MONITORING A DROP SHIP PROCESS OF A PARTNER

• US 20140100987A1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BURCKHART, Erik J., CONIGLIO, Paul A., IVORY, Andrew J., SHOOK, Aaron K.
• Application Number:
  US13/645,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20140100987A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

A method for monitoring a drop ship process may include receiving a drop ship order for an item from a vendor, the item being ordered by a customer of the vendor. The method may also include performing a supplier drop ship process in response to receiving the drop ship order. The method may further include providing a plug point associated with the supplier, the plug point being connectable through an intermediary to an interface, wherein the supplier drop ship process is monitorable through the interface.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a drop ship process, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a drop ship order for an item from a vendor, the item being ordered by a customer of the vendor;

performing, by the processor, a supplier drop ship process in response to receiving the drop ship order; and

providing a plug point associated with the supplier, the plug point being connectable through an intermediary to an interface, wherein the supplier drop ship process is monitorable through the interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the customer to determine a status of the drop ship order through the interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining location information of at least one of the drop ship order and the item in the supplier drop ship process; and

transmitting the location information by the plug point to the interface through the intermediary.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a request for the status of the drop ship order, the request comprising at least an order ID.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the order ID associated with the drop ship order from the vendor when the drop ship order is received.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating the order ID by the supplier in response to receiving the drop ship order from the vendor;

associating the order ID with the drop ship order; and

transmitting the order ID to the vendor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request for a status of the drop ship order by the plug point.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

searching an order tracking system for the status of the drop ship order in response to receiving the request for the status of the drop ship order;

retrieving the status of the drop ship order by the plug point; and

transmitting the status of the order to the customer through the intermediary and the interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediary comprises a community management as a service system.

10. A method for monitoring a drop ship process, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, an order for an item from a customer;

determining, by the processor, if the order for the item is a drop ship order;

transmitting, by the processor, the drop ship order to a drop ship supplier in response to the order for the item being a drop ship order; and

providing an interface associated with the vendor, the interface being coupled by an intermediary to the drop ship supplier, wherein a drop ship process of the drop ship supplier is monitorable through the interface.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing the customer to determine a status of the drop ship order through the interface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving by the interface a request for a status of the drop ship order, the request comprising at least an order ID associated with the drop ship order.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing the order ID associated with the drop ship order to the customer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating the order ID associated with the drop ship order by the vendor; and

transmitting the order ID associated with the drop ship order to the supplier.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving the order ID associated with the drop ship order by the vendor from the supplier, wherein the supplier generates the order ID in response to receiving the drop ship order from the vendor.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving by the interface a request for a status of the drop ship order;

transmitting the request for the status of the drop ship order to the intermediary, wherein the intermediary transmits the request to the supplier; and

receiving the status of the drop ship order by the interface, the status of the drop ship order being transmitted to the interface by the supplier through the intermediary.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the intermediary comprises a community management as a service system.

18. A system for monitoring a drop ship process, comprising:

a processor;

a module operating on the processor for receiving a drop ship order for an item from a vendor, the item being ordered by a customer of the vendor;

a module operating on the processor for performing a supplier drop ship process of a supplier in response to receiving the drop ship order; and

a plug point associated with the supplier, the plug point being connectable through an intermediary to an interface associated with the vendor, wherein the supplier drop ship process is monitorable through the plug point and the interface.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a module for determining location information of at least one of the drop ship order and the item in the supplier drop ship process in response to the plug point receiving a request for a status of the drop ship order, wherein the plug point transmits the location information to the interface.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the request for the status of the drop ship order comprises an order ID.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a module to generate the order ID in response to receiving the drop ship order for the item and to associate the order ID with the drop ship order; and

a module to transmit the order ID to the vendor.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising a drop ship order tracking system for tracking a status of the drop ship order, wherein the plug point retrieves the status of the drop ship order in response to receiving a request for the status of the drop ship order.

23. A computer program product for monitoring a drop ship process, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive an order for an item from a customer;

computer readable program code configured to determine if the order for the item is a drop ship order;

computer readable program code configured to transmit the drop ship order to a drop ship supplier in response to the order for the item being a drop ship order; and

computer readable program code configured to provide an interface associated with a vendor, the interface being coupled by an intermediary to the drop ship supplier, wherein a drop ship process of the drop ship supplier is monitorable through the interface.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising computer readable program code configured to allow the customer to determine a status of the drop ship order through the interface.