System and method for assortment planning

• US 20050197882A1
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Fotteler, Christine, Busch, Hergen, Kopecz, Klaus, Collet, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A system, method and program product are provided for performing assortment definition. The method includes classifying the assortment by a first dimension, receiving information regarding a plurality of stores, and classifying each of the plurality of stores by the first dimension.

Claims

1. A method for defining an assortment, comprising:

classifying the assortment by a first dimension;

receiving information regarding a plurality of stores; and

classifying each of the plurality of stores by the first dimension.

2. The method of claim 1, further including performing a matching process to identify a subset of the plurality of stores for assignment to the assortment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the matching process is performed using a matching criterion based on a similarity of dimension values of the stores to dimension values of the assortment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dimension values of the assortment are manually assigned.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the dimension values of the stores are determined by a classification algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first dimension is a retail store characteristic.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the retail store characteristic is selected from capacity, price level, fashion grade, sales, geographical region, climactic zone, demographics and retail concept.

8. The method of claim 1, further including assigning a category to the assortment, and assigning a category to each of the plurality of stores to define a plurality of shops.

9. The method of claim 8, further including assigning the shops to the assortment when the categories assigned to the shops match the category assigned to the assortment.

10. The method of claim 1, further including classifying the assortment by a second dimension, and classifying each of the plurality of stores by the second dimension.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second dimensions are retail store characteristics.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the retail store characteristic are selected from capacity, price level, fashion grade, sales, geographical region, climactic zone, demographics and retail concept.

13. A system for defining an assortment, comprising:

means for classifying the assortment by a first dimension;

means for receiving information regarding a plurality of stores; and

means for classifying each of the stores by the first dimension.

14. The system of claim 13, further including means for performing a matching process to identify a subset of the plurality of stores for assignment to the assortment.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for performing the matching process uses a matching criterion based on a similarity of dimension values of the stores to dimension values of the assortment.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the dimension values of the assortment are manually assigned.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the dimension values of the stores are determined by a classification means.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the first dimension is a retail store characteristic.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the retail store characteristic is selected from capacity, price level, fashion grade, sales, geographical region, climactic zone, demographics and retail concept.

20. The system of claim 13, further including means for assigning a category to the assortment, and means for assigning a category to each of the plurality of stores to define a plurality of shops.

21. The system of claim 20, further including means for assigning the shops to the assortment when the categories assigned to the shops match the category assigned to the assortment.

22. The system of claim 13, further including means for classifying the assortment by a second dimension, and means for classifying each of the plurality of stores by the second dimension.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first and second dimensions are retail store characteristics.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the retail store characteristic are selected from capacity, price level, fashion grade, sales, geographical region, climactic zone, demographics and retail concept.

25. A program product for defining an assortment, the program product comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the following method steps:

classifying the assortment by a first dimension;

receiving information regarding a plurality of stores; and

classifying each of the stores by the first dimension.

26. The program product of claim 25, further including performing a matching process to identify a subset of the plurality of stores for assignment to the assortment.

27. The program product of claim 26, wherein the matching process is performed using a matching criterion based on a similarity of dimension values of the stores to dimension values of the assortment.

28. The program product of claim 27, wherein the dimension values of the assortment are manually assigned.

29. The program product of claim 27, wherein the dimension values of the stores are determined by a classification algorithm.

30. The program product of claim 25, wherein the first dimension is a retail store characteristic.

31. The program product of claim 30, wherein the retail store characteristic is selected from capacity, price level, fashion grade, sales, geographical region, climactic zone, demographics and retail concept.

32. The program product of claim 25, further including assigning a category to the assortment, and assigning a category to each of the plurality of stores to define a plurality of shops.

33. The program product of claim 32, further including assigning the shops to the assortment when the categories assigned to the shops match the category assigned to the assortment.

34. The program product of claim 25, further including classifying the assortment by a second dimension, and classifying each of the plurality of stores by the second dimension.

35. The program product of claim 34, wherein the first and second dimensions are retail store characteristics.

36. The program product of claim 35, wherein the retail store characteristic are selected from capacity, price level, fashion grade, sales, geographical region, climactic zone, demographics and retail concept.