Systems, devices, and methods for predicting product performance in a retail display area

• US 10,679,228 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2016
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Kolluru, Murthy Narayana
• Primary Examiner(s): Waesco, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US15/085,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20160292703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

Provided herein are methodologies, systems, and devices for simulating the performance of products a within a display area of a retail store. Data relating to a product'"'"'s attributes, location within a display area, and historical performance can be used to create a model that can predict the impact on sales that will result from moving particular items from one location in a display area to another location. Once created, this model can predict a product'"'"'s performance at various locations and assist in optimizing product placement within a display area. A GUI of an electronic device can display a virtual display area that allows a user to create various product placement scenarios. The model may also display product placement recommendations based on the predicted performance values of various products at different locations within a display area.

Claims

1. A method of simulating product performance and displaying within a graphical user interface a virtual arrangement of products, the method comprising:

receiving, in an electronic computer-readable format, via one or more servers, product attribute data corresponding to physical and economic attributes of a product and historical product performance data;

receiving, in an electronic computer-readable format, via the one or more servers, product location data representing a first physical location of the product within a display area of a store having a plurality of vertical display levels, the first physical location including a first x-y coordinate value representing a first horizontal and vertical location of the product within the display area;

creating, via the one or more servers, a model of the product at the first physical location based on the product attribute data and the historical product performance data, the model created by obtaining the historical product performance data and the product attribute data for a predefined period of time with respect to various products at various locations within the display area, the model configured to estimate product performance at each of the vertical display levels based on a gamma distribution;

simulating, via the one or more servers, product performance for the product using the model to generate a predicted performance value for the product at the plurality of vertical display levels within the display area of the store;

rendering, in a graphical user interface associated with an electronic display device of a client computing device, the simulation of the product performance, and depicting within the graphical user interface, the predicted performance value;

displaying within the graphical user interface a virtual arrangement of the various products within the plurality of vertical display levels within a virtual display area of the store, the virtual display area corresponding to the display area of the store, the virtual arrangement including a first graphical indicator of the product at the first physical location within the virtual display area;

virtually rearranging the product within the virtual display area displayed within the graphical user interface by dragging-and-dropping the product to a second physical location, the second physical location including a second x-y coordinate value representing a second horizontal and vertical location of the product within the display area;

displaying within the graphical user interface a virtual rearrangement of the various products within the plurality of vertical display levels within the virtual display area, including a second graphical indicator of the product at the second physical location within the virtual display area;

generating, via the one or more servers, a predicted change in the predicted performance value based on the created model in response to the product being relocated within the virtual display area; and

displaying within the graphical user interface the predicted change in product performance resulting from the rearrangement of the product to the second physical location within the virtual display area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the product attribute data is representative of product shelf volume, product price, product size, product weight, product shape, product shelf life, product brand, product seasonality, product marketing, product market share, or product brand contribution to category sales.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the historical product performance data is representative of sales, units sold, or profit margin for the product at each location within the display area.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, via the graphical user interface, user input relocating the product from the first location to the second location within the virtual display area, the graphical user interface further programmed to display the product at the second location within the virtual display area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user input includes a drag-and-drop command performed via a pointing device of the electronic display device.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating the predicted change in product performance between the first location and the second location by calculating a difference between a predicted performance value at the second location and a predicted performance value at the first location.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating a predicted change in sales, units sold, or profit margin for a product category in response to relocating a product within the product category from a first location to a second location.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein relocating a first product from a first location to a second location displaces a second product from the second location to a third location, the method further comprising generating a predicted change in product performance of the second product between the second location and the third location.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating an optimum placement of the at least one product within the display area based on the predicted change in product performance.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising virtually arranging the product within the virtual display area on the graphical user interface using a drag-and-drop command, wherein the product is dragged and dropped to create various product placement scenarios to be simulated.

10. A system of simulating product performance and displaying within a graphical user interface a virtual arrangement of products, the system comprising:

one or more servers programmed to;

receive, in an electronic computer-readable format, product attribute data corresponding to physical and economic attributes of a product and historical product performance data;

receive, in an electronic computer-readable format, product location data representing a first physical location of the product within a display area of a store having a plurality of vertical display levels, the first physical location including a first x-y coordinate value representing a first horizontal and vertical location of the product within the display area;

create a model of the product at the first physical location based on the product attribute data and the historical product performance data, the model created by obtaining the historical product performance data and the product attribute data for a predefined period of time with respect to various products at various locations within the display area, the model configured to estimate product performance at each of the vertical display levels based on a gamma distribution;

simulate product performance for the product using the model to generate a predicted performance value for the product at the plurality of vertical display levels within the display area of the store;

render the simulation of the product performance in a graphical user interface, and depicting within the graphical user interface, the predicted performance value; and

display a virtual arrangement of the various products within the plurality of vertical display levels within a virtual display area of the store, the virtual display area corresponding to the display area of the store, the virtual arrangement including a first graphical indicator of the product at the first physical location within the virtual display area;

virtually rearrange the product within the virtual display area displayed within the graphical user interface upon receiving input dragging-and-dropping the product to a second physical location, the second physical location including a second x-y coordinate value representing a second horizontal and vertical location of the product within the display area;

display within the graphical user interface a virtual rearrangement of the various products within the plurality of vertical display levels within the virtual display area of the store, including a second graphical indicator of the product at the second physical location within the virtual display area;

generate a predicted change in the predicted performance value based on the created model in response to the product being relocated within the virtual display area; and

display within the graphical user interface the predicted change in product performance resulting from the rearrangement of the product to the second physical location within the virtual display area.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the product attribute data is representative of product shelf volume, product price, product size, product weight, product shape, product shelf life, product brand, product seasonality, product marketing, product market share, or product brand contribution to category sales.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the historical product performance data is representative of sales, units sold, or profit margin for the product at each location within the display area.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more servers are further programmed to receive via the graphical user interface, user input relocating the product from the first location to the second location within the virtual display area, the graphical user interface further programmed to display the product at the second location within the virtual display area.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user input includes a drag-and-drop command performed via a pointing device of the electronic display device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more servers are further programmed to generate the predicted change in product performance between the first location and the second location by calculating a difference between a predicted performance value at the second location and a predicted performance value at the first location.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more servers are further programmed to generate a predicted change in sales, units sold, or profit margin for a product category in response to relocating a product within the product category from a first location to a second location.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein relocating a first product from a first location to a second location displaces a second product from the second location to a third location, the one or more servers further programmed to generate a predicted change in product performance of the second product between the second location and the third location.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more servers are further programmed to generate an optimum placement of the at least one product within the display area based on the predicted change in product performance.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a processing device, wherein execution of the instructions causes the processing device to implement a method of simulating product performance and displaying within a graphical user interface a virtual arrangement of products, the method comprising:

receiving, in an electronic computer-readable format, product attribute data corresponding to physical and economic attributes of a product and historical product performance data;

receiving, in an electronic computer-readable format, product location data representing a first physical location of the product within a display area of a store having a plurality of vertical display levels, the first physical location including a first x-y coordinate value representing a first horizontal and vertical location of the product within the display area;

creating a model of the product at the first physical location based on the product attribute data and the historical product performance data, the model created by obtaining the historical product performance data and the product attribute data for a predefined period of time with respect to various products at various locations within the display area, the model configured to estimate product performance at each of the vertical display levels based on a gamma distribution;

simulating product performance for the product using the model to generate a predicted performance value for the product at the plurality of vertical display levels within the display area of the store;

rendering the simulation of the product performance in a graphical user interface, and depicting within the graphical user interface, the predicted performance value;

displaying a virtual arrangement of the various products within the plurality of vertical display levels within a virtual display area of the store, the virtual display area corresponding to the display area of the store, the virtual arrangement including a first graphical indicator of the product at the first physical location within the virtual display area;

virtually rearranging the product within the virtual display area displayed within the graphical user interface upon receiving input dragging-and-dropping the product to a second physical location, the second physical location including a second x-y coordinate value representing a second horizontal and vertical location of the product within the display area;

displaying within the graphical user interface a virtual rearrangement of the various products within the plurality of vertical display levels within the virtual display area of the store, including a second graphical indicator of the product at the second physical location within the virtual display area;

generating, via the one or more servers, a predicted change in the predicted performance value based on the created model in response to the product being relocated within the virtual display area;

displaying within the graphical user interface the predicted change in product performance resulting from the rearrangement of the product to the second physical location within the virtual display area.