The RealReal tightens bot defenses against AI shopping agents
The RealReal is updating its bot defense system to make it harder for AI agents to shop on its site. The change comes days after The Verge reported that an AI agent could take advantage of the retailer's item reserve system. On The RealReal's website, an item goes on hold and is unavailable to other customers for 20 minutes once it is placed in a user's shopping cart. Using Meta's Muse, The Verge stated that it was able to instruct an AI agent to continuously re-add The RealReal listings to a shopping cart as soon as the 20-minute hold expired. This action effectively blocked other customers from purchasing the items. The RealReal's update aims to address these vulnerabilities in its inventory management process.
The RealReal is updating its bot defense system to make it harder for AI agents to shop on its site. The change comes days after The Verge reported that an AI agent could take advantage of the retailer's item reserve system. On The RealReal's website, an item goes on hold and is unavailable to other customers for 20 minutes once it is placed in a user's shopping cart. Using Meta's Muse, The Verge stated that it was able to instruct an AI agent to continuously re-add The RealReal listings to a shopping cart as soon as the 20-minute hold expired. This action effectively blocked other customers from purchasing the items. The RealReal's update aims to address these vulnerabilities in its inventory management process.