PITTSBURGH _ When Becky Barr was little, she memorized her mother's credit card number and dialed into QVC to buy presents. She would then inform her bemused mom that even though the credit card was still in her pocketbook at work, a new watch was on its way.
Decades later, Barr, who lives just outside Pittsburgh, is on a first-name basis with the UPS driver who delivers her QVC orders not only to her home but also to her office.
"He knows if I'm not in one place, he'll bring it to me (at the other)," Barr said, adding that on a good week, she makes multiple purchases. "It's one of those things, 'You know you have a problem when ...'"
Barr is one of scores of shoppers who were shocked to learn in July that QVC, Liberty Interactive's home shopping television network, is merging with its longtime rival, the Home Shopping Network.
QVC, which already owned a 38 percent stake in HSN, announced the $2.1 billion deal on July 6.
The merger comes at a moment of shake-ups in the retail world, with companies like Amazon and Walmart expanding their e-commerce capabilities as many brick-and-mortar chains struggle. USA Today calculated that the combined companies ranked sixth in global e-commerce sales in 2016, trailing behind retailers like Amazon and Apple.
Uniting the networks strengthens them as a collective home shopping resource, but the two have very different profiles.
HSN got its start in Florida in 1977 when a radio station owner decided to auction off more than a hundred electric can openers over the air, leading to the creation of the "Suncoast Bargaineers" radio show. QVC _ which stands for Quality Value Convenience _ launched in 1986 in West Chester, Pa.
The two networks appealed to shoppers nationally. The first item QVC sold _ an $11.49 shower radio _ reached nearly 8 million homes in 1986 and brought in more than $110 million in sales during the year.
But viewership has decreased for both networks as a new generation of consumers turns to online shopping. While QVC still tapes in front of a live studio audience, both networks have added digital platforms like websites and apps.
QVC.com launched just over two decades ago, and nearly 58 percent of its e-commerce sales are now from mobile phones. The network also started streaming live programming on Facebook last year, which it said has reached 15 million people. HSN reported last year that digital efforts made up about 54 percent of its business.
