E-commerce implementation vendor Astound Commerce on Monday announced it has merged with digital design and development firm Fluid Inc.
The companies have a history of collaboration; in March 2015 they announced a collaborative agreement that enabled them to offer their customers more well-rounded services. Fluid could work with retailers on their front-end design, user experience and strategy while Astound could handle the back-end implementation and ongoing development.
As an integrated company, the vendors say they aim to provide digital design, consulting and engagement marketing, along with technical expertise and the global scale required to stand out in the crowded e-commerce landscape. Astound previously bought The E-Tailing Group in April 2016 and Groove in November 2017 to expand both its online retail research and social marketing capabilities.
The merger doubles Astound Commerce’s U.S. operations with an added presence in New York. It now has nearly 800 employees with offices in San Francisco, London, Munich, Hamburg, Dubai and Toronto. Astound CEO Igor Gorin will lead the U.S. operations of the company as CEO.
“We couldn’t be more excited to formally integrate our two talented teams of digital experts,” Gorin says.
Fluid brings clients, including The North Face, Benefit Cosmetics and Charlotte Russe Inc. (No. 485 in the Internet Retailer 2017 Top 1000), to the combined companies, while Astound brings brands such as adidas AG (No. 52), L’Oréal Group (No. 276) and Under Armour Inc. (No. 36). Fluid serves five retailers in the Top 1000.
“Astound Commerce brings strong tech and depth of knowledge across all platforms to the table, while Fluid bring their expertise of customer experience; therefore, now strengthening both sides with ability of offer a full breadth of capabilities to their customers,” says Arthur McManus, senior vice president at boutique omnichannel and digital consultancy FitForCommerce. “We expect to continue to see mergers, especially in the services space, where companies quickly acquire capabilities to expand their offerings.”
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