Like it or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay. This book is timely and provides readers with the knowledge needed to understand the concepts behind AI―and also with the critical tools needed to use it successfully in their own companies.

PetSmart is catching criminals through high-tech methods, and last year alone saved $12 million by pinpointing fraudulent orders before they were shipped. This year, the retailer is on track to match that figure and then some. This ebook, based on the latest ZDNet/TechRepublic special feature, looks at the rise of e-commerce and the digital transformation of retail companies. As retail gets more high-tech, it's only natural that fraud prevention has more technology added to catch the criminals who try to place fraudulent orders. PetSmart, and many other retailers, are using technology from Kount to take fraud prevention to the next level and not just stop losses at the stores, but also help authorities prosecute criminals.

With Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence tools, the retail industry is changing its approaches to various facets of its operation. While the big brands are the leaders in trying out many innovative technologies, even small retail businesses are investing in these to reap the potential benefits. Big Data enables business organizations to gain deeper insights into customer behaviour, their preferences and expectations, competitor strategies. Retailers can better understand product movement and merchandise assortment needs. Artificial Intelligence integrates many technologies like voice recognition, machine learning, IoT, robotics etc., to provide an enhanced customer experience.

Consider this your weekly reminder that we are still in the end throes of the graphics card crisis. That means sometimes the sales drop down to the original MSRP, and sometimes they get closer than before--like today's deal. Right now, Newegg's got the EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti SC Gaming for $180 with code EMCPWPV24. While that's still $40 more than its $139 MSRP, it's about $30 cheaper than the next lowest price you'll find right now and the same price Amazon offered during the retailer's PC hardware sale back in April. Newegg says its sale ends on Thursday, July 12.

Alibaba Group Holding, China's biggest e-commerce player, has launched a concept clothing store in Hong Kong that uses artificial intelligence technology and algorithmic data analysis to provide outfit suggestions. The Hangzhou-based firm opened the FashionAI concept store on the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Wednesday, state-backed China News Service reported. The outlet will stay open until June 7. Compared with the undifferentiated experience of traditional clothing stores, personalized customization can better meet the needs of consumers, the company says. Alibaba chose Hong Kong not only because of the position of the special administrative region as a fashion hub but also to better spread the new concept to the world, said Lei Yin, head of Fashion AI.

"Five years back there was a massive discussion around whether having stores is a source of competitive advantage or a liability. There was a big debate around if there is any space for brick and mortar infrastructure in the new retail landscape. Where we are right now, there is a generally accepted answer." Although, according to Adobe senior director Vijayanta Gupta, the industry has stopped squabbling a come to the conclusion that there is room if used correctly, a more pertinent question has since been raised: what comes next? The next five years are set to be an exciting time for retail. It is undergoing an unprecedented level of evolution at a rate even the most experienced in the industry are struggling to keep up with.

How can retail banks generate curated experiences? They use a cloud platform that orchestrates experiences from omni-channels to devices using data collected from various touchpoints. The data is combined and analyzed with Microsoft Azure Machine Learning technology. With these technologies, retailers can now understand the shopping behavior of a customer and offer them products that that are most relevant. Retailers deliver engaging in-store experiences by digitizing the store to deliver a curated experience to the shopper at every point in their shopping journey.

Today's best deals are on fun and productive items. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA Today's newsroom and any business incentives. When a national holiday falls in the middle of the work week, it's like a mini weekend in the middle of all that work. But coming back to work on Thursday can be a real slog.

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding and lifestyle brand Guess on Wednesday showed off a new artificial intelligence driven concept for future fashion stores, as retailers incorporate technology into offline shopping to improve customer experience and drive sales. A concept store showing off Alibaba's FashionAI technology has been set up on the campus grounds of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will be open to the public from July 5 to July 7. Users check in to the store with their mobile Taobao QR code and all the items displayed in-store come with corresponding Taobao product listings, so that users can add the items they would like to purchase directly to their Taobao cart. Within the store, each item, whether it's a dress or a pair of heels, comes with an RFID tag. When a customer picks up a product, the smart mirror closest to the user registers the tag and displays an image of the item as well as the product details on the screen. The smart mirror can also provide mix and match suggestions for items in the store and styling suggestions based on previous purchases made by the user.

It was the eighth-largest private employer in the US at the end of 2016, and it's poised to climb those ranks quickly. The online retailer also announced plans to build a second US headquarters that will employ 50,000 employees. But Amazon's growth comes at a cost. It has a well-earned reputation for overwhelming competitors. Even though Amazon represents a small portion of the overall retail industry, it dominates the industry's sales growth.