Lidl’s virtual sommelier Margot

Lidl has launched a new Facebook Messenger chatbot that seeks to help customers select the best wine to purchase.

Dubbed “Margot”, the artificially intelligent chatbot is said to “perform the role of shopper’s virtual wine consultant”.

Customers can open a chat window and Margot will present them with three options: food pairing, find a wine or take a quiz.

While the quiz offers some playful wine-based trivia, the other two options seek to educate the user on which wine would be the best fit.

Food pairings can be selected using food emojis, or by simply entering the meal your planning.

Customers can also find a wine through selecting a country, region, grape, colour, and/or price.

Margot also answers questions like “cheapest wine” or “do you have any wines from the USA?”.

“We have built a reputation for providing fantastic quality wines at highly competitive prices for our customers,” Lidl’s digital director Alex Murray said.

“Margot will ensure choosing the right wine is never a daunting process, and we hope this service – along with the existing in-store and online information we already provide – encourages customers to discover the perfect wine from our curated range.”