Physical Product Display-Based Apparatus
A retail shopping facility has a plurality of physical product displays where at least some of the physical product displays simultaneously display a plurality of different available items. A central computer system is configured to receive from a mobile device a customer message from a customer. This message includes information that identifies at least a portion of a particular one of the physical product displays (such as an empty part of the display). The central computer system is also configured to transmit to that mobile device a reply message that includes a pictorial depiction that corresponds to the aforementioned portion of this particular physical product display.
1 . An apparatus comprising:
a retail shopping facility having a plurality of physical product displays where at least some of the physical product displays simultaneously display a plurality of different available items;
a central computer system configured to:
receive from a mobile device a customer message from a customer, the message including information that identifies at least a portion of a particular one of the physical product displays;
transmitting to the mobile device a reply message that includes a pictorial depiction that corresponds to the portion of the particular one of the physical product displays.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the customer message includes identifying information identifying a particular item as not being available at the particular one of the physical product displays.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the identifying information comprises a stock keeping unit (SKU) number.
4 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the identifying information comprises a unique radio-frequency identification (RFID) identifier.
5 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the identifying information comprises a captured image of the particular one of the physical product displays.
6 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the central computer system is further configured to:
analyze the captured image to identify at least one item that does not appear in the captured image but which should appear in the captured image.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pictorial depiction comprises, at least in part, a captured image.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pictorial depiction comprises, at least in part, an artistic rendering.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pictorial depiction comprises, at least in part, an image configured to be overlaid on an image of the particular one of the physical product displays such that the customer viewing an overlaid result views a composite image that includes both the particular one of the physical product displays and the pictorial depiction.
10 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the pictorial depiction includes a depiction of an item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays but which should be present in the particular one of the physical product displays.
11 . The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the reply message further includes product description information regarding the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays.
12 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the product information comprises information regarding ingredients for the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays.
13 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the product information comprises information regarding items in a product family of items that includes the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays.
14 . The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the product family of items comprises various sizes and/or versions of the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays.
15 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the product information comprises information regarding an alternative location for the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays elsewhere in the retail shopping facility.
16 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the product information comprises information regarding a substitute item for the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays.
17 . The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the product information comprises information regarding an alternative retail shopping facility that currently stocks the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays.
18 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reply message includes an opportunity to order the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays.
19 . The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the opportunity to order the item that is missing from the particular one of the physical product displays includes an opportunity to select delivery to a customer-specified address.
20 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reply message includes an opportunity to request associate assistance at the particular one of the physical product displays.