Technology is playing an ever-important role in the shopping side of the holiday season. Logistics aside, which is of course critical at this time of year, tech is also proving increasingly key from an experiential and a customer service perspective both online and offline. Leading that charge for 2016 are virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI). Google has employed the former this year, for instance, to allow consumers to'walk' along Fifth Avenue in New York to experience all the holiday window displays. Window Wonderland, as the initiative is called, is a VR experience that lets users view 18 different retailers including Bloomingdale's, Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co, Burberry and more.