This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

The US prepaid card ecosystem is huge, with 10.7 billion prepaid card transactions made in 2016 reaching $290 billion. And it’s shifting focus from low-income, un- and underbanked consumers toward millennials and higher-income adults.

But as the market evolves, legacy prepaid issuers, like Green Dot, are under threat. The market is becoming more competitive as tech companies like Apple, Square, and Venmo develop their own prepaid offerings, likely as part of a push to drive customers to engage with their core peer-to-peer (P2P) transfer or digital wallet apps. These players’ robust digital offerings and ability to offer prepaid services for lower, or no fees are undercutting legacy businesses. And on top of crowding, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is implementing regulations next year that could impact some issuers’ monetization strategies.

As a result, the US prepaid card market is becoming an increasingly complicated space for issuers to navigate, so prepaid issuers need to rethink their strategies to best attract consumers. Companies can attract a bigger user base if they target younger users from both low-income and high-income segments. They should also provide convenient offerings, that integrate digital features to make account information accessible, to cater to young consumers’ preferences.

Business Insider Intelligence has put together a detailed report that explores the evolving prepaid card industry, identifies how issuers can maintain profitability in a market that’s being challenged by new players and impending government regulations, and evaluates various paths to success.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• There were 10.7 billion prepaid card transactions worth $290 billion in 2016, according to The Federal Reserve. Business Insider Intelligence expects that to grow to $396 billion by 2022. 
• The prepaid space has historically been filled with incumbents like Green Dot. But new players, like Apple, Amazon, and Venmo, are trying to gain share, which is pushing large prepaid firms to merge or acquire one another to grow.
• Issuers can adapt to the change in the space, and grow their share of the market, by providing convenient, multichannel access, and doing so in a way that facilitates profitability. Targeting younger consumers, both from the underbanked and high-income segments, as well as accessing users from physical as well as digital channels, can help facilitate this growth.

In full, the report:

• Sizes the US prepaid card market and estimates its future trajectory.
• Identifies industry leaders and the newcomers to prepaid that are threatening their market share.
• Evaluates growth factors and inhibitors that are increasing competition in the space.
• Issues recommendations and strategies that issuers can implement to stay ahead in such a rapidly shifting space.

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• Every week, Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider the most in-demand TV shows on streaming services.
• This week includes DC Universe's "Titans" and Netflix's "Voltron: Legendary Defender."

DC Universe's "Titans" has surged since last week in the aftermath of its first season finale, and Netflix's animated "Voltron: Legendary Defender" has debuted on the list thanks to the recent premiere of its eighth season. 

Every week, Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider with a list of the seven most "in-demand" TV shows on streaming services. The data is based on "demand expressions," the globally standardized TV demand measurement unit from Parrot Analytics. Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement, and viewership weighted by importance, so a stream or download is a higher expression of demand than a "like" or comment on social media.

Other streaming shows this week include Netflix's "Narcos: Mexico" and "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," which was just renewed for seasons three and four.

SEE ALSO: Stephen King was 'riveted' by Netflix's new thriller, 'Bird Box,' and slammed critics for suffering from 'Netflix Prejudice'

7. "Voltron: Legendary Defender" (Netflix)

Average demand expressions: 25,903,568 

Description:"In an all-new series, five unlikely heroes and their flying robot lions unite to form the megapowerfulVoltron and defend the universe from evil."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 8): N/A

What critic said:"There's no love or warmth here, and it feels like the series retroactively tried to pony up a relationship in apology for the Shiro drama. But it's another debacle that feels fake, forced and patronizing."— Renaldo Matadeen, CBR

Season 8 premiered on Netflix December 14. 

6. "Marvel's Daredevil" (Netflix)

Average demand expressions: 26,877,370

Description: "Blinded as a young boy, Matt Murdock fights injustice by day as a lawyer and by night as the Super Hero Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen, New York City."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 96%

What critics said: "When D'Onofrio is allowed to be Fisk, to really embody the cruelty and spirit of the villain, he taps into a strain of excited fear, like the tingle you feel after lightning flashes but thunder hasn't yet struck."— Alex Abad-Santos, Vox

Season 3 premiered on Netflix October 19. The show was recently canceled.

5. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (Amazon)

Average demand expressions: 29,578,746 

Description: "After Midge's triumph at the Gaslight, the fallout from her takedown of Sophie Lennon looms large, making her climb up the comedy ladder more challenging than ever. As the actual grind of being a comic begins to take its toll on Midge, the pressure to come clean to her family weighs on her - especially as her choices have a ripple effect on everyone around her."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 91%

What critics said: "The second season of Amazon's subversive screwball comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shows that if the show is succeeding, going bigger sometimes means better."— Dominic Patten, Deadline Hollywood

Season 2 premiered on Amazon December 5.

• Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump's incoming chief of staff, has blamed Congressional Democrats for dragging out the partial government shutdown.
• Mulvaney said that it's "possible" that the shutdown would stretch "into the new Congress."
• "The shutdown will hopefully not last long," Trump previously said in a video posted to Twitter, but he has repeatedly warned that it could stretch on.

Donald Trump's incoming chief of staff Mick Mulvaney took to the Sunday morning talk shows to accuse Congressional Democrats of dragging their feet on the government shutdown.

Mick Mulvaney, who is currently serving as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, told Fox News Sunday that he believes Democrats will stall on negotiations until they assume the majority of the House of Representatives in January 2019.

In his appearance on Fox, Mulvaney said "it's very possible this shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new Congress."

He singled out Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic designee for Speaker of the House, in his comments.

Speaking with ABC's Jonathan Karl, Mulvaney said that he and Vice President Mike Pence have spent the last two days meeting with Congressional Republicans and Democratic leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer.

Read more: The government shutdown over Trump's border wall demands will last at least through Christmas

"We gave them an offer late yesterday afternoon and we're waiting to hear back from them right now," he told ABC.

Trump has gone back and forth on the shutdown. 

In a video posted on Twitter on Dec. 21, the president described the shutdown as necessary because Democratic votes were required for getting his proposed border wall approved.

"The shutdown will hopefully not last long," he said. But Trump has repeatedly warned that the shutdown could drag on, tweeting on Saturday that "it could be a long stay."

According to senior administration officials, the White House is adamant about securing $5 billion in funding for border security and a wall. Trump previously said he would be "proud" to take the blame for the shutdown over the wall. But now, Republicans are pointing the finger at Democrats.

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who adjourned official Senate negotiations until Thursday, said, "They've refused to meet President Trump halfway and provide even one-fifth of the resources for the border they were willing to provide just a few months ago."

Meanwhile, Pelosi took to Twitter to declare that "the new House Democratic majority will swiftly pass legislation to re-open government in January" if the shutdown endures until then.

SEE ALSO: Trump says 'Democrats now own the shutdown' just 10 days after declaring he was 'proud to shut down the government'

DON'T MISS: Top US official leading fight against ISIS resigns with scathing letter calling Trump's Syria troop withdrawal a 'complete reversal' of US policy

SEE ALSO: Trump says he's working with Democrats during the partial government shutdown, but his border security meeting only included Republicans

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Trump’s budget director unveils photos of what the border wall may look like

• Facebook shelved a project called "Common Ground" that would aim to encourage healthier political discourse on the platform, reports the Wall Street Journal.
• Part of the reason why: Joel Kaplan, the company's policy chief, thought it would spark fears of anti-conservative bias — something Facebook has sought to avoid.
• Kaplan has had generally more say over product decisions than before, as the company tries to navigate murky political waters, and pushed for conservative outlet the Daily Caller to be included in the company's fact-checking initiative. 
• Kaplan, formerly of the George W. Bush Administration, came under fire earlier this year for appearing on Capitol Hill to support his friend Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Facebook stopped working on a project, called "Common Ground," that was aimed at encouraging healthier political discourse among users, partially at the urging of policy chief Joel Kaplan, reports the Wall Street Journal. 

The "Common Ground" initiative is said to have consisted of many parts, including boosting news stories and status updates posted by people on the opposite end of the political spectrum from users, while also demoting "toxic" comments that start "negative discussion." 

Kaplan's objection, according to the report, was that the term "Common Ground" itself could be taken as patronizing, and that it would ask users to trust Facebook's definition of what healthy conversation looks like. 

Ultimately, Kaplan is said to have believed that these efforts to curb political polarization would have opened the platform up to criticism from conservatives — something that the social network has sought to avoid in recent years, as conservative lawmakers and public figures have accused it of left-wing bias. Following Kaplan's complaint, Zuckerberg and others raised concerns over how the initiative would affect Facebook user engagement, and the project was shelved, says the Journal.

Read more: Facebook is battling an internal revolt after one of its execs went to the Kavanaugh hearing

Read the full Wall Street Journal report here.

Kaplan came into the public eye earlier this year when he visibly seated himself behind Justice Brett Kavanaugh, then an embattled nominee for the Supreme Court, as the judge defended himself against allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women. Kaplan and Kavanaugh are long-time friends, dating back to their time serving together in the George W. Bush administration.

Kaplan's attendance at the hearings, in such a visible capacity, outraged Facebook employees. Kaplan is said to have apologized for not clearing his attendance at the hearings with Facebook leadership first.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. A Facebook spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that it is continuing its work to study political polarization, and that it tries to understand a wide variety of political perspectives. 

SEE ALSO: Leaked Andreessen Horowitz data reveals how much Silicon Valley startup execs really get paid, from CEOs to Sales VPs

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I tried cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner using Google Home Hub and found there are two major flaws with it

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Smart speakers comprise one of the fastest-growing device segments in the consumer technology market today. Ownership levels have nearly doubled from early 2017 to summer 2018. 

With this rapid growth, there are a few pivotal questions that both companies looking to develop and sell smart speakers as well as those looking to sell products, deliver media, and offer access to services like banking over these devices need answers to in order to craft successful strategies. In particular, they need to know who is and isn’t buying smart speakers, and what consumers who own smart speakers are actually doing with them. 

To offer these stakeholders insight, Business Insider Intelligence asked more than 500 US consumers about their knowledge of smart speakers, the devices they do or don’t own and what led them to their purchase decisions, as well as the tasks they’re using their smart speakers for.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence will look at the state of the smart speaker market and outline how each of the major device providers approaches the space. We will then focus on the key factors that affect whether or not someone owns one of these devices. Next, we will use our survey data to outline the reasons why people don’t own devices in order to offer guidance for who to target and how. Finally, we will discuss what consumers are actually doing with their smart speakers — specifically looking at how the devices are used and perceived in e-commerce, digital media, and banking — which can help companies determine how well they’re publicizing their smart speaker services and capabilities.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Facebook, Sonos, LG, Anker, Spotify, Pandora, Grubhub, Netflix, Hulu, Instagram, Snap.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Despite their growing popularity, nearly half of respondents still don't own a device — which presents a long runway for adoption. Our survey data reveals a number of key factors that impact whether or not someone owns one of these devices, including income, gender, and age.
• Smart speakers are establishing themselves as a key platform for e-commerce, media, and the smart home.
• The introduction of a screen to some smart speakers will expand the possibilities for companies developing for the device — but developers will need to resist the compulsion to use speakers to accomplish too much.

In full, the report:

• Provides an overview of the key players and products in the smart speaker market.
• Highlights critical adoption rates broken out by key factors that define the segment.
• Identifies how consumers are using devices in important areas where companies in various industries are trying foster greater use of the voice interface.

Join the conversation about this story »

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Gift cards are an ideal gift in a lot of ways. For instance, you get to give them exactly what they want — in the color, style, and exact model that they want it — without polling their closest friends, family, and private online wish lists. They also typically don't expire.

Below, you'll find 40 of the best ones to give. If you want more options, there are also lots of restaurant gift cards on Amazon and plenty of other brands here. Otherwise, you might opt for stores like Best Buy with free in-store pickup. 

Brooklinen

Buy a Brooklinen gift card

Brooklinen makes the best high-end sheets at the best price on the internet. Have a gift card delivered digitally, or in a gift card box. You can find a full review of Brooklinen's sheets here.

Amazon

Buy an Amazon gift card

An Amazon gift card is a more polite version of giving them cash — with it, they can buy pretty much anything they've had on their wish list — whether it's new and exciting tech or completely utilitarian home basics. You can also buy it in a gift card box.

Spotify

Buy a Spotify gift card on Amazon or Best Buy

They probably already have a Spotify account, but that doesn't mean they won't appreciate not having to pay for it for a while. A Spotify gift card lets you fund the next few months of something they love and use multiple times per day. 

Many companies use the term artificial intelligence, or AI, as a way to generate excitement for their products and to present themselves as on the cutting edge of tech development.

But what exactly is artificial intelligence? What does it involve? And how will it help the development of future generations?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in AI 101, a brand new FREE report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, that describes how AI works and looks at its present and potential future applications.

To get your copy of the FREE slide deck, simply click here.

Join the conversation about this story »

I'll get straight to the good part: Just open up Google and search for "Festivus." 

Yep, that's a Festivus pole — the traditional centerpiece of any good Festivus celebration. And just in time for Festivus, which is celebrated every year on December 23rd, too. Hey, that's today! 

The pole goes all the way down the page:

If you're unfamiliar, Festivus is a non-demonitational holiday — as in "Festivus, for the rest of us"— popularized by the classic sitcom "Seinfeld." The celebration sees family and friends gather around an unadorned aluminum pole, and perform traditions like the Feats of Strength and the Airing of Grievances. 

But don't take my word for it. Here's the official explanation, from "Seinfeld:" 

Also, it should be noted that Google has plenty of other, more traditional holiday surprises, too. 

This is what you get when you search for Christmas:

And Hannukah, which has already passed this year:

And Kwanzaa, which starts on December 26th:

SEE ALSO: 40 photos of Google's rise from a Stanford dorm room to becoming a global internet superpower

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why it's so difficult to land a spacecraft on Mars

• "Aquaman" won the weekend box office with an estimated $72.1 million.
• It beat out other big releases out this weekend, "Mary Poppins Returns" and "Bumblebee."
• "Aquaman" now has a worldwide total of over $480 million.

Warner Bros. sure is happy there wasn't a "Star Wars" release this holiday season. 

The Disney franchise has dominated the end-of-year box office since 2015's "The Force Awakens," which led to analysts uncertainty over whether a single movie would be able to pick up the slack at the December box office this year. But Warner Bros.' DC Comics Extended Universe has proven the naysayers wrong and has stepped in to lead the box office going into the important Christmas holiday.

Among a crowded field of new releases this season, "Aquaman" has risen to be as big of a draw domestically as it is globally.

The movie took in an estimated $72.1 million over the weekend (including preview showings earlier in the week), beating out other big releases that opened going into Christmas — Disney's "Mary Poppins Returns" and Paramount's "Bumblebee." 

"Mary Poppins Returns" came in second with $22.2 million while "Bumblebee" came close behind in third place with $21 million.

Read more: "Aquaman" director James Wan chose the character "everyone makes fun of" because there'd be less pressure. Then the DC Comics franchise imploded.

It's a major win for Warner Bros., which has been on a roller coaster ride trying to make its DCEU as dominant in the superhero space as Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whenever the industry thought it was gaining momentum, say, with the big success of 2017's "Wonder Woman," it would take a few steps back, like with the disappointing "Justice League."

WB/DCEU is back on top with "Aquaman." Already the biggest box office earner ever in China, scoring $300 million-plus, the movie started strong going into its domestic box-office premier. The movie now has a $480 million-plus worldwide net. 

Now the industry will watch to see if the James Wan-directed superhero movie will get to a $100 million five-day domestic opening by the time it gets to Christmas.

But Warner Bros. isn't the only studio happy this weekend. Paramount must be ecstatic to be so close to knocking off Disney for second place with its latest Transformers movie, "Bumblebee." Having the best Rotten Tomatoes score out of all the new releases (94% rating, compared to 64% for "Aquaman" and 77% for "Mary Poppins Returns"), it will be a photo finish to see if a Transformer or a posh English nanny will earn the silver by Christmas.

Disney's "Mary Poppins Returns" opened lower than "A Wrinkle in Time," which earned the $33.1 million and "Christopher Robin," which found $24.5 million. It's surprising to see a Disney title not dominating this time of year, but with Poppins seeing mixed reviews and competing with strong fandoms, it has left the family-friendly title trying to find its footing. But business could pick up by Christmas when more families head out to the theaters.

Then there's Sony's holdover "Spider-Man: Into to Spider-Verse," which is staying strong despite all these new titles, which is a testament to its quality. The movie took in $16.7 million over the weekend, and has earned $85 million for its worldwide total.

SEE ALSO: Business Insider ranks the 11 best movies of 2018

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Harvard scientists think this interstellar object might be an alien spacecraft

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That’s the strategy e-tailers will have to adopt if they want to compete with Amazon. To fight back against the e-commerce giant’s expanding dominance, other online retailers must understand exactly why and how customers are buying on Amazon — and which aspects of the Amazon shopping experience they can incorporate into their own strategic frameworks to win back customers.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has obtained exclusive survey data to give e-tailers the tools to figure out how to do just that with its latest Enterprise Edge Report: The Amazon Commerce Competitive Edge Report.

Enterprise Edge Reports are the very best research Business Insider Intelligence has to offer in terms of actionable recommendations and proprietary data, and they are only available to Enterprise clients.

Business Insider Intelligence fielded the Amazon study to members of its proprietary panel in March 2018, reaching over 1,000 US consumers – primarily hand-picked digital professionals and early-adopters – to gather their insights on Amazon’s role in the online shopping experience.

In full, the study:

• Uses exclusive survey data to analyze the factors behind Amazon’s success with consumers.
• Segments three types of Amazon customers that e-tailers should be targeting.
• Shares strategies on how e-tailers can attract shoppers at key moments.

First, why is Amazon so popular?

Amazon is ubiquitous. In fact, a whopping 94% of those surveyed said they’d made a purchase on the site in the last twelve months. And of those who did, the vast majority believed Amazon’s customer experience was simply better than its leading competitors’ — specifically eBay, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target.

The biggest contributor to Amazon’s superior experience? Free shipping, of course. According to Amazon’s 2017 annual report, the company actually spent $21.7 billion last year covering customers’ shipping costs, a number that’s been compounding over the past few years.

Not only is free shipping included for all Prime members as part of their subscriptions but, of all e-tailers listed in the survey, Amazon also offers the lowest minimum order value for non-subscription members to qualify for the perk (just $25). The pervasiveness of free (and fast) shipping is steadily heightening customer expectations for the online shopping experience — and forcing competitors to offer similar programs and benefits.

Who exactly is shopping on Amazon?

The survey results showed that across generations for a large minority of respondents, Amazon is a standard part of their typical shopping process. Nearly a third (32%) of respondents said they begin their online shopping process on Amazon. Of those who do start their journeys elsewhere, 100% ended up purchasing something from Amazon at some point over the last 12 months.

Based on the trends in responses, Business Insider Intelligence segmented out three different types of Amazon shoppers, each with unique implications for how competitors could evolve their strategies:

• Amazon loyalists: This group of consumers is most committed to shopping on Amazon. E-tailers must understand what has made Amazon their default experience — and how they could be pried away.
• Comparison shoppers: This consumer segment looks at other sites before ultimately completing a purchase with Amazon, which could allow e-tailers to find success at the bottom of the purchase funnel. E-tailers should focus on what they can do more of to steal sales away at the end of the purchasing process.
• Open-search shoppers: These consumers start their online product search away from Amazon, often with specific reasons including what they’re looking for and why they’re not looking on Amazon. Other e-tailers have the opportunity to attract these shoppers from the beginning of the purchase funnel — keeping them from ever venturing to Amazon.

Want to learn more?

Business Insider Intelligence has compiled the complete survey findings into the four-part Amazon Commerce Competitive Edge Report, which dives deeper into each of these consumer segments to give e-tailers an intricate understanding of Amazon’s role in their purchasing processes.

The report presents actionable strategies for retail strategists and executives to zero in on three individual consumer segments at critical shopping moments, and empower them to win sales in an Amazon-dominated world.

Join the conversation about this story »

• President Donald Trump is forcing Defense Secretary James Mattis to leave his position by New Year's.
• Mattis planned to stay until February 28 to ensure an orderly transition.
• He'll be replaced by Patrick Shanahan, the deputy defense secretary, Trump said in a tweet.
• Mattis quit his cabinet position because he disagreed with Trump's position to pull American troops out of Syria.

President Trump announced that Secretary of Defense James Mattis will leave his position by January 1. Patrick Shanahan, Mattis's deputy, will take over as the acting defense chief.

Mattis announced his resignation from the Defense Department on Thursday over President Trump's decision to withdraw United States troops from Syria and halve the number of troops in Afghanistan. Mattis originally said he would stay in his position until February 28 to ensure an orderly transition.

In his resignation letter, Mattis blasted Trump for mistreating allies.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," he wrote.

Read more:The incredible career of Jim Mattis, the legendary Marine general turned defense secretary who just quit the Trump administration

Trump has been furious about the resignation letter, according to the New York Times. On Saturday, he criticized Mattis in a tweet.

"When President Obama ingloriously fired Jim Mattis, I gave him a second chance. Some thought I shouldn’t, I thought I should," he wrote.

Mattis is a retired four-star Marine general who oversaw the United States Central Command from 2010 to 2013. He left the position when President Barack Obama was reportedly unhappy with his stance on Iran.

Before beginning his position as deputy secretary of defense in June 2017, Shanahan was an executive at the aircraft and weapons manufacturer Boeing. He does not have any prior government experience.

• Read more:
• Mattis' resignation isn't a crisis yet — but it could easily become one
• 'You know what? It's yours': Trump reportedly threw his hands up on Syria during phone call with the Turkish president
• The incredible career of Jim Mattis, the legendary Marine general turned defense secretary who just quit the Trump administration

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

Thanks to the NBA's skyrocketing TV contracts and smaller rosters, a basketball career can be quite lucrative compared to other major sports.

This is especially true for the stars of today and the athletes who played a large chunk of their careers between the late 1990s and the 2011 lockout. Those years led to some large contracts for players we might not consider among the all-time greats.

Here is a look at the 25 players who have made at least $165 million, according to data collected from Spotrac and Basketball-Reference:

25. Elton Brand — $165.9 million

Seasons: 17

Highest single-season salary: $17.1 million

Championships: 0

All-Star Games: 2

NBA First-team All-NBA: 0

24. Russell Westbrook ― $166.9 million

Seasons: 11

Highest single-season salary: $35.7 million

Championships: 0

All-Star Games: 7

NBA First-team All-NBA: 2

23. Jermaine O'Neal ― $167.6 million

Seasons: 18

Highest single-season salary: $23.0 million

Championships: 0

All-Star Games: 6

NBA First-team All-NBA: 0

The healthcare industry is in a state of disruption. Digital solutions are becoming a necessary part of the new global standard of care for patients and regulation is being fast-tracked to catch up to digital health innovation.

These rapid changes will have ripple effects across the entire healthcare system, impacting incumbents and new entrants alike.

Based on our ongoing analysis, understanding of industry trends, and conversations with industry executives, Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has put together The Top Five Trends Shaping The Future of Digital Health.

To get your copy of this free report, click here.

Join the conversation about this story »

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• With the holidays approaching and online retailers' shipping windows rapidly closing, you might be starting to worry about all those last-minute gifts you still need to buy. 
• Luckily, for those situations where it looks like the standard shipping estimate is cutting it a little too close, there's the "Buy Online, Pick Up in Store" option. 
• This handy service provided by some of your favorite department stores and retailers lets you browse and purchase your gifts online, then pick them up in the physical store as early as the same day.

Other than decreasing your stress over whether your gifts will ship in time, the "Buy Online, Pick Up in Store" option is also useful for:

• When you don't want to deal with other shoppers or long checkout lines
• When you'd like to keep your gifts discrete  
• When you live close to a local store and it's more convenient to just pick it up 

While the basic premise of "Buy Online, Pick Up in Store" is similar across stores, they do differ in some ways that could affect the way you approach your holiday shopping strategy.

For each store below, we've broken down the different pick-up options, what to do after you place your order, what you need at the store, what to do if you'd like someone else to pick up the order, and how long your order will be held at the store. 

Looking for more last-minute gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.

SEE ALSO: All of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides, in one place

DON'T MISS: 34 cool stocking stuffers you can get on Amazon for under $20

Target

Pick-up options: Look for "Free order pickup" when adding an item to your cart on Target's website. You can also shop from a list of Order Pickup eligible items by browsing any category and selecting "Free order pickup" from the availability drop down.

What to do after you place your order: Wait until you receive a pickup notification email before you go to the Guest Services counter at the store to pick up your item.

What you need at the store: A photo ID.

If you'd like someone else to pick up the order: You can add or change an alternate pickup person on the order details page by editing the "Delivery" section. This new person needs to bring their own photo ID. 

How long your order will be held at the store: Two days. If your order isn’t picked up after this time period, your order will be canceled and you won't be charged. You can extend your pickup window by one day by signing into your online account or visiting your order details page.

Shop online and pick up in store at Target

Shop 33 awesome under-$50 gifts you can find at Target

Nordstrom

Pick-up options: When you're looking at a category or search results, go to "Shop your store" and enter your zip code to filter the results accordingly. Then select the store at checkout. 

The order is usually available for pick up within two hours, though it can take longer during busier times like the holidays. 

What to do after you place your order: Wait until you receive a pickup notification email (usually within four hours of order) before you go to the store to pick up your item, or, in some locations, have an employee bring your order directly to your car. 

What you need at the store: A photo ID and the credit card used at checkout.

If you'd like someone else to pick up the order: Contact the store directly to update the pick up information about the new person. 

How long your order will be held at the store: 14 days. If your order isn’t picked up after this time period, your order will be canceled and you'll be refunded your payment.

Shop online and pick up in store at Nordstrom

Shop 50 awesome gifts you can find at Nordstrom

Macy's

Pick-up options: Click the "Free pick up" tab in the search results page, then choose the pick up option at checkout. If you order by 12 p.m. local time, the items should be ready for pick up later that day. 

What to do after you place your order: Wait until you receive a pickup notification email before you go to the designated location at the store to pick up your item.

What you need at the store: A photo ID and a copy of the notification email. 

If you'd like someone else to pick up the order: Forward the notification email to them to take to the store along with their photo ID.

How long your order will be held at the store: Seven days. If your order isn’t picked up after this time period, your order will be canceled and you'll be refunded your payment.

Shop online and pick up in store at Macy's

• Reality Winner's mother wrote an op-ed in the Intercept describing the "maddening" experience of watching her daughter" languish" in prison while major figures connected to the Trump-Russia investigation receive what she calls preferential treatment.
• The now 27-year-old former NSA contractor was sentenced to five years and three months in prison back in August for leaking an intelligence report.
• Billie Winner-Davis compared the justice system's handling of her daughter's case to the treatment of Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Michael Cohen.

The mother of former NSA contractor Reality Winner is taking aim at some of the biggest names in the Trump-Russia investigation.

Billie Winner-Davis, who's now-27-year-old daughter was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for "removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet," published a scathing op-ed in the Intercept on Sunday.

"I am writing now because I am outraged: While my daughter languishes in prison, those actually responsible for threatening our election continue to get off easy," Winner-Davis wrote.

Winner was accused of leaking an intelligence report about Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election to the Intercept. Winner's sentence is, to date, the lengthiest ever given for such a federal crime. She was arrested June 3, 2017 and sentenced August 23, 2018.

Read more: How federal authorities identified Reality Leigh Winner as suspect in NSA leak

Winner-Davis singled out a number of figures implicated in the Trump-Russia investigation, writing that it was "maddening to watch my daughter in prison" while Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Rick Gates, George Papadopoulos, and Michael Cohen received "drastically different" treatment from the justice system.

She specifically blasted the fact that Manafort was permitted to remain outside of prison on bond before he was accused of witness tampering. She also singled Papadopoulos' 14-day prison sentence and highlighted indications that Flynn will not "receive a hefty sentence."

"I would have thought that someone of his rank and position within our government, someone who lied about the lucrative work he had done for one foreign government and contacts with another, would be held to a much higher standard than a 25-year-old veteran airman," Reality-Davis wrote.

Winner herself has spoken out from behind bars several times since her arrest. In August, she described watching the Russia investigation roll out from behind bars as "vindicating but also frustrating."

But in her op-ed, Winner-Davis said that her daughter's sentencing is proof of that the justice system protects the powerful.

"It sends the clear message that if you are poor and powerless in this system, you will be abused," Winner-Davis wrote. "I am outraged. I hope you are too."

SEE ALSO: 'I felt really hopeless': NSA leak suspect Reality Winner explains why she smuggled a classified report

DON'T MISS: Thousands of millennials straight out of high school work for the NSA with top secret information

SEE ALSO: NSA contractor Reality Winner, who leaked classified US report on Russian hacking, thanks Trump for calling her actions 'small potatoes'

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NOW WATCH: MITCH McCONNELL: Snowden 'did not perform a public service, he was a traitor'

• Voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Google's Assistant, Apple's Siri, and Microsoft's Cortana, are pegged to trigger a widespread transformation across the retail industry in the years to come.
• The current interest in, and adoption of, voice assistants for commerce is being driven by recent technological breakthroughs, advantages of the tech over existing channels, and the development of voice apps.
• As consumer demand for voice technology mounts, brands offering this functionality throughout the entire customer journey stand to gain in three key ways.

Not too long ago, if your friend had a smart speaker like Amazon’s Alexa or Google's Assistant in their living room, it seemed like a rare novelty. Within a matter of months, however, smart speakers have started becominghousehold staples — and they’re still only at a fraction of their growth potential.

One of the biggest drivers of adoption has been increased functionality. Smart speakers aren’t just changing the music and turning on the lights; they’re helping consumers find new products and make purchases — and they’re quickly becoming a preferred method of shopping.

In fact, nearly a quarter of consumers globally already prefer using a voice assistant over going to a company website or mobile app to shop. This share will jump to 40% by 2021, according to Capgemini.

Consumers are on board with the prompt, convenient nature of shopping with smart speakers — and brands who join them stand to reap massive rewards. The Voice in Retail Report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, highlights the value voice brings to the shopping funnel and how retailers can implement it throughout the customer journey.

Here are three ways brands can capture consumers with voice technology:

• Driving product purchases: Voice assistants make spending faster and easier when consumers are unable to use their hands. The ability to make a purchase on any channel and the addition of personalized, intelligent elements to the shopping experience are simplifying the transition from product discovery to product purchase.
• Heightening customer loyalty: Brands can leverage voice assistants in the post-purchase phase to track delivery status, automate part of the return process, interact with customer service, offer feedback, and collect consumer behavioral and transactional data.
• Shifting consumers’ spending behaviors: Smart device ownership has a snowball effect, so as the smart device ecosystem reaches the mainstream, consumers will flock to connected cars, smart home devices and appliances, and connected virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) headsets.

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Shoppers are interested in using voice assistants for every stage of the customer journey, from initial product search and discovery to post-purchase customer service and delivery status. And retailers that take advantage of consumers’ desire to leverage voice will be in a stronger position to heighten customer engagement, increase conversion times, drive sales, and boost operational efficiency.

The Voice in Retail Report from Business Insider Intelligence examines the trends driving the adoption of voice commerce, details the role of voice throughout the customer shopping journey, outlines how brands can benefit from implementing voice in their strategies, and explores what's ahead for the technology in retail.

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• Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie compared President Donald Trump to a stubborn "72-year-old relative" who won't change his behavior.
• "When people get older they become more and more convinced of the fact that what they’re doing is the right thing, and it becomes harder to convince them otherwise," he said.
• He provided the comments as advice to Mick Mulvaney, the incoming White House chief of staff.

Trump ally and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie compared the president to a stubborn elderly relative on ABC News Sunday, advising incoming chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to keep his expectations in check.

"I want to ask everybody who's out in the audience today if they have a 72-year-old relative whose behavior they're attempting to change," he said. "When people get older they become more and more convinced of the fact that what they’re doing is the right thing, and it becomes harder to convince them otherwise."

Trump is 72 years old and was the oldest person in history to be elected to a first term in office as president (Ronald Reagan was 73 when he began his second term). Christie made his comments as a way to illustrate the limits of the White House chief of staff role.

"Manage the things you can manage. And if Mick does that, I think he'll be successful. If he doesn't, it'll be hard," Christie said.

Read more:Donald Trump is the oldest president elected in US history

Mulvaney is set to take over as acting Chief of Staff in 2019, after John Kelly leaves the position. He's currently the director of the Office of Management and Budget in Trump's cabinet, and served as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until earlier in December.

Christie himself was one contender for the role but pulled himself out of the running on December 14.

"It's an honor to have the President consider me as he looks to choose a new White House chief-of-staff," Christie said in a statement. "However, I've told the President that now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment. As a result, I have asked not to be considered for this post."

• Read more:
• Trump's incoming chief of staff says Mexico won't 'technically' pay for a border wall: 'You and I both know that it cannot work exactly like that'
• Trump is forcing out Defense secretary James Mattis by New Year's instead of allowing him to stay another 2 months
• Chris Christie asks Trump to take his name out of consideration for White House chief of staff

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NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

Bitcoin is everywhere.

The cryptocurrency is seemingly in the news every day as investors and businesses try to understand the future of this digital finance.

But what is Bitcoin all about?

Why is it suddenly on every financial news program?

And what does it mean to you?

Find out the answers to these questions and more in Bitcoin 101, a brand new FREE report from Business Insider Intelligence.

To get your copy of the FREE slide deck, simply click here.

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President Donald Trump just forced out Defense Secretary James Mattis two months early, after Mattis criticized Trump for betraying allies.

Over the past two years, the relationship between Trump and Mattis has deteriorated. Mattis was once one of Trump's most highly decorated cabinet members. But Mattis ultimately resigned after Trump decided to pull American troops out of Syria.

Upon Mattis's nomination in 2016, the Defense Secretary was highly regarded as a masterful leader and scholar of war. According to a number of those who served with him, he's a well-read history buff with a strategic mind, a senior man who is not above talking to even the most junior personnel, and a sometimes gruff, opinionated leader who isn't afraid to tell it like it is.

Business Insider spoke with a number of people who served with Mattis, and gathered up other anecdotes, to understand what the former four-star general is really like when he's in charge.

Here's what we learned.

Jacob Shamsian contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO: 19 unforgettable quotes from legendary Marine Gen. James 'Mad Dog' Mattis

Mattis has often been praised by senior leaders at the Pentagon as both a strategic thinker with an encyclopedic knowledge of history, and an incredible leader.

That reputation was earned over a 44-year career in the Marine Corps, where he rose to the highest rank of four-star general, eventually retiring as the top leader of US Central Command in 2013.

Before he took that job, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates praised him as one of the most formidable "warrior-scholars" of his generation. "General Mattis is one of our military’s foremost strategic thinkers and combat leaders," he said.

Source: Stripes

This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.

Major logistics providers have long relied on analytics and research teams to make sense of the data they generate from their operations.

But with volumes of data growing, and the insights that can be gleaned becoming increasingly varied and granular, these companies are starting to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) computing techniques, like machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing, to streamline and automate various processes. These techniques teach computers to parse data in a contextual manner to provide requested information, supply analysis, or trigger an event based on their findings. They are also uniquely well suited to rapidly analyzing huge data sets, and have a wide array of applications in different aspects of supply chain and logistics operations.

AI’s ability to streamline so many supply chain and logistics functions is already delivering a competitive advantage for early adopters by cutting shipping times and costs. A cross-industry study on AI adoption conducted in early 2017 by McKinsey found that early adopters with a proactive AI strategy in the transportation and logistics sector enjoyed profit margins greater than 5%. Meanwhile, respondents in the sector that had not adopted AI were in the red.

However, these crucial benefits have yet to drive widespread adoption. Only 21% of the transportation and logistics firms in McKinsey’s survey had moved beyond the initial testing phase to deploy AI solutions at scale or in a core part of their business. The challenges to AI adoption in the field of supply chain and logistics are numerous and require major capital investments and organizational changes to overcome.

In a new report, BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, explores the vast impact that AI techniques like machine learning will have on the supply chain and logistics space. We detail the myriad applications for these computational techniques in the industry, and the adoption of those different applications. We also share some examples of companies that have demonstrated success with AI in their supply chain and logistics operations. Lastly, we break down the many factors that are holding organizations back from implementing AI projects and gaining the full benefits of this disruptive technology.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• The current interest in and early adoption of AI systems is being driven by several key factors, including increased demands from shippers, recent technological breakthroughs, and significant investments in data visibility by the industry’s largest players.
• AI can deliver enormous benefits to supply chain and logistics operations, including cost reductions through reduced redundancies and risk mitigation, improved forecasting, faster deliveries through more optimized routes, improved customer service, and more.
• Legacy players face many substantial obstacles to deploying and reaping the benefits of AI systems, though, including data accessibility and workforce challenges.
• AI adoption in the logistics industry is strongly skewed toward the biggest players, because overcoming these major challenges requires costly investments in updating IT systems and breaking down data silos, as well as hiring expensive teams of data scientists.
• Although AI implementations are unlikely to result in large-scale workforce reductions in the near term, companies still need to develop strategies to address how workers' roles will change as AI systems automate specific functions.

 In full, the report:

• Details the factors driving adoption of AI systems in the supply chain and logistics field.
• Examines the benefits that AI can deliver in reducing costs and shipping times for supply chain and logistics operations.
• Explains the many challenges companies face in implementing AI in their supply chain and logistics operations to reap the benefits of this transformational technology.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now
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