Merchandise pickup system, method, and media for allied merchants

Abstract

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         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.