Nike is taking another step to throw up a roadblock for users determined to take advantage of bots and automated scripts to gain an unfair edge in purchasing sneakers online. Nikestore now has a new page detailing its latest development called Nike Access Codes, which reads like a retaliatory effort intended to thwart bot usage. The whole thing remains a bit vague considering the Access Codes haven’t gone live and Nike hasn’t released an official statement on them yet, but there are a couple key points that can be gleaned from the questions section the page.
- Nike Access Codes pertain ONLY to sneaker purchases through Nike.
- Nike will send out Access Codes to select customers. This means that you can’t actively get a code to purchase the product in question. They’ve got to send it you.
- Nike reserves the right to use access codes on any product and won’t announce selections publicly prior to use. This suggests that you might have to go into a Saturday morning release without knowing which pairs will ask you for an Access Code during the purchase.
- Access Codes don’t guarantee you the product in question. It will only “give you access” to potentially buy the shoe.
These are a couple of the more important points to take away from the whole process. The effort is another hoop to jump through in terms of purchasing sneakers, but it is certainly a valiant effort considering the lengths that Nike is going to to please what is ultimately a pretty small percentage of their consumers.