ABC News highlighted how Target, Walmart, and Shopify-owned storefronts are steering customers to conversational agents that can turn a vague prompt like “tech gifts for a nine-year-old” into curated carts. The assistants read inventory feeds and promo databases in real time, so they can nudge shoppers toward in-stock bundles or substitute items if a popular toy already sold out.

Retail engineers say the bots cut average customer-service wait times by 40% this month because they handle routine questions—holiday shipping deadlines, curbside pickup windows, extended return policies—without escalating to call centers. When an agent does need to step in, they inherit the full chat transcript and SKU list, so customers avoid repeating themselves.

Shopify said its Sidekick concierge now suggests cross-sells based on local weather and browsing history, while Best Buy’s AI stylist can parse screenshots of someone’s living room to recommend complementary smart lighting. Boutique toy sellers are joining the wave via white-label tools from Gorgias and Intercom that plug GPT-4o into existing help desks.

Privacy advocates still want clear labeling when shoppers chat with bots, and unions are watching whether retailers backfill seasonal support roles next year. For now, brands argue the assistants are additive: they log every interaction, tag the common pain points, and help managers decide where to open pop-up counters or reroute inventory trucks in the final shopping sprint.

Expect the experiment to stick around in January. Retailers plan to flip the same assistants into proactive return concierges that pre-fill labels, recommend exchanges, and automate refund status updates—cementing AI chat as a permanent part of the post-holiday workflow.