Microsoft has had a long and complicated relationship with ecommerce in general and with its ecommerce vendor, Digital River, in particular.
Microsoft’s ecommerce history started with its 1996 acquisition of Commerce Server from eShop, a company founded by Pierre Omidyar, who went on to create eBay.
The software never took off, and following a failed attempt at creating a native ecommerce solution, the company entered into a partnership with Digital River in 2010.