REAL-TIME DETERMINATION OF DELIVERY/SHIPPING USING MULTI-SHIPMENT RATE CARDS

1 . A method determining a shipping option in real time, the method performed by one or more hardware processors running in a computer environment comprising a shared pool of configurable computing resources, comprising:

obtaining postal address codes designating postal zones from one or more storage devices;

obtaining carrier transit time data from one or more of the storage devices;

obtaining shipment rate cards from one or more of the storage devices;

generating a shipping option cost matrix based on the postal address codes, the carrier transit time data and the shipment rate cards;

responsive to receiving order information, searching the generated shipping option cost matrix to determine least costly delivery option, based on the order information, the order information comprising a scheduled fulfillment center, destination, expected delivery date and weight of a shipment; and

providing the least costly delivery option over a network.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the order information is received based on an online order received from a user on a web site page.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the least costly delivery option is displayed on a user interface displaying the web site page.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating comprises:

for each distributor and destination postal address code combination,

determining a distributor's postal address code,

for each transit time in a set of predefined transit times,

designating a candidate carrier to an initial carrier; and

designating a candidate shipment cost to an initial shipment cost;

for each carrier,

for each shipping method,

searching the carrier transit time data to determine a shipment zone associated with the carrier, the shipping method, and the transit time, and storing the shipment zone;

searching the shipment rate cards to determine a shipment coast associated with the carrier, the shipping method, the shipping zone, and the weight, and storing the shipment cost;

responsive to determining that the shipment cost is less than the candidate shipment cost, resetting the candidate carrier to include the carrier and the shipping method, and resetting the candidate shipment cost to the shipment cost;

updating an entry in the shipping option cost matrix associated with the distributor's postal address code and destination postal address code combination, the weight and the transit time, to include the shipment cost.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

generating a shipping option detail matrix comprising a specification of the shipping method and the carrier associated with the entry in the shipping option cost matrix.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is provided as a software as a service.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the order information is received over the network from an order management system and the least costly delivery option is provided to the order management system, further comprising automatically causing shipment of the order via the least costly delivery option.

8 . A system, comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

one or more storage devices operatively coupled to one or more of the hardware processors,

one or more of the hardware processors operable to obtain postal address codes designating postal zones from one or more of the storage devices,

one or more of the hardware processors operable to obtain carrier transit time data from one or more of the storage devices,

one or more of the hardware processors operable to obtain shipment rate cards from one or more of the storage devices,

one or more of the hardware processors operable to generate a shipping option cost matrix based on the postal address codes, the carrier transit time data and the shipment rate cards,

responsive to receiving order information, one or more of the hardware processors operable to search the generated shipping option cost matrix to determine least costly delivery option, based on the order information, the order information comprising a scheduled fulfillment center, destination, expected delivery date and weight of a shipment,

one or more of the hardware processors operable to provide over a network, the least costly delivery option.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the order information is received based on an online order received from a user on a web site page.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the least costly delivery option is displayed on a user interface displaying the web site page.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein one or more of the hardware processors are operable to generate the shipping option cost matrix by:

for each distributor and destination postal address code combination,

determining a distributor's postal address code,

for each transit time in a set of predefined transit times,

designating a candidate carrier to an initial carrier; and

designating a candidate shipment cost to an initial shipment cost;

for each carrier,

for each shipping method,

searching the carrier transit time data to determine a shipment zone associated with the carrier, the shipping method, and the transit time, and storing the shipment zone;

searching the shipment rate cards to determine a shipment coast associated with the carrier, the shipping method, the shipping zone, and the weight, and storing the shipment cost;

responsive to determining that the shipment cost is less than the candidate shipment cost, resetting the candidate carrier to include the carrier and the shipping method, and resetting the candidate shipment cost to the shipment cost;

updating an entry in the shipping option cost matrix associated with the distributor's postal address code and destination postal address code combination, the weight and the transit time, to include the shipment cost.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein one or more of the hardware processors are further operable to generate a shipping option detail matrix comprising a specification of the shipping method and the carrier associated with the entry in the shipping option cost matrix.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein one or more of the hardware processors run in a computer environment comprising a shared pool of configurable computing resources providing a software as a service platform.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the order information is received over the network from an order management system and the least costly delivery option is provided to the order management system.

15 . The system of claim 8 , wherein one or more of the hardware processors automatically cause shipment of the order via the least costly delivery option.

16 . A computer readable storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method comprising:

obtaining postal address codes designating postal zones from one or more storage devices;

obtaining carrier transit time data from one or more of the storage devices;

obtaining shipment rate cards from one or more of the storage devices;

generating a shipping option cost matrix based on the postal address codes, the carrier transit time data and the shipment rate cards;

responsive to receiving order information, searching the generated shipping option cost matrix to determine least costly delivery option, based on the order information, the order information comprising a scheduled fulfillment center, destination, expected delivery date and weight of a shipment; and

providing over a network the least costly delivery option.

17 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the order information is received based on an online order received from a user on a web site page.

18 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the least costly delivery option is displayed on a user interface displaying the web site page.

19 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the generating comprises:

for each distributor and destination postal address code combination,

determining a distributor's postal address code,

for each transit time in a set of predefined transit times,

designating a candidate carrier to an initial carrier; and

designating a candidate shipment cost to an initial shipment cost;

for each carrier,

for each shipping method,

searching the carrier transit time data to determine a shipment zone associated with the carrier, the shipping method, and the transit time, and storing the shipment zone;

searching the shipment rate cards to determine a shipment coast associated with the carrier, the shipping method, the shipping zone, and the weight, and storing the shipment cost;

responsive to determining that the shipment cost is less than the candidate shipment cost, resetting the candidate carrier to include the carrier and the shipping method, and resetting the candidate shipment cost to the shipment cost;

updating an entry in the shipping option cost matrix associated with the distributor's postal address code and destination postal address code combination, the weight and the transit time, to include the shipment cost.

20 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , further comprising:

generating a shipping option detail matrix comprising a specification of the shipping method and the carrier associated with the entry in the shipping option cost matrix.