Bot Traffic Surpasses Human Users on E-commerce Sites for First Time

A groundbreaking shift in online shopping patterns emerged as automated bots accounted for 57% of e-commerce website traffic during the 2024 holiday season, according to a new report from Radware's Annual Security Report. This marks the first time that non-human traffic has exceeded human shoppers on retail websites, highlighting the increasing importance of implementing robust e-commerce security measures to protect online businesses.

The dramatic increase in bot activity signals a critical transformation in the cybersecurity landscape, presenting new challenges for online retailers and e-commerce providers. Of particular concern, malicious bots comprised 31% of total internet traffic during the holiday season, with nearly 60% using sophisticated behavioral techniques to evade traditional security measures.

Mobile Platforms Under Increasing Attack

The most striking development was the 160% surge in malicious bot traffic targeting mobile platforms between the 2023 and 2024 holiday shopping seasons. Attackers are increasingly employing advanced techniques including:

• Mobile emulators
• Mobile-specific proxies
• Headless browsers with mobile user-agent strings

This fundamental shift requires retailers to implement automated security solutions for their e-commerce operations, particularly for vulnerable mobile platforms.

Evolution of Attack Methods

The report revealed a 32% increase in attack traffic originating from ISP networks between 2023 and 2024. Cybercriminals are now leveraging residential proxy services to bypass traditional security measures like:

• Rate-limiting mechanisms
• Geo-based blocking
• IP-based restrictions

Attackers are also combining multiple methods, including bot attacks, web application vulnerability exploits, and API-focused attacks to maximize their effectiveness.

Impact on Business Growth

To maintain sustainable growth in this challenging environment, businesses must focus on attracting legitimate website traffic while implementing security measures. Organizations should:

1. Implement AI-powered detection systems capable of identifying sophisticated attack patterns
2. Develop integrated application security strategies incorporating latest threat intelligence
3. Deploy multi-layered protection systems specifically designed for mobile platforms

The report underscores that traditional security measures are no longer sufficient in today's rapidly evolving threat landscape. Organizations must adapt their security protocols to address these emerging challenges while maintaining efficient operations for legitimate customers.

This paradigm shift in online traffic composition represents a watershed moment for e-commerce security, requiring a fundamental rethinking of how businesses approach digital security and customer authentication.