By Chris Robinson, Director and Executive Chairman, Awaken Intelligence It is a particularly frantic time for retailers. Friday 27th November, Monday 30th November, Saturday 26th December, and Friday 1st January are all key dates in the retail calendar where consumers can nab deals at astounding prices. In previous times we have watched and listened to views of the sector's performance, whether sales are up or down and how consumers' high street and ecommerce habits are gradually evolving. However, as highlighted by IMRG's Customer Week Report 2020, "The coronavirus pandemic has caused unique and significant challenges for the industry. It temporarily shut down non-essential shops and turned many retailers into online pureplays overnight, meaning companies had to evolve to serve customers and keep their businesses alive."

AMZN is well-known for its eCommerce yet the company is also a trailblazer in the field of AI. AMZN's AWS provides machine learning services along with cloud infrastructure for businesses of varying types and sizes. The company's AI is easily implemented into applications of varying sorts without the need for in-depth machine learning skills or knowledge. AMZN has an "A" Industry Rank grade in the POWR Rating components along with "B" grades in the Peer Grade, Buy & Hold Grade, and Trade Grade components. AMZN is ranked in the top five of nearly 60 Internet stocks. The analysts expect AMZN will rise to $3,813.12 per share, meaning it has the potential to pop more than 25% soon.

Despite the downturn in the global market, the eCommerce industry keeps growing at a fast pace. According to a Statista study, eCommerce sales accounted for 14.1 percent of total global retail sales, and the upward trend is set to reach 22 percent in 2023. As the number of digital shoppers exceeds 2 billion, market analysts predict that by the end of 2020, cumulative eCommerce sales volume will rise to $4.13 trillion. While the e-retail market is booming worldwide, online retailers must remain aware of and focused on the latest stats and trends in the eCommerce industry. Staying up-to-date will enable them to make more informed strategic decisions that drive business growth.

We hear all around us that the future is digital. However, what exactly does the future hold in terms of eCommerce? This article covers the top ten trends that will be changing the future of eCommerce. As a digital marketer, it is important to be well-versed with these trends. Let's dig in and find out!

The holiday shopping season is in full swing -- and yes, we know it's only early November. Retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy have already kicked off the first rounds of their big sale events, and there will be more to come in the lead-up to Black Friday. This week, we saw AirPods drop to a new all-time low; a great price for Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3; and a bunch of worthwhile deals at Walmart for Instant Pots, robot vacuums and more. Here are the best deals from this week that you can still get today. Now's the time to grab Apple's classic AirPods for someone on your list, or for yourself.

A smart clock is a great addition to a bedroom. Not only does it tell the time and other pertinent information, but it's also smart enough to dim at night and brighten up in the morning. Plus, they usually don't have cameras, making them better than a typical smart display for intimate spaces like your bedside. Lenovo's Smart Clock series features Google Assistant integration, too, so you can easily control your connected devices or get weather and traffic reports by speaking to the device. When the company's basic Smart Clock Essential launched this year, it was pretty affordable at just $50.

Retailers love to burble on about how cool and smart their supply chains are, yet come a crisis like COVID-19, toilet roll and hand sanitizer are suddenly rarer than strong political leadership. The truth is, the weak link remains with the in-store reporting of sales back to local or regional HQ and an inability to respond to fast-moving changes through the supply chain. AI and Bots will help out next time a similar event comes around by dynamically responding to changes across the supply chain. Bots and AI are already well entrenched in our supply chains, but not to the extent retail business leaders would like to think. Even a minor shock can impact individual stores and there are plenty of examples beyond the current crisis.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, online retailers like Wayfair, Etsy Inc. and Pinterest Inc. are ratcheting up efforts to leverage data from a surge in e-commerce to get better at helping customers find what they are looking for--even when they don't know what that is,

The holidays can be stressful as the number of people you need to buy gifts for grows with each passing year. You may not be able to control that, but you can still find good presents for everyone on your list while sticking to a budget. To help you do so, we've gathered all of the items in our holiday gift guide that come in at under $50 right here. But before we get into the list, we wanted to call out two specific guides in which almost all of our recommendations are under $50: our digital and subscription gift guide and this roundup of our staff's favorite books, music and media. Check out those stories for digital gifts you can send loved ones that you can't see in person and for the best media that's been keeping us entertained this year.

There's no better way to spend a mid-winter holiday evening than wrapped up in blankets on the couch, sipping cocoa and watching a fun, wholesome film with the family -- at least it would be if you hadn't already been locked in the same house with these same mouth-breathers under COVID quarantine for the last nine months. So this year, while the fam is off-key singing their way through Frozen 2 for the bazillionth time since March, give yourself an early gift. Put on some Kamasi Washington and curl up with one of these phenomenal titles. It's sometimes said that traveling back in time is only a fantasy for the privileged. In Octavia Butler's seminal story -- here adapted into graphic-novel form -- a young, black, 20th century woman time-travels to a plantation in the antebellum South.