Watson Predicts Black Friday Trends Using Cloud
Ever wanted to peek into the future? IBM has just released Watson Trend, a new app that is currently available for download in the Apple App Store.
With Watson Trend, consumers can get a real time pulse on the hottest products this Black Friday. IBM says that Watson will predict a 14.5% increase in online sales for retailers over this holiday season.
Watson Trend says that the most popular consumer items for Black Friday are:
- Apple Watch
- Samsung, Sony and LG Televisions
- Surface Pro 4
- Beats By Dre
- Jordan Shoes
- MeccaNoid Personal Robots
- Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros
IBM says that Watson has identified unique trends and drivers that provide justification for the sudden popularity in these items. For example, with Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros, the recent additional of the Final Fantasy character Cloud Strife has been referred to as “Unprecedented” which has driven sales higher.
IBM’s press release on the Watson Trend app highlights several insightful holiday season shopping facts for e-commerce retailers. Watson is predicting that:
- Consumers will spend an average of $123.45 per online order
- 40% of all sales will come from mobile devices (+23.8% from 2014)
- Consumers will overwhelmingly use smartphones to make purchases (46.7%)
IBM’s Watson Trend App gives consumers and e-commerce retailers an idea of what the hottest items are at any given time. The app could also be used by consumers to pinpoint certain deals and specials.
Currently, the Watson Trend App mentions that items such as Disney Princess Legos, Klipsch Speakers and the Asus Zenbook Laptop are trending sharply.
Using real time analytics and Big Data, the IBM Watson Trend App empowers the end user to sniff out the latest consumer trends. This actionable intelligence can provide an edge to the savvy consumer. For the retailer, the Watson Trend App can be used to find out what’s selling and how to price your items accordingly.
