Predictive Shipping Method for E-Commerce Site

Abstract

A delivery mechanism uses a recommender and prediction system to determine if a customer may want an item before he/she specifically requests such. Physical inventory ordered from an e-commerce site is thus preemptively distributed and maintained in transit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An automated method of delivering items to a customer of an e-commerce website comprising the steps of:
 delivering a first item to the customer in response to a specific request by the customer for such first item to a website computing system;   wherein said first item is an article shipped by the e-commerce website to the first customer;   generating a prediction with a recommender system for a second item which is likely to be of interest to said customer, said prediction being based at least in part on said customer's prior item selections; and   distributing said second item to the first customer based on said prediction and prior to an explicit request by the first customer for said second item;   wherein delivery of said second item from inventory of the e-commerce site is initiated in advance of said first customer requesting such item from the e-commerce website.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said items are identified in a particular order in a delivery queue by the subscriber. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said items are machine playable media. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is correlated by the recommender system to said first item. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said items are mailed to the first customers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is selected based on a profit margin associate with said item, such that high profit margin items are more likely to be shipped in advance of an express request. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is a promotional item selected by the e-commerce site computing system based on a promotional event and which is shipped to a plurality of customers in advance of such customers requesting such item. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is selected based on a demand for such item by a plurality of customers of the e-commerce site. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is selected based on monitoring an availability of status of items previously selected by the first customer and maintained in a customer selection list of items by the e-commerce website. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein inventory of the e-commerce site is managed by controlling shipments of said second item to a plurality of customers based on an automated timing schedule and not in response to requests of said second item from such customers. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is provided at no charge to said first customer. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is selected based on a determination by said website computing system that it will increase satisfaction of said first customer with said e-commerce site. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is selected based on a determination by said website computing system of a cost of shipping such item and whether said second customer is likely to enjoy such second item. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein processing and mailing delays associated with customer selections at the e-commerce site are reduced by customer prediction based shipping. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  further including steps: receiving a request for a third item from said first customer which is more popular than said second item; shipping said second item to said first customer and said third item to a second customer instead of said first customer based on both customer satisfaction and cost factors. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said distributing of said second item to the first customer is performed at least in part using physical mail delivery. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein said second item is packaged with a mailer that includes a pre-printed physical return mailer. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the e-commerce website distributes a plurality of items to customers based on a plurality of predictions prior to explicit requests, such that a portion of inventory of such e-commerce is maintained in transit. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said second item is selected and distributed to said first customer based on a time based event determined for such customer and not an explicit request by such customer. 
     
     
         20 . An automated method of delivering items to a customer of an e-commerce website comprising the steps of:
 maintaining a current request list of a set of items selected by a first customer at the e-commerce website;   delivering a first item to the customer from said set of items in response to a specific request by the customer for such first item to a website computing system;   wherein said first item is an article shipped by the e-commerce website to the first customer and is associated with a charge paid by the first customer;   generating a prediction with a recommender system for a second item which is likely to be of interest to said first customer, said prediction being based at least in part on said first customer's prior item selections and said current request list maintained for said first customer; and   shipping said second item to the first customer based on said prediction and prior to an explicit request by the first customer for said second item to be shipped;   wherein delivery of said second item from inventory of the e-commerce site is initiated in advance of said first customer requesting such item to be shipped from the e-commerce website; and   further wherein said second item is shipped and delivered without any charge to said first customer as a promotional item.