Retail system combining retail stores with electronic product ordering
View Patent ↗A novel retail system that combines a computer-implemented product ordering system for enabling customers to order all products available in the retail system, and a plurality of retail stores for selling a limited number of items selected among the products available for ordering through the product ordering system. A computer-implemented management system provides coordinative merchandise management in the product ordering system and the retail stores. The retail system includes a plurality of retail facilities including the retail stores, and having product ordering terminals and product-obtaining areas for enabling customers to order products and pick up products ordered in advance.
1. A management system for retail system, comprising a retail management mechanism for providing from a central location merchandise management in a plurality of retail stores, the retail management mechanism being configured for:
enabling an operator at the central location to select graphical representation of a particular retail store of the plurality of retail stores,
displaying graphical representations of products on a product holding entity of the selected retail store,
enabling the operator at the central location to modify arrangement of the displayed products on the product holding entity of the selected retail store by performing an operation for removing a first graphical representation of a first displayed product and replacing the first graphical representation with a second graphical representation of a second product, and
transmitting to the selected retail store a signal representing said operation of the operator in connection with the modification of arrangement of the displayed products to indicate how arrangement of the products at the selected retail store should be changed.
2. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to simultaneously modify from a central location structure of the plurality of retail stores.
3. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to enable the operator at the central location to select multiple retail stores of the plurality of the retail stores and modify the product arrangement data representing arrangement of products at the selected multiple retail stores.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to present a layout of a retail store of the plurality of retail stores.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to enable a user to change the presented layout of the retail store.
6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to indicate positions of stands in the retail store.
7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to enable a user to change the presented positions of the stands.
8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to indicate positions of the products in the retail store.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to enable a user to modify the presented positions of the products.
10. The system of claim 3 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to present the retail system as a multi-level hierarchical arrangement including a selected retail store in the retail system and a selected fixture for holding the products in the selected retail store.
11. The system of claim 3 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to present a list of the retail stores.
12. The system of claim 3 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to provide arrangement of products in the retail stores when a first mode of operation is selected, and to provide management of products in the product ordering system when a second mode of operations is selected.
13. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to simultaneously modify from a central location arrangement of samples representing products available for ordering through the product ordering system, in a plurality of retail facilities that enable customers to order the products.
14. The management system of claim 1 , further comprising an image handling mechanism for simultaneous handling images representing products available for retail sale and for ordering through the product ordering system.
15. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to enable the operator to select a stand in the selected retail store of the plurality of retail stores.
16. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to enable the operator to select a shelf of a selected stand in the selected retail store of the plurality of retail stores.
17. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to present products on a selected shelf in the selected retail store of the plurality of retail stores.
18. The management system of claim 17 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to add a product to the selected shelf.
19. The management system of claim 17 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to remove a product from the selected shelf.
20. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the product arrangement data representing arrangement of products on shelves of the selected store include an image of a product held in a respective position on a selected shelve of the selected store.
21. The management system of claim 1 , further comprising an ordering management mechanism for handling products in a product ordering system that enables customers to order all products available in the retail system, and
wherein the retail management mechanism is configured for providing from the central location merchandise management in the plurality of retail stores that keep for retail sale a limited number of items selected among the products available in the retail system, and the merchandise management is performed in coordination with the product ordering system.
22. The management system of claim 1 , wherein the retail management mechanism is configured to provide periodically updatable product arrangement data representing arrangement of products in the plurality of retail stores.