Real-time product delivery during customer-driven point of sale retail transactions

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an approach is provided in which a product request is received that corresponds to a point-of-sale (POS) device, which is located at a merchant facility. In addition to identifying a product location corresponding to the product, an employee location of an employee in proximity to the product location is also identified. In turn, an electronic message is sent to the employee's mobile device that includes a request to transport the product from the product location to the POS device.

1 . A method for selling products at a merchant facility, wherein customers generally select products in the merchant facility and bring the selected products to a point-of-sale (POS) device at the merchant facility for checkout, the method comprising:
 during a customer checkout at a (POS) device at a merchant facility, receiving a product request at the POS device corresponding to a product,   identifying an employee location, from a plurality of employee locations, that is in proximity to a product location of the requested product, the employee location corresponding to an employee; and   sending an electronic message to a mobile device that corresponds to the employee, wherein the electronic message includes a request to transport the product from the product location to the POS device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
 identifying an initial product at the POS device that is purchased by a user;   determining that the product corresponds to the initial product;   querying the user to indicate whether the user wishes to purchase the product; and   in response to receiving the indication that the user wishes to purchase the product, generating the product request.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising:
 computing an estimated transport time to transport the product from the product location to the POS device; and 
 including the estimated transport time in the query to the user. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 receiving a different product request corresponding to a different product that is located at a different product location within the merchant facility; 
 determining that a transport grouping option is selected; and 
 in response to determining that the transport grouping option is selected, including a different request in the electronic message to transport the different product from the different product location to the POS device. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method if  claim 4  further comprising:
 in response to identifying that the transport grouping option is based upon a retrieval perimeter:
 computing the retrieval perimeter based upon the employee location; and 
 determining that the different product location resides within the retrieval perimeter; and 
 
 in response to identifying that the transport grouping option is based upon a transport direction:
 computing the transport direction based upon the employee location and a point-of sale device location that corresponds to the point-of-sale device; and 
 identifying that the different product location is in proximity to the transport direction. 
 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 in response to receiving the product request, automatically charging the requested product to a user bill prior to receiving the product at the POS device. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 identifying an initial employee location, from the plurality of employee locations, that is closer in proximity to the location than the employee location; 
 identifying an amount of stationary time that an initial employee is located at the initial employee location; 
 in response to determining the amount of stationary time, determining that the initial employee is unavailable to transport the product from the product location to the point-of-sale device; 
 in response to determining that the initial employee is unavailable, determining that the employee is available to transport the product from the product location to the to the point-of-sale device; and 
 in response to determining that the employee is available, sending the electronic message to the mobile device corresponding to the employee. 
 
     
     
         8 . An information handling system comprising:
 one or more processors;   a memory coupled to at least one of the processors;   a set of computer program instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of:
 during a customer checkout at a point-of-sale (POS) device at a merchant facility, receiving a product request at the POS device corresponding to a product, wherein customers generally select products in the merchant facility and bring the selected products to a POS device at the merchant facility for checkout; 
   identifying an employee location, from a plurality of employee locations, that is in proximity to a product location of the requested product, the employee location corresponding to an employee; and   sending an electronic message to a mobile device that corresponds to the employee, wherein the electronic message includes a request to transport the product from the product location to the POS device.   
     
     
         9 . The information handling system of  claim 8 , wherein the processors perform additional actions comprising:
 identifying an initial product at the POS device that is purchased by a user;   determining that the product corresponds to the initial product;   querying the user to indicate whether the user wishes to purchase the product; and   in response to receiving the indication that the user wishes to purchase the product, generating the product request.   
     
     
         10 . The information handling system of  claim 9  wherein the processors perform additional actions comprising:
 computing an estimated transport time to transport the product from the product location to the POS device; and 
 including the estimated transport time in the query to the user. 
 
     
     
         11 . The information handling system of  claim 8  wherein the processors perform additional actions comprising:
 receiving a different product request corresponding to a different product that is located at a different product location within the merchant facility; 
 determining that a transport grouping option is selected; and 
 in response to determining that the transport grouping option is selected, including a different request in the electronic message to transport the different product from the different product location to the POS device. 
 
     
     
         12 . The information handling system of  claim 11  wherein the processors perform additional actions comprising:
 in response to identifying that the transport grouping option is based upon a retrieval perimeter:
 computing the retrieval perimeter based upon the employee location; and 
 determining that the different product location resides within the retrieval perimeter; and 
 in response to identifying that the transport grouping option is based upon a transport direction: 
 computing the transport direction based upon the employee location and a point-of sale device location that corresponds to the point-of-sale device; and 
 identifying that the different product location is in proximity to the transport direction. 
 
 
     
     
         13 . The information handling system of  claim 8  wherein the processors perform additional actions comprising:
 in response to receiving the product request, automatically charging the requested product to a user bill prior to receiving the product at the POS device. 
 
     
     
         14 . The information handling system of  claim 8  wherein the processors perform additional actions comprising:
 identifying an initial employee location, from the plurality of employee locations, that is closer in proximity to the product location than the employee location; 
 identifying an amount of stationary time that an initial employee is located at the initial employee location; 
 in response to determining the amount of stationary time, determining that the initial employee is unavailable to transport the product from the product location to the point-of-sale device; 
 in response to determining that the initial employee is unavailable, determining that the employee is available to transport the product from the product location to the to the point-of-sale device; and 
 in response to determining that the employee is available, sending the electronic message to the mobile device corresponding to the employee. 
 
     
     
         15 . A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising computer program code that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions comprising:
 during a customer checkout at a point-of-sale (POS) device at a merchant facility, receiving a product request at the POS device corresponding to a product, wherein the product request corresponds to a point-of-sale (POS) device located at a merchant facility;   identifying an employee location, from a plurality of employee locations, that is in proximity to a product location of the requested product, the employee location corresponding to an employee; and   sending an electronic message to a mobile device that corresponds to the employee, wherein the electronic message includes a request to transport the product from the product location to the POS device.   
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:
 identifying an initial product at the POS device that is purchased by a user;   determining that the product corresponds to the initial product;   querying the user to indicate whether the user wishes to purchase the product; and   in response to receiving the indication that the user wishes to purchase the product, generating the product request.   
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 16  wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:
 computing an estimated transport time to transport the product from the product location to the POS device; and 
 including the estimated transport time in the query to the user. 
 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 15  wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:
 receiving a different product request corresponding to a different product that is located at a different product location within the merchant facility; 
 determining that a transport grouping option is selected; and 
 in response to determining that the transport grouping option is selected, including a different request in the electronic message to transport the different product from the different product location to the POS device. 
 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 18  wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:
 in response to identifying that the transport grouping option is based upon a retrieval perimeter:
 computing the retrieval perimeter based upon the employee location; and 
 determining that the different product location resides within the retrieval perimeter; and 
 
 in response to identifying that the transport grouping option is based upon a transport direction:
 computing the transport direction based upon the employee location and a point-of sale device location that corresponds to the point-of-sale device; and 
 identifying that the different product location is in proximity to the transport direction. 
 
 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 15  wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:
 identifying an initial employee location, from the plurality of employee locations, that is closer in proximity to the product location than the employee location; 
 identifying an amount of stationary time that an initial employee is located at the initial employee location; 
 in response to determining the amount of stationary time, determining that the initial employee is unavailable to transport the product from the product location to the point-of-sale device; 
 in response to determining that the initial employee is unavailable, determining that the employee is available to transport the product from the product location to the to the point-of-sale device; and 
 in response to determining that the employee is available, sending the electronic message to the mobile device corresponding to the employee.