Chatbot Tracker: Cyber Monday & Altruism PYMNTS.com

Of the three shopping days this weekend, Cyber Monday is arguably the most chatbot-friendly due to the digital nature of the day. "We're seeing a continued excitement for interacting with AI products, like chatbots, through the heavy holiday promotion of tech products with built-in AI, like Amazon's Echo and Alexa and Google's new Home," said Andrew Seay, director of mobile experience at Vibes. But as for exactly how chatbots played a role in the shopping experience and number of sales, experts say it's only up from here. "Chatbots will be giving Santa some help this holiday season for a few boys and girls on the digital nice list, but they are unlikely to give retailers the needle-moving sales boost they're looking for," said Jake Bennett, CTO at POP. "Chatbots are just too new, and there are too many logistical hurdles for widespread adoption in 2016." Bennett said that, on the one hand, chatbots provide an ideal platform for an interactive holiday gift guide -- quite literally guiding customers to certain products.