The latest Payments And The Platform Economy Playbook examines how marketplaces are using technologies like AI to innovate the customer experience. Much has been written about artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools for fraud detection and security. What else can it do, though, especially for online marketplaces? AI is being increasingly focused on visual search and personalization. The popularity of Instagram and Pinterest demonstrates the rise of visual platforms.

For shoppers who absolutely love a good deal but hate hunting through racks, ecommerce company thredUP has a new offering just for them. The secondhand retailer has launched Goody Boxes–a non-subscription, no commitment box filled with discounted items for purchase. Over time, thredUP's Goody Boxes will learn your tastes, using a machine learning algorithm to figure out what you like and dislike based on what you keep and what you send back, essentially taking the rack hunting out of shopping. Here's how it works: For a deposit of $20, the company will send a box filled with 10 to 20 secondhand items to customers to try on. Consumers can keep what they like and send back any items they don't want.