Method and system for classifying retail products and services using price band categories

• US 20050197971A1
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kettner, Bjoern, Haupenthal, Jorg
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A method of and system for classifying retail products and services is disclosed. The method of classifying retail products and services includes defining a price level group in a computerized system, wherein the price level group includes a price schema having a plurality of price levels, and wherein each price level is associated with a price band category. The method also includes assigning the price level group to a grouping of at least one of services and retail products. The system for classifying retail products and services includes means for defining a price level group, wherein the price level group includes a price schema having a plurality of price levels, and wherein each price level is associated with a price band category. The system also includes means for assigning the price level group to a grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

Claims

1. A method of classifying retail products and services, the method comprising:

defining a price level group in a computerized system, wherein the price level group includes a price schema having a plurality of price levels, and wherein each price level is associated with a price band category; and

assigning the price level group to a grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the price schema has an associated temporal validity period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the price schema is a first price schema, and wherein the price level group further includes a second price schema having an associated temporal validity period which is temporally separate from the temporal validity period of the first price schema.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of at least one of services and retail products is associated with one of a merchandise hierarchy and an article hierarchy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the price level group is associated with a price level group category.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the price level group category is configured to control an attribute related to assigning the price level group to the grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the price level group is configured to be assigned to multiple groupings of at least one of services and retail products.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the price level group is a first price level group, and wherein the first price level group and a second price level group are configured to be assigned to the same grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the price level group includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the price level group to the grouping of at least one of services and retail products includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the price band category is associated with a price range.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the price band category is associated with a price range indicative of a consumer'"'"'s subjective price perception with regard to a sales price of one of a retail product and a service.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting sales data for the grouping of at least one of services and retail products based on the price band category.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting sales data for the grouping of at least one of services and retail products based on at least one of the plurality of price levels.

15. A system for classifying retail products and services, the system comprising:

means for defining a price level group, wherein the price level group includes a price schema having a plurality of price levels, and wherein each price level is associated with a price band category; and

means for assigning the price level group to a grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the price schema has an associated temporal validity period.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the price schema is a first price schema, and wherein the first price level group further includes a second price schema having an associated temporal validity period which is temporally separate from the temporal validity period of the first price schema.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the grouping of at least one of services and retail products is associated with one of a merchandise hierarchy and an article hierarchy.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the price level group is associated with a price level group category.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the price level group category is configured to control an attribute related to assigning the price level group to the grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the price level group is configured to be assigned to multiple groupings of at least one of services and retail products.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the price level group is a first price level group, and wherein the first price level group and a second price level group are configured to be assigned to the same grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein defining the price level group includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein assigning the price level group to the grouping of at least one of services and retail products includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the price band category is associated with a price range.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the price band category is associated with a price range indicative of a consumer'"'"'s subjective price perception with regard to a sales price of one of a retail product and a service.

27. The system of claim 15, further comprising reporting sales data for the grouping of at least one of services and retail products based on the price band category.

28. The system of claim 15, further comprising reporting sales data for the grouping of at least one of services and retail products based on at least one of the plurality of price levels.

29. A program product for classifying retail products and services, the program product comprising machine-readable program code for causing, when executed, one or more machines to perform the following method steps:

defining a price level group, wherein the price level group includes a price schema having a plurality of price levels, and wherein each price level is associated with a price band category; and

assigning the price level group to a grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

30. The program product of claim 29, wherein the price schema has an associated temporal validity period.

31. The program product of claim 30, wherein the price schema is a first price schema, and wherein the price level group further includes a second price schema having an associated temporal validity period which is temporally separate from the temporal validity period of the first price schema.

32. The program product of claim 30, wherein the grouping of at least one of services and retail products is associated with one of a merchandise hierarchy and an article hierarchy.

33. The program product of claim 29, wherein the price level group is associated with a price level group category.

34. The program product of claim 33, wherein the price level group category is configured to control an attribute related to assigning the price level group to the grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

35. The program product of claim 34, wherein the price level group is configured to be assigned to multiple groupings of at least one of services and retail products.

36. The program product of claim 34, wherein the price level group is a first price level group, and wherein the first price level group and a second price level group are configured to be assigned to the same grouping of at least one of services and retail products.

37. The program product of claim 29, wherein defining the price level group includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

38. The program product of claim 29, wherein assigning the price level group to the grouping of at least one of services and retail products includes receiving user input from a graphical user interface.

39. The program product of claim 29, wherein the price band category is associated with a price range.

40. The program product of claim 39, wherein the price band category is associated with a price range indicative of a consumer'"'"'s subjective price perception with regard to a sales price of one of a retail product and a service.

41. The program product of claim 29, further comprising reporting sales data for the grouping of at least one of services and retail products based on the price band category.

42. The program product of claim 29, further comprising reporting sales data for the grouping of at least one of services and retail products based on at least one of the plurality of price levels.