Bots can push stock into resale markets, frustrate loyal customers and leave people questioning whether a launch was fair. Technology teams may overprovision capacity based on artificial demand. Zero added downtime or friction for genuine shoppers is the measure of doing this well, not just fewer bots getting through. The technology behind them, however, cuts across application security, APIs, infrastructure, fraud, payments, and customer experience. Distinguishing malicious raiders from legitimate customers is critical, especially as customers begin to use AI-powered e-commerce bots to do their shopping.