The Bot Problem
Bots are faster than humans. During product launches, automated tools:
- Monitor for availability milliseconds
- Add to cart before pages fully load
- Complete checkout in seconds
- Buy entire inventory allocation
Real customers never had a chance.
Who’s Behind the Bots?
Resellers
Buy limited products to resell at markup.
Competitors
Lock up your inventory to frustrate customers.
Organized Groups
Coordinate bot purchases across multiple accounts.
The Business Impact
Lost Customer Loyalty
Loyal customers can’t buy from you, so they:
- Shop elsewhere
- Blame you for “unfair” launches
- Leave negative feedback
- Tell friends to avoid
Damaged Brand Perception
“They always sell out instantly” becomes your reputation.
Revenue Loss to Resellers
Your products, someone else’s profit margin.
How to Fight Back
Block Bot Infrastructure
Most bots run from:
- Data centers (not residential IPs)
- VPN services
- Cloud hosting
Block these sources during launches.
Geographic Restrictions
During launches:
- Restrict to shipping regions only
- Block high-fraud countries
- Tighten VPN blocking
With SecurEcommerce
- Enable VPN blocking before launches
- Block data center traffic using ISP blocking
- Geographic restrictions to shipping areas only
- Monitor traffic patterns for anomalies
Launch Day Checklist
- VPN blocking enabled
- Data center ISPs blocked
- Geographic restrictions tightened
- Traffic monitoring active
- Support team prepared for complaints
It Won’t Be Perfect
No solution stops all bots. But you can:
- Stop the casual bot operators
- Make it harder for sophisticated ones
- Give more real customers a chance
- Demonstrate you’re trying
Your loyal customers will appreciate the effort.