Join us live on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at noon Eastern for WP Product Talk as we welcome Gina Gindorf of Loya for an important conversation about why so many online stores struggle to turn first-time buyers into loyal customers. In "The Retention Gap: What WordPress Stores Are Missing," we'll explore practical lessons from real merchants and uncover what actually drives repeat purchases. If you're focused on sustainable growth, this episode will help you rethink how you approach Customer Retention for WooCommerce and why acquisition alone isn't enough. Gina joins co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Katie Keith to share insights on loyalty, post-purchase experiences, and low-friction strategies that can help WordPress store owners increase customer lifetime value.

WordPress is moving fast on AI, and plugin builders need to keep up. On Jan 21 at 6pm UTC+1, WP Product Talk sits down with Jason Adams, Core AI Team Lead at Automattic, to unpack how plugins WordPress AI efforts are shaping what’s possible right now. Jason joins Zack Katz and Matt Cromwell for a practical conversation on where core AI is headed, how plugin teams can build on it, and what to pay attention to if you want your product to stay relevant as AI lands deeper in WordPress.

In this episode of WP Product Talk, hosts Zach Katz and Ian Meisner dive into the potential of MCP (Model Context Protocol) for WooCommerce product builders. Joined by Nik McLaughlin from SkyVerge, the discussion covers how MCP enables apps, tools, and AI models to communicate, its readiness for real-world use, and whether it's worth the investment. This episode explores the technical intricacies of MCP, its potential applications, and how it could revolutionize everything from store management to customer experience. They also tackle the challenges, risks, and the future of MCP in the WordPress ecosystem. Tune in for insights on how this technology could unlock new opportunities for product owners and developers.

Join us for Making WordPress Weird: Nick Hamze on Building for Fun in WordPress, as we explore what happens when you stop taking things so seriously and start creating just because it’s fun. Nick Hamze is known for his playful, unconventional approach to building and his relentless push to keep the creative spirit of WordPress alive. From his pro-Wapuu advocacy to his experiments with AI and offbeat product ideas, Nick shows us why weirdness might just be WordPress’s greatest strength. We’re going live Wednesday, December 11 at Noon ET, with co-hosts Ian Misner and Matt Cromwell, who’ll help unpack how curiosity, experimentation, and a bit of chaos can lead to more meaningful work and maybe even better products. Follow Up with Nick Hamze This episode is a follow-up to our earlier conversation with Nick Hamze about building “fun, weird” things in WordPress and the hard truth behind it: shipping is easy now; distribution is not. Since our original episode in December 2025, WordPress quietly shipped a meaningful change: the Featured Plugins tab inside the Add New Plugins screen is no longer basically static. It’s now rotating every two weeks to spotlight newer plugins with fewer than 10,000 installs. In this special WP Product Talk follow-up, Nick joins Matt Cromwell and Ian Misner to unpack how the Featured Plugin experiment came together, what the selection criteria looks like, and why this kind of in-dashboard discovery is one of the highest-leverage changes WordPress can make for small plugin makers. We also dig into: Why the old Featured tab needed a reset The curation guidelines Nick is using (and why they matter) How the first featured plugins saw immediate install spikes (including Ollie Menu Designer) What a “fair” and sustainable discovery system could look like next (filters, categories, better browsing) How the community can participate without turning it into a popularity contest Links & Resources Featured Plugin discussion in WordPress Slack: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C0AJB2960NS Matt’s thread showing the Ollie Menu Designer download spike: https://x.com/learnwithmattc/status/2028804166747824311 This article at The Repository covers the conversation as well: https://www.therepository.email/the-wordpress-featured-plugins-tab-is-now-rotating-hidden-gems-every-two-weeks

In a market where subscription pricing has become the default, choosing a one-off model can feel almost rebellious. In this episode of WP Product Talk, hosts Katie Keith (Barn2 Plugins) and Matt Cromwell (GiveWP/StellarWP) sit down with Rodolfo Melogli from Business Bloomer and Checkout Summit to examine why he has doubled down on low-cost, single-payment utility plugins instead of recurring revenue. We will cover: Why Rodolfo believes one-time pricing can be more sustainable than people think How small but focused utility plugins can outperform larger subscription-based products When a non-subscription model makes strategic sense and when it does not What this means for founders deciding how to price their next product If you are rethinking your pricing strategy or wondering whether subscriptions are always the right answer, this conversation offers a rare look at a completely different approach.