• MSNBC host Ari Melber suggested President Donald Trump dove head-first into a government shutdown because he "got scared" amid pressure from high-profile conservative personalities.
• Conservative-leaning personalities have widely excoriated Trump in recent weeks for failing to deliver on his promise to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.
• Melber's remarks come amid a partial government shut down on Friday, after Trump's $5 billion demand in federal funding for the wall is expected to fall short of enough Senate votes.

MSNBC host Ari Melber suggested President Donald Trump dove head-first into a government shutdown because he "got scared" amid pressure from high-profile conservative personalities.

"Donald Trump got scared, he got shook, because of the right wing media talking to him and his base," Melber said during MSNBC's "The Beat with Ari Melber" on Friday.

Melber's remarks come amid a partial government shutdown on Friday, after Trump's demand for federal funding for a US-Mexico border wall led to gridlock in Congress.

On Thursday, Trump abruptly reneged his support for a bipartisan short-term funding bill that did not include funds for the wall, forcing House lawmakers to vote and pass a government funding bill that included $5.7 billion in wall funds. Both chambers of Congress adjourned on Friday night without a spending deal, making a midnight EST shutdown inevitable.

Conservative-leaning personalities, including Fox News hosts, author Ann Coulter, and radio host Rush Limbaugh, have widely excoriated Trump in recent weeks for what they described as kowtowing to Democrats and failing to deliver on his campaign promises.

Conservative provocateur Ann Coulter recently described Trump as a "gutless president in wall-less country," and has passive-aggressively made periodic updates of the border wall's construction:

Melber theorized it was this hardline conservative base, who have recently criticized his other controversial policy decisions, that pushed Trump to force his hand.

In addition to wall funding, conservative-leaning media personalities have lambasted Trump for his decision to withdraw all US ground forces from Syria, and questioned the circumstances of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' abrupt resignation.

"It was this fear, though, from the right-wing media base, that ... forced Trump into this whole mess," Melber said.

In a candid meeting in front of cameras on December 11, Trump told Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer he was "proud to shut down the government for border security" and claimed he would not blame their party in the event of a shut down.

Trump failed to deliver on that claim when he announced on Friday that "Democrats now own the shutdown!"

SEE ALSO: MERRY CHRISTMAS!: A government shutdown is all but certain after Trump's border-wall demands leave Congress in gridlock

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

The way incumbent banks onboard and verify the identities of their customers online is inconvenient and insecure, resulting in lowered customer satisfaction and loyalty, and security breaches leading to compensation payouts and legal costs.

It’s a lose-lose situation, as consumers become disgruntled and banks lose business. The problem stems from the very strict verification standards and high noncompliance fines that banks are subject to, which have led them to prioritize stringency over user experience in verification. At the same time, this approach doesn't gain banks much, since the verification methods they use to remain compliant can actually end up compromising customers' personal data.

But banks can't afford to prioritize stringent verification at the cost of user experience anymore. Onboarding and verification standards are increasingly being set by more tech-savvy players within and outside their industry, like fintechs and e-retailers. If banks want to keep customers loyal, they have to start innovating in this area. The trick is to streamline verification for clients without compromising accuracy. If banks manage to do this, the result will be happier and more loyal customers; higher client retention and revenue; and less spending on redundant checks, compensation for breaches, and regulatory fines.

The long-term opportunity such innovation presents is even bigger. Banks are already experts in vouching for people’s identities, and because they’re held to such tight verification standards, their testimonies are universally trusted. So, if banks figure out how to successfully digitize customer identification, this could help them not only boost revenue and cut costs, but secure a place for themselves in an emerging platform economy, where online identities will be key to carrying out transactions. 

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• The strict verification standards that banks are held to have led them to create onboarding and login processes that are painful for clients. Plus, the verification methods they use to remain compliant can actually end up putting customers' personal data at risk. This leaves banks with dented customer satisfaction, as well as security breaches and legal costs.
• Several factors are now pushing banks to attempt to remedy the situation, including a tougher regulatory environment and increasing competition from agile startups and tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Facebook, where speedy onboarding and intuitive service is a given.
• The trick is to streamline verification for clients without compromising accuracy, something several emerging technologies promise to deliver, including biometrics, optical character recognition (OCR) technology, cryptography, secure video links, and blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT). 
• The long-term opportunity such innovation presents is even bigger. Banks are already experts in vouching for people’s identities, so if they were to figure out how to successfully digitize customer identification, this could help them secure a valued place, and relevance, in a modernizing economy.

In full, the report:

• Looks at why identity verification is so integral to banking, and why it's becoming a problem for banks.
• Outlines the biggest drivers pushing banks to revamp their verification methods.
• Gives an overview of the technologies, both new and established but repurposed, that are enabling banks to bring their verification methods into the digital age.
• Discusses what next steps have to happen to bring about meaningful change in the identity verification space, and how banks can capitalize on their existing strengths to make such shifts happen.

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• The federal government entered a partial shutdown at midnight EST after the House and Senate adjourned without a spending deal on Friday night.
• The shutdown is the result of a last-minute flip-flop by President Donald Trump on his demands for money for a US-Mexico border wall.
• Trump's demands led to gridlock in Congress on a broader funding bill.
• The shutdown will force 800,000 federal workers to go without pay for as long as the government remains closed.
• In a joint statement issued after the shutdown officially took effect, the Democratic Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, "President Trump has said more than 25 times that he wanted a shutdown and now he has gotten what he wanted."

The federal government entered a partial shutdown as the House and Senate adjourned without a federal-spending deal on Friday, hours before a midnight EST deadline.

President Donald Trump's demands for a wall along the US-Mexico border led to a standoff in the Senate.

Trump's sudden turnaround after supporting a short-term funding extension left Congress with little time to find a compromise that would prevent a shutdown.

Without a deal, a substantial portion of the federal government closed at midnight, and it is unclear when the two parties will be able to find an agreement to reopen those departments.

In a joint statement issued after the shutdown officially took effect, the Democratic Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, "President Trump has said more than 25 times that he wanted a shutdown and now he has gotten what he wanted."

"Democrats have offered Republicans multiple proposals to keep the government open, including one that already passed the Senate unanimously, and all of which include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security – not the president's ineffective and expensive wall," the joint statement reads.

"If President Trump and Republicans choose to continue this Trump Shutdown, the new House Democratic majority will swiftly pass legislation to re-open government in January."

How did we get here?

The shutdown is the culmination of weeks of debate between Democrats and Trump over the border-wall funding. Here's how it broke down:

• December 6: Congress passes a short-term funding bill to delay the shutdown until after the date of President George H.W. Bush's funeral.
• December 11: Democratic leaders and President Donald Trump meet to discuss the funding deadline. Trump demands $5 billion in border-wall funding, Democrats counter with an offer of $1.6 billion in general border-security funding. Trump rejects the idea and offers to take the blame for the shutdown. The president says he would be "proud" to shut down the government.

Read more:Trump says 'Democrats now own the shutdown' just 10 days after declaring he was 'proud to shut down the government'

• December 19: The Senate passes a clean short-term funding bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), that does not include border-wall funding but will keep the government open until February 8. Trump supported the bill at the time, Senate GOP leaders said.
• December 20:Trump flip-flops on the clean CR after listening to attacks from conservative TV pundits and the hardline House Freedom Caucus, and he announces that he will not sign a bill with no wall funding. House Republicans then pass a CR that includes $5.7 billion in wall funds.
• December 21: Trump demands the Senate vote for the House version of the CR and tells Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to get rid of the legislative filibuster in order to pass the vote with only GOP lawmakers, but the idea is a nonstarter. The Senate votes down the House version of the bill, and the government moves closer to a shutdown at the midnight deadline.

What does the shutdown mean?

The shutdown does not affect the entire federal government since Congress already passed seven of the 12 major funding bills for next year. But the shutdown does impact a slew of agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, the Interior, State, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.

About 800,000 federal workers from those agencies will be affected by the shutdown. Some 420,000 workers will be forced to work without pay since they are considered "essential" employees. The other 380,000 workers will be furloughed, which means they will be barred from work and will not receive pay.

According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), the shutdown will result in the closure of a number of nonessential services in those impacted departments.

"Functions that would be stopped during a shutdown include entry into national parks, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) site inspections, refunds and audits by the Internal Revenue Service, several Federal Aviation Administration activities outside of air traffic control services, and vehicle safety activities and research,"the CRFB said.

The workers could receive back pay, but Congress would first need to pass a bill giving those employees the money. Members of Congress still receive paychecks during a shutdown.

Click here for more information on the exact shutdown details »

Is there a way forward?

It's unclear if there is a deal on the table that would pass both chambers of Congress and get Trump's signature, and many lawmakers are anticipating a long-term shutdown, if those circumstances materialize.

The president even told reporters on Friday that a government shutdown may last for an extended period of time.

"I hope we don't, but we are totally prepared for a very long shutdown," Trump said during a meeting in the Oval Office.

SEE ALSO: Here's what happens to Social Security and disability benefits during a government shutdown

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NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

• Reports from multiple outlets give some clues as to why President Donald Trump made his decision to pull US troops out of Syria, a move that prompted Defense Secretary James Mattis to resign.
• That development materialized last Friday during a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after Erdogan asked Trump why there were still 2,000 troops in Syria if the Islamic State had been defeated.
• "You know what? It’s yours," Trump said, according to The Washington Post. "I’m leaving."

Capping off what has been a tumultuous week for the Trump administration are reports from multiple outlets that offer some clues as to why President Donald Trump made his decision to pull US troops out of Syria that prompted Defense Secretary James Mattis to resign.

That development materialized last Friday during a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after Erdogan asked Trump why there were still 2,000 US troops in Syria if the Islamic State had been defeated.

"You know what? It’s yours," Trump said, according to The Washington Post. "I’m leaving."

The Associated Press reported that members of Trump's national-security team, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mattis, wrote out talking points to dissuade Turkey from bringing troops into northern Syria and attacking Turkish Kurds, which would put US forces at risk. The US is allied with the Turkish Kurds in Syria, providing them with supplies and training in the fight against the Islamic State.

But both The Post and the AP explain that Trump went rogue.

"The talking points were very firm," one official told the Associated Press. "Everybody said push back and try to offer (Turkey) something that's a small win, possibly holding territory on the border, something like that."

John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser, also allegedly explained on the call that a victory against the Islamic State would need to mean more than just a loss of territory.

Trump, however, sided with Erdogan, and the AP reported that even Erdogan cautioned Trump on pulling troops out too hastily.

Attempts by his national-security team to change course were not successful, and on Wednesday, Trump tweeted out a video where he said that he was withdrawing troops from Syria — catching lawmakers off guard. On Thursday, it was reported that Trump is also cutting down the number of troops in Afghanistan by half.

Mattis, having failed to talk Trump out of leaving Syria, submitted a scathing resignation letter on Thursday, rebuking Trump's "America first" foreign policy and stressing the importance of maintaining alliances.

Lawmakers — including some Republicans that have previously backed Trump— have warned that pulling out of Syria would be a boon for US adversaries. They also expressed dismay at leaving the Kurds, who will likely face an invasion by Turkey.

"If you decide to follow through with your decision to pull our troops out of Syria, any remnants of ISIS in Syria will surely renew and embolden their efforts in the region," a letter from four Republican senators explained.

"The withdrawal of American presence from Syria also bolsters two other adversaries to the United States, Iran and Russia," they continued. "As you are aware, both Iran and Russia have used the Syrian conflict as a stage to magnify their influence in the region. Any sign of weakness perceived by Iran or Russia will only result in their increased presence in the region and a decrease in the trust of our partners and allies."

Trump's campaign platform included ending wars overseas — which he sees as expensive — and on making NATO pay more in defense spending.

SEE ALSO: Read Defense Secretary James Mattis' full resignation letter to Trump

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NOW WATCH: A Harvard psychologist reveals the secret to curbing your appetite

The proliferation of e-commerce has transformed free shipping and same-day delivery from perks to table stakes — and retailers are paying the price. With daily parcel volumes surging and customers increasingly unlikely to foot the bill, companies have been tasked with finding new ways to offer speedy shipments without eating costs.

Among the most popular strategies is crowdsourced delivery, the Uber model helping online shops solve the most expensive part of shipping: the last mile problem. Like Uber and other ride hailing apps, a number of crowdsourced delivery solutions have been cropping up over the past few years to ease these pains by connecting customers directly with local couriers. And it’s not just startups either; Amazon, the world's undisputed e-commerce leader, is investing big in crowdsourcing deliveries.

How much does Amazon spend on shipping?

“Free shipping” comes at a high cost. According to Amazon’s 2017 annual report, the company spent $21.7 billion in shipping last year — a number that includes sortation, delivery center, and transportation costs. This is nearly double the $11.5 billion it spent on shipping in 2015. And as the expectation of free, same-day delivery becomes the standard for online consumers, even giants like Amazon need to seek alternative solutions.

The crowdsourcing solution to the last mile problem

The last mile of delivery is the most expensive and time-consuming part of fulfillment for retailers and their logistics partners, comprising 53% of the overall cost of shipment. Crowdsourcing takes the onus off of companies, instead connecting customers directly with local couriers to expedite deliveries and cut down on costs.

The crowdsourcing model is already popular among meal and grocery delivery and, seeing the success of startups like Uber, Airbnb, and GrubHub, e-commerce retailers are now eyeing it to fulfill their online orders. As a result, general use crowdsourced delivery companies have emerged to meet this need.

Here’s a look at how three companies - Amazon Flex, Hitch, and Deliv - are trying their hand in the shipping industry — and what’s coming up next.

Amazon Flex - Deliver with Amazon

Launched in 2015 and piloted in Seattle, Amazon Flex lets customers order and receive packages through its on-demand delivery service, Prime Now, which guarantees free one- and two-hour deliveries. For Prime customers with already high expectations for prompt delivery, not much changes; the service primarily markets itself as a side gig for couriers.

For the most part, the app is only open to people who have cars (except in select regions allowing commercial bicycles), so those who want to make deliveries on bike or foot might have to look elsewhere. The service is particularly attractive to rideshare drivers who may want to make extra money without having strangers or potentially disruptive passengers in their cars. Anyone 21 or older with a smartphone, car, and valid driver’s license can log into the app and schedule their availability to start making deliveries.

Shipments can originate at an Amazon location, store, or restaurant. Drivers use their smartphone camera and GPS to scan packages and get turn-by-turn directions to their destinations. As long as they deliver the package within the allotted time frame, couriers make $18-25 an hour — all through a cashless transfer to their digital wallet on the app.

Learn more about Amazon Flex.

Hitch - Crowdsourced Delivery

Founded in 2014, Tampa-based startup Hitch gives consumers, “the choice to be Shippers, Travelers, or both.” The platform touts “turning your commute into cash” by pairing up shippers (the people placing the orders) with travelers (the local couriers) who are already heading in the direction of the delivery.

Users create profiles on the app to join the socially vetted community, where they can then rate one another and verify their accounts by adding bank account information. Shippers put out requests to have packages delivered, and Travelers can input travel information to see if there are any available deliveries along their route.

The app uses GPS to find the quickest route and provide tracking, as well as camera functionality to show proof of delivery. All payments are exchanged through Hitch’s third-party payment processing partner, Stripe.

Learn more about Hitch.

Deliv - Same-Day Delivery

Deliv is a general use last mile solution offering same-day service to over 4,000 omnichannel businesses in 35 cities across the country. Some of its biggest partners include Macy’s, Best Buy, Walmart, and IBM.

Rather than just fulfilling ad hoc deliveries for consumers, Deliv seeks to be a long-term business partner solving companies’ last mile problem — evidenced by its breakdown into Deliv Small Business, Deliv Enterprise, and Deliv Fresh for groceries. It offers SLAs, performance metrics, and integrations into business’ online checkout processes.

And the company is growing. In February, 2018, it launched Deliv Rx to extend these same-day services to patients, doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, labs, and clinics. Deliveries can include things like prescriptions, x-rays, medical equipment, documents, and even pet medicine.

Learn more about Deliv.

Growth & Future of Crowdsource Shipping

Want to learn more? The Crowdsourced Delivery Report from Business Insider Intelligence examines the rise of the crowdsourcing model in the last mile delivery space.

In this report, we detail the top use cases for crowdsourced deliveries, as well as the benefits and challenges of using this model for delivering online orders. We also provide insights into how to optimize crowdsourced deliveries for e-commerce and, lastly, we explain the long-term potential of startups appearing in the crowdsourced delivery space as automation plays a bigger role.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Retailers are looking for ways to deliver goods faster to consumers' doorsteps to stave off Amazon's threat and meet customer expectations.
• To accomplish that, retailers and delivery providers are zeroing in on the "last mile" of fulfillment, the most expensive and time-consuming part of the delivery process, which is when a package reaches the customer's address.
• Startups like Postmates, Instacart, and others are looking to disrupt the last mile delivery space by leveraging the "Uber model," and connecting businesses to non-professional couriers who can deliver goods instantly.
• Crowdsourcing can drastically speed up deliveries in urban areas, where there is a high density of deliveries and potential couriers to be matched.
• However, as delivery volumes increase, crowdsourced delivery startups will need to further optimize their deliveries to improve cost efficiencies.
• Many of the deliveries these startups perform today will likely be automated in the future, raising the possibility that these startups may eventually look to incorporate new technologies like delivery drones or self-driving delivery vehicles.

In full, the report:

• Details the factors driving investment and growth in crowdsourced delivery startups.
• Examines the benefits and drawbacks of using crowdsourcing to deliver online orders.
• Explains how crowdsourced delivery startups can improve their cost efficiencies to tackle greater delivery volumes.
• Explores the role that crowdsourcing will play in the future of delivery once automated delivery options, like drones and robots, arrive.

Subscribe to an All-Access pass to Business Insider Intelligence and gain immediate access to:

	This report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports
	Access to all future reports and daily newsletters
	Forecasts of new and emerging technologies in your industry
	And more!

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Purchase & download the full report from our research store

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• President Donald Trump reportedly mentioned wanting to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who despite Trump's protests, raised interest rates for the fourth time this year, according to a Bloomberg report.
• Advisers have reportedly warned Trump of the consequences of firing Powell, which may come at the cost of his political capital.
• Trump previously claimed the rate hikes would slow the economy, and he described them as a "mistake" and his "biggest threat."

President Donald Trump reportedly mentioned wanting to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who despite Trump's protests, raised interest rates for the fourth time this year on Wednesday.

Trump has privately discussed Powell's ouster several times this week, two Trump advisers told Bloomberg. Advisers have reportedly warned Trump of the consequences of firing Powell, which may come at the cost of his political capital.

Trump previously protested against potential rate hikes after the Federal Reserve was expected to raise them for a fourth time by the year's end. Trump claims the rate hikes would slow the economy and described it as a "mistake" and his "biggest threat."

"I think the Fed is making a mistake," Trump said in October. "They are so tight. I think the Fed has gone crazy."

Read more: Trump reportedly blames Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for recommending Jerome Powell as Fed chair

Powell took command of the Fed in February and succeeded economist Janet Yellen. Preventing Powell from serving his four-year term would challenge the integrity of the institution, which relies on its reputation of being an independent body, free of the White House's politics.

Trump previously praised Powell after announcing his appointment to the Fed.

"He's strong, he's committed, he's smart," Trump said in November 2017. "I am confident that with Jay as a wise steward of the Federal Reserve, it will have the leadership it needs in the years to come."

On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to raise the rate by 25 basis points to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%, the highest since 2008.

SEE ALSO: Trump reportedly thought Janet Yellen was not tall enough to lead the Federal Reserve

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

• When deciding where to retire, there are several factors to bear in mind.
• US News & World Report recently released its annual best places to retire in America list for 2019.
• We highlighted the 50 best places to retire in the US — Florida cities popped up several times.

Visions of retirement often come with sandy beaches and palm trees, but that doesn't mean that's what the best places to retire always look like.

US News & World Report recently released its annual best places to retire in America list for 2019. To determine the list, it looked at the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the US. Each area was given a retirement score scored on a 10-point scale and based on a weighted average of housing affordability, happiness, desirability, retiree taxes, job market, and healthcare quality.

This included data from a public survey of pre-retirees (age 45 to 59) and retirement-age (age 60 and up) folks across the country as well as data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other US News ranking lists.

You can read the full methodology here.

Below, see the top 50 places to retire in America, featuring several cities in Florida. We included the overall score, housing affordability index, and healthcare index.

SEE ALSO: Florida is one of the best places to retire in America — here's exactly how much it costs for a dream retirement in the Sunshine State

DON'T MISS: What 8 people wish they knew before retiring in their 20s and 30s

50. Des Moines, Iowa

Overall score: 6.6

Housing affordability: 7.1

Healthcare: 5.6

49. Los Angeles, California

Overall score: 6.6

Housing affordability: 4.6

Healthcare: 7.5

48. Knoxville, Tennessee

Overall score: 6.6

Housing affordability: 7.7

Healthcare: 6.3

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Gift cards are an ideal gift in a lot of ways. For instance, you get to give them exactly what they want — in the color, style, and exact model that they want it — without polling their closest friends, family, and private online wish lists. They also typically don't expire.

Below, you'll find 40 of the best ones to give. If you want more options, there are also lots of restaurant gift cards on Amazon and plenty of other brands here. Otherwise, you might opt for stores like Best Buy with free in-store pickup. 

Brooklinen

Buy a Brooklinen gift card

Brooklinen makes the best high-end sheets at the best price on the internet. Have a gift card delivered digitally, or in a gift card box. You can find a full review of Brooklinen's sheets here.

Amazon

Buy an Amazon gift card

An Amazon gift card is a more polite version of giving them cash — with it, they can buy pretty much anything they've had on their wish list — whether it's new and exciting tech or completely utilitarian home basics. You can also buy it in a gift card box.

Spotify

Buy a Spotify gift card on Amazon or Best Buy

They probably already have a Spotify account, but that doesn't mean they won't appreciate not having to pay for it for a while. A Spotify gift card lets you fund the next few months of something they love and use multiple times per day. 

This is a preview of The Reverse Logistics Report from Business Insider Intelligence. Current subscribers can read the report here.

With e-commerce becoming a lucrative shopping channel, retailers and their logistics partners have been primarily focused on how to quickly move goods through the supply chain and into the hands of consumers — a process commonly referred to as forward logistics. However, the opportunities presented by the growing popularity of e-commerce also come with a challenging, multibillion-dollar downside: returns.

Return rates for e-commerce purchases are between 25% and 30%, compared with just 9% for in-store purchases. Turning reverse logistics — the process of returning goods from end users back to their origins to either recapture value or properly dispose of material — into a costly and high-stakes matter for retailers.

Not only are retailers experiencing more returns as a result of e-commerce growth, but consumer expectations also demand that retailers provide a seamless process. In fact, 92% of consumers agree that they are more likely to shop at a store again if it offers a hassle-free return policy (e.g. free return shipping labels). Some consumers even place large orders with the intention of returning certain items. 

And e-commerce sales are only going up from here, exacerbating the issue and making retailers' need for help more dire. However, for logistics firms that can offer cost-effective reverse logistics solutions, this has opened up a significant opportunity to capture a share of rapidly growing e-commerce logistics costs in the US, which hit $117 billion last year, according to Armstrong & Associates, Inc. estimates. 

InThe Reverse Logistics Report, Business Insider Intelligence examines what makes reverse logistics so much more challenging than forward logistics, explores the trends that have driven retailers to finally improve the way in which returns move through their supply chains, and highlights how logistics firms can act to win over retailers' return dollars.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• E-commerce is now a core shopping channel for retailers, and it's still growing. US e-commerce sales are set to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% between 2018 and 2023, surpassing $1 trillion in sales, according to Business Insider Intelligence estimates.
• Booming e-commerce sales have driven product returns through the roof. Business Insider Intelligence estimates that US e-commerce returns will increase at a CAGR of 19% between 2018 and 2023, surpassing $300 million dollars. 
• Consumers have high expectations about how returns are handled, and retailers are struggling to find cost-effective ways to meet their demands. Sixty-four percent of shoppers stated they would be hesitant to shop at a retailer ever again if they found issues with the returns process. And retailers don't have the expertise to effectively keep up with how demanding consumers are about returns — 44% of retailers said their margins were negatively impacted by handling and packaging returns, for example.
• Logistics firms are well positioned to solve — and profit from — returns. These companies can take advantage of their scale and expertise to solve pain points retailers commonly experience as goods move through the reverse supply chain. 
• Reverse logistics solutions themselves present a lucrative opportunity — but they're also appealing in the potential inroads they offer to supply chain management. The global third-party logistics market is estimated to be valued at $865 billion in 2018, according to Bekryl. 

Join the conversation about this story »

• Director James Wan chose to make "Aquaman" because he thought it was the superhero "everyone makes fun of," so he'd get to make it under the radar.
• It backfired as "Justice League" bombing at the box office put more pressure on "Aquaman" to succeed. 
• Wan told Business Insider why making "Furious 7" helped prepare him for the pressures of making the DC Comics movie.

Director James Wan thought he had made the perfect choice when he was offered to do a superhero movie three years ago.

“They asked me which superhero I would be interested in, and I picked Aquaman because it’s the one everyone makes fun of, so there wouldn’t be a lot of pressure,” Wan told Business Insider. “I’ll go and make this movie under the radar — no one is going to care. Fast-forward, and there’s just this massive spotlight on it.”

What Wan didn’t foresee was that the DC Comics Extended Universe would suffer a major blow when last year’s release of “Justice League” became a major box-office and critical bomb. Suddenly, “Aquaman” was a pretty big deal for Warner Bros.

If Wan — the horror maestro behind “Saw” and “The Conjuring,” as well as title holder of the biggest box-office earner of the “Fast and Furious” franchise with “Furious 7” (over $1.5 billion worldwide) — and his lead Jason Momoa couldn’t make “Aquaman” a global hit, then what kind of future would the DCEU have outside of successful “Wonder Woman” movies?

Thankfully, “Aquaman” has become a box-office sensation, having already earned over $300 million overseas and becoming the highest-grossing Warner Bros. movie ever in China. It finally hits theaters in North America on Friday.

Read more: Business Insider ranks the 11 best movies of 2018

Wan admits there’s always pressure one a big movie, but he said having made a big movie for a studio, “Furious 7,” prepared him for all the anxiety of making “Aquaman” under a magnifying glass.

“It trained me to understand what it means to do a movie like this, but also how to have a movie like this fun in a way that people will endear it as opposed to scoffing at it,” Wan said of making “Furious 7.”

And US audiences are starting to see that for themselves, as the movie took in $13.7 million in preview screenings before its Friday opening, which is slightly better than “Venom” and “Wonder Woman.” 

SEE ALSO: Some upset MoviePass subscribers say they have tried to cancel and the app didn't let them

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Harvard scientists think this interstellar object might be an alien spacecraft

• The past year had a lot of breathtaking sports to offer.
• Between the Winter Olympics, the World Cup, and thrilling NBA and NFL seasons, it was quite a year for sports and sports photography.
• Whether capturing an important moment or simply a moment of beauty, great sports photography gives us a new perspective on athletes we love to watch.

The past year was a great one for sports.

Things started with a bang, with an epic Super Bowl and an enthralling Winter Olympics. From there, we journeyed through the NBA playoffs, and the summer brought us World Cup we'll never forget.

After spending the dog days of summer watching baseball, football season was back before we could blink. With it came historically high-powered offenses and a brand new slate of rookies ready to change the league.

Through it all, some of the best photographers alive were there to cover it and produce some astounding images. 

Take a look below at some of the best sports photographs of 2018.

Rory McIlroy finds himself in a predicament amongst Augusta National's iconic foliage during the third round of the Masters.

Read more:The 55 best photos from the 2018 Masters

Boxer Paddy Barnes makes his way to the ring.

The Philadelphia Eagles walk out on to the field prior to their NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings.

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Remittances, or cross-border peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfers, hit a record high of $613 billion globally in 2017, following a two-year decline.  And the remittance industry will continue to grow, driven largely by digital services.

Several factors will fuel digital growth globally, such as increased smartphone penetration, greater demand for digital transactions, and an overall need for faster cross-border transfers. And with the shift to digital comes an audience of younger, digital-savvy customers using remittances — a segment that companies are looking to target.

As a result, the global remittance industry is becoming increasingly competitive for firms to navigate, with incumbents like Western Union and MoneyGram competing for the same pool of customers as digital upstarts like WorldRemit and Remitly. And in order to win, companies across the board will need to prioritize the four areas consumers value most in remittances: cost, convenience, speed, and safety.  

In The Digital Remittances Report, Business Insider Intelligence will identify what young, digitally savvy users value in remittances. We will also detail the concrete steps that legacy and digital providers can take to effectively capture this opportunity and monetize digital offerings — the primary growth driver — to emerge at or maintain their presence at the forefront of the space. 

The companies mentioned in the report are: MoneyGram, Remitly, Ria, Western Union, WorldRemit, TransferWise, and Xoom, among others.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• The global remittance industry recovered from a two-year decline in 2017 to reach a record $613 billion in transfer volume. That growth will continue and will be fueled by digital remittances, which Business Insider Intelligence expects to grow at a 23% CAGR from $225 billion in 2018 to $387 billion in 2023.
• There’s a new segment of customers that both legacy and digital firms are competing to grab share of. Young, digital-savvy consumers are the customer segment that all firms are vying to reach, which is creating a highly competitive dynamic. The needs of those consumers will precipitate transformational change in the industry.
• We’ve identified several tangible steps firms can take to improve in four key areas — cost, convenience, speed, and security — to not only attract but also maintain this customer segment to align with their preferences and ultimately win in the space.

 In full, the report:

• Outlines the global remittance landscape and sizes the opportunity that the industry presents. 
• Identifies the new audience for remittances and future drivers of the remittance space going forward. 
• Discusses four key areas that providers can focus on — cost, convenience, speed, and security — to improve offerings and ultimately capture that shifting audience. 

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SEE ALSO: These were the biggest developments in the global fintech ecosystem over the last 12 months

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• It was hard to keep up with all the great books published in 2018 — but a few stood out as insightful, entertaining, and helpful.
• We've defined "business books" as reporting on businesses and the economy, as well as career and finance guides.
• Highlights include "Bad Blood" by John Carreyrou, "Imagine it Forward" by Beth Comstock, and "Big Debt Crises" by Ray Dalio.

If you've got some time off to finally catch up on your reading, or you're still looking for a last minute holiday present, now's a great time to look through the best business books of 2018.

A bonus just for you: Click here to claim 30 days of access to Business Insider PRIME

This year's highlights include a corporate tale of deception that seems too good to be true, an executive's memoir that's also a comprehensive career guide, and investing insights from two of the greatest to ever do it.

Here are our favorites.

SEE ALSO: I spent 2018 speaking with CEOs, billionaires, and a Nobel laureate, and there are 15 lessons I just can't seem to forget

'Bad Blood' by John Carreyrou

The medical device startup Theranos was once the world's hottest startup, its founder Elizabeth Holmes— deemed the "youngest self-made female billionaire"— a revolutionary. But after some digging into the company, it all unraveled.

Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou has the definitive account of what happened at Theranos, and how it was revealed to have been built on lies, secrecy, and an oppressive culture.

It's a story that sometimes sounds too wild to even be true, but Carreyou's narrative is an excellent piece of journalism.

Find it here »

'Imagine It Forward' by Beth Comstock with Tahl Raz

"Imagine It Forward" is Beth Comstock's memoir of her near 30-year career as an executive at General Electric and NBC.

It's full of juicy tidbits, like the time Comstock interviewed with Steve Jobs for a position at Apple and her meetings with Jack Welch. But the book also features practical advice for people at any level of an organization, like the idea that you can't expect a promotion to fall in your lap if you never expressed that you wanted it.

The book inspires readers to be creative and innovative, constantly pushing boundaries, regardless of their level in the corporate hierarchy. Comstock writes that she used to hand out "permission slips" to managers, so they would feel free to take risks that could potentially benefit the organization. The idea is to stop making excuses about why you can't take on big challenges and start holding yourself accountable.

Find it here »

'Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises' by Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is the founder and co-CIO of the world's largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates. Last year, he offered his account of the firm's highly unusual culture and how it's an extension of his life philosophy with "Principles: Life and Work," but this year he released a book on the economy.

"Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises" arrived on the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis, and shows how Dalio and his team learned from and navigated it.

It's a dense book, not unlike an economics text book, but you've got Dalio as your guide throughout, keeping the material as clear as possible. It's essential reading if you want to truly understand what happened in the last crisis and what to expect from the inevitable next one.

Find it here »

• Netflix has given a big boost to some of the world's highest-paid comedians.
• The majority of the comedians on Forbes' annual list have worked with Netflix this year or last, from Jerry Seinfeld to Chris Rock. 

Netflix has focused on stand-up comedy the last few years, and will even debut 47 new stand-up specials on New Year's Day.

Many comedians have seen big paydays thanks to Netflix, and that's evident in Forbes' list of the year's highest-paid comedians in the world, which was released this week. 

The majority of the comedians on the list have starred in Netflix specials this year or last, such as Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle.

Gabriel Iglesias released a Netflix special in 2016 called "I'm Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry," and will star in another sometime in 2019 called "One Show Fits All." Sebastian Maniscalco will also star in a special on Netflix that premieres January 15, called "Stay Hungry."

Forbes made the list based on estimated, pre-tax earnings from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018. Below are the top 10, with those who starred in Netflix specials this year or last in bold:

10. Sebastian Maniscalco

9. Jeff Dunham

8. Jim Gaffigan

7. Terry Fator

6. Gabriel Iglesias

5. Ricky Gervais

4. Chris Rock

3. Dave Chappelle

2. Kevin Hart

1. Jerry Seinfeld

And below are the comedians on the list who worked on original content with Netflix this year or in 2017, including their earnings according to Forbes:

SEE ALSO: Stephen King was 'riveted' by Netflix's new thriller, 'Bird Box,' and slammed critics for suffering from 'Netflix Prejudice'

Jeff Dunham — $16.5 million

Dunham starred in Netflix special called "Relative Disaster" last year. 

Jim Gaffigan — $17.5 million

Netflix released Gaffigan's fifth special last year, called "Cinco." This year, he passed on Netflix to release a new special, "Noble Ape," to a variety of on-demand services because it would be  "available to everyone at the same time,"he told Business Insider in August. "You didn't just have to have Netflix."

Ricky Gervais — $25 million

This year, Netflix released Gervais' first special in seven years, called "Humanity." Forbes estimates that he made $15 million for "Humanity."

• Amazon has unleashed a slow revolution on holiday shopping, becoming one of the most important places people turn to when they shop for the season.
• Last-minute shoppers now increasingly trust only Amazon to deliver their orders in time, according to data from Rakuten Intelligence.
• Amazon is ensuring it stays that way, giving out free trials of Prime like candy, ensuring prices stay competitive, releasing a physical toy guide, and offering free shipping, for every order, later in December than ever before.
• It's clear Amazon has become part of the fabric of holiday shopping — and will be for the foreseeable future as online shopping grows.

Amazon is home for the holidays.

The e-commerce company has become essential to the fabric of holiday shopping. Though much of America's holiday shopping is done the weekend of Thanksgiving, it's rivaled by the weekend right before Christmas, which includes a day that analysts have dubbed "Panic Saturday." 

Basically, last-minute shopping is how America prepares for the holiday. And no other retailer is in a better position to capture that market than Amazon.

As Christmas gets closer, shoppers increasingly say they trust only either Amazon or going to physical stores, according to a survey of 500 shoppers by retail platform Teikametrics. While 56% percent said they'd go to a store, 40% said they would most likely turn to Amazon for holiday shopping. Only 5% said they would trust a retailer not named Amazon to ship them their gifts in time.

According to Rakuten Intelligence data reported by The New York Times, Amazon's share of e-commerce sales fluctuates hugely during the holiday season. 

This year, it dipped lower than 20% on Thanksgiving. But that share tends to rebound, shooting up near 50% as Christmas draws closer. The busiest day for Amazon last year was December 18, while for other retailers it was December 10, according to Gartner L2 data.

Read more: People are accusing Amazon of 'ruining' Christmas by sending items without their own boxes, but there's a really easy fix

Amazon is now so ingrained in holiday shopping, it's effectively become the default online. For many shoppers who enjoy the convenience of online shopping, the choices are to either brave the crowds in stores or see when Amazon guarantees delivery by. 

Amazon has gone out of its way this year to make itself a holiday destination.

It's also ensuring it stays that way, giving out free 30-day trials of Prime like candy and offering a week of Prime for $2, offering deals, releasing a paper toy guide, and offering a free-shipping promotion, for every order, later in December than ever before.

Amazon gave free shipping to all orders this season, regardless of size. Then, Amazon extended its non-Prime free shipping deadline twice this year, first to December 18 from what was originally December 15, then another day to December 19.

It's clear Amazon has become part of the fabric of holiday shopping — and will be for the forseeable future as online shopping grows.

SEE ALSO: Amazon is making it cheaper for 3rd-party vendors to sell some items on the site so it can boost variety

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NOW WATCH: This fish was sold for $1.8 million — here's why bluefin tuna is so expensive

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I almost always default to Amazon when I need last-minute, well, anything. Because I love procrastinating, I use it most frantically to buy gifts.

Once you're on Amazon, you can breathe a little and remind yourself to calm down — it's impossible not to find a good gift that will arrive in time.

Armed with a Prime membership and lightning-fast typing and scrolling skills, you can browse the huge collection of Prime-eligible products and emerge triumphant, having crossed off gifts for everyone on your list. 

Most of these items are available with two-day shipping if you have Amazon Prime, so don't stress too hard about your last-minute shopping — just remember that the sooner you order, the better your chances of a timely arrival.

If time is catching up to you, we've created a cheat sheet to the best 32 gifts on Amazon that will also reliably arrive before Christmas. 

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018 here.

SEE ALSO: All of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides, in one place

DON'T MISS: 55 creative and unexpected gifts for her that are all under $50

A tribute to the illustrator behind the iconic worlds and characters of 'Star Wars'

Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie, $156.78, available at Amazon

Dive into the fascinating artistic process of creating the "Star Wars" universe. The never-before-seen-or-published illustrations and interviews paint a picture of the hard work of the designer Ralph McQuarrie.

A cool home-decor piece for transit enthusiasts

Best-selling noise-cancelling headphones

Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, $299, available at Amazon

These comfortable headphones cut out surrounding noises so they can enjoy the crisp and clear listening experience with no distractions. It also has Alexa built right in for hands-free music control and information access. 

Consumers having been “cutting the cord,” or canceling their pay-TV subscriptions in favor of internet-delivered alternatives, for years now, but the trend reached new heights in 2017. 

There’s little reason to believe that this phenomenon will slow down any time soon either, so pay-tv providers will have to find new ways to generate revenue as their primary source continues to erode. 

One of the most prominent ways media companies are recuperating cord-cutting losses is by launching their own direct-to-consumer streaming services. 

But what makes for a successful streaming video service? 

The Business Insider Intelligence Digital Media research team has written a note breaking down the evolving landscape of streaming video on-demand (SVOD). The note looks at which characteristics consumers care about most in a streaming service and which are just "nice to have." 

To get your FREE copy, click here.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Facebook suspended five accounts for spreading misleading information during the special election in Alabama last year.
• This includes the account of Jonathon Morgan, CEO of social media research firm New Knowledge, which helped the government discover how Russian agents used social media to share fake news during the 2016 election.
• Morgan said he created a misleading Facebook page and purchased retweets as part of an experiment with misleading online tactics, but didn't intend to affect the election's outcome.

Facebook has suspended five accounts for spreading misleading information during the special election in Alabama in 2017, including that of Jonathon Morgan, CEO of social media research firm New Knowledge.

"We've recently removed five accounts run by multiple individuals for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior on Facebook around the Alabama special election, and our investigation is ongoing," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider. "We take a strong stand against people or organizations that create networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are or what they’re doing." 

The news was first reported by The Washington Post.

Morgan previously told The Washington Post that he created a misleading Facebook page for conservatives and bought Twitter retweets "to measure the potential 'lift' of political messages" as part of an experiment with misleading online tactics during the election, which involved Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones.

He said his intent was not to affect the election's results, but to better understand online disinformation.

Morgan's efforts, however, were made alongside another campaign that attempted to use social media to destabilize Moore's campaign. According to The New York Times, a Democratically supported social media campaign promoted a Republican write-in candidate and created false evidence that Twitter bots were backing Moore.

Read more:Facebook endured a staggering number of scandals and controversies in 2018 — here they all are

In a statement released on Twitter earlier this week, Morgan said:

"My involvement in the project described in The New York Times was as a cyber-security researcher and expert with the intention to better understand and report on the tactics and effects of social media disinformation. I did not participate in any campaign to influence the public and any characterization on the contrary misrepresents the research goals, methods and outcome of the project."

New Knowledge helped the government discover how Russian agents used social media to share fake news during the 2016 election and after Trump was elected, the Post reported.

SEE ALSO: Facebook has been on an advertising blitz to fix its reputation, and some publishers have raked in cash from its nightmare PR year

DON'T MISS: Facebook could be building a cryptocurrency for WhatsApp

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro this holiday season

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here. 

If we're living through a “retail apocalypse” that spells doom for brick-and-mortar retail, as many have suggested, why are e-commerce leaders like Amazon, Alibaba, and JD.com so focused on building their own brick-and-mortar networks?

It's because they want to revitalize physical stores by introducing features associated with online shopping like personalization — and a whopping 65% of consumers said personalization and promotions are most important to their shopping experiences, according to a report from Oracle cited by Chain Store Age.

Brick-and-mortar retailers have the opportunity to reap the same benefits of personalization that e-tailers do, like repeat visits and impulse purchases, but they need to invest in the right technologies and techniques to do so because they currently don’t meet shoppers’ expectations. For example, 41% of consumers expect sales associates to know about their previous purchases, but just 19% have experienced this, according to a report from Segment.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence analyzes how physical retail’s personalization is being outperformed by e-commerce’s, and examines the value personalization holds for brick-and-mortar in particular. We also look at what techniques and technologies are available to help retailers identify and track consumers in-store, and how they can be used to bolster their personalization capabilities. Finally, we examine the different channels through which retailers can reach consumers with their personalized offerings in-store.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Amazon, Alibaba, JD.com, Intel, Mastercard, Target, Velocity Worldwide, RetailMeNot, b8ta, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sitecore, Oak Labs, Calabrio, and Alegion.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Consumers say that a personalized shopping experience can inspire loyalty and increases in spending.
• But brick-and-mortar retailers aren't meeting consumers’ in-store personalization expectations.
• The nature of online shopping gives e-commerce the upper hand when it comes to personalization.
• Physical retailers can close the gap in personalization by identifying consumers when they enter, tracking them throughout their journey, and then using that information to inform individualized offerings.
• To make the most of personalized offerings, retailers must consider how content is being presented to consumers in-store, and what the strengths of each channel are.
• If physical retailers fail to improve their in-store personalization, they risk losing sales and market share to e-commerce companies, both online and in-store.

In full, the report:

• Identifies the values of personalization to physical retailers.
• Details the reasons e-tailers currently offer better personalization than brick-and-mortar stores.
• Outlines the technologies and processes that can bolster in-store personalization.
• Discusses how retailers can best present personalized offerings in-store.

Join the conversation about this story »

SEE ALSO: 25 creative and unexpected gifts for 'Star Wars' fans of all ages

DON'T MISS: 75 unique gift ideas from startups that are worth having on your radar

A hook system more reliable than the MTA

Umbra Subway Wall Hook, $30, available at Amazon

Part art piece and part functional organizer, the subway-inspired wall hook reminds them of the joys (and terrors) of riding public transportation. 

A programmable R2-D2

A garden aquarium that wastes no resources

Back to the Roots Water Garden, $73.99, available at Amazon

The two-in-one ecosystem is self-sustaining: the fish waste fertilizes the micro greens on top while the plants clean the fish's water. It requires less work and the greens should be ready in 10 days, plus it simply looks cool on their countertop.