Price planning system and method including automated price adjustment, manual price adjustment, and promotion management

• US 20050197896A1
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Veit, Thomas, Roth, Thomas, Wannemacher, Ines, Ziehl, Susanne
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, program, product and system for managing the, sale of a product. The system can determine if the product is a slow seller, determining a markdown to be applied to a price of the product, reconciling a markdown budget with the determined markdown to be applied to the price to determine whether the markdown will be applied, and adjusting the price of the product by the markdown. The system can also apply manual pricing data and promotion pricing data. The system integrates several tasks required for selling articles and services.

Claims

1. A price planning system, comprising:

an automated pricing engine;

a promotions engine;

a manual pricing engine; and

a user interface configured to receive price planning information from one of the automated pricing engine, the promotion engine and the manual pricing engine.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a pricing implementation engine configured to transmit the price planning schedule to one or more cash register systems to implement one or more price changes in the price planning schedule.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the pricing implementation engine is configured to transmit the price planning schedule based on the satisfaction of one or more conditions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the price planning schedule includes one or more price changes for one or more articles or services for sale at a retail location.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the price planning schedule further includes a time period associated with the one or more price changes.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated pricing engine is a slow seller management engine.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the slow seller management engine allows a markdown profile to be created or modified for one or more articles or services.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the price planning schedule is generated based on the markdown profile.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual pricing engine allows manual price changes to be entered for one or more articles or services.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the price planning schedule is based on the manual price changes.

11. The system of claim 9, further including a conversion engine for converting the manual price changes into a promotion.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated pricing engine is a promotion management engine.

13. A price planning system, comprising automated pricing means for generating markdown data;

promotion means for generating promotion data;

manual pricing means for generating manual pricing data; and

user interface means for receiving the markdown data, the manual pricing data, and the promotion data.

14. The system of claim 13, further including pricing implementation means configured to transmit a price planning schedule to one or more cash register systems to implement one or more price changes in the price planning schedule.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the pricing implementation means is configured to transmit the price planning schedule based on the satisfaction of one or more conditions.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interface means generates a price planning schedule includes one or more price changes for one or more articles or services for sale at a retail location.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the price planning schedule further includes a time period associated with the one or more price changes.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the automated pricing means is a slow seller management means.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the slow seller management means allows a markdown profile to be created or modified for one or more articles or services.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the price planning schedule is generated based on the markdown profile.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the manual pricing means allows manual price changes to be entered for one or more articles or services.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the price planning schedule is based on the manual price changes.

23. The system of claim 21, further including a conversion means for converting the manual price changes into a promotion.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the automated pricing means is a promotion management means.

25. A program product for generating a price planning schedule, the program product comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to implement:

an automated pricing engine;

a manual pricing engine;

a promotion engine; and

a user interface configured to receive price planning information from one of the automated pricing engine and the manual pricing engine to generate a price planning schedule.

26. A method of pricing comprising:

receiving automated pricing data from an automated pricing engine;

receiving manual pricing data from a manual pricing engine;

receiving promotion pricing data from a promotion engine; and

generating a price planning schedule in response to the automated pricing data, the manual pricing data, and the promotion engine data.