Order fulfillment systems and methods with customer location tracking
Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed that provide a pickup process for items purchased from a store. In some embodiments, a mobile computing device of a customer may determine whether the mobile computing device and therefore the customer are in a pickup zone for a store. In response to determining that the mobile computing device is in the pickup zone, the mobile computing device may notify the customer and request whether the customer wishes to initiate pickup of purchased items from the store. The mobile computing device may notify a merchandise pickup system of the customer's desire to pickup the purchased items.
1. A method of a mobile computing device, comprising:
after receiving an order confirmation for an item, increasing a frequency of checking for an indication that the item is ready for pickup;
receiving, by the mobile computing device, the indication that the item is ready for pickup;
determining a current location of the mobile computing device via a satellite-based location determining system, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a GPS receiver;
in response to said receiving, determining, by the mobile computing device, whether the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to a predefined pickup zone for the item;
in response to determining that the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to the predefined pickup zone, generating and presenting, by the mobile computing device, a notification to a user of the mobile computing device that requests whether the user desires to initiate pickup of the item;
after generating and presenting the notification, automatically declining, by the mobile computing device, to initiate pickup of the item if the user fails to respond to the notification while in the predefined pickup zone after a preset amount of time; and
transmitting a request, by the mobile computing device, to initiate pickup of the item in response to receiving a reply to the notification that indicates the user desires to initiate pickup of the item.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
initiating a timer that reflects an elapse of time since initiating pickup; and
presenting the timer via the mobile computing device.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving content targeted to a customer associated with the item for pickup in response to said requesting pickup; and
presenting the targeted content via the mobile computing device.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving pickup instructions in response to said requesting pickup; and
presenting the instructions via the mobile computing device.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an order confirmation for the item; and
altering one or more power management features of the mobile computing device in response to receiving the order confirmation.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining whether the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to the predefined pickup zone, comprises:
monitoring, with the mobile computing device, a global location of the mobile computing device; and
comparing, with the mobile computing device, the global location of the mobile computing device to the predefined pickup zone.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining whether the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to the predefined pickup zone, comprises:
receiving, by the mobile computing device, a short range signal transmitted from the store, wherein the short range signal is communicated according to one of an NFC protocol, a Bluetooth protocol and a WiFi protocol; and
determining, by the mobile computing device, the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to the predefined pickup zone based on receipt of the short range signal from the store.
8. A computer readable storage device comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed, cause a mobile computing device to:
after receiving an order confirmation for an item, increase a frequency of checking for an indication that the item is ready for pickup;
determine a current location of the mobile computing device via a satellite-based location determining system, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a GPS receiver;
determine, in response to receiving the indication that the item is ready for pickup, whether the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to a predefined pickup zone;
in response to determining that the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to the predefined pickup zone, generate and present a notification to a user of the mobile computing device that requests whether the user desires to initiate pickup of the item;
after generating and presenting the notification, automatically decline to initiate pickup of the item if the user fails to respond to the notification while in the predefined pickup zone after a preset amount of time; and
request pickup of the item in response to receiving a reply to the notification that indicates the user desires to initiate pickup.
9. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the mobile computing device to initiate and present a timer that reflects an elapse of time since the request to pickup.
10. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the mobile computing device to present content targeted to a customer associated with the item for pickup and received in response to requesting pickup.
11. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the mobile computing device to present pickup instructions received in response to requesting pickup.
12. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the mobile computing device to alter one or more power management features of the mobile computing device in response to a received order confirmation.
13. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the mobile computing device to monitor a global location of the mobile computing device, and compare the global location to the defined pickup zone for the store.
14. The computer readable storage device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the mobile computing device to determine whether a current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to the predefined pickup zone for the store based on whether a short range signal associated with the predefined pickup zone is received.
15. A system, comprising:
an application stored on a physical memory of a mobile computing device, wherein the application is executed by a processor that configures the mobile computing device to:
increase a frequency of checking for an indication that one or more items are ready for pickup after receiving an order confirmation for the one or more items of an order,
determine a current location of the mobile computing device via a satellite-based location determining system, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a GPS receiver,
request, in response to the mobile computing device determining that the current location of the mobile computing device corresponds to a predefined pickup zone, to initiate pickup of the one or more items, and
either receive a reply to the request that the user desires to initiate pickup of the one or more items or automatically decline to initiate pickup of the one or more items if the user fails to respond to the request while in the predefined pickup zone after a preset amount of time; and
a merchandise pickup system for a store configured to:
instruct an associate of the store to the gather one or more items for the order,
notify the mobile computing device that the order is ready for pickup, and
instruct an associate to deliver the one or more items to a pickup location in response to receiving the request from the mobile computing device.
16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising an e-commerce system configured to receive the order for the one or more items, and notify the merchandise pickup system of the order in response to receiving a request to initiate pickup of the one or more items from the store.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the e-commerce system is further configured to obtain vehicle information that describes a vehicle to be used to pickup the one or more items; and
the merchandise pickup system is configured to instruct the associate to deliver the one or more items to the described vehicle.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the e-commerce system is further configured to send to the application of the mobile computing device an order confirmation that indicates the order includes one or more items for pickup; and
the application is further configured to alter one or more power management features of the mobile computing device in response to receiving the order confirmation that indicates the order includes one or more items for pickup.
19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the merchandise pickup system is configured to provide the application of the mobile computing device with content targeted to a customer associated with the order in response to receiving the request from the mobile computing device.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the merchandise pickup system is configured to provide the application of the mobile computing device with pickup instructions in response to receiving the request from the mobile computing device.