AI chatbots in holiday shopping

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2025/01/14

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: AI chatbots in holiday shopping

Vocabulary Match

personalized •• hard
suggestions •• trustworthy
complex •• ideas
requests •• buyer
consumer •• change
transform •• custom
reliable •• questions

Vocabulary Answers

personalizedcustom
suggestionsideas
complexhard
requestsquestions
consumerbuyer
transformchange
reliabletrustworthy

Article

AI chatbots played a major role in last year's holiday shopping season, making the experience smoother for millions of customers. Retailers like Amazon and Walmart used chatbots to provide personalized gift suggestions and answer customer questions quickly. A standout feature was their ability to handle complex requests, such as "What's a good gift for a 10-year-old who loves science?"

According to Salesforce, consumer use of AI-powered customer service chatbots increased by 42% compared to the previous year. This shows how quickly shoppers are adopting the technology. However, some chatbots still made errors, especially with unusual questions. Experts believe AI will continue to transform online retail, offering smarter and more reliable support in the future.

Quiz

  1. What role did AI chatbots play in holiday shopping?
  2. Which retailers used chatbots for holiday shopping?
  3. By how much did the use of AI chatbots increase according to Salesforce?
  4. What do experts believe about the future of AI in online retail?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. AI chatbots made the shopping experience smoother.
  2. Amazon and Walmart used chatbots.
  3. It increased by 42%.
  4. Experts believe AI will offer smarter and more reliable support in the future.

Conversation

A:Did you try using a chatbot while doing your Christmas shopping?
B:Yeah, I did! They were surprisingly helpful.
A:Same here. I loved how it suggested gifts for my nephew—saved me so much time.
B:Totally! They even helped me compare prices without endless searching.
A:Honestly, they're getting so smart. Do you think they might replace us one day?
B:Maybe, but only if they start making coffee too!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever used a chatbot while shopping online?
  2. What would you ask a chatbot if you needed a gift idea?
  3. Do you think chatbots make customer service easier or harder?
  4. Would you trust a chatbot to help you with important decisions?

Source Material

https://www.marketplace.org/2025/01/06/ai-chatbots-made-inroads-into-holiday-shopping-last-year/


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