Nordstrom launches chatbot for holiday shoppers

RETAIL FORECAST: U.S. consumers will spend $632 billion online by 2020 Nordstrom launched its first chatbot on the Facebook Messenger and Kik messaging services to help holiday shoppers find gift items, Geek Wire reports. The chatbot helps users select gift items by asking them a series of questions about who they are shopping for. It then chooses gifts from Nordstrom's online store that match their answers. Users can also type in a request for gift ideas that are forwarded to Nordstrom customer service representatives who respond with customized gift ideas based on the request. The chatbot will available to consumers up until December 24, and was developed in partnership with Snaps, a New York-based startup that helps brands develop their own chatbots.