“Pre-IPO start-up Wish.com credits open source Linux and its
open architecture for Wish.com’s ability to race from launch to
“Christmas ready” retail strength in less than 30 days. The
destination gift portal unifies over 300 top brand merchant
affiliates and millions of products in a radical new retail model
that uses Wish Lists to stimulate and sustain demand.”
“Wish.com launched September 29, 1999 and within six weeks was
selected as one of the top ecommerce sites by Newsweek magazine.
The portal is designed for high touch personal interaction and
rapid expansion, with Linux central to its success.“
“The gift portal market has become a battle between two very
different business models, with Linux playing a decisive role,”
said Michael Mo, Wish.com CEO and founder. “On one side is the
Wish.com model, where we’ve created a dynamic new retail front end
in the form of Wish Lists, which tap strong personal emotions to
drive exponential demand. On the other side is the antiquated Gift
Registry model, which is typically static, impersonal and
restricted. Wish Lists have the real upside. For online retailers
they’re a dream come true. When properly implemented they activate
latent demand with the power of a chain reaction. The end result is
highly motivated consumers who want the largest number of choices
in the largest possible market. That’s what we deliver at Wish.com,
and for that we need the reliability and scalability of Linux.”