On-the-go shopping list

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing shopping-related information to a consumer are provided. Embodiments of the system allow a consumer to create an electronic shopping list by scanning products. In some embodiments, shopping-related information may be obtained for items in the shopping list, such as pricing information, product quality, consumer ratings, and other information that may help a consumer to make an informed purchasing decision. Other embodiments allow a consumer to obtain and compare retail prices offered by several retailers for products in the shopping list. Still other embodiments provide a store-wide network that allows a shopper to scan items in the store, add the scanned items to a shopping list, and then check-out electronically.

1 . A method of conducting a sales transaction, comprising using an electronic device to:
 receive wireless network connectivity information through a near field communication interface of the handheld electronic device, the wireless network connectivity information comprising connection information for establishing communications with a wireless network associated with a store;   communicatively couple the handheld electronic device to the wireless network using the wireless network connectivity information;   acquire, through the near field communication interface, one or more product identifiers identifying products for purchase at the store;   create, using the one or more product identifiers, a shopping list displayed on the electronic device; and   transmit the one or more product identifiers to the server via the wireless network to purchase the products identified by the product identifiers in the shopping list.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising using the electronic device to:
 download store information associated with the store over the wireless network, wherein the store information comprises product information, promotional information, a store map, or a combination thereof; and   display the store information on the electronic device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising using the electronic device to download a software application over the wireless network, wherein using the electronic device to compile the one or more product identifiers into a shopping list comprises running the software application on the electronic device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the connection information comprises a service set identifier for the wireless network, a channel for the wireless network, or an encryption key for the wireless network, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . A system for conducting a sales transaction, comprising:
 a first system component configured to provide wireless network connectivity information to a customer electronic device via near field communication, wherein the wireless network connectivity information is configured to permit the customer electronic device to communicate over a wireless network associated with a store, and wherein the first component comprises:
 a near-field-communication-enabled device associated with the store; or 
 a radio frequency identification tag associated with the store; or 
 a combination thereof; and 
   a second system component, wherein the second system component comprises a server, configured to:
 establish communication with the customer electronic device over the wireless network; 
 receive one or more product identifiers from the customer electronic device, wherein the one or more product identifiers identify one or more products associated with respective radio frequency identification tags that have been scanned by the customer electronic device in the store; and 
 generate a purchase order of the one or more products identified by the one or more product identifiers. 
   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the first system component comprises the near-field-communication-enabled device associated with the store, wherein the near-field-communication-enabled device associated with the store comprises a handheld device operable by a store employee. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the first system component comprises the near-field-communication-enabled device associated with the store, wherein the near-field-communication-enabled device associated with the store comprises a kiosk configured to operated by one or more customers. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second system component is configured to provide processor-executable instructions to the customer electronic device to enable the customer electronic device to generate a shopping list of the one or more products identified by the one or more product identifiers. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second system component is configured to provide processor-executable instructions to the customer electronic device to enable the customer electronic device to display product details relating to the one or more products identified by the one or more product identifiers. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second system component is configured to receive, from the customer electronic device or retrieve from another source, customer purchasing information configured to enable the second system component to allow a customer associated with the customer electronic device to purchase the one or more products identified by the one or more product identifiers. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 5 , comprising a display configured to display the purchase order to enable a store employee to process the purchase order. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 5 , comprising a consumer database configured to hold information related to a consumer associated with the customer electronic device to facilitate the sales transaction. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the information related to the consumer comprises billing information, contact information, shipping addresses, the purchase order, prior purchase orders, or other records regarding previous purchases, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . An electronic device comprising:
 a near field communication interface configured to receive:
 wireless network connectivity information associated with a wireless network from a near-field-communication-enabled device associated with a store or from a radio frequency identification tag associated with the store; and 
 one or more product identifiers associated with products from the store; 
   a processor configured to generate a shopping list showing one or more products identified by the one or more product identifiers;   an electronic display configured to display the shopping list; and   a wireless network interface configured to connect to the wireless network using the wireless network connectivity information and transmit the one or more product identifiers to a server associated with the store via the wireless network to purchase the one or more products identified by the one or more product identifiers in the shopping list.   
     
     
         15 . The electronic device of  claim 14 , wherein the near field communication interface is configured to receive the one or more product identifiers from one or more respective radio frequency identification tags associated with the one or more products. 
     
     
         16 . The electronic device of  claim 14 , wherein the electronic display comprises a touchscreen interface configured to enable a selection of the at least one of the products identified by the product identifiers in the shopping list, wherein the wireless network interface is configured to transmit the at least one 
     
     
         17 . One or more articles of manufacture comprising non-transitory, processor executable instructions to:
 receive wireless connectivity information associated with a wireless network in a store via a protocol distinct from that used by the wireless network;   connect to the wireless network using the wireless connectivity information;   receive a product identifier associated with a product in the store via near field communication; and   transmit the product identifier to a server via the wireless network to purchase the product.   
     
     
         18 . The one or more articles of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions to connect to the wireless network comprise instructions to connect to a local Wi-Fi network and wherein the instructions to receive the wireless connectivity information comprise instructions to receive the wireless connectivity information via a wireless connection other than Wi-Fi. 
     
     
         19 . The one or more articles of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions to connect to the wireless network comprise instructions to connect to a Bluetooth personal area network and wherein the instructions to receive the wireless connectivity information comprise instructions to receive the wireless connectivity information via a wireless connection other than the Bluetooth personal area network. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more articles of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions to connect to the wireless network comprise instructions to connect to a personal, local, or wide area network, or a combination thereof, and wherein the instructions to receive the wireless connectivity information comprise instructions to receive the wireless connectivity information via near field communication. 
     
     
         21 . A method of conducting a sales transaction, comprising using a server to:
 transmit wireless network connectivity information over a store network to a near field communications device configured to communicatively couple to a near field communication interface of a handheld electronic device, the wireless network connectivity information comprising connection information for establishing communications with the store network;   receive the connection information from the handheld electronic device to communicatively couple the handheld electronic device to the server via the wireless network;   receive one or more product identifiers from the handheld electronic device via the wireless network, wherein the product identifiers identify products for purchase;   create, using the product identifiers, a purchase order for purchasing the products identified by the product identifiers; and   display the purchase order on a display for processing by an employee of the store.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising using a server to transmit a message to the handheld device informing a user of the handheld device that the purchase order is ready for pickup. 
     
     
         23 . A method of electronic shopping, comprising using an electronic device to:
 generate a shopping list identifying products to be purchased;   obtain a plurality of total prices for the shopping list at a plurality of retailers, wherein each of the total prices corresponds to a different retailer of the plurality of retailers and comprises a total cost for all the products in the shopping list available at the corresponding retailer;   display selectable retailer entries on the electronic device, wherein each of the selectable retailer entries corresponds to one of the plurality of retailers and displays the total price for that retailer;   generate a modified shopping list in response to user selection of at least one of the selectable retailer entries, wherein the modified shopping list includes the products available at the retailer corresponding to the selected retailer entry; and   display the modified shopping list on the handheld electronic device.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , comprising using an electronic device to obtain an availability number for each retailer of the plurality of retailers, the availability number indicating how many of the products are available at the corresponding retailer. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein using an electronic device to generate a modified shopping list comprises substituting a similar product for at least one of the identified products. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , comprising using an electronic device to receive a user selection of at least two of the selectable retailer entries, and wherein generating a modified shopping list comprises dividing the shopping list between the retailers 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein using an electronic device to display selectable retailer entries comprises displaying a first total price for all of the products as offered by a first retailer and displaying a second total price for all of the products as offered by a second retailer. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23 , comprising using an electronic device to obtain a plurality of travel distances, wherein each travel distance corresponds to a retailer of the plurality of retailers and wherein each of the selectable retailer entries displays the travel distance for the corresponding retailer. 
       to the selectable retailer entries based on which of the retailers offers a lowest price for each of the products. 
     
     
         29 . A method of creating a shopping list in a handheld electronic device, comprising using a handheld electronic device to:
 acquire a product identifier that identifies a specific product to be purchased;   add the product identifier to a shopping list stored in the handheld electronic device;   receive a user input that enables a substitution indicator associated with the product identifier, wherein the substitution indicator indicates that another brand may be substituted for the specific product identified by the product identifier;   transmit the product identifier and data representing the substitution indicator to a data manager via a wireless network and receive, from the data manager, product information for the specific product and for at least one other brand of the specific product;   generate a modified shopping list that substitutes the at least one other brand of the specific product for the specific product based on the product information; and   display the modified shopping list on the handheld electronic device.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the product information comprises a first price for the specific product and a second price for the at least one other brand of the specific product, and wherein using a handheld electronic device to generate a modified shopping list comprises substituting the at least one other brand of the specific product for the specific product when the second price is lower than the first price. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , comprising using the handheld electronic device to display the shopping list stored in the handheld device, wherein the shopping list comprises a product entry corresponding to the specific product that displays the substitution indicator. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein using a handheld electronic device to acquire a product identifier comprises receiving the product identifier through a near field communication interface of the handheld electronic device.