Bits & Bytes | EBay in $925M Deal, Amazon's Prime Day, Rakuten's Virtual Reality

"EBay Reports Sale of Enterprise Unit as Earnings Beat Estimates" (The New York Times)
"EBay is sailing into the split of its two businesses — PayPal payments and its online marketplace — with a reassuring show of strength as its second-quarter financial performance surpassed Wall Street forecasts."

"Amazon's Prime Day Draws Big Virtual Crowd, Frustrates Some Shoppers" (Reuters)
"Merchants participating in Amazon.com's inaugural 'Prime Day' sale saw an 80 percent rise in US sales from a year earlier, although the event also drew ire from some shoppers."

"Rakuten Buys Virtual Fitting Room Startup Fits.Me in a Fashion Commerce Play" (TechCrunch)
"Rakuten — Japan's answer to Amazon with e-commerce investments that stretch from digital media and e-commerce marketplaces through to social media and even transport apps — is making another acquisition to expand its holdings in the area of fashion."

"In the Middle East, Gender Roles Are Messing with E-Commerce Shipping" (Quartz)
"Fetchr, a Dubai-based app startup, seeks to remedy these obstacles unique to 'last-mile logistics' in places like Saudi Arabia."

"Birchbox's Monthly Deliveries Will Give Virtual Reality a Fascinating Test Run" (Adweek)
"It's the first time the e-tailer has experimented with virtual reality, and its monthly mailings could be a boon to the technology if the brand is able to consistently crank out new content."

"It Is Simply Too Early to Call the Apple Watch a Flop" (Quartz)
"Will the Apple Watch become Apple's next big growth driver? Or will it endure as a disappointing 'hobby' project? While tempting to make a call now, it is simply too soon."