Fulfillment network with customer-transparent costs

• US 8,374,922 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Antony, Felix F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US11/525,590
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

Methods and systems for customer-transparent inventory fulfillment costs. A method may include an enterprise detecting a customer'"'"'s selection of a given one of a number of inventory items, and in response to detecting the selection, the enterprise generating a display and instructing that the display be displayed to the customer. The display may include fulfillment options for the given item, where each of the options includes an indication of a corresponding fulfillment entity within a fulfillment network and an indication of a corresponding price. The price may be determined dependent upon fulfillment costs of completing order fulfillment of the given item for the customer from the corresponding fulfillment entity. The method may further include the enterprise detecting placement by the customer of an order specifying the given inventory item and a particular fulfillment option, and the enterprise conveying fulfillment instructions to the fulfillment entity corresponding to the particular fulfillment option.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

one or more enterprise computers of an enterprise detecting a selection by a customer of a plurality of inventory items, wherein said enterprise includes a plurality of fulfillment entities of a fulfillment network;

in response to detecting said selection, said one or more enterprise computers generating data to be transmitted to said customer, wherein the data includes a plurality of distinct fulfillment options for said inventory items, wherein a given one of said distinct fulfillment options includes an indication that said inventory items will be fulfilled from multiple ones of said fulfillment entities and an indication of a given price corresponding to said given fulfillment option, and wherein a different one of said distinct fulfillment options includes an indication that said inventory items will be fulfilled from a single one of said fulfillment entities and an indication of a different price corresponding to said different fulfillment option, wherein said given price and said different price are different from one another and determined dependent upon fulfillment costs of completing order fulfillment of said inventory items for said customer according to said distinct fulfillment options;

said one or more enterprise computers transmitting the data to said customer, wherein said transmitting includes causing indications of said distinct fulfillment options to be displayed to said customer;

said one or more enterprise computers detecting placement by said customer of an order specifying said inventory items and a particular one of said plurality of distinct fulfillment options; and

said one or more enterprise computers conveying fulfillment instructions to one or more of said fulfillment entities dependent on said particular fulfillment option.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of fulfillment entities within said fulfillment network corresponds to a respective fulfillment center, wherein said enterprise acts as merchant of record for ones of said inventory items fulfilled from said fulfillment centers.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said fulfillment network also includes one or more third-party merchants that are distinct from said enterprise, and wherein each of said one or more third-party merchants acts as a respective merchant of record for ones of said inventory items fulfilled from said one or more third-party merchants.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said fulfillment costs of completing order fulfillment of said inventory items for said customer include one or more of:

a cost of storing said inventory items, a cost of packaging said inventory items for fulfillment, or a cost of shipping said inventory items to said customer.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating said data further comprises limiting the number of distinct fulfillment options included in said data dependent upon preferences established by said customer.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein said preferences specify a maximum number of distinct fulfillment options to be included in said data.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein said preferences specify that said distinct fulfillment options are to be ordered within said data according to said corresponding fulfillment costs.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein each of said distinct fulfillment options includes an indication of one or more corresponding lead times for fulfilling said inventory items, and wherein said preferences specify that said distinct fulfillment options are to be ordered within said data according to said corresponding lead times.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating said data to be transmitted to said customer comprises generating a web page including said data, wherein the web page is suitable to be displayed by a web browser associated with said customer.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting said selection of said inventory items by said customer comprises detecting one or more requests by said customer to place said inventory items in a virtual shopping cart.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting said selection of said inventory items by said customer comprises detecting one or more requests by said customer to display information associated with said inventory items.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

dependent upon said customer'"'"'s choice of said distinct fulfillment options, said one or more enterprise computers instructing that allocation of said inventory items among said fulfillment entities be changed.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

dependent upon detecting that said customer specified said given fulfillment option under which said inventory items will be fulfilled from multiple ones of said fulfillment entities, said one or more enterprise computers instructing that one or more units of each of said inventory items be stocked together within a same one of said fulfillment entities.

14. A non-transitory, computer-accessible storage medium comprising instructions tangibly stored therein, wherein the instructions are executable by a processor to implement:

detecting, at an enterprise, a selection by a customer of a plurality of inventory items, wherein said enterprise includes a plurality of fulfillment entities of a fulfillment network;

in response to detecting said selection, generating a display and instructing that the display be displayed to said customer, wherein the display includes a plurality of distinct fulfillment options for said inventory items, wherein a given one of said fulfillment options includes an indication that said inventory items will be fulfilled from multiple ones of said fulfillment entities and an indication of a given price corresponding to said given fulfillment option, and wherein a different one of said fulfillment options includes an indication that said inventory items will be fulfilled from a single one of said fulfillment entities and an indication of a different price corresponding to said different fulfillment option, wherein said given price and said different price are different from one another and determined dependent upon fulfillment costs of completing order fulfillment of said inventory items for said customer according to said distinct fulfillment options;

transmitting the data to said customer, wherein said transmitting includes causing indications of said distinct fulfillment options to be displayed to said customer;

detecting placement by said customer of an order specifying said inventory items and a particular one of said plurality of distinct fulfillment options; and

conveying fulfillment instructions to one or more of said fulfillment entities dependent on said particular fulfillment option.

15. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein each of said plurality of fulfillment entities within said fulfillment network corresponds to a respective fulfillment center, wherein said enterprise acts as merchant of record for ones of said inventory items fulfilled from said fulfillment centers.

16. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein said fulfillment network also includes one or more third-party merchants that are distinct from said enterprise, and wherein each of said one or more third-party merchants acts as a respective merchant of record for ones of said inventory items fulfilled from said one or more third-party merchants.

17. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein said fulfillment costs of completing order fulfillment of said inventory items for said customer include one or more of:

a cost of storing said inventory items, a cost of packaging said inventory items for fulfillment, or a cost of shipping said inventory items to said customer.

18. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein to implement generating said display, the instructions are further executable to implement limiting the number of distinct fulfillment options included in said display dependent upon display preferences established by said customer.

19. The storage medium as recited in claim 18 wherein said display preferences specify a maximum number of distinct fulfillment options to be included in said display.

20. The storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein said display preferences specify that said distinct fulfillment options are to be ordered within said display according to said corresponding fulfillment costs.

21. The storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein each of said distinct fulfillment options includes an indication of one or more corresponding lead times for fulfilling said inventory items, and wherein said display preferences specify that said distinct fulfillment options are to be ordered within said display according to said corresponding lead times.

22. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein to implement instructing that said display be displayed to said customer, the instructions are further executable to implement conveying a web page including said display to a web browser associated with said customer.

23. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein to implement detecting said selection of said inventory items by said customer, the instructions are further executable to implement detecting a request by said customer to place said inventory items in a virtual shopping cart.

24. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein to implement detecting said selection of said inventory items by said customer, the instructions are further executable to implement detecting a request by said customer to display information associated with said inventory items.

25. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions are executable to implement an order management system of an enterprise that presents inventory items to customers in commerce, wherein the inventory items are stored within a fulfillment network comprising a plurality of fulfillment entities, wherein each of said plurality of fulfillment entities is controlled by the enterprise and configured to store and provide order fulfillment services for ones of the plurality of inventory items;

wherein said order management system is configured to;

detect a selection by a given one of said customers of a selected plurality of said inventory items;

in response to detecting said selection, generate a display including a plurality of fulfillment options for said selected inventory items, wherein a given one of said fulfillment options includes an indication that said selected inventory items will be fulfilled from multiple ones of said fulfillment entities and an indication of a given price corresponding to said given fulfillment option, and wherein a different one of said fulfillment options includes an indication that said selected inventory items will be fulfilled from a single one of said fulfillment entities and an indication of a different price corresponding to said different fulfillment option, wherein said given price and said different price are different from one another and determined dependent upon fulfillment costs of completing order fulfillment of said selected inventory items for said given customer according to said fulfillment options;

convey said display to said given customer, wherein to convey the display, the order management system is further configured to cause information indications of said fulfillment options to be displayed to said given customer;

detect placement by said given customer of an order specifying said selected inventory items and a particular one of said fulfillment options; and

convey fulfillment instructions for said selected inventory items to one or more of said fulfillment entities dependent on said particular fulfillment option.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein each of said plurality of fulfillment entities within said fulfillment network corresponds to a respective fulfillment center, wherein said enterprise acts as merchant of record for ones of said inventory items fulfilled from said fulfillment centers.

27. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein said fulfillment network also includes one or more third-party merchants that are distinct from said enterprise, and wherein each of said one or more third-party merchants acts as a respective merchant of record for ones of said inventory items fulfilled from said one or more third-party merchants.

28. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein said fulfillment costs of completing order fulfillment of said selected inventory items for said given customer include one or more of:

a cost of storing said selected inventory items, a cost of packaging said selected inventory items for fulfillment, or a cost of shipping said selected inventory items to said given customer.

29. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein to generate said display, said order management system is further configured to limit the number of fulfillment options included in said display dependent upon display preferences established by said given customer.

30. The system as recited in claim 29 wherein said display preferences specify a maximum number of fulfillment options to be included in said display.

31. The system as recited in claim 29 wherein said display preferences specify that said fulfillment options are to be ordered within said display according to said corresponding fulfillment costs.

32. The system as recited in claim 29 wherein each of said fulfillment options includes an indication of one or more corresponding lead times for fulfilling said selected inventory items, and wherein said display preferences specify that said fulfillment options are to be ordered within said display according to said corresponding lead times.

33. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein to convey said display to said given customer, said order management system is further configured to convey a web page including said display to a web browser associated with said given customer.

34. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein to detect said selection said selected inventory items by said given customer, said order management system is further configured to detect a request by said given customer to place said selected inventory items in a virtual shopping cart.

35. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein to detect said selection said selected inventory items by said given customer, said order management system is further configured to detect a request by said given customer to display information associated with said selected inventory items.