By Madhu Mathihalli, CTO and co-founder at Passage AI
With the recent closing of Toys ‘R’ Us, the retail apocalypse has claimed another brick-and-mortar victim. The years 2016 and 2017 gave us dozens of retail bankruptcies, including Radio Shack, Gymboree, Sports Authority and The Limited. More are at risk, such as iconic brands Sears and J.C. Penney. More than 10,000 retail stores have shuttered as American shoppers shift their buying online, leaving malls across America facing an identity crisis.