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.

Artificial intelligence (AI), often used as an umbrella term to describe types of technology that can simulate human intelligence, is one of today’s hottest topics across a number of business sectors. AI techniques teach computers to parse data in a contextual manner to provide requested information, supply analysis, or trigger an event based on their findings.

Marketers are already leveraging the power of AI to glean valuable insights about their customers, automate tasks, and improve workflows. Just over half (51%) of marketers currently use AI, and an additional 27% are expected to incorporate the technology by 2019, according to Salesforce. This represents the highest anticipated year-over-year (YoY) growth of any leading technology that marketers expect to adopt in the next year, beating out the Internet of Things and marketing automation. And, as the volume of consumer-generated data grows, AI computing techniques — like machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP) — will become increasingly important to data-driven decision-making.

In a new report, Business Insider Intelligence examines the current and potential applications of AI within marketing. We dive into how AI enhances personalization, and identify the best practices for marketers looking to integrate the nascent tech into their strategies. We also look at how marketers cam implement AI to better target audiences, gain a competitive edge, and analyze data from social platforms. Finally, we evaluate how these applications will transform — and enhance — the way marketers analyze data, conduct burdensome tasks, and create content. 

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• AI is advancing beyond data analysis and moving rapidly into data generation, as machines get better at automating two basic human senses: sight and hearing. Gleaning insights from data-rich media like voice and video is now possible, and humans no longer have to manually categorize or describe various types of media.
• AI will transform marketers from reactive to proactive planners. The enhanced analytics that AI provides will help marketers more efficiently plan and execute campaigns in three main areas: segmentation, tracking, and keyword tagging.
• However, the rapid pace of innovation is contributing to marketers’ sense of unpreparedness for AI implementation and future use cases. When asked to choose which trending technology they felt most unprepared for, 34% of global marketing executives chose AI, the most of any option, according to Conductor.
• AI will aid in content creation, but human marketers are still necessary. It’s still early days for marketers to use AI to automatically create editorial content or stitch together the right image with the right messaging for display ads. Machines will help cut down on production time, but humans are needed for their creative juices.

In full, the report:

• Discusses the top use cases for AI in marketing and examines those with the greatest potential in the next few years. 
• Breaks down how the role of marketers will evolve once AI automates remedial tasks. 
• Explores how the customer experience is becoming more personalized, relevant, and timely. 
• Provides potential roadmaps for companies that are beginning to invest in AI and machine learning.

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• Achieving early retirement can be done with help from a simple habit, according to early retirees: Tracking your net worth.
• You should also have a net-worth target to help stick to your early retirement plan, says Sam Dogen of Financial Samurai.
• But beware: An obsession with measuring your progress can pull you off course.

How much money you need to retire early depends on your cost of living and potential for investment growth and passive income. 

But once you have that ballpark number figured out, just how do you get there?

According to several early retirees, one of the keys to achieving financial independence lies in one very simple habit: Tracking your net worth.

It's a way to "kickstart your journey to wealth" and the "single best thing" you can do within five minutes if you want to progress financially, wrote JP Livingston, who retired early at age 28 with $2 million, in a post for Business Insider. 

"If you think about every engaging thing you've done, they probably had some way to measure your progress," she wrote. "How many goals you scored. How quickly you can complete a set of problems. Personal finance is no different. You improve what you measure."

She added: "You need to be able to track your income, expenses, and net worth. It needs to be staring you in the face every day. Once you start seeing these key metrics improving regularly, it will spur you to dig into the details and find opportunities to grow it faster."

Read more:7 of the smartest pieces of advice about saving money from early retirees in 2018

Productivity expert and author James Clear agrees. He told Brandon, an early retiree also known as the Mad Fientist, on his podcast that successful people measure their progress toward a goal because it offers three major benefits: It makes the behavior more obvious, creates an additive effect, and adds immediate gratification.

"It will show you where the opportunities lie to improve your financial picture," Livingston said. "It is the cornerstone habit that helps build momentum for all the other things you do to grow your wealth."

Tracking your net worth includes tracking everything — your income, expenses, savings rate, and investing performance, says Grant Sabatier of Millennial Money. It's one of the key strategies he used to grow his $1.25 million nest egg and retire at age 30. 

Both Livingston and Sabatier use Personal Capital to track their net worth. "I do it every morning, but you can do it as frequently as you like,"Sabatier wrote.

Track your net worth and set goals — but don't obsess over it

Sam Dogen, who retired at 34 and runs the blog Financial Samurai, also emphasized the importance of tracking your net worth.

"Please track your net worth like a hawk so you know exactly where you stand and how much more you've got to go," he wrote in a post published on Business Insider. "There are too many middle-aged folks who wake up one day and wonder where all their money went because they didn't stay on top of it. When all they want to do is take it easy, they're faced with the harsh reality that decades of more work is their only option."

You should also use it to set goals, Dogen said.

"Everybody should have a net-worth target to shoot for by age, work experience, and income," he wrote. "Targets will help you stick to your financial plan and motivate you to do more if you're falling behind."

Having a net-worth guide — like this one Dogen created— to stick on your fridge will help keep you on track, he said.

But be careful: An obsession with reaching a specific dollar figure could pull you off course. If you obsess about the measurement, it loses its benefits when it becomes the target — a concept known as Goodhart's Law, Clear said.

"A measure is only useful when it informs you or when it is a bit of data that kind of nudges you toward the ultimate thing," he said. 

Inevitably there will be stock market gains and losses, and your net worth will fluctuate. Try not to track your net worth to a see a bigger number each month. Rather, look at the progress over the long-term and make sure you're moving in a positive direction.

"One of the purposes the measurement should provide, is that it provides an emotional signal that you're moving in the right direction," Clear said. "It provides a signal of progress. And that's really all that you're looking for."

SEE ALSO: 7 of the smartest pieces of advice about saving money from early retirees in 2018

DON'T MISS: 5 people explain how their life unexpectedly changed after retiring early

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Tim Cook's estimated net worth is $625 million — here's how he makes and spends his money

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.

It's an exciting time to be in retail — as a brand, as a consumer, and for us as product writers. The Insider Picks team tested countless new products, learned the stories of many new startups, and followed the growth of dozens of our now-favorite companies. 

A select few retail companies really impressed us in 2018, and for a variety of reasons — from superior product launches to admirable social initiatives with quantifiable impact.

They're a standout representation of what it takes to succeed in retail today: the puzzle pieces of mission, product, branding, customer service, and other key business components fitting together to create a cohesive solution to the needs and wants of consumers. 

Learn more about the all-stars of 2018 retail below. 

Everlane

Shop Everlane here

Everlane has much to celebrate this year, including the opening of its first brick-and-mortar stores, which were welcomed with open arms in San Francisco and New York; stellar product drops like basic but comfortable underwear, the soft leather flats we can't stop talking about, and an outerwear collection made from recycled plastic water bottles; and another successful anti-Black Friday initiative that sent $260,000 to help fund beach cleanups across the country.

The brand impressed us throughout the year for its continued commitment to ethical, transparent manufacturing practices and almost-eerie grasp of the styles customers crave — and how to fill the gaps with its own minimalist, carefully curated take. 

Dagne Dover

Shop Dagne Dover here

It's not just you — we've been seeing a lot more Dagne Dover bags in the streets of urban jungles, too. This might be because of its increased but carefully managed offline presence in select Nordstrom stores, Equinox boutiques, and BANDIER shops, or confident push into styles and textures you wouldn't expect from a women's work bag company.

Whether it's a work tote, gym and travel bag, or laptop bag, the women of Insider Picks have agreed that Dagne Dover hits it out of the park every single time with a consistent track record that's not always easy for experimental startups to achieve. 

Patagonia

Shop Patagonia here

More so it seems than other clothing industries, outdoor brands share a special connection with the environments they design for. With the push into recycled materials like down and cashmere, and the no-hesitation decision to send its $10 million 2018 tax cut to grassroots environmental activist groups, Patagonia ramped up its efforts to protect the outdoors. 

The ubiquity of its vests and sweaters might inspire joke Instagram accounts, but at least they're the products of a highly-rated B Corp with a conscience. In February, it launched Patagonia Action Works to connect individuals to events, petitions, and organizations they might be interested in, and on Election Day, stores across the country closed as a reminder for citizens to vote.

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

Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive experiences in which users can hear, see, and interact with 360-degree digital environments using head-mounted displays (HMDs) and handheld motion devices. The technology has been historically associated with consumer-facing gaming, but it’s been gaining traction in the enterprise over the past year.

In fact, companies such as Macy’s, Lowe’s, Walmart, and UPS, among others, have all launched new VR programs since 2017. And as more businesses look to tap the technology, this will drive enterprise VR hardware and software revenue to jump 587% to $5.5 billion in 2023, up from an estimated $800 million in 2018, according to Business Insider Intelligence estimates.

This shows that retailers and brands should look into implementing VR as early as possible to better compete with other industry players who’ve started to use the tech, especially in three key areas: sales, employee training, and product development. All of the companies mentioned above are using VR to in at least one of these areas, enabling them to increase product sales, reduce product design costs, or speed up employee training processes, for instance.

In the VR In The Enterprise report, Business Insider Intelligence explores how VR can provide value to retailers and brands in three areas: sales, employee training, and product development.

The report begins by discussing potential pain points the technology addresses for each use case, examining in-depth case studies to illustrate how companies have implemented the technology, and outlining the broader takeaways each use case presents for brands and retailers.

Finally, it looks at some of the potential barriers to further enterprise adoption and how both companies and VR incumbents are actively addressing those obstacles.

The companies mentioned in the report are: Audi, Lowe's, Macy's, McLaren Automotive, Walmart, and UPS, among others.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• VR enables consumers in brick-and-mortar stores to make more informed purchases, which could increase sales conversion rates.
• Brands and retailers looking to ramp up their employees quicker should consider bringing VR into their training processes.
• The tech can shorten brands' and retailers' product development life cycles by cutting down on the time associated with building expensive physical prototypes.

In full, the report:

• Identifies key VR vendors and device form factors for businesses to consider.
• Discusses key benefits the tech brings businesses for their sales, training, and product development processes.
• Illustrates those key benefits by discussing real-world case studies from companies and the takeaways from those implementations.

SEE ALSO: When it comes to VR hardware, consumers are balancing price point and experience

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• Elon Musk said SpaceX is building a "test hopper" vehicle in Texas that could launch by March or April.
• The vehicle is a squat version of a full-scale Starship spaceship — one that's being designed to reach Mars as part of the Big Falcon Rocket system.
• Photos taken by locals in Boca Chica, Texas (where SpaceX is building a launch site) show the outline of a spaceship coming together.

Elon Musk logged on to Twitter this weekend to deliver a veritable sleigh full of gifts to fans of his rocket company, SpaceX, in time for Christmas.

Musk was waiting for SpaceX's 21st (and record-breaking) rocket launch of the year on Saturday when he revealed that construction of a prototype for a Mars spaceship, called Starship, is now underway at the company's Texas launch site.

What's more, the first round of experimental launches of what Musk called the "test hopper" may be complete by early spring.

Musk and Gwynne Shotwell, the president and COO of SpaceX, have both said short, non-orbit-reaching launches or "hops" of such a spaceship prototype is a critical step toward building the Big Falcon Rocket, or BFR: a colossal two-stage system designed to launch 100 people and 150 tons of cargo to the surface of Mars.

However, both SpaceX executives said recently that short hops wouldn't commence until the end of 2019. So perhaps a little ingenuity — and an influx of half a billion dollars— has helped speed up that timeline.

Starship is designed to be about 30 feet wide and 180 feet tall, and sit atop a roughly 219-foot-tall rocket booster that Musk now calls Super Heavy.

"I will do a full technical presentation of Starship after the test vehicle we’re building in Texas flies, so hopefully March/April," he tweeted on Saturday.

"This test hopper is at full body diameter of 9m / 30 ft, just not full height. Super Heavy will be full height & diameter," Musk added, indicating that SpaceX won't build a squat version of Super Heavy — and will skip straight to launching a full-scale booster.

Musk added that construction of test hopper segments was underway at SpaceX's temporary new rocket factory at the Port of Los Angeles.

Read more: Elon Musk is expanding his SpaceX empire — here's where the rocket company's most important locations are and what they do

In Boca Chica, Texas, where the company is developing a launch site for BFR, locals have already photographed what look like parts of the test hopper arriving on site and being assembled.

The image below is an illustration that mocks up recent photos of what appear to be test hopper parts against illustrations of Starship.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to Business Insider's questions about the Starship test hopper's launch schedule and other details.

News of the test hopper wasn't the only thing that Musk revealed on Saturday, though.

Toward the first Mars landings in 2025?

Musk began spilling information about SpaceX's activities over a discussion of metallurgy, or properties and science of metals, for the BFR.

Materials are critical to the success or failure of space vehicles because they must withstand enormous temperature swings, pressure changes, and extreme vibration. This is especially true of Starship, which is supposed to launch into orbit around Earth, take a months-long voyage to Mars, land on the red planet's surface, and launch back home.

Musk presented what he said was a "final iteration" of BFR in September. At the same time, he announced that his company would be launching Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa around the moon in 2023. The design Musk described was rich with carbon-fiber composite parts.

But by November, Musk had steamrolled that statement, saying radical design changes were coming; he even renamed the BFR system's two main parts. (Starship used to be called "Big Falcon Spaceship" and Super Heavy the "Big Falcon Booster.") In December, Teslarati reported that SpaceX was working with NASA to develop a new type of heat shield for Starship.

And on Saturday, Musk revealed that SpaceX developed a special stainless steel alloy for its BFR system.

It's uncertain if SpaceX will now meet its ambitious Mars-launch timeline due to these changes. But as late as Oct. 31, Musk said he hopes to use the BFR system to launch the first humans toward the Martian surface in six years' time.

"We're still aiming for 2024," Musk said of such a mission during an interviewwith journalist Kara Swisher for the podcast Recode Decode.

SEE ALSO: An extraordinary year of rocket launches, meteor showers, and space exploration is coming. Here's a 2019 calendar of space events you can't miss.

DON'T MISS: Humanity's coolest achievements in spaceflight since Apollo 8, from walking on the moon to touching interstellar space

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch SpaceX launch a Tesla Roadster to Mars on the Falcon Heavy rocket — and why it matters

• Patrick Shanahan, the deputy defense secretary, will succeed defense secretary James Mattis and serve as acting defense secretary at the Pentagon.
• Before being appointed as Mattis' deputy in 2017, Shanahan worked as a Boeing executive for decades.
• The Washington state native was known throughout Boeing as a problem-solving "Mr. Fix-It."

It's official — deputy defense secretary Patrick Shanahan will be taking the helm at the Pentagon as acting secretary of defense.  

James Mattis, who resigned from the position over US President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria, will be forced out of the role before 2019. In his resignation letter, Mattis had offered to stay on for two months in order to facilitate a smooth transition.

Read more: Trump is forcing out Defense secretary James Mattis by New Year's instead of allowing him to stay another 2 months

Instead, Trump announced his new pick in a tweet on Sunday. He praised Shanahan, writing: "Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!"

But who exactly is Shanahan, and what sort of experience will the Washington state native and father of three bring to the role?

Here's a look back at Shanahan's life and career:

SEE ALSO: 'You know what? It's yours': Trump reportedly threw his hands up on Syria during phone call with the Turkish president

DON'T MISS: Mattis' resignation isn't a crisis yet — but it could easily become one

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

The eldest of three boys, Shanahan was born in 1962 to Michael and Jo-Anne Shanahan. Michael Shanahan was a law enforcement officer and a Vietnam vet, who was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his service.

Source: Senate Armed Services Committee, The Department of Defense

"Growing up, my understanding of the war came from my dad, his friends and the few stories they would share," Shanahan said in an article posted to the Department of Defense's website.

Source: The Department of Defense

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Shanahan said that his father had also instilled a creed of "service before self" in him and his younger brothers as they grew up.

Source: Senate Armed Services Committee

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 voice app ecosystem is booming. In the US, the number of Alexa skills alone surpassed 25,000 in January 2018, up from just 7,000 the previous January, in categories ranging from music streaming services, to games, to connected home tools.

As voice platforms continue to gain footing in homes via smart speakers — connected devices powered primarily by artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled voice assistants — the opportunity for voice apps is becoming more profound. However, as observed with the rise of mobile apps in the late 2000s, any new digital ecosystem will face significant growing pains, and voice apps are no exception. Thanks to the visual-free format of voice apps, discoverability, monetization, and retention are proving particularly problematic in this nascent space. This is creating a problem in the voice assistant market that could hinder greater uptake if not addressed.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, explores the two major viable voice app stores. It identifies the three big issues voice apps are facing — discoverability, monetization, and retention — and presents possible short-term solutions ahead of industry-wide fixes.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• The market for smart speakers and voice platforms is expanding rapidly. The installed base of smart speakers and the volume of voice apps that can be accessed on them each saw significant gains in 2017. But the new format and the emerging voice ecosystems that are making their way into smart speaker-equipped homes is so far failing to align with consumer needs. 
• Voice app development is a virtuous cycle with several broken components. The addressable consumer market is expanding, which is prompting more brands and developers to developer voice apps, but the ability to monetize and iterate those voice apps is limited, which could inhibit voice app growth. 
• Monetization is only one broken component of the voice app ecosystem. Discoverability and user retention are equally problematic for voice app development. 
• While the two major voice app ecosystems — Amazon's and Google's — have some Band-Aid solutions and workarounds, their options for improving monetization, discoverability, and retention for voice apps are currently limited.
• There are some strategies that developers and brands can employ in the near term ahead of more robust tools and solutions.

In full, the report:

• Sizes the current voice app ecosystem. 
• Outlines the most pressing problems in voice app development and evolution in the space by examining the three most damning shortcoming: monetization, discoverability, and retention. 
• Discusses the solutions being offered up by today's biggest voice platforms. 
• Presents workaround solutions and alternative approaches that could catalyze development and evolution ahead of wider industry-wide fixes from the platforms.

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
	Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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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.

One of our favorite shows to spot new products and enjoy some entertaining celebrity judge banter is "Shark Tank," which is soon returning for its tenth season.

As we've seen over the years, some pitches do extremely well, while others aren't so lucky — but the fact remains that the show brings forward new and innovative ideas most of us have never considered.

That's why the products from the show tend to make especially good gifts. They're far from generic and they usually solve a common problem or annoyance. Conveniently, most are also available on Amazon.

Most of these items are available with two-day shipping, so don't stress too hard about your last-minute shopping — just remember that the sooner you order, the better your chances of a timely arrival.

If your recipient loves watching "Shark Tank," they'll recognize these 20 awesome gift options.  

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

A fun outdoor game

Spikeball 3 Ball Kit, $59.99, available at Amazon

On a beautiful sunny day at any park in the city, you'll probably see at least one group playing this fun and active game. With rules similar to volleyball, it's easy to learn — so the whole family can get involved. The company even holds nationwide tournaments if your recipient gets really good at the game. 

A balance bike

KaZAM No Pedal Balance Bike, $64.95, available at Amazon

Featuring a patented footrest design that helps young kids find their center of gravity, this bike builds the confidence needed to transition to riding a proper bike. The ergonomic, adjustable handles and seat will get kids comfortable and ready to ride right away. The bike weighs only eight pounds and the puncture-free tires never need air. 

A quirky holiday sweater

Tipsy Elves Women's Santa Unicorn Christmas Sweater, $48.95, available at Amazon

Founded by a former lawyer and a former dentist, the funny clothing brand Tipsy Elves exploded in popularity after its 2013 "Shark Tank" appearance and has made over $70 million to date. Its outrageous holiday sweaters, jumpsuits, and ski suits make memorable gifts for the jokesters and party animals in your life (plus they're really comfortable). 

• Parkland school shooting survivor and gun law activist David Hogg is going to Harvard University.
• He received a score of 1270 out of 1600 on the SAT, according to TMZ. The bottom 25% of students admitted had an average score of 1460.
• His reported score has sparked a debate over whether Harvard should have admitted him, or if SAT scores aren't very useful anyway.

David Hogg — a survivor of the Parkland High School shooting and advocate for gun law reform — announced he's going to Harvard University in the fall.

The reaction was mixed.

After surviving the shooting in February, which took 17 lives, Hogg became one of the leaders of the March For Our Lives movement, which demands gun law reform and recruits young people into political activism. He took a gap year after graduating in June to focus on March For Our Lives instead of going directly to college. His activism has made him a lightning rod for criticism on the political right. Fox News host Laura Ingraham, for example, mocked him after four colleges rejected him.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, TMZ reported that Hogg had a 4.2 GPA and got a 1270 out of 1600 on the SAT. Now that he's going to Harvard, Hogg's SAT score has become a flashpoint for his critics. It's well below the usual score for the Ivy League school — the average score for admitted students is 1520, according to Prep Scholar.

Some conservative media figures criticized Harvard's decision to admit Hogg

But for the most part, people said it shows just how useless the SATs really are

To others, Hogg's admittance to Harvard showed just how silly the SATs are. If a teenager helps lead a national political movement and has an extraordinary GPA, what does it matter if he doesn't do well on a standardized test?

And of course, some people told him that studying political science at Harvard isn't enough

• Read more:
• A federal judge tosses the Parkland school-shooting lawsuit, says local police had no legal obligation to protect students during the massacre
• A Parkland survivor thinks meditation — not more police — would help students move forward from school shootings
• Kanye West tried to honor one of the Parkland shooting survivors but she wasn't having it

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'

The healthcare industry is facing disruption due to accelerating technological innovation and growing demand for improved delivery of healthcare and lower costs. Tech startups are leading the way by seizing opportunities in the areas of the industry that are most vulnerable to disruption, including genomics, pharmaceuticals, administration, clinical operations, and insurance.

Venture funds and businesses are taking notice of these startups' potential. In the US, digital health funding reached $1.6 billion in Q1 2018, according to Rock Health — the largest first quarter on record, surpassing the $1.4 billion in venture funding seen in Q1 2016. These high-potential startups provide a glimpse into the future of the healthcare space and demonstrate how we’ll get there.

In this report, a compilation of various notes, Business Insider Intelligence will look at the top startups disrupting US healthcare in four key areas: artificial intelligence (AI), digital therapeutics, health insurance, and genomics. Startups in this report were selected based on the funding they've received over the past year, notable investors, the products they offer, and leadership in their functional area.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Tech startups are entering the market by applying the “Silicon Valley” approach. They're targeting shortcomings and legacy systems that are no longer efficient.
• AI is being applied across five areas of healthcare to improve clinical operation workflows, cut costs, and foster preventative medicine. These areas include administration, big data analysis, clinical decision support, remote patient monitoring, and care provision.
  
• Health tech startups, insurers, and drug makers are rapidly exploring new ways to apply digital therapeutics to the broader healthcare market that replace or complement the existing treatment of a disease.
• Health insurance startups are taking advantage of the consumerization of healthcare to threaten the status quo of legacy players. 
• Genomics is becoming an increasingly common tool within the healthcare system as health organizations better understand how to extract the value from patients’ genetic data. 

 In full, the report:

• Details the areas of the US health industry that show the greatest potential for disruption.
• Forecasts the industry adoption of bleeding edge technology and how it will transform how healthcare organizations operate.
• Unveils the top five startups in AI, digital therapeutics, health insurance, and genomics, and how they're positioned to solve big issues that key players in healthcare face. 
• Explores what's next for the leading startups, providing a glimpse into the future of the healthcare space and demonstrating how we’ll get there.

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
	Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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Purchase & download the full report from our research store

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Drones — also commonly referred to as unmanned aircraft — are no longer a cool, new novelty that companies in only a handful of industries are testing.

Businesses across various industries and levels of government in the US are utilizing at least a handful of drones. But more importantly, drone users are now realizing a deep return on their investments from the aircraft's ability to help save hours of time and labor.

However, to successfully get a drone program up and running, businesses need to have an idea of what they want the aircraft to do, and the value they hope to create. To that end, companies need to know what their competitors are doing with the aircraft so they can plan their own projects accordingly.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence details how unmanned aircraft are disrupting a slew of different industries, including agriculture, construction and mining, insurance, media and telecommunications, and the public sector. We also size the market for global enterprise drone shipments, and pinpoint the features that make drones useful tools within different industries. Lastly, we make predictions for how drone use in these industries will evolve over the next five to 10 years and to what extent their impact will be magnified over this period.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented its Part 107 regulations for unmanned aircraft in August 2016, the commercial drone industry in the US has taken off. 
• Companies across the US have rushed to deploy drones to cut costs, boost operational efficiency, and open up new streams of revenue. Meanwhile, firms elsewhere in the world have taken notice and ramped up their own drone projects.
• Unmanned aircraft have the potential to create the greatest business value in the construction, mining, and agriculture industries. The agriculture industry was a relatively early adopter of drones, and today one-third of farmers in the US plan to use at least one drone this year. Meanwhile, drones will have a less significant, yet noticeable, impact on media, telecommunications, and insurance businesses.
• Drones will lead these industries to become highly data-driven in the coming years, making the aircraft a must-have for companies to keep pace with their competitors. They will allow businesses to synthesize and analyze trends in their workflows to bolster their operational efficiency and predict problems before they happen.

In full, the report:

• Analyzes the development of drone use across five different industries.
• Offers a look at how drone use in these industries will evolve over the coming years.
• Sizes the market for enterprise drone shipments over a seven-year period, both in the US and abroad.

Join the conversation about this story »

This is a preview of the Influencer Marketing (2018) research report from Business Insider Intelligence. To learn more about the top platforms, as well as strategies for social media influencer marketing, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

The concept of a brand hiring a popular personality to promote a product or service isn't new, and brands know that celebrity endorsements can sell products. In the age of social media, however, brands are finding new ways to leverage popular figures as brand ambassadors, and these people aren't necessarily famous actors, singers, or athletes.

How brands are leveraging social media influencer marketing

While brands certainly continue to tap celebrities for endorsement deals, they’re also starting to enlist social media personalities, broadly known as “influencers,” for advertising campaigns. Social influencers generally focus on specific content areas — like fashion, beauty, parenting, or gaming — and cater their content to a specific vertical.

A new report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, identifies the ways brands can find and manage relationships with social media influencers. It notes the most engaging industry verticals, the pitfalls to avoid, and the opportunities to cash-in on. Finally, it explores how major social platforms are increasingly building out tools that enable their most popular users to build their personal brands.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Influencer marketing ad spend is poised to reach between $5 billion and $10 billion in 2022. Taking the midpoint of $7.5 billion as a base case, this represents a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38%.
• Brands need to fine-balance providing influencers with enough creative freedom, while also ensuring the messaging positively reflects the brand. Nearly 40% of influencers believe that overly restrictive content guidelines are one of the biggest mistakes brands and agencies make when working with them. 
• Influencers tend to have higher user engagement than content generated by brands. The average influencer engagement rate across industry verticals is 5.7%. As a comparison, the average engagement rate for brands on Instagram has fluctuated between 2-3% in the past year. 
• Authenticity is key for influencer marketing messaging. Brands should give influencers sufficient creative freedom to keep posts authentic, as it makes posts less likely to be dismissed by users. Other best practices include repurposing influencer content for multiple platforms, evaluating the audience and following of an influencer, and leveraging data to optimize future campaigns. 

 In full, the report:

• Outlines recent steps the top social platforms are taking for influencer posts.
• Details the best practices brands should adopt when starting out with influencer marketing. 
• Discusses the top verticals that are poised to benefit the most from influencer marketing, and which ones are growing. 
• Highlights the factors that will be critical for compliance with social platforms and the FTC.

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• Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin called top bankers Sunday following a tumultuous month for US markets.
• Monday, he will meet with top government officials overseeing the economy. 
• On Sunday, Mnuchin addressed reports that Trump sought to fire Fed chairman Jay Powell following increased interest rates, tweeting a statement of denial. 

The U.S. Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Sunday he held a series of phone conversations with top American bankers in what appeared to be a bid to ease nerves in financial markets, which have been steeped in turmoil for the last month.

"Today I convened individual calls with the CEOs of the nation's six largest banks," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a Twitter post.

Mnuchin says the CEO's indicated that they're in good condition to maintain the markets and their everyday functioning.

Read more: As stocks hurtle towards a crash, one area of the market has stayed shockingly strong - and it could be a saving grace for investors

Tomorrow, Mnuchin is slated to meet with a group of government banking and finance officials that includes the Board of Governors of the Fed and members of the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

The series of calls and meetings comes amid a rocky period for the government and markets.

The government began what many politicians have projected to be a potentially lengthy partial shutdown Friday. Reports surfaced at the same time that President Donald Trump sought to fire Fed chairman Jay Powell after the bank increased interest rates for the fourth time under his leadership.

Markets have also seen high volatility over the last month. Last week, the Dow fell by nearly 7 percent, showing the worst weekly average since 2008.

SEE ALSO: US House lawmakers adjourn without a deal on government spending, making government shutdown inevitable

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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.

• Nothing says luxury quite like caviar. It's the perfect food for celebrations of all kinds, including ringing in the New Year.
• We've rounded up the best caviar you can buy online to get the party started, including caviar from Marshallberg Farms, Olma, Tsar Nicoulai, and Marky's.

There's no better way to lavish everyone around you with love than a jar of prehistoric roe. If Poseidon ever came up with a more delectable ambrosia, he was surely selfish and chose not to grace the rest of us with it.

Flagrant status symbol though it may be, caviar, in all its decadence, has indeed been humbled throughout certain points in history.

Despite being the epitome of wealth and power for Kings and Caliphs alike, during the 1800s in the United States, it was served with free lunch in saloons, where we're lucky to get peanuts or pretzels these days. Though the doling out of such a regality wasn't completely tactless. Because it was so salty, it would enhance thirst, and, hopefully, encourage patrons to drink more.

Although you may not be able to get your hands on quite that much caviar, given the high price tag of the good stuff, at the very least, a judicious spoonful of the pearly little morsels of black gold is in high order.

Sterlet and Beluga, the crème de la crème de la mer, are no longer available in the United States due to an alarming decline of those particular sturgeon, but Ossetra, Sevruga, Paddlefish, and others will still more than suffice.

Just don't forget the blinis, the creme fraiche, and, of course, the champagne. 

Here is the best caviar you can buy online:

• Best Osetra caviar: Marshallberg Farms
• Best Kaluga caviar: Olma
• Best Californian caviar: Tsar Nicoulai
• Best Paddlefish caviar: Marky's Wild-Caught Paddlefish Caviar
• Best blinis: Marky's Russian Blinis for Caviar
• Best creme fraiche: Ronnybrook Creme Fraiche
• Best champagne: Shop all ReserveBar Champagne

Read on in the slides below to learn more about our top picks.

The best American-made Russian caviar

Why you'll love it: Marshallberg Farms' caviar is the only Ossetra Russian sturgeon caviar produced in the United States, and it's delicious.

Ossetra is a medium-grain caviar often associated with a clean but nutty taste. It's usually not as salty as other caviar, though that depends on the brine and how long they sit in it.

Marshallberg Farms is based in North Carolina, and the company guarantees that it does not mix roe from different fish to compose your tin of caviar. This might sound snooty, but the flavor of a given caviar, and the consistency, will get a little lost if it's sourced from multiple fish, and blending roe is not preferred.

You can read more about Marshallberg Farms on its website and Roads and Kingdoms.

Shop Marshallberg Farms caviar on Amazon, starting at $142/30g

The best Kaluga caviar

Why you'll love it: Olma's Kaluga caviar is as close as you'll get to Beluga caviar with its firm, juicy, creamy taste.

Kaluga, or river caviar, is as close as we can get to the illustrious Beluga, the king of caviar, but also the most endangered sturgeon.

The United States has had a ban in place on the import of Beluga caviar in an attempt to stem overharvesting. Kaluga, however, still comes pretty darn close.

Olma has been serving up caviar in New York City since 2001, and offers a direct line on the best of the best. You can even buy it on Amazon and get fast shipping straight to your door.

Shop Olma Caviar on Amazon, starting at $110/oz

The best Californian white sturgeon caviar

Why you'll love it: Tsar Nicoulai uses buttery, smooth, clean, single-source eggs from California's central valley to make its caviar.

Tsar Nicoulai has been supplying the United States with white sturgeon caviar from California for more than 30 years.

The company pushes sustainability while still maintaining high standards, making Tsar Nicoulai a boutique caviar house that sits at the intersection of decadence and morality. The company also puts out a marvelous, much more affordable salmon roe.

Shop Tsar Nicoulai at Williams-Sonoma, starting at $199.95/2 oz

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.

An increasing number of wealth managers are using new technologies to make their operations more efficient and to increase customer satisfaction.

The technologies they are implementing include robotic process automation (RPA), chatbots, machine learning, application programming interfaces (APIs), and explainable AI.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence analyzes how emerging technologies like RPA and AI are transforming the wealth management industry, on both the front and back end, by increasing efficiency and opening up the space to new demographics. We explain how both incumbents and startups are applying these technologies to different business areas, and how successful they've been at implementation. Additionally, we take a look at the challenges wealth managers are facing as they look to revamp their businesses for the digital age.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Startup wealth managers and digitally savvy technology suppliers are bringing emerging technologies to the fore to make wealth management more time- and cost-efficient. These include RPA, machine learning, and AI. Big players in the space are also beginning to wake up to those opportunities.
• The technologies can improve consumer-facing elements of wealth management, like onboarding and customer service, to increase customer satisfaction.
• Machine learning and APIs can help wealth managers improve functions like portfolio management and compliance, and help them better stay on top of regulations, and increase customer satisfaction by offering improved and additional services.
• However, there are some challenges wealth managers are facing when implementing these tools, ranging from a lack of customer trust in emerging technologies to difficulty finding appropriate talent.

 In full, the report:

• Outlines how the wealth management industry is implementing emerging technologies.
• Details which technologies they are using, and what their specific benefits are. 
• Discusses the potential challenges wealth managers are facing when implementing new technologies.
• Highlights what wealth managers need to do to stay relevant in the field.

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	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
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	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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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.

Fintech hubs — cities where startups, talent, and funding congregate — are proliferating globally in tandem with ongoing disruption in financial services. 

These hubs are all vying to become established fintech centers in their own right, and want to contribute to the broader financial services ecosystem of the future. Their success depends on a variety of factors, including access to funding and talent, as well as the approach of relevant regulators.

This report compiles various fintech snapshots, which together highlight the global spread of fintech, and show where governments and regulatory bodies are shaping the development of national fintech industries. Each provides an overview of the fintech industry in a particular country or state in Asia or Europe, and details what is contributing to, or hindering its further development. We also include notable fintechs in each geography, and discuss what the opportunities or challenges are for that particular domestic industry.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Most countries in Europe have made some formal attempt to foster the development of domestic fintech industries, with Germany and Ireland seeing the best results so far. France, meanwhile, got off to a slow start, but that's starting to change. 
• The Asian fintech scene took off later than in the US or Europe, but it's seen rapid growth lately, particularly in India, China, and Singapore.
• The increasing importance of technology-enabled products and services within the financial services ecosystem means the global fintech industry isn't going anywhere. 
• Fintech hubs will continue to proliferate, with leaders emerging in each region.
• The future fintech landscape will be molded by regulatory bodies — national and international — as they seek to mitigate the risks, and leverage the opportunities, presented by fintech. 

 In full, the report:

• Explores the fintech industry in six countries or states, and identifies individual fintech hubs.
• Highlights successful fintechs in each region.
• Outlines the challenges and opportunities each country or state faces. 
• Gives insight into the future of the global fintech industry. 

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
	Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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• President Donald Trump once boasted that his administration was staffed by notable members of the US armed forces.
• Those service members will soon be leaving his administration.
• The latest former Marine Corps general who is voluntarily leaving the administration is Defense Secretary James Mattis.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis' upcoming departure from the Trump administration was largely expected in the near term, but his official resignation letter on Thursday still shook Washington, DC, and caught defense officials and lawmakers off guard.

The news follows the departures of a series of high-profile military generals in the White House, namely Marines who have served with distinction throughout the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of these Marines have now left the Trump White House amid numerous reports of disagreements or criticisms of Trump.

The photo above, taken in 2013, marked the first time six four-star Marines Corps generals were actively serving in the Marines.

• Jim Mattis, the Secretary of Defense, announced his resignation on Thursday and was expected to leave by February. On Sunday, his departure was accelerated to January 1 after Trump announced his acting replacement, Patrick Shanahan, was set to take over. Mattis was a four-star general who led the US Central Command and was celebrated as a top choice to lead the world's most powerful military. He cited disagreements with Trump's policies as the reason for his decision to resign from the Defense Department.

• John Kelly, the former White House chief of staff, was a four-star Marine Corps general who once led the US Southern Command. He served as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security before being selected by Trump as his chief of staff. Kelly had been expected to bring order to a chaotic West Wing. But he faced headwinds and sometimes clashed with Trump on a number of issues.
• Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, served as the commandant of the Marine Corps and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. His term as the top commander of the US military ends in September 2019. Trump announced US Army chief of staff Gen. Mark Milley as his replacement, despite some reported concerns from Mattis.
• John Allen, the former commander of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, did not serve in the Trump administration. Instead, he was an outspoken critic of Trump throughout his campaign and presidency. During a speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2016, Allen endorsed Hillary Clinton and likened Trump's presidency to a "business transaction" that conducts "illegal activities." Trump fired back at Allen through a tweet and said his fight against ISIS "failed badly."

The circumstances of the officers' various exits may vary, but Trump's generals — service members he spoke of highly throughout his campaign and the early days of his presidency — have now left an apparent void in the White House.

In addition to the Marines who will have left the Trump administration, H.R. McMaster, a three-star Army general, was fired as Trump's national security adviser in March. His tenure was marked by numerous reports of disagreements with Trump, who once described him as "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience."

McMaster replaced another US Army three-star general as national security adviser, Gen. Michael Flynn, who was fired after it was discovered he lied to the FBI and senior White House officials about his communications with Russian officials.

SEE ALSO: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quits, says his views aren't 'aligned' with Trump as the president upends major US policies

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NOW WATCH: 6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro this holiday season

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.

Emerging markets are going to be essential for e-commerce growth, as retailers in developed markets may soon reach saturation in terms of consumer growth.

For example, almost half of US households now have a Prime membership, diminishing Amazon's growth potential in the country. Meanwhile, in China, the world's largest e-commerce market, nearly half of the population is actively making online purchases, leaving little room for growth. 

However, India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America are worth keeping an eye on. E-commerce penetration rates in these areas hover between 2-6%, presenting a huge opportunity for future growth as online sales gain traction. Moreover, these regions are expected to grow at compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 31%, 32%, and 16%, respectively, through 2021.

This report compiles several e-commerce snapshots, which together highlight the most notable emerging markets in various regions. Each provides an overview of the e-commerce industry in a particular country, discusses influential retailers, and provides insights into the opportunities and challenges for that specific domestic industry.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Emerging markets are going to be essential for e-commerce growth, as retailers in developed markets may soon reach saturation in terms of consumer growth.
• India is the clear overall leader in e-commerce potential, but countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America are also worth keeping an eye on. Within Southeast Asia, Indonesia shows the most promise for retailers, as the government is loosening restrictions on foreign investments, and its massive population is gaining spending power and more access to internet. Meanwhile, Mexico is a retailer's best bet for expansion in Latin America, due to its stable economy and rising middle class, but Brazil may be gearing up to steal the top spot.
• However, doing business in these regions can be difficult. In most of these emerging markets, infrastructure is underdeveloped and the population is largely unbanked, making digital payments a challenge.
• If retailers can build a brand presence in these markets while online shopping is still in its nascent stages, they may become market leaders as e-commerce takes off in the regions. Moreover, these markets could provide new sources of growth for companies that would otherwise stagnate in more mature e-commerce markets.

 In full, the report:

• Explores the e-commerce industry in India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
• Highlights the leading country in each region, as well as key e-commerce players there. 
• Outlines the challenges and opportunities each region faces.
• Gives insight into how these emerging markets may shape the future of e-commerce.

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• The Internet of Things is fueling the data-based economy and bridging the divide between physical and digital worlds.
• Consumers, companies, and governments will install more than 40 billion IoT devices worldwide through 2023.
• The next five years will mark a pivotal transformation in how companies and jurisdictions operate, and how consumers live.

Being successful in the digital age doesn’t just require knowing the latest buzzwords; it means identifying the transformational trends – and where they’re heading – before they ever heat up.

Take the Internet of Things (IoT), for example, which now receives not only daily tech news coverage with each new device launch, but also hefty investments from global organizations ushering in worldwide adoption. By 2023, consumers, companies, and governments will install more than 40 billion IoT devices globally. And it’s not just the ones you hear about all the time, like smart speakers and connected cars.

To successfully navigate this changing landscape, individuals and organizations must understand the full extent and functionality of the “Things” included in this network, the key drivers of each market segment, and how it all relates to the work they do every day.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has forecasted the start of the IoT’s global proliferation in The IoT Forecast Book 2018— and the next five years will be transformational for consumers, enterprises, and governments.

• Consumer IoT: In the US alone, the number of smart home devices is estimated to surpass 1 billion by 2023, with consumers dishing out about $725 per household — a total of over $90 billion in spending on IoT solutions.
• Enterprise IoT: Comprising the most mature segment of the IoT, companies will continue pouring billions of dollars into connected devices and automation. By 2023, the total industrial robotic system installed base will approach 6 million worldwide, while annual spending on manufacturing IoT solutions will reach about $450 billion.
• Government IoT: Governments globally are ushering in IoT devices to spur the development of smart cities, which would be equipped with innovations like connected cameras, smart street lights, and connected meters to provide a real-time view of traffic, utilities usage, crime, and environmental factors. Annual investment in this area is expected to reach nearly $900 billion by 2023.

Want to Learn More?

People, companies, and organizations all over the world are racing to adopt the latest IoT solutions and prevent growing pains amidst a technological transformation. The IoT Forecast Book 2018 from Business Insider Intelligence is a detailed three-part slide deck outlining the most important trends impacting consumer, enterprise, and government IoT — and the key drivers propelling each segment forward.

Representing thousands of hours of exhaustive research, our multipart forecast books are considered must-reads by thousands of highly successful business professionals. These informative slide decks are packed with charts and statistics outlining the most influential trends on the leading edge of your industry. Keep them for reference or drop the most valuable data into your own presentations to share with your teams.

Whether you’re newly interested in a topic or you already consider yourself a subject matter expert, The IoT Forecast Book 2018 can provide you with the actionable insights you need to make better decisions.

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• There may be no better-looking smartphone than the Find X smartphone.
• The Find X was made by the Chinese electronics maker Oppo, one of the most popular phone makers in the world — it was China's top brand in 2016, according to IDC.
• Oppo came up with a clever system to give its phone a true edge-to-edge display, by hiding the camera when it's not in use. It's certainly one of the most futuristic phones we've ever seen.

Oppo unveiled the Find X in June, and it made a lot of waves online thanks to its stunning design.

The Find X looks similar to Apple's iPhone XS but features thinner bezels, or borders around the display, and most notably doesn't include a "notch," like the iPhone has.

The photos below come courtesy of Lewis Hilsenteger with the Unbox Therapy channel on YouTube, who managed to get his hands on the Find X and filmed it for all to see.

SEE ALSO: 9 reasons you should buy an iPhone XR instead of an iPhone XS or XS Max

First, take a look at this thing. It is gorgeous.

The Find X features a 6.4-inch OLED display made by Samsung, which makes the best smartphone displays in the world — they're featured on iPhones and Samsung's own Galaxy S and Note phones.

While the front of the phone looks like an iPhone X, the back is sloped and rounded like a Galaxy S9.