Vora Ventures, a U.S. based private equity firm specializing in building B2B information technology companies, announced today that it has acquired Cincinnati based Hinge, a digital commerce company that works with Fortune 1000 brands to increase their eCommerce revenues. The investment will support Hinge with continued global expansion, as well as access to data and technology support and services. The acquisition makes Hinge the industry leader and only choice for brands looking to significantly grow their digital eCommerce sales. ‍ "The proven success of our customers over the last few years and the demand for digital commerce strategies, services and solutions are significant. The partnership with Vora unlocks an opportunity for Hinge to dramatically increase our investment in commerce technologies and rapidly…

Amazon is making third-party sellers more responsible about meeting package safety standards when they send inventory to be stored and shipped by Amazon. They recently rolled out new rules letting sellers know that they will charge penalty fees for packages that fail to comply with its safety requirements. This new move is expected to improve warehouse efficiency while reducing hazardous safety violations. ‍ Hazardous issues arise mainly because third-party sellers are simply not aware of federal regulations when they ship their products to Amazon's warehouse. That makes it that much more difficult for Amazon to stay compliant, Killingsworth said. ‍ To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Already, Amazon is a certified seller of refurbished Apple products. But Amazon shoppers up until now had to wade through a sea of third-party sellers in the hopes of finding authentic, new Apple products. Now, Apple will get in front of Amazon’s loyal customer base — including its more than 100 million Prime members — while Amazon gets first-party access to Apple’s high-end, covetable electronics. This could be a sign of Amazon turning a new leaf when it comes to brand partnerships. ‍ “This sends a message to premium brands that are holding out: Be smart; meet your customer where they are. Don’t presume you will be able to keep them coming back in your retail door,” said Fred Killingsworth, CEO of Hinge…