Shopping bots, which can search retail sites automatically, are the rise as a way to help parents shop for Christmas gifts in lieu of searching increasingly empty store shelves, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
The bots can find out when items that were sold out are restocked and can place orders automatically, according to the report. They have been used by resellers in the past to buy and flip high-demand goods. Holiday shoppers are now using them too.
Bot developers said there have been a glut of more purchases of small items at a time, which indicates consumers are buying items to keep, the report stated. Conversely, those who resell on platforms like eBay tend to buy dozens or hundreds of items at time.
Bots have been used to purchase hard-to-find gifts like a “Gabby’s Dollhouse” playset from Spin Master, a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Blow Mold Nostalgic Boy Reindeer and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle items, along with video games, trading cards and more, according to the report.
Additionally, monthly bot attacks on retail sites have increased more than eightfold in the last two years, which analysts have said is a result of the pandemic’s increased dependency on eCommerce and current supply chain issues, the report stated.
In other retail news, Facebook is debuting innovations to let group admins set up shops with new tools like stickers, mugs and more, and provide product recommendations.
Read more: Commerce Gets Even More Social With Facebook Groups Shopping Upgrade
There will be Top Product Mentions, too, making it so news feeds can push products recommended by peers in common groups, and Live Shopping for creators to make it easier for creators to partner with brands and promote products they like.
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