Retailers experiment with chatbots to reach customers

Shoppers on the hunt for a new pair of shoes, clothing or makeup typically find themselves navigating through crowds at the mall, browsing a website, searching through a mobile app or picking up the phone. "Hi, welcome to Sephora! Get makeup tips and reviews by chatting with us. Do you want to take a short quiz so I can get to know your makeup style?" a chatbot for makeup retailer Sephora asked on Kik, a messaging app that's popular with teens. With a growing number of people using messaging apps, including Kik, Facebook-owned WhatsApp, Line, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger, major brands are experimenting with chatbots as a way to interact with customers in a more natural way, build a loyal following and drive sales. Powered by artificial intelligence, a chatbot is a computer program designed to mimic human conversations.