Automated synchronous product pricing and advertising system

Abstract

An automated product pricing system including a physical store system, a virtual store system, and a control system. The physical and virtual store systems are capable of transmitting sales data indicative of the number of sales of identified respective products. The control system is adapted to receive the sales data from the physical store system and the virtual store system. In response thereto, the control system generates price change data including a changed price of an identified product based on the sales data received from at least one of the physical and virtual store systems. The price change data is then transmitted by the control system to at least one of the physical and virtual store systems to thereby change the price of the identified product.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An automated product pricing system, comprising: 
 a plurality of store systems, each of the store systems comprising: 
 a product pricing unit constructed to display a product location price indicating the unit price of a first product;  
 means for requesting from a shopper a product checkout/order price for the purchase of the first product;  
 a store system computer constructed to communicate with the product pricing unit and the means for requesting so as to automatically change the product location price and the product checkout/order price;  
   a competition pricing information system outputting competition pricing data indicative of the price at which at least one predetermined competitor requests from a shopper for the purchase of the first product;    a control system computer adapted to receive the competition pricing data from the competition pricing information system and to automatically determine, with at least one price change algorithm, and output a price change code to the store system computer.    
     
     
         2 . A method for the automated pricing of a product, comprising the steps of: 
 displaying a first product location price indicative of the unit price of a product such that the first product location price is perceivable by a first shopper when the first shopper is selecting the product for purchase;    electronically changing the first product location price to a second product location price following the first shopper selecting the product for purchase, the second product location price being different than the first product location price, the second product location price being perceivable by a second shopper when the second shopper is selecting the product for purchase; and    requesting from the first shopper a first product checkout/order price for the purchase of the product and from the second shopper a second product checkout/order price for the purchase of the product, the first and second product checkout/order prices not exceeding the respective first and second product location prices perceivable by the first and second shoppers when the first and second shoppers were selecting the product for purchase.    
     
     
         3 . A method as defined in  claim 2 , further comprising the step of changing the first product checkout/order price to the second product checkout/order price a predetermined time later than when the first product location price is changed to the second product location price.  
     
     
         4 . A method as defined in  claim 3 , further comprising the step of: 
 selectively outputting at least one advertising message in a format perceivable by the second shopper, the advertising message identifying the product and including a product advertised price which is identical to the second product checkout/order price.    
     
     
         5 . A method as defined in  claim 4 , wherein the step of electronically changing the first product location price to a second product location price includes the step of storing the first product checkout/order price and also includes the step of changing the first product checkout/order price to the second product checkout/order price, and wherein the step of selectively outputting at least one advertising message is further defined as outputting the advertising message about simultaneously with the changing of the first product checkout/order price to the second product checkout/order price when the second product checkout/order price is less than the first product checkout/order price.  
     
     
         6 . A method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the step of electronically changing the first product location price to a second product location price includes the steps of: 
 receiving data selected from the group consisting of competition price data, pricing and advertising information, sales and inventory data, and combinations thereof; and    changing the first product location price to the second product location price based on the received data.    
     
     
         7 . A method as defined in  claim 2 , further comprising the step of: 
 recording a time stamp data indicative of the time at which the first and second product location prices were likely perceivable by the first and second respective shoppers to determine the first product checkout/order price requested from the first shopper and the second product checkout/order price requested from the second shopper.    
     
     
         8 . A method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the step of recording a time stamp data is further defined as recording the time at which the first and second shoppers entered the store.  
     
     
         9 . A method for the automated pricing of a product, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a plurality of store systems, each of the store systems comprising: 
 a store product advertising media unit constructed to selectively output at least one advertising message in a format perceivable by a shopper, the advertising message identifying a product and including at least one of a price and a price discount for the purchase of the product; and  
   providing a control system computer adapted to selectively communicate advertising price change codes indicative of different advertised prices for the same product to the store product advertising media unit of respective store systems whereby the advertising message at the store systems for the product are capable of being individualized at each store system.    
     
     
         10 . A method as defined in  claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of: 
 selecting coupons from the store product advertising media unit from a plurality of predetermined coupons;    printing the selected coupons.    
     
     
         11 . A method as defined in  claim 9 , further comprising the steps of: 
 providing a store checkout station adapted to receive coupon data from physical coupons and to transmit the coupon data;    providing a store system computer adapted to receive the coupon data and to print coupons from the coupon data whereby the physical coupons at the store checkout station can be discarded.    
     
     
         12 . A method as defined in  claim 10 , further comprising the step of: 
 transmitting audio advertising messages via the store product advertising media unit.    
     
     
         13 . A method as defined in  claim 10 , further comprising the step of: 
 transmitting video advertising messages via the store product advertising media unit.    
     
     
         14 . A method for the automated pricing of a product, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a plurality of store systems, each of the store systems comprising: 
 a product pricing unit constructed to display a product location price indicating the unit price of a first product;  
 means for requesting from a shopper a product checkout/order price for the purchase of the first product;  
 a store system computer constructed to communicate with the product pricing unit and the means for requesting so as to automatically change the product location price and the product checkout/order price;  
   providing a competition pricing information system adapted to output competition pricing data indicative of the price at which at least one predetermined competitor requests from a shopper for the purchase of the first product;    providing a control system computer adapted to receive the competition pricing data from the competition pricing information system and to automatically output a price change code to the store system computer.