GSI Commerce
Encyclopedia
GSI Commerce is an eBay company specializing in creating, developing and running online shopping sites for brick and mortar
brands and retailers.
The company also provides a variety of marketing, consumer engagement, customer care, payment processing, fulfillment, fraud detection, and technology integration services. GSI Commerce has over 500 clients and operates 26 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. It provides services for companies such as Zales, iRobot
, Timberland
, Ace Hardware
, Sports Authority
, Dick's Sporting Goods
, RadioShack
, and Toys "R" Us.
Originally founded by Michael G. Rubin
in 1995 as Global Sports Incorporated, the company focused on selling sporting goods and supplies. In 1999 it branched out into clothing and a variety of other categories and changed its name to GSI Commerce in 2002. Toys "R" Us, one of GSI's largest e-commerce partners, chose GSI after suing Amazon.com
for breach of its exclusivity contract. In October 2000, GSI acquired FogDog.com, an online sporting goods store. In August 2007, GSI acquired Accretive e-Commerce, a company with a similar business model, for $97.5 million. In 2008 it was announced that Innotrac, a similar e-commerce company with fulfillment centers located throughout the United States, would be acquired, however, the deal was canceled in January 2009.
The company acquired e-Dialog in 2008; as well as Rue La La and Smartbargains.com in 2009. It launched ShopRunner.com in October 2010 to compete directly with Amazon Prime.
In September 2008, GSI and Timberland reached a settlement of up to $7,000,000 with a class
of cell phone subscribers who alleged that they received unsolicited SMS text messages advertising for Timberland. Both Timberland and GSI have denied any wrongful conduct and state that a completely separate and independent company was responsible for securing the consents of the class members to receive the text messages. The settlement is significant as it is the first nationwide settlement for unsolicited text messages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
.
On March 21, 2010, the company and its CEO, Michael Rubin, were featured on the CBS television series Undercover Boss
. On March 28, 2011 it was announced that eBay inc. would acquire GSI for $2.4B. The deal was closed on June 20, 2011.
Brick and mortar
Brick and mortar in its most simplest usage is used to describe the physical presence of a building or other structure...
brands and retailers.
The company also provides a variety of marketing, consumer engagement, customer care, payment processing, fulfillment, fraud detection, and technology integration services. GSI Commerce has over 500 clients and operates 26 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. It provides services for companies such as Zales, iRobot
IRobot
iRobot Corporation is an American advanced technology company founded in 1990 and incorporated in Delaware in 2000, the iRobot Corporation designs robots such as an autonomous home vacuum cleaner , the Scooba that scrubs and cleans hard floors, and military and police robots, such as the PackBot...
, Timberland
The Timberland Company
The Timberland Company is an American manufacturer and retailer of outdoors wear with a focus on footwear. Its three key locations are in Stratham, New Hampshire; Danville, Kentucky; and Ontario, California....
, Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware Corporation is a hardware cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. ACE Hardware Corporation, with 4,444 stores, does over $3 billion in retail hardware sales annually down from its peak of $12.5 billion in 2007.-History:...
, Sports Authority
Sports Authority
The Sports Authority, Inc. is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States. It is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and operates more than 460 stores in 45 U.S...
, Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
, RadioShack
RadioShack
RadioShack Corporation is an American franchise of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of Europe, South America and Africa. As of 2008, RadioShack reported net sales and operating revenues of $4.81 billion. The headquarters of RadioShack is located in Downtown...
, and Toys "R" Us.
Originally founded by Michael G. Rubin
Michael G. Rubin
Michael G. Rubin is the founder and CEO of Kynetic, which owns Rue LA LA, Fanatics and Shoprunner. The company was recently valued at $1 billion.-Life and career:Rubin opened opened a ski-tuning shop in his parents’ basement when he was 13....
in 1995 as Global Sports Incorporated, the company focused on selling sporting goods and supplies. In 1999 it branched out into clothing and a variety of other categories and changed its name to GSI Commerce in 2002. Toys "R" Us, one of GSI's largest e-commerce partners, chose GSI after suing Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
for breach of its exclusivity contract. In October 2000, GSI acquired FogDog.com, an online sporting goods store. In August 2007, GSI acquired Accretive e-Commerce, a company with a similar business model, for $97.5 million. In 2008 it was announced that Innotrac, a similar e-commerce company with fulfillment centers located throughout the United States, would be acquired, however, the deal was canceled in January 2009.
The company acquired e-Dialog in 2008; as well as Rue La La and Smartbargains.com in 2009. It launched ShopRunner.com in October 2010 to compete directly with Amazon Prime.
In September 2008, GSI and Timberland reached a settlement of up to $7,000,000 with a class
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
of cell phone subscribers who alleged that they received unsolicited SMS text messages advertising for Timberland. Both Timberland and GSI have denied any wrongful conduct and state that a completely separate and independent company was responsible for securing the consents of the class members to receive the text messages. The settlement is significant as it is the first nationwide settlement for unsolicited text messages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 was passed by the United States Congress in 1991 and signed into law by President George H. W. Bush as Public Law 102-243, amending the Communications Act of 1934. The current version of the statute is found principally at...
.
On March 21, 2010, the company and its CEO, Michael Rubin, were featured on the CBS television series Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss is a television franchise series that has been released in multiple countries, originating in 2009 on the British Channel 4...
. On March 28, 2011 it was announced that eBay inc. would acquire GSI for $2.4B. The deal was closed on June 20, 2011.