Method, medium, and system for determining eligibility for a location-based shipping option for fulfillment networks

• US 9,047,607 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Curial, Stephen M., Miller, Gregory S., Moore, Jeffery T., Nooney, Dylan, Ng, Henry S., Dang, Huy Quang, Khandeparker, Ashwin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US13/532,574
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus are described for determining eligibility for a location-based shipping option for multiple fulfillment networks. Embodiments may send display information to a user in response to a user request for display information for one or more items offered on a network-based site. The display information may be configured to indicated whether items are eligible for an enhanced shipping option based upon the shipping origin of the item and a predicted shipping destination. Some embodiments may provide multiple fulfillment networks with the enhanced shipping option. Some of the fulfillment networks may be controlled by an entity different from the entity controlling the network-based site. In some embodiments the enhanced shipping option is an option within a subscription-based shipping program for the network-based site.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more data storage devices configured to store data for an enterprise, wherein said enterprise is controlled by an entity and offers items for order, wherein items ordered via said enterprise are fulfilled by two or more fulfillment networks, wherein one of the fulfillment networks is controlled by the entity controlling the enterprise, and wherein at least one other of the fulfillment networks is controlled by an entity distinct from the entity controlling the enterprise; and

one or more servers configured to implement enterprise logic configured to;

obtain input identifying a user;

based upon the input identifying the user, determine whether the user is a current subscriber to a subscription-based shipping program;

obtain input specifying one or more items for display for the user;

in response to determining that the user is a current subscriber, provide display information to the user for the specified one or more items comprising;

for each of the specified items fulfilled by the fulfillment network controlled by the entity controlling the network-based site, send display information to the user indicating that the item is eligible for shipping under the subscription-based shipping program; and

for each of the specified items fulfilled by one of the fulfillment networks controlled by an entity distinct from the entity controlling the network-based site;

determine a shipping origin for the item;

determine a predicted shipping destination for the user;

determine, based on the shipping origin and the predicted shipping destination, whether the item is eligible for shipping under the subscription-based shipping program; and

in response to determining that the item is eligible for shipping under the subscription-based shipping program, sending display information to the user indicating that the item is eligible for shipping under the subscription-based shipping program.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, to determine a predicted shipping destination for the user, the enterprise logic is configured to access a user database to determine a default shipping address of the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, to determine, based on the shipping origin and the predicted shipping destination, whether the item is eligible for shipping under the subscription-based shipping program, the enterprise logic is configured to:

access shipping performance data for one or more shipping carriers;

determine one or more shipping timeframes according to the shipping performance data based upon the shipping origin and the predicted shipping destination; and

compare each determined shipping timeframe according to a delivery timeframe threshold to determine whether the item is eligible for shipping under the subscription-based shipping program.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the enterprise logic is further configured to:

determine whether a fulfillment network is eligible to fulfill items for the subscription-based shipping program, comprising;

access fulfillment network performance data from a database;

determine a performance measure for the fulfillment network using the fulfillment network performance data; and

determine whether the performance measure exceeds one or more subscription-based shipping program participation thresholds to determine whether the fulfillment network is eligible to fulfill items for the subscription-based shipping program.

5. A method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computing devices;

sending, in response to a request from a user to a network-based site, display information for one or more items, wherein the one or more items are selectable for ordering via the network-based site for fulfillment by a different entity than an entity controlling the network-based site;

prior to a particular one of the one or more items being selected for an order by a given user of the network-based site;

determining whether the user is a subscriber of a subscription-based shipping program eligible for an enhanced shipping option;

determining a shipping origin and a predicted shipping destination for the item;

determining whether the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option based on whether the particular item can be shipped by the different entity from the shipping origin to arrive at the predicted shipping destination within a timeframe specified for the enhanced shipping option; and

in response to determining that the user is a subscriber of a subscription-based shipping program eligible for the enhanced shipping option and that the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option, including in the display information an indication that the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein items ordered via said network-based site are fulfilled by two or more fulfillment networks, wherein one of the fulfillment networks is controlled by the entity controlling the network-based site, wherein at least one other of the fulfillment networks is controlled by the different entity distinct from the entity controlling the network-based site, and wherein the selectable one or more items for offering via the network-based site are fulfilled by the fulfillment network controlled by the different entity.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein whether the particular item can be shipped by the different entity from the shipping origin to arrive at the predicted shipping destination within a timeframe is determined based on shipping the particular item via a ground shipping service.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the display information provides a user interface configured to accept a user order for a particular item, wherein said user interface displays one or more shipping user interface elements, wherein at least one of said one or more shipping user interface elements displays the indication that the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option, and if selected the at least one of said one or more shipping user interface elements orders the particular item with the enhanced shipping option.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining a predicted shipping destination comprises:

identifying an internet protocol address of the user request to the network-based site; and

performing a geolocation technique upon the identified internet protocol address to determine the predicted shipping destination.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining a predicted shipping destination comprises accessing a user database to determine a default shipping address of the user.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

wherein said request from a user is a request from a mobile device accessing the network-based site;

wherein said determining a predicted shipping destination comprises determining a geographic area from which the mobile device accessed the network-based site.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

wherein said obtaining input at the network-based site from the user providing the predicted shipping destination modifies the predicted shipping destination;

in response to obtaining input at the network-based site from the user providing the predicted shipping destination;

determining, based on the shipping origin and the modified predicted shipping destination, whether the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option; and

in response to determining that the particular item is not eligible for the enhanced shipping option, including in the display information an indication that the particular item is no longer eligible for the enhanced shipping option.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining whether the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option comprises:

determining one or more shipping timeframes according to one or more shipping carriers based upon the shipping origin and the predicted shipping destination; and

comparing each determined shipping timeframe according to a delivery timeframe threshold to determine whether the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option.

14. The method of claim 13, said wherein said determining one or more shipping timeframes according to one or more shipping carriers based upon the shipping origin and the predicted shipping destination comprises:

providing to a shipping carrier the shipping origin and the predicted shipping destination; and

receiving from the shipping carrier the shipping timeframe corresponding to the provided shipping origin and the provided predicted shipping destination.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said determining one or more shipping timeframes according to one or more shipping carriers based upon the shipping origin and the predicted shipping destination comprises:

accessing shipping performance data for one or more shipping carrier from a database, wherein the shipping performance data corresponds to orders delivered from the shipping origin to a shipping region including the predicted shipping destination; and

calculating a shipping timeframe for the predicted shipping destination based upon the shipping performance data.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining whether the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option comprises:

obtaining from a shipping carrier delivery destinations according to the shipping origin and the specified delivery timeframe for the enhanced shipping option, wherein the delivery destinations comprise the possible shipping locations for an order to be delivered by the shipping carrier within the specified delivery time frame; and

determining whether the predicted shipping destination is one of the obtained delivery destinations to determine whether the item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein said determining whether the user is a subscriber eligible for an enhanced shipping option comprises:

obtaining from the user identification information; and

based upon the user identification information, determining whether the user is a current subscriber to a subscription-based shipping program;

wherein the enhanced shipping option is one of one or more of a plurality of shipping options in the subscription-based shipping program.

18. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

obtaining input at the network-based site selecting at least one of the selectable one or more items for ordering via the network-based site that the user wants to order;

in response to obtaining said input selecting at least one of the one or more items that the user wants to order, generating an order for the selected at least one item directing the at least one item to be shipped according to the enhanced shipping option;

sending the generated order to a corresponding fulfillment network for the selected at least one item, wherein the corresponding fulfillment network is controlled by the different entity distinct from the entity controlling the network-based site; and

recording the generated order in a database.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising sending to the corresponding fulfillment network a shipping label for the order for a particular shipping carrier and a shipping tracking identifier for the order for the particular carrier.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

using the shipping tracking identifier to determine a delivery time for the at least one item;

determining whether the delivery time exceeds a specified delivery timeframe;

in response to determining the delivery time exceeds a specified delivery timeframe performing a corrective action.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said corrective action comprises:

sending a cancellation order for the at least one item to the corresponding fulfillment network; and

sending the generated order to another fulfillment network.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein sending the generated order to the corresponding fulfillment network for the selected at least one item comprises providing the fulfillment network access to a user interface configured to display sent orders corresponding to the fulfillment network.

23. The method of claim 5, further comprising obtaining at the network-based site a request from a fulfillment network to submit one or more additional items selectable for ordering via the network-based site for the enhanced shipping option, wherein the fulfillment network is controlled by the different entity distinct from the entity controlling the network-based site.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising in response said obtaining at the network-based site the request from the fulfillment network to submit one or more additional items selectable for ordering via the network-based site for the enhanced shipping option, providing the fulfillment network with access to a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to accept submissions of one or more additional items selectable for ordering via the network-based site, wherein said user interface displays a plurality of submission user interface elements, and wherein the plurality submission user interface elements are configured to obtain:

item identifiers of the one or more additional items;

quantities of the one or more additional items; and

shipping origin locations of the one or more additional items.

25. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement a shipping management application for a network-based site, wherein said shipping management application is configured to implement:

sending, in response to a request from a user to the network-based site, display information for one or more items, wherein the one or more items are selectable for ordering via the network-based site for fulfillment by a different entity than an entity controlling the network-based site;

prior to a particular one of the one or more items being selected for an order by a given user of the network-based site;

determining whether the user is a subscriber of a subscription-based shipping program eligible for an enhanced shipping option;

determining a shipping origin and a predicted shipping destination for the item;

determining whether the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option based on whether the particular item can be shipped by the different entity from the shipping origin to arrive at the predicted shipping destination within a timeframe specified for the enhanced shipping option; and

in response to determining that the user is a subscriber of a subscription-based shipping program eligible for the enhanced shipping option and that the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option, including in the display information an indication that the particular item is eligible for the enhanced shipping option.