MERCHANDISE PICKUP SYSTEM, METHOD, AND MEDIA FOR ALLIED MERCHANTS
Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed that provide a pickup process for items purchased from stores of allied merchants. In some embodiments, a customer may place an order via an e-commerce storefront that includes products from multiple merchants in a geographic region. In response to receiving the order, a merchandise pickup system may assign associates to collect the ordered products from the allied merchants and return the collected products to a pickup location. The merchandise pickup system may send a pickup notification to the customer indicating the products are ready for pickup from the pickup location.
1 . A method, comprising:
receiving, from a customer, an order comprising products from multiple allied merchants within a predetermined geographic region;
assigning one or more associates to collect the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the collected products to a pickup location; and
sending a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said receiving comprises receiving the order via a storefront provided by an e-commerce system.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said assigning comprises assigning products from multiple orders to an associate for collection from an allied merchant.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said assigning comprises assigning a single associate to collect the products from the multiple allied merchants.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the order is ready for pickup based upon received updates from the one or more associates.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said sending a pickup notification occurs after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting an amount to be collected based on products purchased in lieu of unavailable products of the order.
8 . A computer readable media, comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed, result in a computing device:
receiving, from a customer, an order comprising products from multiple allied merchants within a predetermined geographic region;
assigning one or more associates to collect the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the collected products to a pickup location; and
sending a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.
9 . The computer readable media of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device receiving the order via a storefront provided by an e-commerce system.
10 . The computer readable media of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device assigning products from multiple orders to an associate for collection from an allied merchant.
11 . The computer readable media of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device assigning a single associate to collect the products from the multiple allied merchants.
12 . The computer readable media of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device determining whether the order is ready for pickup based upon received updates from the one or more associates.
13 . The computer readable media of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device sending the pickup notification after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.
14 . The computer readable media of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device adjusting an amount to be collected based on products purchased in lieu of unavailable products of the order.
15 . A merchandise pickup system, comprising:
an e-commerce system configured to provide one or more storefronts for a plurality of allied merchants and receive, from a customer, an order that comprise products from multiple allied merchants of the plurality of allied merchants; and
a local pickup system configured to receive the order from the e-commerce system, assign one or more associates to collect the products from the multiple allied merchants and return the collected products to a pickup location, and send a pickup notification to the customer that indicates the products of the order are ready for pickup from the pickup location.
16 . The merchandise pickup system of claim 15 , wherein said local pickup system is further configured to assign products from multiple orders to an associate for collection from an allied merchant.
17 . The merchandise pickup system of claim 15 , wherein said local pickup system is further configured to assign a single associate to collect the products from the multiple allied merchants.
18 . The merchandise pickup system of claim 15 , wherein said local pickup system is further configured to determine whether the order is ready for pickup based upon received updates from the one or more associates.
19 . The merchandise pickup system of claim 15 , wherein said local pickup system is further configured to send a pickup notification after determining that the order is ready for pickup from the pickup location.
20 . The merchandise pickup system of claim 15 , wherein said local pickup system is further configured to adjust an amount to be collected based on products purchased in lieu of unavailable products of the order.