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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

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

 In full, the report:

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

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

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now
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• Inmates were locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day during an outage that lasted for more than a week in a Brooklyn federal jail, according to a New York Times report.
• Inmates told The Times that guards at the Metropolitan Detention Center reportedly didn't know what left the facility without heat or electricity for several days, and didn't provide their prescription medication or extra blankets.
• One inmate said the lockdown procedure kept them him in a cell for what felt like three consecutive days.

Inmates were locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day during an outage that lasted for more than a week as temperatures plummeted in a federal jail in Brooklyn, according to The New York Times.

Though lockdown tactics are usually reserved for officials' safety during an emergency, inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) told The Times they were locked in their cells for days on end after a fire caused an electricity outage in late January.

An "inmate handbook" from the New York City Department of Correction says that inmates won't be locked into their cells during the daytime for longer than two hours within a 24-hour period, except "when necessary for the safety and security of the facility or the Department."

MDC, which holds more than 1,600 inmates, was left largely without heat for days on end during the coldest days in winter, as a polar vortex froze the northeast in late January and early February.

The new, disturbing details in the Times report come just over a week after activists, lawyers, and lawmakers condemned the conditions over social media, staging protests outside the prison as inmates flashed lights and banged on the windows of the facility.

Read more: Lawmakers are calling for action after thousands of inmates in a Brooklyn jail went without electricity and heat during the polar vortex

Though the fire on January 27 knocked out some lights in the jail, there had been heating problems throughout the facility since mid-January, jail employees said in a court hearing, according to The Times.

Days after power was restored, the Department of Justice asked its internal watchdog to investigate the Bureau of Prisons' response to the outage from the Bureau of Prisons. A number of top Democrats representing New York in Congress also spoke up, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Jerry Nadler, who condemned the torturous conditions.

Gillibrand said on Twitter the situation was "inhumane and a violation of the detainees' constitutional rights," adding that "The Bureau of Prisons needs to fix this immediately."

After visiting the facility while it was still without heat, City Council member Jumaane Williams called the conditions "obscene and unconscionable."

"This is an issue of human rights abuse, and people are paying the price for this massive and inexcusable failure," Williams wrote.

Read more:

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'This golf course was built by illegals': Unauthorized immigrants who reportedly worked for Trump illegally say they helped him get to where he is today

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You found the perfect gift for your partner— now it's time to find something special for your little one. As a parent, you show your kids you love them every day with your kindness, support, and all that good stuff, but Valentine's Day is a unique time to show your little ones you love them with some good old-fashioned gifting. 

Whether you're looking for a gift for a newborn, a rambunctious toddler, or an intelligent elementary-schooler, we've got you covered. We rounded up 21 Valentine's Day gifts that work for all kinds of kids — think books, crafts, and lots of sugary treats. 

Looking for more Valentine's Day gift ideas? Check out these guides:

• 29 thoughtful Valentine's Day gifts from Target — all under $25
• 22 unique, low-key gifts to celebrate your first Valentine's Day as a couple
• The best online flower delivery services to send freshly cut blooms and live plants on Valentine's Day
• 68 thoughtful and unique Valentine's Day gifts for him — for every budget
• 67 cool and unique Valentine's Day gifts for her — for every budget
• 33 funny, low-pressure Valentine's Day gifts for every relationship level
• 24 personalized Valentine’s Day gifts worth putting the extra time and thought into
• 50 thoughtful Valentine's Day gifts that aren't chocolate and a card — all under $25
• 30 affordable and meaningful Valentine’s Day gifts that won't cost you more than $50
• 22 unique Valentine's Day gifts from Amazon's Etsy-like marketplace
• 20 sweet his-and-hers gifts for couples celebrating happy milestones
• 27 sweet Valentine's Day gifts you can get on Amazon
• This online startup is challenging the traditional jewelry industry with conflict-free diamonds and custom engagement rings

Keep reading for 21 Valentine's Day gifts that any kid will love:

An adorable new stuffed animal

Lulu the Llama, available at Brooklinen, $38

Brooklinen's aptly and adorably named baby line, Brooklittles, has everything you need to make the cutest nursery ever, including this soft and cuddly stuffed animal that your little one will love snuggling with. 

A festive pair of pajamas

Rainbow Heart PJ Top, available at Primary, $16

Rainbow Heart PJ Pant, available at Primary, $16

Any kid will love getting these cozy pajamas with a festive twist in the form of lots and lots of colorful hearts. 

A personalized name puzzle

Personalized Wooden Name Puzzle, available at Etsy, from $22.94

This puzzle is a nice piece of decor, fun game, and keepsake all in one. It's an especially sweet gift for little ones that are learning how to spell their own name. 

This is a preview of the Internet of Things (2018) research report from Business Insider Intelligence. To learn more about the IoT ecosystem, tech trends and industry forecasts, click here.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming how companies and consumers go about their days around the world. The technology that underlies this whole segment is evolving quickly, whether it’s the rapid rise of the Amazon Echo and voice assistants upending the consumer space, or growth of AI-powered analytics platforms for the enterprise market.

And Business Insider Intelligence is keeping its finger on the pulse of this ongoing revolution by conducting our second annual Global IoT Executive Survey, which provides us with critical insights on new developments within the IoT and explains how top-level perspectives are changing year-to-year. Our survey includes more than 400 responses from key executives around the world, including C-suite and director-level respondents.

Through this exclusive study and in-depth research into the field, Business Insider Intelligence details the components that make up the IoT ecosystem. We size the IoT market and use exclusive data to identify key trends in device installations and investment. And we profile the enterprise and consumer IoT segments individually, drilling down into the drivers and characteristics that are shaping each market.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• We project that there will be more than 55 billion IoT devices by 2025, up from about 9 billion in 2017.
• We forecast that there will be nearly $15 trillion in aggregate IoT investment between 2017 and 2025, with survey data showing that companies' plans to invest in IoT solutions are accelerating.
• The report highlights the opinions and experiences of IoT decision-makers on topics that include: drivers for adoption; major challenges and pain points; deployment and maturity of IoT implementations; investment in and utilization of devices; the decision-making process; and forward- looking plans.

In full, the report:

• Provides a primer on the basics of the IoT ecosystem.
• Offers forecasts for the IoT moving forward, and highlights areas of interest in the coming years.
• Looks at who is and is not adopting the IoT, and why.
• Highlights drivers and challenges facing companies that are implementing IoT solutions.

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• Buckingham Palace and Norfolk Police confirmed that 97-year-old Prince Philip surrendered his driver's license on Saturday. 
• The news comes nearly a month after after Prince Philip was involved in a car crash near Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. 
• Prince Philip was unharmed in the crash, but a woman in another vehicle was injured. 

Prince Philip, 97, is voluntarily giving up his driver's license after getting into a car crash last month.

"After careful consideration The Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving license," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told the BBC.

Buckingham Palace said he surrendered his license on Saturday.

The news comes nearly a month after Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, was involved in a car crash near the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

At the time, the duke was pulling out of his driveway in his Land Rover Freelander when he collided with a Kia. His car ended up on its side following the collision.  

Read more:Debris from Prince Philip's car accident reached bids of over $85,000 on eBay before being pulled from the site

The duke apologized to a woman who was injured in the crash. He was left unharmed.

At the time, Philip suggested that he did not see the Kia because of the bright sun.

Shortly after, when Philip was pictured driving without a seatbelt, Norfolk Police gave him "suitable words of advice," the BBC said.

Norfolk Police confirmed that Prince Philip handed over his license on Saturday.

Officials said it will be returned to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

The Crown Prosecution Service is investigating the collision.

• Read more:
• 97-year-old Prince Philip got into a car accident while driving
• 97-year-old Prince Philip had a replacement car delivered the day after his accident amid calls for him to stop driving
• Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are actually related — here's how
• The Queen and Prince Philip still share a special touch and knowing looks after 71 years of marriage — here's what the body language experts say about them

Join the conversation about this story »

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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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The transportation and logistics industry is undergoing a massive shift as a result of surging deliveries. Daily parcel volumes are higher than ever before — but so are customers’ expectations for cheap and fast fulfillment. 

To keep up with mounting demand, retailers and their logistics partners have been racing to develop more efficient processes with experimental supply chain models like crowdsourced delivery — the Uber model in which customers use mobile apps to connect directly with local couriers for on-demand or same-day fulfillment.

And it’s not just startups like Deliv and Postmates getting in on the action. This year Amazon not only launched its own shipping service to deliver packages for other businesses (“Shipping with Amazon”) but also announced its “Delivery Service Partner” program, which provides capital incentives for people to launch their own delivery companies fulfilling orders on behalf of Amazon itself.

With emerging delivery models like these aggressively stealing away customers, the pressure is on for legacy players like FedEx, UPS, the USPS, and the thousands of businesses who depend on them every day, to respond. But it will take more than just material resources or a large fleet of vehicles to truly compete. These companies need to earn the trust of consumers.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has obtained exclusive survey data to paint the 2018 delivery landscape and the trends of its major players. The findings comprise the team’s latest Enterprise Edge Report, The 2018 Delivery Trust Report, and give transportation, supply chain, and logistics companies the tools they’ll need to win back customers.

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

In full, the study:

• Uses proprietary consumer survey data to evaluate how the largest delivery companies in the US stack up on customer service, package tracking, package protection, and timeliness of delivery.
• Assesses how at risk these providers are to new challengers entering the space.
• Shares strategies on how delivery companies can achieve feature parity and, ideally, differentiation, in customer experience.

So, which delivery features do consumers care about?

First and foremost, speed. It makes sense that consumers value fast delivery, but did you know just how many of them prioritize this feature? According to a recent survey from Dropoff, it’s 99%. And with millions of packages delivered nationwide every single day, that’s a lot customers with high expectations.

But customers don’t just want their packages delivered quickly; they want to follow the journey from store to doorstep. Another one of the most important offerings delivery companies boast is real-time tracking, with nearly 90% of consumers noting it in the Dropoff survey.

If they can get it right, tracking is a twofold advantage for delivery companies; it entices consumers who want to know when their packages are coming, and it appeals to merchant partners who might be willing to switch delivery service providers for the added visibility and customer benefit.

And the field is still wide open for companies to differentiate on this feature. Among those who had a package delivered from UPS, FedEx, USPS, or DHL in the last year, nearly 30% of Business Insider Intelligence survey respondents couldn't actually say which company offered the best tracking features. Whether it means using mobile apps, SMS texting, or chatbots to communicate with customers, there’s plenty of opportunity for logistics companies to hone and become known for this feature.

Want to learn more?

This is just a snapshot of the Business Insider Intelligence 2018 Delivery Trust Report, which compiles the complete survey findings to dive deeper into the opportunities delivery companies have to engage and delight customers.

The multi-part report also presents actionable insights that transportation and logistics companies can use to fight back against Amazon’s continuous push into deliveries.

Join the conversation about this story »

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.

What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

• eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
• There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
• The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
• The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
• The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
• Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
• Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
• Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
• Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
• Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
• Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
• Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

• The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
• The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
• eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
• eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

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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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.

Esports, which is short for electronic sports, refers to competitive video gaming watched by spectators. Esports are not as mainstream as traditional sports in the US, but the number of esports fans globally is still sizable. The worldwide esports audience reached 335 million in 2017, according to Newzoo. 

And there’s still significant room for growth beyond that — we predict that 600 million consumers globally will watch esports in 2023, up 79% from 2017. 

A growing number of brands are acting to capitalize on the growth of esports as the majority of professional gaming fans are millennials and open to brand sponsors. Sixty-two percent of US esports viewers are aged 18-34, according to Activate, while 58% have a positive attitude towards brand involvement in esports, per Nielsen.

Meanwhile, Newzoo anticipates global esports sponsorship revenue to reach $359 million in 2018, up 53% year-over-year. The growing esports audience and brand activity helps explains why high-profile public figures are jumping in to capitalize on the action: In late October, basketball legend Michael Jordan and platinum-selling artist Drake both made investments into separate esports ventures, for example. 

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence will explain the growth of the esports audience and why it presents an attractive advertising opportunity for brands. We'll begin by exploring the key drivers and barriers affecting esports audience growth. Finally, we'll detail the benefits of advertising to esports fans and outline the best practices for implementing a successful esports ad campaign.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Alibaba, Arby's, Audi, Bud Light, Hyundai, Intel, Mastercard, McDonald's, Red Bull, Skillz, and Turner.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• The number of esports fans globally is anticipated to climb 59% over the next five years, but there’s still significant room for growth.
• This expansion will be driven by many factors, including investment from traditional sports leagues, a higher number of broadcast deals, and the expansion of the mobile-based esports scene.
• The majority of esports fans are millennials, while data suggests that Gen Zers are more receptive to nontraditional sports, like esports, than traditional sports.
• Brands can sponsor esports leagues, competitions, and players as well as advertise on digital platforms like Twitch to reach the eyeballs of esports fans.
• Whatever shape a brand's esports ad campaign eventually takes, displaying an authentic commitment to the gaming world is paramount.

 In full, the report:

• Outlines the drivers and potential barriers to esports audience growth.
• Details the various reasons esports fans are a compelling advertising opportunity for brands.
• Discusses the different ways brands can invest spend to reach the eyeballs of esports fans.
• Explains best practices brands advertising to esports fans should adopt in order to make inroads with the gaming community. 

SEE ALSO: The eSports competitive video gaming market continues to grow revenues & attract investors

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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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• Digital trust is the confidence people have in a platform to protect their information and provide a safe environment for them to create and engage with content.
• Business Insider Intelligence surveyed over 1,300 global consumers to evaluate their perception of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Consumers’ Digital Trust rankings differ across security, legitimacy, community, user experience, shareability, and relevance for the six major social networks.

If you feel like “fake news” and spammy social media feeds dominate your Internet experience, you’re not alone. Digital trust, the confidence people have in platforms to protect their information and provide a safe environment to create and engage with content, is in jeopardy.

In fact, in a new Business Insider Intelligence survey of more than 1,300 global consumers, over half (54%) said that fake news and scams were "extremely impactful” or “very impactful” on their decision to engage with ads and sponsored content.

For businesses, this distrust has financial ramifications. It’s no longer enough to craft a strong message; brands, marketers, and social platforms need to focus their energy on getting it to consumers in an environment where they are most receptive. When brands reach consumers on platforms that they trust, they enhance their credibility and increase the likelihood of receiving positive audience engagement.

The Digital Trust Report 2018, the latest Enterprise Edge Report from Business Insider Intelligence, compiles this exclusive survey data to analyze consumer perceptions of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

The survey breaks down consumers’ perceptions of social media across six pillars of trust: security, legitimacy, community, user experience, shareability, and relevance. The results? LinkedIn ran away with it.

As the most trusted platform for the second year in a row – and an outlier in the overall survey results – LinkedIn took the top spot for nearly every pillar of trust — and there are a few reasons why:

• LinkedIn continues to benefit from the professional nature of its community — users on the platform tend to be well behaved and have less personal information at risk, which makes for a more trusting environment.
• LinkedIn users are likely more selective and mindful about engagement when interacting within their professional network, which may increase trust in its content.
• Content on LinkedIn is typically published by career-minded individuals and organizations seeking to promote professional interests, and is therefore seen as higher quality than other platforms’. This bodes well for advertisers and publishers to be viewed as forthright, honest, persuasive, and trustworthy.

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

The Digital Trust Report 2018 illustrates how social platforms have been on a roller coaster ride of data, user privacy, and brand safety scandals since our first installment of the report in 2017.

In full, the report analyzes key changes in rankings from 2017, identifies trends in millennials' behavior on social media, and highlights where these platforms (as well as advertisers) have opportunities to capture their attention.

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

Mobile commerce (m-commerce) isn’t just the future of online shopping — it’s absorbing more and more e-commerce in the present. Business Insider Intelligence projects m-commerce will account for nearly 40% of US online sales by 2023, totaling $447 billion. And 49% of shopping traffic from November 1 through December 6 in 2018 went through smartphones, according to Adobe.

Despite its popularity, m-commerce faces serious conversion issues that retailers need to improve on. In North America, mobile browsers posted a conversion rate of just 6% in Q2 compared with desktop’s 11%, according to Criteo. But mobile websites still accounted for 43% of all transactions in the region among retailers that actively promoted their shopping apps, showing that they deserve special attention.

So, although consumers spend more time accessing the internet on smartphones than any other device, e-tailers aren’t able to maximize that value. And considering mobile shoppers have a similar engagement rate as desktop shoppers, but the rates at which they select products and transact are lower, according to Qubit, mobile sites clearly need to improve their ability to convert — and top e-tailers have work to do.

In the Mobile Checkout Benchmark Report, Business Insider Intelligence scores the mobile checkout experience of top e-commerce marketplaces — which includes every action from the moment a consumer chooses a product to the final purchase when they add the product to their cart and check out — to determine the current leaders in the space.

It establishes key factors in the checkout process to appropriately score e-tailers and identifies what all retailers and brands can learn from their strengths and shortcomings to improve their own m-commerce conversion capabilities. The report also looks at what developing technologies and initiatives have the potential to bolster conversion in m-commerce.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Affirm, Amazon, BigCommerce, Discover, eBay, Klarna, Mastercard, PayPal, Pier 1, Shopify, Splitit, Target, Visa, Walmart, and Wish.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Business Insider Intelligence’s Mobile Checkout Benchmark Study ranks top e-commerce marketplaces based on their conversion capabilities on their mobile websites.
• Target ranked first, leading in the adding to and reviewing the cart stage and performing well across the board.
• eBay led the overall efficiency and checkout and payment phases thanks to its simple process, but poor conversion capabilities on product pages and carts kept it from winning overall.
• Amazon underperformed as it focuses on gathering consumer data and adding Prime subscribers rather than one-time conversion.
• Speed and simplicity are top features to drive mobile conversion, according to experts interviewed by Business Insider Intelligence, and becoming faster and more efficient in various facets of mobile checkout will pay dividends for e-tailers.

In full, the report:

• Examines mobile websites’ struggles with conversion.
• Creates a benchmarking to score top e-commerce players’ websites conversion capabilities.
• Scores e-tailers’ performances and picks out key learnings from their strengths and shortcomings.
• Identifies developing technology that will be able to bolster mobile conversion in the future.

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SEE ALSO: The downfall of US brick-and-mortar commerce is overblown — but merchants need to evaluate their point-of-sale terminals

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• A line on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's website supporting "economic security to all those who are unable or unwilling to work" triggered backlash this week and prompted mixed messages from her team about where the line came from.
• One of Ocasio-Cortez's advisers said on Fox News that the line was from a "doctored" document and that Ocasio-Cortez had never proposed such a policy.
• But Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff later admitted the webpage was authentic, but that it had been a draft published by mistake. Ocasio-Cortez added there were also doctored versions circulating online.

A line on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's website supporting "economic security to all those who are unable or unwilling to work"triggered backlash this week and prompted mixed messages from her team about where the line came from, and whether it was ever intended to be part of the landmark Green New Deal policy package.

The controversy has given fodder to critics of the Green New Deal legislation, which was unveiled Thursday.

Though the actual Green New Deal legislation introduced to the House of Representatives contains no mention of guaranteeing economic security to those "unwilling to work," the phrase was included on Ocasio-Cortez's website in a Frequently Asked Questions page that has since been removed from the site.

The page was also sent to reporters, including NPR, which published the document, and the Washington Post.

Intense criticism ensued, and some of Ocasio-Cortez's staffers and advisers attempted to walk back the "unwilling to work" line.

First, one of her surrogates said the document was "doctored" and circulated by Republicans, then her chief of staff said the line was from a draft that was never intended for publication.

In a tweet on Saturday evening, Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, explained that the line was written with specific recipients in mind, such as retirees.

"We were essentially thinking about pensions and retirement security," he said. "E.g. economic security for a coal miner who has given 40 years of their life to building the energy infra of this country, but who may be not be willing to switch this late in his career."

Read more: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unveiled a Green New Deal that will force 2020 Democrats to take an aggressive stance on climate change

Robert Hockett, a Cornell University law professor and adviser to Ocasio-Cortez, was asked by Fox News' Tucker Carlson why Americans should pay those who are unwilling to work.

"We never would, right? And AOC has never said anything like that" Hockett answered. "I think you're referring to some sort of document — I think some sort of doctored document that somebody other than us has been circulating."

He continued: "It seems that apparently some Republicans have put it out there."

Though Carlson appeared to accept the answer, Ocasio-Cortez's website did indeed contain the line, as an archived version of the webpage shows.

A Media Matters for America researcher, Andrew Lawrence, tweeted out the clip and praised Hockett for debunking "conservative media lies." However, the "unwilling to work" line was indeed on Ocasio-Cortez's website for a time and was not the product of conservative media.

Ocasio-Cortez retweeted Lawrence's post, and it remained on her timeline as of Saturday night.

Hockett on Saturday rejected the idea that he was mistaken during his interview with Carlson, and attempted to put the attention back to the text of the bill formally submitted to Congress.

"I have said that we appear to have been referring to different documents, as it turns out there were multiple documents being discussed yesterday with no one person having a handle on them all," he tweeted. "Might we now discuss the Resolution?" 

Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti, also took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to address the controversy, arguing that people should focus on the legislation, and not the since-deleted webpage.

Both argued that there was indeed at least one doctored version of the FAQ, but that the authentic page on Ocasio-Cortez's website was published "by mistake" after a lengthy brainstorming and drafting process.

"We did this in collaboration with a bunch of groups and offices over the course of the last month. As a part of that process, there were multiple iterations, brainstorming docs, FAQs, etc. that we shared. Some of these early drafts got leaked," Chakrabarti tweeted.

He continued: "There separately IS a doctored FAQ floating around. And an early draft of a FAQ that was clearly unfinished and that doesn't represent the GND resolution got published to the website by mistake (idea was to wait for launch, monitor q's, and rewrite that FAQ before publishing)."

He finished by noting that "mistakes happen," and that the text of the legislation accurately represents the Green New Deal.

Ocasio-Cortez, too, tweeted that there were "multiple doctored GND resolutions and FAQs floating around," as well as "a draft version that got uploaded + taken down."

"Point is, the real one is our submitted resolution, H.Res. 109," she said, adding, "When I talk about the GND, this is what I'm referring to - nothing else."

• Read more:
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls the Green New Deal the 'moonshot' of our generation, and she just released the basics of her ambitious plan
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outlines legislation for a Green New Deal to turn the US carbon-neutral in 10 years
• Calls to 'abolish billionaires' raise eyebrows, but they've been a long time coming
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez included high-speed rail in her Green New Deal. After riding China's superfast bullet train that could go from New York to Chicago in 4.5 hours, it's clear how far behind the US really is

Join the conversation about this story »

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• The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Virginia Cavaliers, 81-71, in a matchup of top-3 teams.
• The highlight of the game came from Zion Williamson, who showed off his incredible leaping ability with a blocked shot that has to be seen to be believed. 
• Williamson was on the other side of the court when De'Andre Hunter received the pass and began to attempt a 3-point shot in the corner.
• The Duke freshman sensation jumped from about 10 feet away from Hunter and managed to block the shot well after it was released.
• The play was amazing live, but it was the replay that revealed just how athletic the feat truly was.

Here is the play as it was shown live, via ESPN:

Here is the replay:

Read more:RANKED: Zion Williamson's top 10 dunks of the season

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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.

The mobile augmented reality (AR) market is quickly becoming primed for the retail space. By blending the online and in-store shopping journeys, mobile AR promises to provide an immersive digital shopping experience unlike anything shoppers have seen before.

Mobile AR is one of the most coveted technologies for improving the digital shopping experience among consumers. That’s because mobile AR can be used to bring the in-store experience to consumers’ homes by recreating the try-on experience. It allows online shoppers to test out multiple sizes and variations of products, or just see what a product looks like overlaid into their home — without making a true commitment to the purchase or a trip to the store. It can also be used in-store to quickly provide product information or guide users to the right item using location-based services.

Retailers that meet this need for mobile AR stand to pull ahead of the competition. Mobile AR can help build brand loyalty, heighten engagement, increase geographical customer reach, shorten conversion times, boost purchases of larger items, and cut down on returns.

In a new report, Business Insider Intelligence examines the importance of mobile AR to businesses in the retail space, explores the various ways brands are utilizing mobile AR to enhance the customer experience as well as their own, and determines the factors retailers should consider when devising a mobile AR strategy.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Nearly 75% of consumers already expect retailers to offer an AR experience. Mobile AR retail experiences are more likely to come to fruition as Apple and Google continue to build out their AR developer platforms, ARKit and ARCore, respectively, which will expand the addressable market exponentially.
• Retailers in certain segments, including furniture and home improvement, as well as beauty and fashion, have been the first to jump on the mobile AR bandwagon through their own apps. These sectors appear to have the most immediate need for mobile AR strategies, as trying out furniture and clothes are two of the most coveted AR use cases by consumers.
• Social media is emerging as a prominent channel for retailers to reach consumers through mobile AR experiences. Platforms like Facebook and Snapchat continue to build out tools that businesses and developers can utilize to enhance their advertising strategies with immersive experiences.
• But retailers will have to consider several factors before implementing their mobile AR strategies. These include the cost of building AR experiences, the availability of AR-compatible smartphones, consumer awareness of mobile AR apps, and the quality of mobile AR content.

In full, the report:

• Explores the ways mobile AR brings value to the customer shopping experience. 
• Highlights how the consumer benefits of mobile AR can be transformed into valuable outcomes for retailers.
• Discusses how major retail brands are leveraging mobile AR to enhance the customer journey, and what goals they are striving to achieve.
• Outlines the several factors retailers and brands will have to consider before implementing their mobile AR strategies.

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• Though Virginians were split on the question of whether or not Gov. Ralph Northam should resign, a resounding 58% of black residents believe he should remain in office, a Washington Post-Schar School poll said.
• Northam has vowed to serve the remaining three years of his term, but will pursue an agenda of racial equity, he said in an interview with The Post.
• Northam has said he was not depicted in a photo on his 1984 yearbook page, which featured a racist photo, but he has said he wore blackface on a separate occasion.

Black Virginians said by a wide margin that Gov. Ralph Northam, who is enduring controversy over a racist photo from his 1984 yearbook, should remain in office, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll published Saturday.

According to the poll, which was conducted between Wednesday and Friday, just 37% of African-Americans think he should step down, whereas 58% think he shouldn't resign.

Virginians overall were evenly split on the question, with 47% responding that Northam should step down and 47% saying he shouldn't. Meanwhile, just 40% of Democrats said Northam should resign, while 56% of Republicans and 47% of independents said the same.

The poll had 706 total respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, which was larger among subgroups.

Though he has faced widespread calls to resign, including from top Democrats in Virginia and across the country, Northam said in a Washington Post interview published Saturday that he intends to finish out the remaining three years of his term and pursue an agenda of racial equity.

Read more: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is resisting pressure to resign, and has reportedly been given homework by his advisers to read 'Roots' and 'The Case for Reparations'

Northam has insisted that he was not in the recently resurfaced photo on his 1984 yearbook page, which featured a person in blackface and a person in a Ku Klux Klan-style hood.

In a press conference last Saturday, Northam denied that he was in the photo but conceded that he had worn blackface on a separate occasion as part of a Michael Jackson costume at a talent show in San Antonio, Texas.

"The things that I did back in medical school and — and — in San Antonio were insensitive and I have learned since that they were very offensive," Northam told The Post. "We learn from our mistakes and I'm a stronger person."

Northam told the newspaper he was particularly moved by a discussion he had with a black lawmaker, who taught him about the racist history of minstrel shows, where white actors dressed in blackface "and exaggerated their characteristics and mannerisms."

He continued: "And the main point that this person told me is that at the end of the day, the white person — just as I was the white person that dressed up as an African American dancer — at the end of the day we can take that makeup off and go back to being white," whereas a black person cannot.

Northam told The Post he intended to first ensure that his Cabinet and government agencies receive sensitivity training, and that he intended to reach out to schools, colleges, and universities to discuss sensitivity training for students as well.

• Read more:
• Politicians, including Democratic 2020 presidential candidates, are calling on Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax to resign
• Virginia Democrat threatens Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax with impeachment if he doesn't resign by Monday
• The tip about the racist photo in Gov. Ralph Northam's yearbook reportedly came from an ex-classmate angry about his abortion comments
• A wave of scandals has turned Virginia politics on its head, and the state's top three politicians could all be on the way out

Join the conversation about this story »

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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.

Over the past five years, the world has seen a seemingly unending series of high-profile data breaches, defined as incidents in which unauthorized parties access and retrieve sensitive, secure, or private data.

Major incidents, like the 2013 Yahoo breach, which impacted all 3 million of the tech giant’s customers, and the more recent Equifax breach, which exposed the information of at least 143 million US adults, has kept this risk, and these threats, at the forefront for both businesses and consumers. And businesses have good reason to be concerned — of organizations breached, 22% lost customers, 29% lost revenue, and 23% lost business opportunities.

This threat isn’t going anywhere. Each of the past five years has seen, on average, 1,704 security incidents, impacting nearly 2 billion records. And hackers could be getting more efficient, using new technological tools to extract more data in fewer breach attempts. That’s making the security threat an industry-agnostic for any business holding sensitive data — at this point, virtually all companies — and therefore a necessity for firms to address proactively and prepare to react to.

The majority of breaches come from the outside, when a malicious actor is usually seeking access to records for financial gain, and tend to leverage malware or other software and hardware-related tools to access records. But they can come internally, as well as from accidents perpetrated by employees, like lost or stolen records or devices.

That means that firms need to have a broad-ranging plan in place, focusing on preventing breaches, detecting them quickly, and resolving and responding to them in the best possible way. That involves understanding protectable assets, ensuring compliance, and training employees, but also protecting data, investing in software to understand what normal and abnormal performance looks like, training employees, and building a response plan to mitigate as much damage as possible when the inevitable does occur.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has put together a detailed report on the data breach threat, who and what companies need to protect themselves from, and how they can most effectively do so from a technological and organizational perspective.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• The breach threat isn’t going anywhere. The number of overall breaches isn’t consistent — it soared from 2013 to 2016, but ticked down slightly last year — but hackers might be becoming better at obtaining more records with less work, which magnifies risk.
• The majority of breaches come from the outside, and leverage software and hardware attacks, like malware, web app attacks, point-of-service (POS) intrusion, and card skimmers.
• Firms need to build a strong front door to prevent as many breaches as possible, but they also need to develop institutional knowledge to detect a breach quickly, and plan for how to resolve and respond to it in order to limit damage — both financial and subjective — as effectively as possible.

In full, the report:

• Explains the scope of the breach threat, by industry and year, and identifies the top attacks.
• Identifies leading perpetrators and causes of breaches.
• Addresses strategies to cope with the threat in three key areas: prevention, detection, and resolution and response.
• Issues recommendations from both a technological and organizational perspective in each of these categories so that companies can avoid the fallout that a data breach can bring.

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

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	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 appeared to joke about the Trail of Tears in a tweet about Elizabeth Warren on Saturday.
• "See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!" he tweeted.
• The Trail of Tears genocide forcibly displaced tens of thousands of Native Americans and caused the death of roughly 4,000 in the mid-1800s.
• Trump has previously used the death of Native Americans to mock Warren, tweeting about the Wounded Knee Massacre in January.

President Donald Trump appeared to joke on Saturday about the Trail of Tears genocide — which forcibly displaced and led to the death of thousands of Native Americans — in a tweet mocking Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

"Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President," he tweeted. "Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!"

The tweet came shortly after Warren formally declared that she's running for president in 2020.

Read more: Elizabeth Warren has officially announced that she's running for president

Trump has often seized on Warren's claims of Native American ancestry, and frequently refers to her as "Pocahontas." In recent weeks, he also mocked her by referring to the Wounded Knee Massacre, which killed hundreds of Lakota tribe members in 1890.

"If Elizabeth Warren, often referred to by me as Pocahontas, did this commercial from Bighorn or Wounded Knee instead of her kitchen, with her husband dressed in full Indian garb, it would have been a smash!" he tweeted on January 13.

Warren has battled ongoing controversy about her identity, including a recent episode where she released a DNA test revealing she had a distant Native American ancestor. The Washington Post also recently uncovered a 1986 bar registration card showing that she identified herself as "American Indian" on the line designating her race. 

Warren has apologized for claiming Native American ancestry, and sought to clarify that she is not a tribal citizen.

• Read more:
• Most black Virginians think Gov. Ralph Northam should remain in office despite racist photo scandal, poll shows
• Elizabeth Warren called herself 'American Indian' on her 1986 bar registration card, heightening scrutiny of her race claims
• Elizabeth Warren apologizes to the Cherokee Nation for her controversial DNA test after months of criticism
• A majority of Americans approve of Elizabeth Warren's new tax on the wealthy, according to a new poll

Join the conversation about this story »

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• A lawyer for American Media, Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, defended the tabloid's threats to publish intimate text messages and photos from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Sunday TV.
• Attorney Ebram Abramowitz said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that "politics have nothing to do" with its written warning to Bezos that the tabloid would publish his intimate photos if he did not retract his statements about an earlier report concerning his divorce and new relationship. 
• Bezos' response to the threats said the Enquirer was politically motivated in using extortion and blackmail, and suggested a connection to President Donald Trump. 

A lawyer for American Media, Inc. defended the National Enquirer's threats to publish intimate text messages and photos from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. 

Attorney Ebram Abramowitz said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that "politics have nothing to do" with the written warning that Bezos described in his response as extortion and blackmail. 

"That is not extortion because all that AMI wanted was the truth," Abramowitz said Sunday, echoing the company's earlier defense that the Enquirer had "acted lawfully" in its communications with Bezos. 

The source of the story about Bezos and television host Lauren Sanchez was widely rumored to be Sanchez's brother, who is an avid supporter of President Donald Trump and associate of Trump-linked figures including Carter Page and the recently-indicted Roger Stone, though he denied being involved.

Abramowitz said Sunday the source was a longtime associate of the Enquirer. 

"Bezos and Ms. Sanchez knew who the source was," he said. "Any investigator who was going to investigate this knew who the source was."

Hitting back at Bezos' seeming suggestion that the Trump administration and the Enquirer's ties to Saudi Arabia may have been involved, Abramowitz said the claim was "libel." 

Read more: Jeff Bezos essentially accused the National Enquirer of having a political motive for exposing his affair, and insinuated a Trump connection

"It was not the White House. It was not Saudi Arabia," he added. "And the libel that was going out there slamming AMI was that this was all a political hatchet job sponsored by either a foreign nation or somebody politically in this country."

Bezos' response refreshed scrutiny on AMI's legal entanglements. In August 2018, the tabloid's publisher David Pecker reportedly entered into an immunity deal with federal prosecutors who were looking into hush payments from Trump's campaign to women who said they had affairs with Trump, which his former personal lawyer Michal Cohen told investigators were made at Trump's direction.

Pecker was previously reported to be in the room with Trump and Cohen as they devised strategies for quashing reports on women who said they had affairs with Trump, including "catch-and-kill" tactics for negative stories. 

Pecker also reportedly proposed that AMI could float embarrassing information about former President Bill and then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for the upcoming election. The company has since categorically denied any such meetings. 

SEE ALSO: How the National Enquirer's David Pecker, 'the bad boy of magazines,' went from betraying Trump to facing off with Jeff Bezos

DON'T MISS: The National Enquirer vs. Jeff Bezos: Legal experts break down what's at stake in battle between the world's wealthiest man and a supermarket tabloid

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