Seasonal data

Global – IBM’s Watson supercomputer predicts what consumer products will be hot this holiday season.

• IBM Watson is a cognitive system that uses language processing and machine learning to process and analyse massive amounts of data
• Users of the IBM Watson Trend app receive a daily feed of trending products, insights and reports

Nike running shoes, Star Wars Droids and Skylanders action figures are set to be Christmas bestsellers this year, according to the IBM Watson Trend app.

The technology uses a real-time tracker that draws on quantitative and qualitative data to inform its processes, analysing millions of conversations across social networks, blogs, forums, comments, ratings and reviews.

Each piece of information enables Watson to make considered suggestions based on machine learning rather than hand-coded algorithms, presenting not only what people are likely to buy, but why, as well as when something becomes more or less popular.