SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING REAL-TIME INVENTORY INFORMATION

1 . A method comprising:

receiving a catalog of products offered for sale by one or more merchants;

generating in-store catalogs for each of the one or more merchants, an in-store catalog representing products sold by a store operated by a merchant and an inventory count for each product sold by the store;

receiving a product request from a user;

identifying one or more related products present in the in-store catalogs based on the product request;

determining inventory counts associated with each of the one or more related products based on the in-store catalogs;

generating a list of in-stock products based on the inventory counts; and

transmitting the list of in-stock products to the user in response to the product request.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a returned product, the returned product including an RFID tag;

scanning the RFID tag and extracting a product identifier and a store identifier associated with the returned product; and

updating an inventory count associated with the product identifier and the store identifier.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the product request comprises a search query.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein generating a list of in-stock products based on the inventory counts comprises generating a search results page that includes an identification of the one or more related products and one or more inventory counts associated with the one or more related products.

5 . The method of claim 4 further comprising:

detecting a change in an inventory count associated with the one or more related products; and

updating the one or more inventory counts included on the search results page.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the product request includes a map request, the map request including the location of a user.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein generating a list of in-stock products based on the inventory counts comprises:

generating a plurality of labels for the one or more related products, wherein a label includes a product identifier and an inventory count associated with the product identifier; and

displaying the plurality of labels on a map.

8 . The method of claim 6 wherein transmitting the list of in-stock products to the user in response to the product request comprises transmitting a notification to a user, the notification indicating the availability of the one or snore related products.

9 . The method of claim 6 further comprising:

selecting a first product from the one or more related products;

identifying a location of the first product;

calculating a route to the first product based on the location of the user; and

transmitting the route to the user.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the location of the product comprises one of a store location, a section location, or a shelf or wall location.

11 . A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory memory storing computer-executable instructions therein that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

receive a catalog of products offered for sale by one or more merchants;

generate in-store catalogs for each of the one or more merchants, an in-store catalog representing products sold by a store operated by a merchant and an inventory count for each product sold by the store;

receive a product request from a user;

identify one or more related products present in the in-store catalogs based on the product request;

determine inventory counts associated with each of the one or more related products;

generate a list of in-stock products based on the inventory counts; and

transmit the list of in-stock products to the user in response to the product request.

12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

detect a returned product, the returned product including an RFID tag;

scan the RFID tag and extract a product identifier and a store identifier associated with the returned product; and

update an inventory count associated with the product identifier and the store identifier.

13 . The system of claim 11 wherein the product request comprises a search query.

14 . The system of claim 13 wherein generating a list of in-stock products based on the inventory counts comprises generating a search results page that includes an identification of the one or more related products and one or more inventory counts associated with the one or more related products.

15 . The system of claim 14 wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

detect a change in an inventory count associated with the one or more related products; and

update the one or more inventory counts included on the search results page.

16 . The system of claim 11 wherein the product request includes a map request, the map request including the location of a user.

17 . The system of claim 16 wherein the instructions causing the system to generate a list of in-stock products based on the inventory counts comprises further include instructions causing the system to:

generate a plurality of labels for the one or more related products, wherein a label includes a product identifier and an inventory count associated with the product identifier; and

display the plurality of labels on a map.

18 . The system of claim 16 wherein transmitting the list of in-stock products to the user in response to the product request comprises transmitting a notification to a user, the notification indicating the availability of the one or more related products.

19 . The system of claim 16 wherein the instructions further cause the system to:

select a first product from the one or more related products;

identify a location of the first product;

calculate a route to the first product based on the location of the user; and

transmit the route to the user.

20 . The system of claim 19 wherein the location of the product comprises one of a store location, a section location, or a shelf or wall location.