Methods and systems for collaborative demand planning and replenishment

• US 8,355,944 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jean Young, Richard Young
• Original Assignee: Webconcepts, Inc.
• Inventors: Young, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jonathan G
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANTIAGO, LUIS F
• Application Number:
  US10/932,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,058 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/7.31
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for generating replenishment orders for products sold to a multi-store retailer. Store trait data is mapped with planogram information and the mapped data is used to generate a fixture level safety stock for a particular product in a particular store. The fixture level safety stock triggers fixture level replenishment orders.

Claims

1. A method for generating replenishment orders for first and second products, comprising:

providing a vendor managed inventory server configured to manage inventory across multiple retail stores of a retailer;

providing the retailer a retailer computer system configured to store at least the following retailer level data;

(a) fixture level capacity information regarding a first and a second, different fixture with respective first and second fixture identifiers, (b) fixture level sales performance information regarding sales of a first particular product having a first product code and a first fixture identifier and a second, different particular product having a second, different product code and a first fixture identifier from the first and second fixtures, (c) fixture level product demand trend data for the first and second fixtures, and configured to access the vendor management inventory server over a network, the retailer level data lacking store identification information;

the vendor managed inventory server electronically receiving the fixture level capacity information, the fixture level sales performance information, and the fixture level product demand trend data, and receiving store level fixture configurations of each of the retail stores over the network;

the vendor managed inventory server automatically determining a recommended store level replenishment order for the first product at the second fixture relative to the second product at the first fixture as a function of the capacity information, sales performance information, and the product demand trend data, and by matching fixture identifiers in the retailer level data to fixture identifiers in the fixture configurations;

a vendor providing the first and the second products according to the recommended relative replenishment order to the retailer for each of the retail stores; and

the vendor managed inventory server calculating fixture level forecast data, rate of return data, and performance data, and sending the calculated data to the retailer system via the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising vendor managed inventory server determining safety stocks for the first product at the second fixture and the second product at the first fixture.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the vendor managed inventory server receiving additional sales performance information regarding sales of the first product from the second fixture, and using the vendor managed inventory server to determine relative replenishment order for the first product with respect to the first and second fixtures.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vendor managed inventory server additionally determines the relative replenishment order at least in part using demographic data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vendor managed inventory server additionally determines the relative replenishment order with respect to a week at least in part as a function of a day of the week.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the vendor managed inventory server additionally determines the relative replenishment order at least in part as a function of a specific future date.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vendor managed inventory server additionally determines the relative replenishment order at least in part as a function of an historic trend in product demand.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the vendor managed inventory server additionally determines the relative replenishment order at least in part as a function of an expected trend in product demand.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the vendor managed inventory server determining relative replenishment order comprises analyzing fixture level point of sale (POS) data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the vendor managed inventory server receiving and using at least one of store trait data and planogram information to determine the recommended relative replenishment order.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the vendor managed inventory server receiving the capacity information with respect to a planogram.