• There are a handful of common vitamin deficiencies.
• These deficiencies can be supplemented with vitamins and foods.
• We spoke to Dr. Clare Morrison to learn more about common vitamin deficiencies.

You may exercise regularly and try to eat a well-balanced diet, but it's still safe to say that some essential vitamins and minerals may be lacking in your diet, especially since deficiencies are more common than you think.

To keep a watchful eye on all those potential deficiencies you may have no clue about, we spoke to some experts about some of the deficiencies (we're looking at you vitamin D) you’ll definitely want to ask your doctor about next time you schedule a blood draw.

Below we break down the most common deficiencies and offer some suggestions on how to supplement these vitamins into your diet via food and supplements.

Iron deficiencies are common in pregnant and menstruating people.

"Iron is essential for the formation of red blood cells, and is a very common deficiency in pregnant and menstruating women," said Dr. Clare Morrison of MedExpress. "A lack of this essential mineral causes iron deficiency anemia, which is associated with fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, and palpitations," she explained.

If you are looking to obtain more iron in your diet, she suggested eating foods such as red meat, sardines, egg yolks, beans, and lentils.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause weakness and depression.

"Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency include weakness, osteoporosis, fractures, poor immune function, and depression," said Dr. Morrison. To obtain more vitamin D in your diet, she advised consuming sources of vitamin D including cod liver oil, oily fish (salmon and mackerel), egg yolks, and mushrooms.

Vitamin B12 helps create a healthy immune system.

This vitamin is essential for the formation of red blood cells and for a healthy immune system, Dr. Morrison explained. To make sure you have enough vitamin B12 in your diet, she recommended eating foods such as meat, liver, shellfish, eggs, and milk.

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.

• Sarah Flint's heels and flats are a celebrity favorite.
• They're also an Insider Picks favorite. The stylish yet comfortable shoes are made in Italy with high-quality materials, and importantly, they're much more affordable than they used to be. 
• After trying the Emma ($345), a versatile and walkable suede pump available in a variety of colors, I'm not surprised the brand is thriving and holding its own against traditional designer labels. 

While many retail startups today start their journeys by selling direct-to-consumer, then expanding to traditional opportunities like brick-and-mortar stores or deals with big-box retailers, luxury shoe brand Sarah Flint is one of the few that have run in the opposite direction.

The stylish and comfortable flats, heels, sandals, sneakers, and boots from Sarah Flint, founded in 2013, could previously be found at high-end department stores like Barneys New York and Bloomingdale's. Now, you can only buy them online on its website, and the shift has meant a significant drop in prices, from a range of $495 to $1,200 to a range of $195 to $725.

I can't imagine anyone who would complain about this difference, especially because nothing else about the shoes has changed. They're the same beautiful pairs, thoughtfully designed and handcrafted in Italy, at a fraction of the price. 

Sarah Flint's best sellers include the pointy Natalie flat ($345, shown above), classic Perfect Pump ($355), and block heeled Emma pump ($345), all well-made and stylish in their own right, but no doubt granted the final stamp of approval after being spotted again and again on Meghan Markle. 

Founder Sarah Flint received her education in footwear design at Parsons, FIT, and Arsutoria in Milan, a background that shows in her work. My favorite style from the brand, the Emma, features a two-inch heel that's slightly inset to make it feel less heavy than traditional block heels. Walking in them is comfortable thanks to the three millimeters of extra padding added to the footbed, and the flexible leather lining and insoles help your feet breathe. 

The triple-dyed Italian black suede is soft and looks quietly refined, but paired with the fun, glossy patterned heel, it becomes more than just another suede work pump. There are 10 more colors and patterns to choose from if you want your footwear to pop — Lipstick Red Suede and Chocolate Leopard Hair Calf are irresistible styles I wouldn't mind adding to my rotation.

All these features made the Emma pump the obvious choice when I wanted to be slightly dressier for a day at the office or a work event without resorting to taking a Lyft home because my feet hurt too much to walk. 

You can expect nothing less than quality, comfort, and style when you buy a pair of Sarah Flint shoes, and now that many of them cost around $200 to $400, the decision to invest in luxury for less is even easier. 

Shop the Emma for $345-$355 at Sarah Flint here

Shop all shoes at Sarah Flint here

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• Google is growing its presence in Los Angeles, the company says.
• Google has leased a new 584,000-square-foot office in West Los Angeles that is scheduled to be completed by 2022.
• Dubbed “One Westside," the offices will take up part of what is today the Westside Pavilion mall.
• The expansion is Google's latest since announcing its new $1 billion New York City campus in December.

Google is growing its presence in Los Angeles, the company said on Tuesday.

Google will take over 584,000 square feet of space at One Westside — an office space that will take up part of what is today the Westside Pavilion mall in West Los Angeles. A portion of the mall will continue to operate once Google moves in, but the tech giant will fill the rest of the space.

"Google's been a proud member of the Los Angeles community since 2003. We're excited to continue investing in the community as part of Hudson Pacific and Macerich's adaptive reuse project at One Westside," said RG Kahoe, Google's real-estate project executive for the Southwest.

One Westside is scheduled to be completed by 2022. The company's 14-year lease will begin upon completion of the project.

One Westside will be Google's third office space in the Los Angeles area. The company opened a major headquarters in the region in Venice Beach — equipped with a giant binocular entrance and climbing wall— back in 2011. It also leased a 319,000-square-foot hangar in Playa Vista in 2016.

Read more:Check out these photos of Google's monstrous new Venice Beach office

The expansion is Google's latest since announcing its new $1 billion New York City campus in December.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I cut Google out of my life for 2 weeks, but the alternatives prove why Google is so much better

• Sears has been thrown a lifeline, but a possible liquidation still looms. 
• Sears was once the largest retailer in the world.
• In its heyday, the company was run from its sprawling headquarters, a 55-acre complex located on the west coast of Chicago. 

In an unexpected twist, Sears has been thrown another lifeline.

On Tuesday, during a bankruptcy hearing, a judge ruled that chairman Edward Lampert would be given a second chance to buy the company. Judge Robert Drain said that Lampert's $4.4 million takeover bid would be assessed against competing parties' bids at an auction on January 14, Business Insider's Hayley Peterson reported.

Sears was once the largest retailer in the world. In its heyday, the company was run from its former sprawling headquarters, a 55-acre complex located on the west coast of Chicago. This was where Sears tested its products and printed the famous catalog. 

In 1974, the company moved to Sears Tower (now Willis Tower), and these buildings were left deserted for 30 years. In that time, Sears went from being on top of the world to becoming one of the most distressed American brands.

Since then, developers have been working on transforming the brand's first home. Keep scrolling to see what it looked like then, and what it's looking like now:

SEE ALSO: Sears, once the largest retailer in the world, could be forced to liquidate. Here's how it got there.

This photo, taken in 1910, shows the original Sears, Roebuck & Co. complex.

Source: Library of Congress

Sears started off as a mail-order catalog company selling watches and jewelry in 1888. It became the largest catalog company in the United States after expanding its assortment.

At the time, Sears was America's largest mail-order catalog company ...

• The government shutdown is now in day 18, tying it for the third-longest shutdown in the modern era.
• There appears to be no end in sight as President Donald Trump and Democrats dig in on their border wall stances.
• As the shutdown drags on, more federal workers and agencies become affected.
• Here's your rundown on how the government ended up in a shutdown and where we go from here.

President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats seem to be dug in over the government shutdown, and after more than two weeks without a funding bill, there's no end in sight.

At the heart of the dispute is Trump's demand for just over $5 billion toward a long-promised wall along the US-Mexico border. Democrats insist they will allocate no money toward a wall.

Those factors mean the possibility of a record-breaking shutdown seems to be growing. As it stands, the shutdown is in its 18th day, passing the 2013 shutdown to become the third-longest of the modern budgeting era. The record is a 21-day shutdown in 1995-1996.

Read more:Here's a history of all the previous shutdowns in the modern era»

The shutdown only affects part of the federal government, as seven of the 12 bills that fund the government were passed in September. But a large number of departments are shuttered, including agriculture, commerce, justice, homeland security, the interior, state, transportation, and housing and urban development.

The problems caused by the shutdown are wide-ranging, from waste piling up in national parks to uncertainty for 800,000 federal workers about when their next paycheck will come. And as the shutdown drags on, the problems caused by the shutdown are expected to keep getting worse.

Read more:Here's what happens to Social Security and disability benefits during a government shutdown»

With all that in mind, here's a rundown of just how we got here:

The pre-shutdown fight

• December 6: Congress passes a short-term funding bill to delay the shutdown until after the date of President George H.W. Bush's funeral.
• December 11: Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the funding deadline. Trump demands $5 billion in border-wall funding, Democrats counter with an offer of $1.6 billion in general border-security funding. Trump rejects the idea and offers to take the blame for the shutdown. The president says he would be "proud" to shut down the government.
• December 19: The Senate passes a clean short-term funding bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), that does not include border-wall funding but will keep the government open until February 8. Trump supported the bill at the time, Senate GOP leaders said.
• December 20: Trump flip-flops on the clean CR after listening to attacks from conservative TV pundits and the hardline House Freedom Caucus, and he announces that he will not sign a bill with no wall funding. House Republicans then pass a CR that includes $5.7 billion in wall funds.

Shutdown kicks in and the Christmas break

• December 21: Trump demands the Senate vote for the House version of the CR and tells Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to get rid of the legislative filibuster in order to pass the vote with only GOP lawmakers, but the idea is a nonstarter. The Senate votes down the House version of the bill, and the government moves closer to a shutdown at the midnight deadline.
• December 22: McConnell announces in the afternoon that lawmakers have not reached a deal, and adjourns the Senate until December 27. Senior Trump administration officials also suggested to reporters that the White House would not back down on the wall, indicating that only Senate Democrats could end the shutdown by caving on the funding.
• January 1: After a relatively quiet Christmas break, Trump suggests Nancy Pelosi should make a deal. "Border Security and the Wall "thing" and Shutdown is not where Nancy Pelosi wanted to start her tenure as Speaker! Let's make a deal?" Trump tweets.

Democrats take control and the shutdown gets real

• January 2: Congressional leaders from both parties meet with Trump at the White House, it is the first face-to-face meeting in three weeks. The president enlists Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen to make the case for the border wall. Following the meeting, Democratic leaders reiterate that no money will be allocated for the wall.
• January 3: Democrats take over control of the House and Pelosi is elected Speaker. Later in the night, the new Democratic majority passes two bills which would both fund the government that do not include funding for the border wall. The bills even earned a handful of GOP votes. Despite the bills being nearly identical to the measures passed by the Senate before the holiday break, Republican Senate leaders reject the idea of taking up the bills.
• January 4: Congressional leaders meet with Trump at the White House, where the president told Democrats that the shutdown could last for "months or even years" if no border wall money was allocated. Democrats suggested that Trump allow the government to reopen and then fight over the wall.

Shutdown nears history

• January 5: Representatives from the White House meet with representatives from Schumer and Pelosi's offices, according to reports the talks go poorly. Trump also floats the idea of declaring a national emergency to secure the funds for the wall.
• January 6: Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that talks between the Trump administration and Democrats were difficult. "I think this is going to drag on a lot longer," Mulvaney said.
• January 8: Trump schedules a presidential address to the nation regarding the border wall and the shutdown, Schumer and Pelosi set a time to respond to the president after his speech.

SEE ALSO: Most Americans would rather spend the $5 billion Trump is demanding for the border wall on infrastructure, education, or healthcare

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new, second-generation CLA four-door coupe at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday. 

• The new CLA will be powered by a 221-horsepower, turbocharged engine, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
• The CLA will take on the BMW 2 Series and the Audi A3.
• Pricing for the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA, which will go on sale in the United States in late 2019, is not yet available. 

Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new, second-generation CLA four-door coupe at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Tuesday. 

The new CLA is Mercedes's second new entry-level model following the introduction of the new 2019 A-Class sedan. The duo will take on the BMW 2-Series and the A/S/RS 3 models from Audi. 

Even though both the A-Class and CLA boast four doors and are of similar size, the CLA is distinguished by its sloping fastback roofline, which allows Mercedes to classify it as a coupe.  

"With the first CLA we celebrated a huge success by selling some 750,000 vehicles and created a totally new segment with a four-door coupe," Britta Seeger, Mercedes-Benz Cars' marketing & sales boss, said in a statement. "The new edition of the CLA has been developed further in an intelligent way and is even more emotional and sportier than its predecessor."

Read more: 40 hot cars we can't wait to see in 2019.

Power for the new CLA will come from a 221-horsepower, 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Unlike the rest of the Mercedes lineup, the CLA's engine drives the front wheels in instead of the traditional rear-wheel-drive setup. However, the company's 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is available as an option. 

Mercedes has not revealed its 0-60 mph time, but the company did tell Business Insider that the CLA will have a top speed of 130 mph.

The CLA will boast the latest in Mercedes' in-car and safety technology led by the company's new Mercedes-Benz User Experience, or MBUX, infotainment system, which deploys artificial intelligence to learn about the driver's needs and likes. On the CLA, MBUX is run through a standard seven-inch touchscreen or an optional 10.25-inch screen. 

The CLA is also equipped with a full-color head-up display, adaptive cruise control, active steering assist, and active brake assist.

The first-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA debuted in 2013 to positive reviews but did suffer from some initial quality issues. The model recovered and was a popular seller for the automaker.

Pricing for the 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA, which will go on sale in the US in late 2019, is not yet available. 

SEE ALSO: We drove a $23,000 Volkswagen Jetta to see if it's ready to battle Honda and Toyota. Here's the verdict.

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NOW WATCH: What it's like to win the Gumball 3000 where drivers party until 2 am every night and drive 3,000 miles in 7 days

• Dandruff can be caused by many different conditions, such as an overgrowth of yeast, dry skin, psoriasis, or eczema.
• There are many different ways to treat dandruff including using antifungal shampoos, shampooing more often, exfoliating your scalp, and applying topical treatments.
• If you try all of these remedies and your dandruff persists, you should consult a dermatologist.

Dealing with dandruff — and all the white flakes that accompany it — can be a pain. It's a common condition that's caused by many different things, Sarika Banker, a dermatologist in New York, told INSIDER. "It can be caused by dry skin or certain skin conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, or eczema," she said. "The most common cause, seborrheic dermatitis, is thought to be related to overgrowth of yeast that can naturally live on our skin, Malassezia."

The bad news? There is no actual "cure" for dandruff. It's usually a chronic condition, said Banker, but there are ways to control it. Below are seven different ways to keep those white flakes at bay.

Use the right shampoo.

If you're dealing with a dry, itchy scalp, switching out your normal shampoo for one with dandruff-fighting ingredients can help immensely, said Holly Hanson, a dermatologist in Minnesota. "Shampoos that contain an antifungal component, including Nizoral (ketoconazole) shampoo, Selsun Blue (selenium sulfide) or Head and Shoulders (zinc pyrithione) are helpful," she told INSIDER. "If someone doesn't like using this every day, these can be rotated every other day with another shampoo," she added.

Looking for a more natural approach? "I often recommend washing with dilute apple cider vinegar or tea tree oil-based shampoos," Banker added.

Whether you choose a store-bought dandruff shampoo or a natural remedy, Banker said to think of your shampoo as a scalp treatment. "They should be lathered in and left in for a few minutes to reach their full treatment potential and then rinsed out," she said.

Shampoo more often.

Recent beauty advice says that you shouldn't wash your hair every day. But if you have dandruff, it's best to shampoo your tresses each day of the week, said Marisa Garshick, a dermatologist in New York. "For many people, just washing the scalp more frequently can help eliminate dandruff as it can help to remove the extra build up of skin," she told INSIDER.

Avoid keratin treatments.

Bad news for people who love keratin treatments: They can actually trigger your dandruff, said Anne Marie McNeill, a dermatologist in California. "After the treatment, most people will start using sulfate-free and zinc-free shampoos to preserve the straightening effect," she told INSIDER. "Unfortunately, these shampoos do not cleanse the scalp well, and many people end up with moderate to severe dandruff a few weeks after straightening treatments."

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence. Current subscribers can read the report here.

The digitization of daily life is making phones and connected devices the preferred payment tools for consumers — preferences that are causing digital payment volume to blossom worldwide.

As noncash payment volume accelerates, the power dynamics of the payments industry are shifting further in favor of digital and omnichannel providers, attracting a wide swath of providers to the space and forcing firms to diversify, collaborate, or consolidate in order to capitalize on a growing revenue opportunity.

More and more, consumers want fast and simple payments — that's opening up opportunities for providers. Rising e- and m-commerce, surges in mobile P2P, and increasing willingness among customers in developed countries to try new transaction channels, like mobile in-store payments, voice and chatbot payments, or connected device payments are all increasing transaction touchpoints for providers.

This growing access is helping payments become seamless, in turn allowing firms to boost adoption, build and strengthen relationships, offer more services, and increase usage.

But payment ubiquity and invisibility also comes with challenges. Gains in volume come with increases in per-transaction fee payouts, which is pushing consumer and merchant clients alike to seek out inexpensive solutions — a shift that limits revenue that providers use to fund critical programs and squeezes margins.

Regulatory changes and geopolitical tensions are forcing players to reevaluate their approach to scale. And fraudsters are more aggressively exploiting vulnerabilities, making data breaches feel almost inevitable and pushing providers to improve their defenses and crisis response capabilities alike.

In the latest annual edition of The Payments Ecosystem Report, Business Insider Intelligence unpacks the current digital payments ecosystem, and explores how changes will impact the industry in both the short- and long-term. The report begins by tracing the path of an in-store card payment from processing to settlement to clarify the role of key stakeholders and assess how the landscape has shifted.

It also uses forecasts, case studies, and product developments from the past year to explain how digital transformation is impacting major industry segments and evaluate the pace of change. Finally, it highlights five trends that should shape payments in the year ahead, looking at how regulatory shifts, emerging technologies, and competition could impact the payments ecosystem.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Behind the scenes, payment processes and stakeholders remain similar. But providers are forced to make payments as frictionless as possible as online shopping surges: E-commerce is poised to exceed $1 trillion — nearly a fifth of total US retail — by 2023.
• The channels and front-end methods that consumers use to make payments are evolving. Mobile in-store payments are huge in developing markets, but approaching an inflection point in developed regions where adoption has been laggy. And the ubiquity of mobile P2P services like Venmo and Square Cash will propel digital P2P to $574 billion by 2023.
• The competitive landscape will shift as companies pursue joint ventures to grow abroad in response to geopolitical tensions, or consolidate to achieve rapid scale amid digitization.
• Fees, bans, steering, or regulation could impact the way consumers pay, pushing them toward emerging methods that bypass card rails, and limit key revenue sources that providers use to fund rewards and marketing initiatives.
• Tokenization will continue to mainstream as a key way providers are preventing and responding to the omnipresent data breach threat.

The companies mentioned in the report are: CCEL, Adyen, Affirm, Afterpay, Amazon, American Express, Ant Financial, Apple, AribaPay, Authorize.Net, Bank of America, Barclays, Beem It, Billtrust, Braintree, Capital One, Cardtronics, Chase Paymentech, Citi, Discover, First Data, Flywire, Fraedom, Gemalto, GM, Google, Green Dot, Huifu, Hyundai, Ingenico, Jaguar, JPMorgan Chase, Klarna, Kroger, LianLian, Lydia, Macy’s, Mastercard, MICROS, MoneyGram, Monzo, NCR, Netflix, P97, PayPal, Paytm, Poynt, QuickBooks, Sainsbury’s, Samsung, Santander, Shell, Square, Starbucks, Stripe, Synchrony Financial, Target, TransferWise, TSYS, UnionPay, Venmo, Verifone, Visa, Vocalink, Walmart, WeChat/Tencent, Weebly, Wells Fargo, Western Union, Worldpay, WorldRemit, Xevo, Zelle, Zesty, and ZipRecruiter, among others

In full, the report:

• Explains the factors contributing to a swell in global noncash payments
• Examines shifts in the roles of major industry stakeholders, including issuers, card networks, acquirer-processors, POS terminal vendors, and gateways
• Presents forecasts and highlights major trends and industry events driving digital payments growth
• Identifies five trends that will shape the payments ecosystem in the year ahead

SEE ALSO: These are the four transformations payments providers must undergo to survive digitization

Join the conversation about this story »

• Super Bowl LIII is on Sunday, February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
• The game starts at 6:30 p.m. ET and will air on CBS.
• There are plenty of ways to watch the game online — on your computer, phone, tablet, or TV set-top device.
• There are also plenty of Super Bowl streaming options for football fans living outside the US.
• Read all of Business Insider's Super Bowl LIII coverage here.

It's time for Super Bowl LIII.

If you don't know when the Super Bowl starts or how you can watch the game live online, fear not — Business Insider has your back.

When is Super Bowl LIII?

The 2019 Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 3.

The clash of NFL titans will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Here's what time the 2019 Super Bowl will start in major cities across different time zones.

• New York (ET): 6:30 p.m.
• Chicago (CT): 5:30 p.m.
• Denver (MT): 4:30 p.m.
• Las Vegas (PT): 3:30 p.m.
• Los Angeles (PT): 3:30 p.m.
• Honolulu (HAST): 1:30 p.m.
• London (BST): 11:30 p.m.
• Paris (CEST): 12:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Sydney (AET): 10:30 a.m. (Monday)
• Tokyo (JST): 8:30 a.m (Monday)
• Moscow (MSK): 2:30 a.m. (Monday)

How can I watch live?

For English-speaking TV in the US, CBS will be your broadcaster. Online streams will be available to US audiences for free on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app, and CBS All Access.

For UK audiences, BBC1 will be showing the game live with streaming on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and the BBC mobile app.

In Australia, the game will be airing on Seven Network and ESPN. In Canada, it's available on CTV 2, RDS, and TSN.

Here's a comprehensive list of Super Bowl LIII broadcasts abroad.

Why should I watch?

NFL offenses have been exploding all season. No game summed up the NFL's recent trend of high-scoring games better than the Los Angeles Rams' 54-51 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the highest-scoring Monday Night Football game in the history of the league. According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert and Mike Sando, teams in the NFL averaged more points (47.8), yards (718.4) and passing touchdowns (3.5) per game through the first 13 weeks of this season than any other year. Viewers may very well get an offensive shootout on football's biggest stage this year.

This inflation in offense has translated to a significant ratings bump: forty of the top 50 most-watched sporting events in 2018 were NFL games, even though NFL ratings dropped drastically in 2017. Considering viewership of the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots registered 103.3 million viewers in 2018, viewership this year has a legitimate shot at rivaling Super Bowl XLIX for the most-watched U.S. television broadcast in history.

• Read more:
• The NFL playoff bracket and TV schedule after the Wild Card games
• CLEMSON WINS: Here are the top plays and big moments from the championship game everybody will be talking about
• How newspapers in Philadelphia and Chicago reacted to the Eagles' narrow win over the Bears in the Wild Card
• Read all of Business Insider's Super Bowl LIII coverage right here

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet — and I lost 15 pounds

• Walmart announced a new pilot program with Udelv to deliver groceries via self-driving car on Tuesday.
• Walmart has also partnered with other companies working on self-driving car technology for its grocery delivery services, including Waymo and Ford.
• Online grocery is an area of focus for Walmart, and it may already be the top online grocery seller in the US.

Walmart is placing another bet on autonomous grocery delivery.

The company is launching a new pilot program with autonomous-vehicle startup Udelv, the company announced on Tuesday. It will take place in Surprise, Arizona.

"We continue to explore new ways that can make what's easy today even easier tomorrow. That includes testing a number of things, including autonomous vehicle technology," Tom Ward, Walmart's senior vice president and head of digital operations for Walmart US, said in a blog post announcing the new pilot.

Unique to this pilot is that groceries will be delivered in a "custom-made" self-driving cargo van, which Walmart's shopper employees will pack groceries into to be taken to customers. Udelv's website touts its autonomous car as a vehicle "built specifically for last-mile delivery."

"We're still learning — it's a pilot — but, we want to make sure we stay on the cutting edge of grocery delivery by exploring what’s new and next," Ward said in the post.

Read more: Ford and Walmart are teaming up to test delivering products with self-driving cars

The pilot is the third Walmart has announced involving self-driving cars. In July, Walmart announced a pilot with Waymo— Google's self-driving car project — also in Arizona, where customers will ride self-driving cars to and from Walmart to pick up their groceries.

In November, Walmart announced it had formed a partnership with Ford on grocery delivery using self-driving cars. This pilot is currently taking place in Miami and is in partnership with food-delivery service Postmates.

Online grocery has become a serious area of growth for Walmart, which was projected to pass Amazon as the top online grocery seller by the end of 2018, according to a report by Deutsche Bank.

SEE ALSO: The biggest way shopping changed this year combined the best parts of online and in-store

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Millennials and teens are making Gucci cool again. Here's how the brand nearly doubled its sales in 2018.

• The government shutdown is now in day 17 and shows no sign of ending.
• The shutdown is already having an effect on government agencies, including closures and delays.
• But as the shutdown drags on, the effects will only get worse.
• Millions of Americans could start losing access to rent assistance and food stamps, airport security will get worse, and damage to national parks could increase.

Despite daily negotiations between the two sides, neither President Donald Trump nor Democrats appear to be close to backing down in the battle over the government shutdown.

The shutdown, which Trump kicked off by refusing a bipartisan, short-term funding extension before Christmas, appears poised to challenge the record for the longest federal funding lapse in the modern budgeting era.

Already, the shutdown is starting to affect federal departments that are currently without funding. Everything from the National Zoo's panda cam to paychecks for hundred of thousands of federal workers have become affected.

Read more:Here's what happens to Social Security and disability benefits during a government shutdown»

As the shutdown drags on, the fallout will only get worse. Many key programs are running on reserve funds during the month of January. When those wells run dry, everything from rent assistance to food stamps could be cut off.

Here are a few examples of how a lengthy shutdown could get worse:

• Federal workers and contractors are going to start missing paychecks: Paychecks for 800,000 federal workers covering the latter half of December went out at the start of January, but without a funding bill these workers will not get their next paycheck on January 15.
• 40 million Americans could lose SNAP benefits: The US Deparment of Agriculture has said that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, has enough funding to get through January. The USDA also has a reserve fund of $3 billion for February, but the program costs around $4.7 billion a month. This means the more than 20 million households receiving assistance could start to go without aid next month. Other food programs including the USDA's Child Nutrition Programs will also run out of funding in February.
• Americans depending on rent assistance could be evicted: The Department of Housing and Urban Development sent a letter to more than 1,500 landlords who have tenants that utilize rent assistance programs asking owners not to evict those tenants. According to The Washington Post, HUD officials didn't even realize the funding for those programs would lapse and were taken by surprise. Additionally, as NBC News reported, HUD has suspended health and safety inspections for low-income housing that receives funding from the agency.
• Deteriorating airport security: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers are currently working without pay during the shutdown. According to TSA union officials, some employees are starting to call in sick. The number of absent workers appears to already be taking a toll on wait times at some airports.
• Air travel could get less safe: Federal Aviation Administration employees are working without pay, including air traffic controllers. Representatives for pilot unions have warned that the lack of oversight for critical safety equipment during the shutdown will also make flying riskier. 
• A possible delay in tax refunds: While the Trump administration has said tax refunds will continue to go out during the shutdown, it is unclear if there is legal justification for the move. Depending on the legal standing for the administration's decision, millions of Americans filing their 2018 tax returns could see a delay in refunds.
• National parks could get worse: At National Parks across the US, human waste is already piling up as many areas are understaffed or not monitored. The Interior Department has authorized parks to use money from entrance fees to cover cleaning expenses, a move that is legally questionable. There have also been multiple reports of damaged wildlife due to a lack of patrols, and parks have begun to close some areas due to safety concerns. These parks could also decide to close entirely, as many did during the 2013 shutdown, to prevent further degradation of the lands.
• Food safety inspections could get worse: While the USDA's inspections of meat, diary, and eggs are ongoing during the shutdown, the inspectors are not receiving pay which experts say could lead to worse results. The USDA even admits in its shutdown plan that "a lengthy hiatus would affect the safety of human life." Almost all of the Food and Drug Administration's food inspection functions, which do routine inspections of all foods not covered by the USDA, are also ceased. According ot watchdogs, this increases the chances of a food poisoning outbreak.

SEE ALSO: The government shutdown is in its 17th day and there's no end in sight. Here's how Trump and Congress got into this mess.

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NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

• BlackRock pulled in record money for its exchange-traded-funds platform two months in a row, with $44 billion in December. 
• The world's largest asset manager captured about a third of all the money that went to ETFs last year. 
• BlackRock's iShares business, already the world's biggest ETF provider, is a major growth area for the firm.

BlackRock set records two months in a row for its dominant exchange-traded-funds business, iShares. 

The world's largest asset manager notched its a record first in November, bringing in more than $29 billion, before eclipsing that figure a month later with $44 billion, BlackRock said Tuesday. 

In late December, iShares' US head Martin Small told Business Insider that the markets were operating "in stark contrast" to those in 2017, "where everything around the world was going up."

"What is obvious about this year is that investors are embracing the versatility of ETFs to take tactical exposures, hedge risk and build resilient long-term portfolios," he said. "It’s clear that the growth of ETFs is not dependent simply on rising markets.”

Overall, BlackRock captured about one-third of the $515 billion in money globally that went to ETF strategies last year. 

See more: BlackRock is launching a new suite of products to capture a red hot market for do-good funds that could grow to $400 billion by 2028

In October, BlackRock chief executive officer Larry Fink said the $4.7 trillion ETF market could jump to $12 trillion in the next five years. 

iShares, already the world's biggest ETF provider, is a major growth area for BlackRock, as individual investors turn to cheaper, and often better-performing, passively managed investments over active strategies. The platform managed $1.9 trillion as of September 30, which represents 29% of the firm's total assets under management.

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NOW WATCH: 7 science-backed ways to a happier and healthier 2019 that you can do the first week of the new year

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even though science doesn’t fully back up that claim– and many people do just fine skipping it altogether – it still pays to eat smart first thing in the morning. To know which dishes to avoid, we rounded up the worst foods to eat first thing in the morning.

Toaster pastries are packed with sugar.

Toaster pastries may be delicious, but they have little to no nutritional value and are usually packed with unhealthy fats and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), according to She Finds. HFCS is high on the glycemic index, according to Healthfully, which means it'll give you a sugar high followed by a crash, according to Men's Journal.

Too much sugar in any form can cause myriad problems, such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and high triglyceride levels – which all increase your risk of heart disease, according to Mayo Clinic.

To make matters even worse, toaster pastries have surprisingly high amounts of sodium; preservatives; and, often, artificial colors, according to She Finds.

Many nut spreads are packed with sugar and fat.

It's common to spread a bit of nut butter on toast to grab and go in the morning. Although this simple butters can be a good source of protein, when they get fancy, these spreads can also be high in sugar and fat. 

Nutrition action recommends sticking to a simple peanut or almond butter and skipping or limiting your use of spreads that boast chocolate or hazelnut flavors.

Most breakfast cereals are high in sugar and provide little nutrition.

Most breakfast cereals are high on the glycemic index, especially cornflakes, according to Harvard Health Publishing, which, again, will cause an inevitable crash in energy.

Plus, cereals are made with refined grains, according to Healthline, which have been stripped of almost all fiber, vitamins, and minerals – thus providing little nutritional value, according to Healthline.

• "You" first aired on Lifetime but it recently got picked up by Netflix.
• The show follows Joe, a bookstore manager, as he pursues a graduate school student, Guinevere Beck, that he meets at the store.
• Joe's behaviors become obsessive and dangerous and many viewers feel conflicted as they root for Joe.
• The series has already been renewed for season two. 

Ever since the TV series "You" recently began streaming on Netflix, people haven't been able to stop talking about it. The thriller stars familiar faces including Penn Badgley, John Stamos, and Shay Mitchell.

The show follows Joe, a bookstore manager, as he obsessively pursues a graduate school student, Guinevere Beck. His obsession blossoms after encountering her just once. But theirs isn't a typical love story and things begin to get quite scary and dangerous. The New York City-based series quickly gets dark as murders and other mysteries begin to arise.

But if you haven't seen the show yet, you might not get the memes — or understand why people are so obsessed with the series. If that's the case, read on for everything you need to know about "You."

"You" is based on a book of the same name

The book, written by Caroline Kepnes, was published in 2015, which means it wasn't out in the world very long before it was turned into a TV series. If you've already read the book — or have watched "You" and are dying for more — there's a sequel to "You" called "Hidden Bodies," which picks up with Joe where the first book left off.

It originally aired on Lifetime

Many fans have discovered the show thanks to Netflix, but it wasn't initially one of the streaming service's original series. "You" is actually a Lifetime show that just recently made its Netflix debut in December. All of the series' episodes first aired on the Lifetime network in fall 2018. 

It's getting really good reviews

Currently, "You" has an 89% score from critics and an 86% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It also has an 8.1/10 on IMDb.

In September, Entertainment Weekly's  TV Critic Kristen Baldwin dubbed the show a "snappy new thriller," giving it a B+ grade. She called it "a lot like social media itself: perhaps not the most edifying way to spend your time, but very, very hard to quit."

The show is about some seriously dark issues

Ultimately, the show gives readers a glance into the dark side of obsession. Throughout the first season, "You" gives viewers insight into the dark and twisted mind of Joe Goldberg, the man who is stalking the woman he loves. His thoughts and actions can be unsettling throughout the entire series, but Joe is also quick-witted and sardonic, giving him some shockingly likable qualities. Because of this, the viewer sees just how easy it is for Joe to seem trustworthy.

Beyond that, one of the most unsettling parts of "You" is the way it shows just how easily one's privacy can be invaded. The series shows how simple it could be for someone to use modern-day resources to work their way into your life.

"You" takes its viewers into uncomfortable places that anyone could find themselves in while dating online, leaving their windows open, or even just sharing too much on social media. It shows how dangerous common activities can be under certain scary circumstances. 

"You" is filled with gray area and many viewers feel conflicted about who they're really rooting for

One of the key components of the series is how viewers might just find themselves rooting for Joe, even as he makes ethically and morally questionable choices. As creepy and as criminal as Joe gets, many viewers feel majorly conflicted about how they're still rooting for him to succeed. 

Overall, the gray area about who you are rooting for versus who you want to be rooting for is part of what's been creating such a buzz around the show. 

It's already been renewed for a second season

Considering the popularity that "You" has amassed, it's no surprise that it's already been renewed for more episodes. Lifetime passed on a second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but Netflix picked up the series. They have yet to announce a premiere date for the new episodes.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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NOW WATCH: Saturn is officially losing its rings — and they're disappearing much faster than scientists had anticipated

• Millionaires tend to have five characteristics in common, according to Chris Hogan, an author who studied more than 10,000 millionaires.
• They take personal responsibility, practice intentionality, are goal-oriented, and work hard in order to build wealth.
• Consistency in each of these areas, Hogan says, is what ties everything together.

Millionaires have more than just seven-figure net worths in common — they also tend to share several of the same habits and attributes.

Many used resilience and perseverance to build their wealth, and once they got there, forewent a budget.

But millionaires also tend to share five of the same characteristics, according Chris Hogan, author of "Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth — and How You Can Too." Along with the Dave Ramsey research team, Hogan studied 10,000 American millionaires (defined as those with a net worth of at least $1 million) for seven months, and he found certain attributes kept resurfacing.

"When you see these five attributes working in high gear, you'll get a clear picture of what financial independence really looks like — and what it could look like for you," Hogan wrote.

Here's a closer look at each.

1. Millionaires take personal responsibility

Average millionaires take control of their money decisions, according to Hogan. "They know their success is up to them, and they own it," he wrote.

Two millionaires he interviewed, Mike and Stephanie, particularly exemplified this — they diligently saved, avoided debt, worked with an investing professional, and committed to improving themselves and their earning potential. They're now retired with a net worth of $2.6 million.

The majority of millionaires in Hogan's study deemed themselves optimistic and willing to try difficult things for new results — and more than 90% will quickly admit when they're wrong and actively integrate feedback from other people.

"[Millionaires] don't count on anyone else to make them rich, and they don't blame anyone else if they fall short," Hogan wrote. "They focus on things they can control and align their daily habits to the goals they've set for themselves."

Read more:Most people believe 6 myths about millionaires, and it can keep them from building their own wealth

2. Millionaires practice intentionality

Hogan found that many millionaires live on less than they make and exercise discipline when it comes to budgeting. More than half of the millionaires he studied believed the main reason people don't become millionaires was because they lacked financial discipline.

"Millionaires don't accidentally live on less than they make," Hogan wrote. "They do it on purpose, because they have a plan. They're deciding. Living without a budget, though, is the very definition of sliding into misfortune."

This finding aligns with research by Sarah Stanley Fallaw, author and director of research for the Affluent Market Institute who also studied millionaires — they stressed to her the freedom that comes with spending below their means.

According to Thomas C. Corley's Rich Habits Study, living off of 80% of your income or less "will leave you with an excess you can use to build wealth," he wrote in a post for Business Insider.

3. Millionaires are goal-oriented

"They think ahead and refuse to be swept away by the current of life," Hogan wrote. He found that 92% of the millionaires surveyed develop a long-term plan for their money, and 97% almost always achieve the goals they set for themselves.

They put in a long-term plan for financial independence, which "helps them avoid distractions and the 'shiny object syndrome' the general population suffers from because millionaires aren't focused on what might make them happy today; they're focused on their long-term wealth-building plan."

Consider JP Livingston, who retired early at age 28 with a $2 million-plus nest egg. She lived frugally, tucking away 70% of her take-home pay — 40% in investments, 60% in savings. Even as her income increased each year, she didn't succumb to lifestyle inflation. Instead, she stuck to her long-term plan and saved even more money.

Read more: An early retiree who interviewed 100 millionaires discovered nearly all of them got rich using the same 3-step strategy

4. Millionaires are hard workers

"They do what it takes even when what it takes isn't easy," he wrote. Of the millionaires Hogan studied, 93% said they became millionaires because of their hard work rather than big salaries.

"Millionaires constantly work to better themselves," he wrote. "They don't settle for what they have and who they are today; instead they work to increase their education and their skill set to build more for tomorrow."

And when it comes to work, rich people often take on jobs that they love — doing what they love and getting paid for it is what self-made millionaire Steve Siebold calls a smart strategy.

5. Millionaires know building wealth takes consistency

Consistency, Hogan says, is what ties everything together.

"You can take responsibility, you can be intentional, you can set goals, and you can work hard," he wrote. "But, if you don't do these things repeatedly — year after year, decade after decade — then you'll never get the results you want."

He added: "They know from experience that wealth-building is a long-term fame, and they've seen that sticking to the plan over decades leads to millions at retirement." 

But being consistent requires two things, according to Hogan: Patience for a long-term view to help you stay focused through the years, and passion to find ways to get the job done.

SEE ALSO: 2 men who studied millionaires for over 20 years developed a formula that classifies Americans in 3 different categories of wealth

DON'T MISS: A researcher who studied over 600 millionaires found they do 3 things to forge a clear path to financial independence

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NOW WATCH: I went on Beyoncé's 22-day diet — and I lost 15 pounds

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In New York City, it's easy to find a grocery store to shop fresh produce, packaged foods, and household essentials. Locating a store is probably the only easy part of grocery shopping in a city of 8.6 million people. 

When everyone else has the same brilliant idea to shop after work, and less crowded or popular stores upcharge customers on items, grocery shopping in person becomes a major time, energy, and money suck that doesn't seem worth it (and undoubtedly contributes to an uptick in GrubHub and Seamless orders). 

Enter online grocery delivery, the service that helps us maintain our sanity in a world where we already have enough things on our mind and to-do lists. This modern innovation frees you up to focus on your other priorities, and you don't even have to step away from your bed or desk to enjoy it. 

There are a handful of major grocery delivery services that are available nationwide or serve New York City inhabitants specifically, all with different shopping experiences, delivery fee structures, and special promotions. Read on learn which one is best for you. 

Fill your carts at these six convenient online grocery delivery services in New York City:

FreshDirect: The best balance of value, convenience, variety, and ease of shopping

Shop groceries at FreshDirect here

How it works: Create a free account in under a minute, then start shopping and adding items to your cart. The site is organized clearly into different categories, and it makes it easy to create shopping lists and re-order your frequently shopped items. 

For a morning or early afternoon delivery (two-hour time slots), you must place your order by 6 p.m. the day before. For a late afternoon or evening delivery (two-hour time slots), you must place your order by 11 p.m. the day before. 

Fees: 

• Free to create an account 
• $5.99 delivery fee, with a minimum order of $30 

Grocery offerings: FreshDirect gets its produce, dairy, and meat straight from the source, but it also carries popular grocery brands such as Pillsbury, Stonyfield Organic, and Boar's Head. You can find everything you normally shop at the store (including alcohol), whether you browse the categories, search exact items directly, or filter by labels like organic, kosher, and top-rated. 

Price comparison:

• Fuji apple: $0.99/ea
• Boneless chicken breast: $5.99/lb 
• One dozen large white eggs: $3.59 

Special programs and discounts: Chef's Table is FreshDirect's loyalty program. To become a member, you must place 12 orders or spend an average of $500 or more each calendar month during any 3-month period. Benefits include preferred delivery access, dedicated service specialists, and exclusive discounts. 

DeliveryPass membership gets you unlimited free deliveries. It costs $79 for six months or $129 annually, and if you're a frequent customer, it'll save you on the fees that can add up quickly. 

You can also check out the Fresh Deals, coupons, and sale sections to save on products every week. 

Peapod: The best shopping assistants, rewards programs, and discounts

Shop groceries at Peapod here

How it works: Create a free account, then start shopping and adding items to your cart. You can browse by aisle and curated categories, or take advantage of features like Order Genius and Express Shop. Order Genius analyzes your past purchases to recommend products you'll like, and Express Shop quickly generates product results for you based on your grocery list. 

Peapod offers special discounts of up to $5 off during certain two-hour delivery slots throughout the week, so if you're flexible with when you receive your order, take advantage of this feature. It also lets you schedule deliveries up to two weeks in advance. 

Fees: 

• Free to create an account
• $9.95 delivery fee, with a minimum order of $60
• $6.95 delivery fee on orders of $100 or more 

Grocery offerings: Peapod carries a large assortment of your favorite brands as well as its own in-house brand. The organic selection is robust, and its seasonal curations are also worth a look. 

Price comparison:

• Fuji apple: $1.10/ea 
• Boneless chicken breast: $3.79/lb 
• One dozen large white eggs: $2.09 

Special programs and discounts: First-time customers get $20 off and 60 days free delivery. In addition to weekly promotions, these programs help you save money: 

The VIPea Club rewards shoppers who spend $2,000 in a six month period with exclusive offers, customer care priority, and an extra $10 referral bonus. 

PodPass is a program that saves on monthly delivery fees. The best value option is a $55/year pass that's valid for Tuesday through Thursday deliveries. 

Stop & Shop store members should connect their account to Peapod to earn gas and school rewards. 

Instacart: The best place to shop local markets and shop as a group

Shop groceries at Instacart

How it works: Instacart brings together local supermarkets on one platform. Create a free account, then choose your store to start shopping. In New York, options include Costco, Fairway, Whole Foods, Morton Williams, and CVS. 

The platform allows you to select back-up items in case the ingredient you want is sold out or unavailable, and you'll have a dedicated shopper who communicates with you via text to let you know when items aren't available or when they've been swapped.

Delivery is available in as little as an hour, but you can also schedule it up to a week in advance. Delivery fees may increase during popular times of the week and delivery hours depend on your local store hours.

Instacart is a great grocery delivery option for groups like apartment roommates or families because you can create group carts to shop together. 

Fees: 

• Free to create an account
• $11.99 delivery fee on orders under $35, with a minimum order of $10
• $7.99 delivery fee on orders of $35 or more
• $13.99 one-hour delivery fee on orders under $35, with a minimum order of $10 
• $9.99 one-hour delivery fee on orders of $35 or more 

Grocery offerings: The online prices can differ from in-store prices, but you can find each store's policy regarding price adjustments under the store name. 

Price comparison:

• Fuji apple: Varies by individual store
• Boneless chicken breast: Varies by individual store
• One dozen large white eggs: Varies by individual store

Special programs and discounts: Instacart compiles each store's coupons on to the store page so they're easy to find and use.  

Instacart Express is a $149 annual membership for free delivery on all orders of $35 or more. You can take advantage of a free two-week trial before committing to the program. 

By Adam Hanft

Is this a nuclear winter for big brands?

I’ve read the data from the doom-mongers, but they are way off in their mortality predictions.  

True, legacy brands are being squeezed by private-label and so-called digitally native startup brands. The former is driven by price consciousness; the latter by a rising cultural consciousness that favors the new and hip.

Those threats are real and have millennial appeal. But it doesn’t mean that big brands are in a death spiral; the consumer economy has room for everyone. And I include the threat of Amazon, which has launched more than 70 private label brands. “Amazon will spend billions to kill brands,” opined one reporter. War has been declared. Legacy brands can come out winning if they leverage their considerable real and perceptual assets.

Misdiagnosing the millennial immune system

Make no mistake, millennials are not in wholesale brand-rejection mode. In fact, they are embracing “disruptive” brands like Casper in bedding; Warby Parker in eyewear; Lemonade in insurance; and of course, Airbnb.

All that makes perfect sense; millennials are essentially conformists and love incumbents — Casper is using its popularity as its brand strategy, the age-old  “We’re No.1” appeal —  they just want ones they can relate to.

Big brands can’t reinvent themselves as new, but they can and must go battle fully armed with the four inherent advantages they do have.

1. Authenticity of the highest order

Millennials crave brands with integrity, honesty, and depth. And a proud history. Big brands have it all. Most have been around for decades with authentic cultures forged over time. But they have lost their way in marketing their stories.

Private-label brands don’t have that rich authenticity; they were conceived through a whiteboard exercise.

Rather than racing to out-cool the cool kids, legacy brands should find new ways to embrace their reality.  As Adweek notes, “Millennials have made ‘yesterday’s blue collar brands today’s coolest clothes.’”

2. Consumers expect brands to give back

Today’s millennial consumer is looking for generous brands, two-thirds would rather buy from a company that gives back;  brands with a sense of purpose grow nearly twice as fast as others.”

Brands from America’s greatest companies give back to society through vast philanthropic networks.

Private-label brands are not built to give back. When was the last time one of them offered a kid a scholarship or built a community garden? It’s not in their margin structure.

Once this message is unlocked, legacy brands will reap great rewards.

3. Brands are innovation engines

Consumer packaged goods companies have well-funded R&D departments and sophisticated marketing teams that can create category-driving innovation — breakthroughs that consumers are willing to pay for.

Private-label brands are fast-followers. This puts pressure on great brands to continue to earn and re-earn loyalty by continuing to invest in R&D, while building fast, nimble innovation cultures.

4. The transparency of bigness

Today’s consumers care about transparency, ethical sourcing, every link in the supply chain. Big brands are uniquely equipped to build these, and to also put stringent demands on their vendors and suppliers.

S.C. Johnson is a great example of how a branded company can maintain the highest standards, and communicate them digitally as central to its brand story.  

Being anti-brand is not a strategy

Brandless raised $240MM for a private-label brand that proudly declares its independence from brand hegemony. But according to Recode, just 20% of shoppers who placed an order on the site in the fourth quarter of 2017 placed another order a quarter later.

Trust in institutions is cratering. Big brands with depth and soul are in the best position to build it back — to every generation.

Take Kitchen Aid, a 99-year old brand which made it to the top of Millennial relevance list in one survey — coming in ahead of Google and Apple — thanks to their continual product innovation and savvy use of social media.  

Consumer packaged goods leaders should spend less time reading their own premature obituaries and more time leveraging their untapped strengths.  

The only obstacles are organizational shibboleths and pre-existing behaviors.

Adam Hanft is a brand strategist, former advertising agency founder, co-author of “Dictionary of the Future,” and a board member at Scotts Miracle-Gro, where he plays an active role as a marketing advisor to the company.  He has also worked with many category disruptors ranging from WeWork and Tinder to JetSmarter and Seeking Alpha.

This post is sponsored by Hanft Projects. | Content written and provided by Hanft Projects.

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• Democrats are reaching for Instagram Live videos to showcase relatability and connect with potential voters.
• Younger Democratic politicians have captivated users and amassed large followings through Instagram Live videos.
• Other Democrats have experimented with livestreaming, signaling they might be gearing up toward a 2020 presidential run.

WASHINGTON — The hottest new trend among Democrats looking for a bigger spotlight as the 2020 presidential election kicks into gear is Instagram Live, where politicians can speak endlessly and answer questions from their homes.

The young Democrats are all doing it, especially among the wave of new freshmen members of Congress such as New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Potential 2020 presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke is also an avid Instagrammer. 

But it is not limited to the younger generation. Even political veterans like Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown have taken to Instagram to chat with followers and supporters.

Brown, 66, has a modest following on Instagram of less than 10,000. Other Democrats, like O'Rourke and Ocasio-Cortez, boast following of 746,000 and 1.6 million, respectively.

Still, each Democrat is using the platform to showcase relatability, whether it is authentic or not.

Ocasio-Cortez often cooks or bakes while discussing priorities and going back and forth with viewers. She responds to critics and addresses her issues with the way Washington works, like when a symposium for freshmen members of Congress featured a number of lobbyists as speaker, which was co-hosted by the American Enterprise Institute.

O'Rourke regularly prepares food or takes his followers on hikes through Texas. Shortly after losing his Senate bid to unseat Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, O'Rourke cooked up a steak, which received fawning coverage among left-leaning publications like ELLE and the Daily Dot.

"During the Senate race, the relentless livestreaming of the candidate’s activities became a feature of his campaign,"wrote Dan Solomon in Texas Monthly. "Supporters could connect with O’Rourke at their leisure, whether it was the mundanities of campaigning or skateboarding."

And Democrats, especially those looking to court voters as they mull 2020 presidential bids, are trying to emulate the casual and relatable trend that Ocasio-Cortez and O'Rourke have so handily mastered.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren used the platform to recap her announcement that she had launched an exploratory committee to run for president in 2020, as well as preview a swing through Iowa.

"I’m gonna get me … um, a beer," said Warren during a December 31 Instagram Live video, leaving the camera view only to return with a Michelob Ultra. She also used the livestream to introduced her husband, Bruce Mann.

Warren, whose Instagram account has 1.2 million followers, is currently the most high-profile Democrat officially touring early voting states in pursuit of a presidential bid.

Whether the trend continues will likely depend on its effectiveness. O'Rourke managed to turn Instagram Live sessions into a fixture of his campaign and personal brand. Others, especially those less with different campaign strategies, might struggle to cultivate a strong following with which young Instagram users want to engage.

SEE ALSO: Democrats warn that a formal request for Trump's tax returns may not come quickly

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NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

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.

Social media is becoming increasingly influential in shoppers' purchasing decisions. In fact, the top 500 retailers earned an estimated $6.5 billion from social shopping in 2017, up 24% from 2016, according to BI Intelligence estimates.

In addition to influencing purchase decisions, social media is a large part of the product discovery and research phase of the shopping journey. And with more and more retailers offering quick access to their sites via social media pages, and shoppable content becoming more popular, it's likely that social media will play an even larger role in e-commerce. 

In this report, BI Intelligence examines the advantages and disadvantages of each platform, and reviews case studies of successful campaigns that helped boost conversion and increase brand awareness. Additionally, we explore how retailers can bring social aspects into their own sites and apps to capitalize on consumers' desire for social shopping experiences.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Social media is becoming more influential in all aspects of the purchasing journey.
• Facebook is the clear winner in social commerce, with its huge user base and wide-ranging demographics.
• However, retailers should have a presence on every platform their target market is on. Each platform will require a different strategy for retailers to resonate with its users.
• Retailers can also benefit from bringing social aspects in-house. They can do this by building their own in-house social networks, or by embedding social media posts into their sites.

In full, the report: 

• Provides an overview of the top social media platforms — Facebook, YouTube, Instagram — that retailers should be using, the demographics of each platform, as well as their individual advantages and disadvantages. 
• Reviews tools recently developed by these platforms that help retailers create engaging content.
• Outlines case studies and specific strategies to use on each platform.
• Examines how retailers like Sephora, Amazon, and Poshmark are capitalizing on consumers' affinity for social shopping by creating their own in-house social networks.

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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• A partial government shutdown is nearing its third full week. 
• Key economic data, including the trade balance, won't be reported during that time.
• The lapse in data comes as the US and China negotiate a trade war, a situation that economists say makes the trade balance increasingly important.

Want to know how much the US and China are shipping to one another as the two countries negotiate a trade war?

Too bad.

International trade data for the month of November was withheld due to the government shutdown on Tuesday, the same day mid-level trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing were set to wrap up. Parts of the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Census Bureau won’t operate until funding is restored, according to department websites.

That means the trade balance has become unavailable at the same time that it has become increasingly important, said Brad Setser, a White House and Treasury Department economist in the Obama administration.

“The trade data right now is both interesting and important, because it’s an easy way of measuring and evaluating the impact of Trump’s trade policies,” he said. “It’s missed.”

The US’s trade deficit rose to $55.5 billion in October, the last release showed, marking its highest level since 2008. China continued to ship significantly more to the US than vice versa, with that deficit reaching a record peak at $43.1 billion. It was expected to continue to widen in November.

President Donald Trump sees the trade balance as a scorecard of sorts in his trade war with China — which has led to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tariffs between the two largest economies — even though trade balances are determined by an assortment of factors.

Those include foreign exchange rates, the strength of an economy, and how much a country borrows from abroad. Recent widening of the US trade deficit has been in part due to tax cuts, according to Mary Lovely, an expert on trade at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

“However, President Trump clearly watches the trade deficit and the fact that it is widening, even with the tariffs he has already imposed on almost half of all imports from China, implies that tariffs are ineffective way to address the imbalance,” she said.

Economists said missing the monthly trade balance for November probably won’t have critical consequences yet, since they can extrapolate estimates from past data. But as the shutdown continues, that could become a different story.

“What will matter politically and to the US-China talks are the full-year data due in February, in advance of the March 1 deadline,” said Derek Scissors, a China expert at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute. “In general, one month doesn’t make a difference unless a sharp change is expected. We have January-October data and we have November 2017  — we can figure out November of last year.”

As Washington and Beijing race to forge a compromise before an agreed upon March deadline, after which further trade escalations are set to take place, progress remains elusive. According to the New York Times, trade hawks within the Trump administration have so far not been satisfied with offers from China.

For Americans, the outlook doesn't look much more promising at home. The partial government shutdown was nearing its third full week on Tuesday, with a dispute among Trump and lawmakers over border security only intensifying in recent days.

In the meantime, it could be more difficult to understand business conditions in the country. 

“[Without data], we have less of a sense of exactly how the US is weathering the trade disruptions,” said Josh Wright, chief economist at iCIMS.

SEE ALSO: Here's what happens to Social Security and disability benefits during a government shutdown

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