"Artificial intelligence appears at last to be coming of age," wrote Richard Windsor, analyst at Edison Investment Research, in a recent 51-page report on the subject. Amazon took a big step in bringing artificial intelligence into the masses two years ago with the introduction of Echo. The multifunctional, voice-activated speaker system is voiced by Alexa. Ask Alexa a question and she'll try to find you an answer, with the support of AI technology. The device can also be used to manage and monitor home utilities.

Signpost is a service that lets brick-and-mortar store owners publish incentives and promotions on its website. Last summer, the New York City-based company's founder and CEO, Stuart Wall, created a new app: the A.I.-centric Mia. Through its natural language generation capability, Mia crafts messages and sends them to prospects at opportune times. It tracks and analyzes a store's calls, emails, and credit card swipes, and then makes what it decides is the right pitch. "New customers often tell me they show up because of our five-star reviews, which I hear about through Mia," says Randy Jewart, owner of Resolution Gardens, a landscaping company in Austin, and a Mia subscriber.

Blue Yonder, the business intelligence cloud computing company recently revealed that it has partnered with Microsoft Azure as its primary platform. The predictive analytics company, which has its origins at the CERN facility in Geneva, uses the cloud to calculate variables at speed, primarily aimed at allowing retailers to make decisions on what to buy, what to stock and what to make in order to ensure that when you look for something in store or online, it'll be there. "The fast-growing amount of data from customer transactions and replenishment processes makes it imperative that retailers switch to automated decisions based on data," says Jan Karstens, CTO of Blue Yonder. "The high expectations of consumers in the face of contemporary cross-channel concepts like Click & Collect, where items are ordered online and picked up in store, can only be met using machine learning." By crunching data ranging from the weather in previous years, to customer footfall, perhaps due to known factors like transport links to a particular branch, the company has been able to perfect a technique that uses machine learning to constantly improve stock availability and decrease waste.

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According to analyst Forrester, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and analytics will increase businesses' access to data, broaden the types of data that can be analysed, and raise the level of sophistication of the resulting insight. For 2017, Forrester expects investment in AI to triple. This email address is already registered. By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent. By submitting your personal information, you agree that TechTarget and its partners may contact you regarding relevant content, products and special offers.

As online shopping continues to grow, it's imperative for companies to utilize tools that can help them attract (and keep) customers. AI can do that in a multitude of ways. It can serve as a communication method to update an audience on collection releases and product availability. It can provide interactive storytelling and unique digital experiences with the help of creative algorithms. It can strengthen e-commerce by tracking users' preferences and giving them a customized shopping experience.

This article is courtesy of Techstars, the best global ecosystem for entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market. From inspiration to IPO, Techstars empowers the world's most promising entrepreneurs throughout their lifelong journey by providing a global ecosystem made up of tens of thousands of community leaders, founders, mentors, investors, and corporate partners. More consumers are getting used to purchasing their items online, through voice activation or on their smartphone. But there are more solutions that need to happen in retail and startups are starting to respond. After walking the floors of CES and other events, talking with our corporate partners, and meetings with hundreds of startups, here are some trends I'm seeing for 2017 for retail technology for startups.

Amazon's Alexa can be used for a variety of home tasks, but could it make your phone calls? Recode reports that Amazon is developing Alexa-based devices that would have the ability to be used as a phone-like intercom. The devices are still in beta and details on functionality -- for example, how the devices would pair with phones -- are unclear, but Recode says an announcement will be coming in the next few months. While details on the new devices remain scant, they fit into Amazon's teased and stated goals for Alexa and the Echo as a platform. Thanks to devices like the Echo and Echo Dot, Amazon has gotten the virtual assistant into homes and made its use more intuitive, but the online retailer's next planned steps are to integrate it more into your daily routine.

Amazon.com has launched a new program to help students build capabilities into its voice-controlled assistant Alexa, the company told Reuters, the latest move by a technology firm to nurture ideas and talent in artificial intelligence research. The e-commerce company said it is paying for a year-long doctoral fellowship at four universities for an undisclosed sum. Working with professors, the Alexa Fund Fellows will help students tackle complex technology problems in class on Alexa, like how to convert text to speech or process conversation. Amazon (amzn), Alphabet Inc's Google (goog) and others are locked in a race to develop and monetize artificial intelligence. Unlike some rivals, Amazon has made it easy for third-party developers to create skills for Alexa so it can get better faster--a tactic it now is extending to the classroom.