Managing stock available to on-line and in-person shoppers

Abstract

A method for managing stock so that a merchant who provides both on-line and in-person shopping may dependably advise an on-line shopper regarding availability of an item. An approximate quantity available of the item is determined, and then adjusted according to an estimate of the quantity of the item held before checkout by in-person shoppers. When the result is less than a threshold, corrective action is invoked. The corrective action may be prompting the on-line shopper to select an alternative item, asking the on-line shopper to submit an order immediately, monitoring the approximate quantity during the on-line shopping session and informing the on-line shopper if the approximate quantity falls below a second threshold, and instructing an in-house shopping assistant to reserve the item for the on-line shopper.

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       7 . A method of operating a combined on-line and physical retail store for an on-line shopper, comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at a web server an order for an item by an on-line shopper;    determining via the server a real time approximate quantity of the item available for purchase by the on-line shopper;    adjusting via the server the real time approximate quantity responsive to a quantity-held estimate of a number of units of the item held by in-person shoppers who physically removed said units of the item from inventory prior to checkout by the in-person shoppers to provide an adjusted quantity;    comparing via the server the adjusted quantity with a first threshold; and    when the adjusted quantity is less than the first threshold, prompting the on-line shopper to select an alternative item.    
   
   
       8 . A method of operating a combined on-line and physical retail store for an on-line shopper, comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at a web server an order for an item by an on-line shopper;    determining via the server a real time approximate quantity of the item available for purchase by the on-line shopper;    adjusting via the server the real time approximate quantity responsive to a quantity-held estimate of a number of units of the item held by in-person shoppers who physically removed said units of the item from inventory prior to checkout by the in-person shoppers to provide an adjusted quantity;    comparing via the server the adjusted quantity with a first threshold;    when the adjusted quantity is less than the first threshold, asking the on-line shopper to submit an order for the item; and,    if the on-line shopper submits the order, removing the item from stock and revising the approximate quantity.    
   
   
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       10 . A method of operating a combined on-line and physical retail store for an on-line shopper, comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at a web server an order for an item by an on-line shopper;    determining via the server a real time approximate quantity of the item available for purchase by the on-line shopper;    adjusting via the server the real time approximate quantity responsive to a quantity-held estimate of a number of units of the item held by in-person shoppers who physically removed said units of the item from inventory prior to checkout by the in-person shoppers to provide an adjusted quantity;    comparing via the server the adjusted quantity with a first threshold; and    when the adjusted quantity is less than the first threshold, instructing an in-house shopping assistant to reserve the item for the on-line shopper.