Methods and systems for planning trade deals
Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide for planning deals. A deal master module provides a user interface for users to create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a first deal for inclusion in a deal hierarchy, and create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a second deal for inclusion in the deal hierarchy. The deal master module may form the deal hierarchy using the records by assigning a hierarchical relationship between the records for the first deal and the second deal. One of the deals is considered a top-level deal in the hierarchical relationship, and the other one of the deals is considered a sub-deal in the hierarchical relationship. The deal master module may thereafter make deal information available to a user to develop a potential trade promotion to promote one or more products or services, the deal information being derived from the deal hierarchy.
1 . A method for planning deals, comprising:
creating a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user;
generating the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal;
creating the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user; and
providing deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first information comprises a promotable group, sales area, and a time period.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first information further includes condition information reflecting a price discount.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first information further includes promotion type.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the promotion type is one of off-invoice, bill back, or rebate.
6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first information further includes tactics.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the tactics is one of display, feature, or reduced price.
8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first information further includes buying pattern type.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deal hierarchy has a business partner hierarchy associated with it.
10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
creating the business partner hierarchy prior to creating the deal hierarchy.
11 . The method of claim 1 , the generating comprising:
receiving an indication of a number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein creating the at least one sub-deal comprises:
creating a number of sub-deals that corresponds to the number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second information comprises a promotable group, sales area, and a time period for each sub-deal.
14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
changing the top-level deal; and
updating each sub-deal associated with the top-level deal to reflect changes made to the top-level deal.
15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
changing a status associated with the top-level deal and associated sub-deals to a status indicating readiness for distribution.
16 . The method of claim 15 , the providing further comprising:
providing the deal information to the program after the changing of the status.
17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating a first trade promotion from the deal information.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
assigning a unique identifier to the first trade promotion, the unique identifier comprising a deal identifier specifying which top-level deal or sub-deal the first trade promotion corresponds to, and an account identifier specifying which retailer account the first trade promotion corresponds to.
19 . A method for planning deals, comprising:
creating a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user, the first information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period;
generating the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal;
creating the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user, the second information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period for each sub-deal, wherein the promotable group for each sub-deal is the same promotable group provided for the top-level deal; and
providing deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the deal hierarchy has a business partner hierarchy associated with it.
21 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising:
creating the business partner hierarchy prior to creating the deal hierarchy.
22 . The method of claim 19 , the generating comprising:
receiving an indication of a number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein creating the at least one sub-deal comprises:
creating a number of sub-deals that corresponds to the number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
24 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
changing the top-level deal; and
updating each sub-deal associated with the top-level deal to reflect changes made to the top-level deal.
25 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
changing a status associated with the top-level deal and associated sub-deals to a status indicating readiness for distribution.
26 . The method of claim 25 , the providing further comprising:
providing the deal information to the program after the changing of the status.
27 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
creating a first trade promotion from the deal information.
28 . The method of claim 27 , further comprising:
assigning a unique identifier to the first trade promotion, the unique identifier comprising a deal identifier specifying which top-level deal or sub-deal the first trade promotion corresponds to, and an account identifier specifying which retailer account the first trade promotion corresponds to.
29 . A computer-implemented method for planning deals, comprising:
providing a user interface for users to (i) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a first deal for inclusion in a deal hierarchy and (ii) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a second deal for inclusion in the deal hierarchy;
forming the deal hierarchy using the records by assigning a hierarchical relationship between the records for the first deal and the second deal, one of the deals being considered a top-level deal in the hierarchical relationship and the other one of the deals being considered a sub-deal in the hierarchical relationship; and
making deal information available to a user to develop a potential trade promotion to promote one or more products or services, the deal information being derived from the deal hierarchy.
30 . An apparatus for planning deals, comprising:
means for creating a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user;
means for generating the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal;
means for creating the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user; and
means for providing deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal.
31 . The apparatus of claim 30 , wherein the first information comprises a promotable group, sales area, and a time period.
32 . The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the first information further includes condition information reflecting a price discount.
33 . The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the first information further includes promotion type.
34 . The apparatus of claim 33 , wherein the promotion type is one of off-invoice, bill back, or rebate.
35 . The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the first information further includes tactics.
36 . The apparatus of claim 35 , wherein the tactics is one of display, feature, or reduced price.
37 . The apparatus of claim 31 , wherein the first information further includes buying pattern type.
38 . The apparatus of claim 30 , wherein the deal hierarchy has a business partner hierarchy associated with it.
39 . The apparatus of claim 38 , further comprising:
means for creating the business partner hierarchy prior to creating the deal hierarchy.
40 . The apparatus of claim 30 , the means for generating comprising:
means for receiving an indication of a number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
41 . The apparatus of claim 40 , wherein the means for creating the at least one sub-deal comprises:
means for creating a number of sub-deals that corresponds to the number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
42 . The apparatus of claim 30 , wherein the second information comprises a promotable group, sales area, and a time period for each sub-deal.
43 . The apparatus of claim 30 , further comprising:
means for changing the top-level deal; and
means for updating each sub-deal associated with the top-level deal to reflect changes made to the top-level deal.
44 . The apparatus of claim 30 , further comprising:
means for changing a status associated with the top-level deal and associated sub-deals to a status indicating readiness for distribution.
45 . The apparatus of claim 44 , the means for providing further comprising:
means for providing the deal information to the program after the changing of the status.
46 . The apparatus of claim 30 , further comprising:
means for creating a first trade promotion from the deal information.
47 . The apparatus of claim 46 , further comprising:
means for assigning a unique identifier to the first trade promotion, the unique identifier comprising a deal identifier specifying which top-level deal or sub-deal the first trade promotion corresponds to, and an account identifier specifying which retailer account the first trade promotion corresponds to.
48 . An apparatus for planning deals, comprising:
means for creating a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user, the first information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period;
means for generating the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal;
means for creating the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user, the second information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period for each sub-deal, wherein the promotable group for each sub-deal is the same promotable group provided for the top-level deal; and
means for providing deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal.
49 . The apparatus of claim 48 , wherein the deal hierarchy has a business partner hierarchy associated with it.
50 . The apparatus of claim 48 , further comprising:
means for creating the business partner hierarchy prior to creating the deal hierarchy.
51 . The apparatus of claim 48 , the means for generating comprising:
means for receiving an indication of a number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
52 . The apparatus of claim 51 , wherein the means for creating the at least one sub-deal comprises:
means for creating a number of sub-deals that corresponds to the number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
53 . The apparatus of claim 48 , further comprising:
means for changing the top-level deal; and
means for updating each sub-deal associated with the top-level deal to reflect changes made to the top-level deal.
54 . The apparatus of claim 48 , further comprising:
means for changing a status associated with the top-level deal and associated sub-deals to a status indicating readiness for distribution.
55 . The apparatus of claim 54 , the means for providing further comprising:
means for providing the deal information to the program after the changing of the status.
56 . The apparatus of claim 48 , further comprising:
means for creating a first trade promotion from the deal information.
57 . The apparatus of claim 56 , further comprising:
means for assigning a unique identifier to the first trade promotion, the unique identifier comprising a deal identifier specifying which top-level deal or sub-deal the first trade promotion corresponds to, and an account identifier specifying which retailer account the first trade promotion corresponds to.
58 . An apparatus for planning deals, comprising:
means for providing a user interface for users to (i) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a first deal for inclusion in a deal hierarchy and (ii) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a second deal for inclusion in the deal hierarchy;
means for forming the deal hierarchy using the records by assigning a hierarchical relationship between the records for the first deal and the second deal, one of the deals being considered a top-level deal in the hierarchical relationship and the other one of the deals being considered a sub-deal in the hierarchical relationship; and
means for making deal information available to a user to develop a potential trade promotion to promote one or more products or services, the deal information being derived from the deal hierarchy.
59 . A computer-readable medium containing instructions for performing a method for planning deals, the method comprising:
creating a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user;
generating the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal;
creating the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user; and
providing deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal.
60 . The computer-readable medium of claim 59 , wherein the first information comprises a promotable group, sales area, and a time period.
61 . The computer-readable medium of claim 60 , wherein the first information further includes condition information reflecting a price discount.
62 . The computer-readable medium of claim 60 , wherein the first information further includes promotion type.
63 . The computer-readable medium of claim 62 , wherein the promotion type is one of off-invoice, bill back, or rebate.
64 . The computer-readable medium of claim 60 , wherein the first information further includes tactics.
65 . The computer-readable medium of claim 64 , wherein the tactics is one of display, feature, or reduced price.
66 . The computer-readable medium of claim 60 , wherein the first information further includes buying pattern type.
67 . The computer-readable medium of claim 59 , wherein the deal hierarchy has a business partner hierarchy associated with it.
68 . The computer-readable medium of claim 67 , further comprising:
creating the business partner hierarchy prior to creating the deal hierarchy.
69 . The computer-readable medium of claim 59 , the generating comprising:
receiving an indication of a number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
70 . The computer-readable medium of claim 69 , wherein creating the at least one sub-deal comprises:
creating a number of sub-deals that corresponds to the number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
71 . The computer-readable medium of claim 59 , wherein the second information comprises a promotable group, sales area, and a time period for each sub-deal.
72 . The computer-readable medium of claim 59 , further comprising:
changing the top-level deal; and
updating each sub-deal associated with the top-level deal to reflect changes made to the top-level deal.
73 . The computer-readable medium of claim 59 , further comprising:
changing a status associated with the top-level deal and associated sub-deals to a status indicating readiness for distribution.
74 . The computer-readable medium of claim 73 , the providing further comprising:
providing the deal information to the program after the changing of the status.
75 . The computer-readable medium of claim 59 , further comprising:
creating a first trade promotion from the deal information.
76 . The computer-readable medium of claim 75 , further comprising:
assigning a unique identifier to the first trade promotion, the unique identifier comprising a deal identifier specifying which top-level deal or sub-deal the first trade promotion corresponds to, and an account identifier specifying which retailer account the first trade promotion corresponds to.
77 . A computer-readable medium containing instructions for performing a method for planning deals, the method comprising:
creating a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user, the first information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period;
generating the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal;
creating the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user, the second information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period for each sub-deal, wherein the promotable group for each sub-deal is the same promotable group provided for the top-level deal; and
providing deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal.
78 . The computer-readable medium of claim 77 , wherein the deal hierarchy has a business partner hierarchy associated with it.
79 . The computer-readable medium of claim 78 , further comprising:
creating the business partner hierarchy prior to creating the deal hierarchy.
80 . The computer-readable medium of claim 77 , the generating comprising:
receiving an indication of a number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
81 . The computer-readable medium of claim 80 , wherein creating the at least one sub-deal comprises:
creating a number of sub-deals that corresponds to the number of levels associated with the deal hierarchy.
82 . The computer-readable medium of claim 77 , further comprising:
changing the top-level deal; and
updating each sub-deal associated with the top-level deal to reflect changes made to the top-level deal.
83 . The computer-readable medium of claim 77 , further comprising:
changing a status associated with the top-level deal and associated sub-deals to a status indicating readiness for distribution.
84 . The computer-readable medium of claim 83 , the providing further comprising:
providing the deal information to the program after the changing of the status.
85 . The computer-readable medium of claim 77 , further comprising:
creating a first trade promotion from the deal information.
86 . The computer-readable medium of claim 85 , further comprising:
assigning a unique identifier to the first trade promotion, the unique identifier comprising a deal identifier specifying which top-level deal or sub-deal the first trade promotion corresponds to, and an account identifier specifying which retailer account the first trade promotion corresponds to.
87 . A computer-readable medium containing instructions for performing a method for planning deals, the method comprising:
providing a user interface for users to (i) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a first deal for inclusion in a deal hierarchy and (ii) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a second deal for inclusion in the deal hierarchy;
forming the deal hierarchy using the records by assigning a hierarchical relationship between the records for the first deal and the second deal, one of the deals being considered a top-level deal in the hierarchical relationship and the other one of the deals being considered a sub-deal in the hierarchical relationship; and
making deal information available to a user to develop a potential trade promotion to promote one or more products or services, the deal information being derived from the deal hierarchy.
88 . An apparatus for planning deals, comprising:
a memory having a program that creates a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user; generates the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal; creates the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user; and provides deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal; and
a processor that runs the program.
89 . An apparatus for planning deals, comprising:
a memory having a program that creates a top-level deal in a deal hierarchy based on first information from a user, the first information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period; generates the deal hierarchy, the deal hierarchy including the top-level deal and at least one sub-deal associated with the top-level deal; creates the at least one sub-deal based on second information received from the user, the second information including a promotable group, sales area, and a time period for each sub-deal, wherein the promotable group for each sub-deal is the same promotable group provided for the top-level deal; and provides deal information to a program usable by a user to create a potential trade promotion from the deal information, the deal information comprising information reflecting the top-level deal and the at least one sub-deal; and
a processor that runs the program.
90 . An apparatus for planning deals, comprising:
a memory having a program that provides a user interface for users to (i) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a first deal for inclusion in a deal hierarchy and (ii) create a record with information reflecting characteristics of a second deal for inclusion in the deal hierarchy; forms the deal hierarchy using the records by assigning a hierarchical relationship between the records for the first deal and the second deal, one of the deals being considered a top-level deal in the hierarchical relationship and the other one of the deals being considered a sub-deal in the hierarchical relationship; and makes deal information available to a user to develop a potential trade promotion to promote one or more products or services, the deal information being derived from the deal hierarchy; and
a processor that runs the program.