Retail product out-of-stock detection and dynamic scripting

• US 8,321,303 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OATSystems, Inc. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Krishnamurthy, Venkat, Mangat, Jasjit Singh, Billante, Peter, Bansal, Sachin Kumar, Rao, Anupkumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Glass, Shay S
• Application Number:
  US11/695,511
• Time in Patent Office: 2,066 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The invention includes a method of detecting out-of-stock conditions for retail products, and for dynamically updating associated replenishment plans, sales forecasts, and event scripts for product stocking events such as turn stock products, promotional products, new product introductions and modular resets. The invention accesses RFID data associated with product stocking events for identifying product movements in a retail supply chain and within a retail store. The invention optionally accesses point-of-sale and perpetual inventory data for detecting out-of-stock conditions. The invention also includes a method for dynamically improving product layout and optimized planograms based on out-of-stock velocity detection.

Claims

1. A method of detecting out-of-stock conditions for retail products via an RFID data collection system, the method comprising:

accessing RFID data associated with a product stocking event, wherein said RFID data includes electronic product codes corresponding to RFID-tagged retail products or product displays, and date and location data for the RFID-tagged retail products or product displays within a retail supply chain, wherein date and location data is obtained by at least one RFID reader to identify whether the RFID-tagged retail products or product displays are located on a retail store sales floor, and to identify whether the RFID-tagged retail products or product displays are located in a retail store backroom;

identifying out-of-stock conditions for the product stocking event based on RFID data; and

updating a product stocking event plan;

wherein the product stocking event is a scheduled product stocking event;

wherein the RFID data is current RFID data and further includes information about movements of RFID-tagged retail products or product displays within the retail supply chain and within the retail store; and

further comprising;

accessing historical RFID data associated with a completed product stocking event, wherein the historical RFID data includes information about movement of RFID tagged retail products within the retail supply chain and within the retail store, including information about movement of RFID-tagged retail products between the retail store backroom and the retail store floor;

accessing point-of-sale data associated with the completed product stocking event;

analyzing the historical RFID data and point-of-sale data;

creating a script for the scheduled product stocking event based on historical RFID data and point-of-sale data; and

updating the script based on current RFID movement data and point-of sale data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting for identified out-of-stock conditions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating sales forecasts based on identified out-of-stock conditions.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing perpetual inventory data associated with the product stocking event, wherein identifying out-of-stock conditions for the product stocking event is based on perpetual inventory data and RFID data.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the product stocking event is a promotional event;

wherein the product displays include a promotional display; and

further comprising dynamically updating scripts associated with the promotional event.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising alerting for identified out-of-stock conditions.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising dynamically updating sales forecasts based on identified out-of-stock conditions.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising accessing point-of-sale data associated with the product stocking event, wherein identifying out-of-stock conditions for the product stocking event is based on point-of-sale data and RFID data.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising accessing perpetual inventory data associated with the product stocking event, wherein identifying out-of-stock conditions for the product stocking event is based on perpetual inventory data and RFID data.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the RFID data includes data from RFID-tagged individuals.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying noncompliant retail stores.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising inferring product movement data for missed RFID reads.

13. The method of claim 1,

wherein the product stocking event is for turn stock products;

wherein the retail products are turn stock products; and

further comprising dynamically updating scripts associated with the turn stock products.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising alerting for identified out-of-stock conditions.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising dynamically updating sales forecasts based on identified out-of-stock conditions.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising accessing point-of-sale data associated with the product stocking event, wherein identifying out-of stock conditions for the product stocking event is based on point-of-sale data and RFID data.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising accessing perpetual inventory data associated with the product stocking event, wherein identifying out-of-stock conditions for the product stocking event is based on perpetual inventory data and RFID data.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising accessing perpetual inventory data and point-of-sale associated with the product stocking event, wherein identifying out-of-stock conditions for the product stocking event is based on perpetual inventory data, point-of-sale data, and RFID data.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the current RFID data includes data from RFID-tagged individuals.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising identifying noncompliant retail stores.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing current point-of-sale data associated with RFID-tagged product movement data.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing perpetual inventory data associated with the product stocking event, wherein creating the script is also based on accessed perpetual inventory data.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining adjustable threshold numbers for identifying out-of-stock conditions.