Real-time product selection guidance for conditional sales

1. A method comprising:

scanning, by a sensor associated with a physical shopping cart, a first physical product placed in the physical shopping cart, the sensor in communication with a data processing apparatus associated with the physical shopping cart, the physical shopping cart located in a physical store;

identifying a first product identifier of the scanned first physical product;

querying a backend system with the product identifier, where the backend system stores an offer for a valid combination of products, the offer being available based on a condition of the physical store that requires the valid combination of products to be checked out together, the valid combination of products including the first physical product and at least a second physical product;

receiving, from the backend system in response to the querying, a second product identifier of the second physical product and an indication that the first physical product and the second physical product are included in the offer according to the condition that both the first physical product and the second physical product are to be checked out together;

causing the data processing apparatus coupled to the physical shopping cart to determine whether the second physical product has been scanned in the physical shopping cart;

responsive to determining that the second physical product has not been scanned in the physical shopping cart, obtaining a location of the second physical product in the physical store; and

displaying information about the second physical product and information about the location of the second physical product in the physical store on a display device to a shopper using the shopping cart, the shopper being physically situated in the physical store.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first product identifier of the scanned first physical product comprises:

capturing, from the first physical product, a product input, the product input comprising an image of the first physical product; and

analyzing the image to extract the first product identifier of the first physical product.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first product identifier of the scanned first physical product comprises:

capturing, from the first physical product, a product input, the product input comprising a transmission from a radio frequency identification (RFID) device associated with the first physical product; and

analyzing the transmission to extract the first product identifier.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

receiving, from a physical shopping cart, the product input corresponding to the first physical product, wherein the shopping cart is configured to identify products placed in the shopping cart, and wherein the selected product is physically placed in the shopping cart.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a product preference of the shopper from a profile of the shopper;

querying a retailing backend system for information about a superset of products that are participating in a set of current offers; and

disqualifying, from the superset of products, those products that fail to satisfy the product preference, the set of products remaining after the disregarding.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

determining that a first product in the superset and a second product in the superset form a first valid combination corresponding to the offer;

computing a combined characteristic of the first valid combination; and

evaluating, as a part of the disqualifying, that the combined characteristic as failing to satisfy the condition.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a value of the combined characteristic exceeds a budget set in the product preference.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting, using a second sensor, a presence of the shopper within the physical store; and

establishing, responsive to the detecting, a communication path between the display device and a retailing backend system.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

obtaining a layout of the store, wherein the displayed information about the location of the second physical product in the physical store comprises the layout of the store.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

capturing an offer input, the offer input comprising an image of a printed flyer advertising an offer in the physical store;

analyzing the image to extract an offer identifier; and

requesting the condition corresponding to the offer identifier.

11. A computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the stored program instructions comprising program instructions for performing the steps:

scanning, by a sensor associated with a physical shopping cart, a first physical product placed in the physical shopping cart, the sensor in communication with a data processing apparatus associated with the physical shopping cart, the physical shopping cart located in a physical store;

identifying a first product identifier of the scanned first physical product;

querying a backend system with the product identifier, where the backend system stores an offer for a valid combination of products, the offer being available based on a condition of the physical store that requires the valid combination of products to be checked out together, the valid combination of products including the first physical product and at least a second physical product;

receiving, from the backend system in response to the querying, a second product identifier of the second physical product and an indication that the first physical product and the second physical product are included in the offer according to the condition that both the first physical product and the second physical product are to be checked out together;

causing the data processing apparatus coupled to the physical shopping cart to determine whether the second physical product has been scanned in the physical shopping cart;

responsive to determining that the second physical product has not been scanned in the physical shopping cart, obtaining a location of the second physical product in the physical store; and

displaying information about the second physical product and information about the location of the second physical product in the physical store on a display device to a shopper using the shopping cart, the shopper being physically situated in the physical store.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein identifying the first product identifier of the scanned first physical product comprises:

capturing, from the first physical product, a product input, the product input comprising an image of the first physical product; and

analyzing the image to extract the first product identifier of the first physical product.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein identifying the first product identifier of the scanned first physical product comprises:

capturing, from the first physical product, a product input, the product input comprising a transmission from a radio frequency identification (RFID) device associated with the first physical product; and

analyzing the transmission to extract the first product identifier.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , where the stored program instructions further comprise program instructions for performing the step:

receiving, from a physical shopping cart, the product input corresponding to the first physical product, wherein the shopping cart is configured to identify products placed in the shopping cart, and wherein the selected product is physically placed in the shopping cart.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 , where the stored program instructions further comprise program instructions for performing the steps:

determining a product preference of the shopper from a profile of the shopper;

querying a retailing backend system for information about a superset of products that are participating in a set of current offers; and

disqualifying, from the superset of products, those products that fail to satisfy the product preference, the set of products remaining after the disregarding.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , where the stored program instructions further comprise program instructions for performing the steps:

determining that a first product in the superset and a second product in the superset form a first valid combination corresponding to the offer;

computing a combined characteristic of the first valid combination; and

evaluating, as a part of the disqualifying, that the combined characteristic as failing to satisfy the condition.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein a value of the combined characteristic exceeds a budget set in the product preference.

18. The computer program product of claim 11 , where the stored program instructions further comprise program instructions for performing the steps:

detecting, using a second sensor, a presence of the shopper within the physical store; and

establishing, responsive to the detecting, a communication path between the display device and a retailing backend system.

19. The computer program product of claim 11 , where the stored program instructions further comprise program instructions for performing the step:

obtaining a layout of the store, wherein the displayed information about the location of the second physical product in the physical store comprises the layout of the store.

20. The computer program product of claim 11 , where the stored program instructions further comprise program instructions for performing the steps:

capturing an offer input, the offer input comprising an image of a printed flyer advertising an offer in the physical store;

analyzing the image to extract an offer identifier; and

requesting the condition corresponding to the offer identifier.