Item substitution for unavailable items relating to a customer order
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
- receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers;
analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; and
substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order based on at least one substitution rule retrieved from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device,wherein said substituting selects, from a plurality of customer orders that include the oversold item, at least one customer order that asks for the largest quantity of the oversold item so that the number of orders requiring substitution for the oversold item can be reduced.
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Abstract
A technique is disclosed for automatically implementing item substitutions for unavailable items in a customer order. According to one embodiment, line item orders from selected customer orders may be aggregated and processed for substitution analysis. Substitutions for unavailable items of selected customer orders may then be automatically implemented based upon substitution instructions, business rules, and/or other predefined criteria.
378 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; and substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order based on at least one substitution rule retrieved from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device, wherein said substituting selects, from a plurality of customer orders that include the oversold item, at least one customer order that asks for the largest quantity of the oversold item so that the number of orders requiring substitution for the oversold item can be reduced. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; and substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order based on at least one substitution rule from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device, wherein the at least one substitution rule is configured to minimize the number of items to be substituted for a customer order. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a customer order placed by a customer; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one processor, the customer order with at least one other customer order to identify an item in the customer orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the customers; notifying the merchant that provides the oversold item to the online store that the item has become oversold; and allowing the merchant to provide at least a part of a solution regarding the item becoming an oversold item before the online store fulfills a customer order asking for the item, wherein at least a part of the solution is configured to be stored in a storage device, which is accessible by the at least one processor. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; and substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order based on at least one substitution rule in a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device, wherein the method further comprises determining whether to upgrade the oversold item based on size and/or brand. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders collectively to identify an item having been oversold, based on information from the plurality of customer orders, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; and substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order from a customer based on at least one substitution rule retrieved from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order from a customer based on at least one substitution rule retrieved from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device; and charging the customer the lower of the two prices of either the oversold item or the substituted item.
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30. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order from a customer based on at least one substitution rule retrieved from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device; and not charging the customer for the substituted item.
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31. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; and substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order from a customer based on at least one substitution rule retrieved from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device, wherein another substitution rule restricts substituting all items in another customer order from another customer responsive to the another customer so specifying at the time the another customer places the another customer order.
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32. A computer-implemented method for effecting, via a computer network, substitution of at least one ordered item of at least one customer order at an online store, the method comprising:
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receiving, via the computer network, a plurality of customer orders placed by a plurality of customers; analyzing, by executing instructions via at least one computing device, the plurality of customer orders to identify an item in the orders having been oversold, before delivering items in the orders to the plurality of customers; and substituting the oversold item with a substituted item for a customer order from a customer based on at least one substitution rule retrieved from a storage device, the storage device being accessible by the at least one computing device, wherein another substitution rule restricts substituting an item in another customer order from another customer responsive to the another customer so specifying at the time the another customer places the another customer order.
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Specification