Systems and methods for pricing combinations of items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019026770-A1
Application number	US-201816038663-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Jul 18, 2017
Publication date	Jan 24, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to technological improvements over existing, manual pricing modification for combinations of items. Systems and methods maintain advertized discounts, promotions, or sales even when some of a requested item is substituted or eliminated from a customer's order.

First claim

1 . A system for pricing a set of items for shipment to a customer, the system comprising:
an ordering interface configured to receive an order for the set of items from the customer; a fulfillment device configured to:
receive the order for the set of items from the ordering interface,
monitor a fulfilled set of items that are selected for shipment to the customer, and
release the fulfilled set of items for shipment to the customer; and
an analytical engine communicatively coupled with the fulfillment device to calculate a price for the fulfilled set of items and communicate the price for the fulfilled set of items to the fulfillment device, the analytical engine comprising:
an item comparison module configured to compare the set of items with an inventory of discounts and promotions to generate linksaves;
a replacement identification module configured to compare the set of items with the fulfilled set of items to determine a quantity of nil picks and a quantity of substitutions for each item of the set of items,
a categorization module configured to categorize the linksaves and associate each of the fulfilled set of items, the nil picks, and the substitutions with a corresponding linksave;
a plurality of linksave modules each associated with a category of linksave, each of the linksave modules configured to calculate a subtotal price and savings for each of the fulfilled set of items, and
a summing module configured to receive the subtotal prices and savings for each of the fulfilled set of items and generate the price for the fulfilled set of items.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the discounts include:
at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price; at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price, and others of the fulfilled set of items being substitutes for the same item; at least some of the fulfilled set of items being a grouping of multiple items at a grouped price; at least some of the fulfilled set of items being assigned a percent discount; and at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item associated with a flat discount amount.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the analytical engine is configured to apply the discounts in the following order:
at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price; then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price, and others of the fulfilled set of items being substitutes for the same item; then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being a grouping of multiple items at a grouped price; then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being assigned a percent discount; and then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item associated with a flat discount amount.

4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a module for pricing non-discrete items.

5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a tax module configured to apply a tax to the price produced by the analytical engine.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a linksave identification module configured to compare the fulfilled set of items to the ordered set of items and generate a list of linksaves that were applicable at the time when the order was placed at the ordering interface.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the system is configured to apply any linksaves that were applicable at the time the order was placed in order to determine the price despite an indication from the fulfillment device of a substitution or a nil pick.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a point of sale communicatively coupled to the analytical engine and the fulfillment device and configured to:
receive the price of the fulfilled set of items from the analytical engine; receive a payment for the price of the fulfilled set of items from the customer; and instruct the fulfillment device to release the fulfilled set of items for delivery to the customer.

9 . A method comprising:
acquiring an order for a set of items from a customer via an ordering interface; sending the order from the ordering interface to a fulfillment device; fulfilling the order using the fulfillment device and tracking a fulfilled set of items that are selected for shipment to the customer; and calculating, at an analytical engine, a price for the fulfilled set of items, the analytical engine comprising:
a comparator module configured to compare the set of items with the fulfilled set of items,
a counter module configured to determine a quantity of nil picks and a quantity of substitutions for each of the set of items,
a plurality of linksave modules each associated with one of a corresponding plurality of discount types and configured to calculate a subtotal price and savings for each of the fulfilled set of items, and
a summing module configured to receive the subtotal prices and savings for each of the fulfilled set of items and generate the price for the fulfilled set of items.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising replacing one of the set of items with a substitution, wherein the substitution is selected from a similar item or a nil pick.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising sending an indication of the substitution or the nil pick from the fulfillment device to the analytical engine.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the discounts include:
at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price; at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price, and others of the fulfilled set of items being substitutes for the same item; at least some of the fulfilled set of items being a grouping of multiple items at a grouped price; at least some of the fulfilled set of items being assigned a percent discount; and at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item associated with a flat discount amount.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the analytical engine is configured to apply the discounts in the following order:
at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price; then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item at a bulk price, and others of the fulfilled set of items being substitutes for the same item; then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being a grouping of multiple items at a grouped price; then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being assigned a percent discount; and then at least some of the fulfilled set of items being multiples of a same item associated with a flat discount amount.

14 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining at the analytical engine a price of non-discrete items.

15 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising applying a tax to the price produced by the analytical engine via a tax module.

16 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising comparing the fulfilled set of items to the ordered set of items and generating a list of linksaves that were applicable at the time when the order was placed at the ordering interface.

17 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising applying any linksaves that were applicable at the time the order was placed in order to determine the price despite an indication from the fulfillment device of a substitution or a nil pick.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Murugesan Ramprabhu
• Bhat Kedaranath
• Goel Sumit

Classifications

• G06Q10/0833

  Tracking · CPC title

• G06Q30/0641

  utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q30/0238 Primary

  at point-of-sale [POS] · CPC title