Systems and methods for facilitating delivery of products ordered over the internet to customers from product stocking facilities

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided for facilitating delivery of products purchased over the internet by the customers to the customers from a selected product stocking facility of the retailer. The products can be delivered to the customer from the selected product stocking facility of the retailer via a worker of the product stocking facility or an unmanned delivery vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for facilitating delivery to customers of products purchased by the customers from a retailer via internet-based orders, the system comprising:
 an order processing server configured to process an internet-based order for at least one product placed by a customer from the retailer;   an electronic database storing inventory management data including:
 data indicating geographic locations of a plurality of retail stores and product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least one product is stocked, on-hand inventory at the retail stores and the product stocking facilities where the at least one product is stocked, size and weight information associated with the at least one product ordered by the customer, and a time frame within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the customer; 
 data indicating geographic locations and pending tasks of workers at the retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the retailer, geographic locations and pending tasks of unmanned delivery vehicles, and size and weight information associated with vehicles of the workers and with the unmanned delivery vehicles, the workers and the unmanned delivery vehicles available to deliver the at least one product to the customer from the retail stores and the product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least one product is stocked; and 
   a computing device in communication with the order processing server and electronic database, the computing device including a processor-based control circuit and configured to:
 obtain the inventory management data from at least one of: sensors associated with retail stores, sensors associated with the product stocking facilities, sensors associated with the vehicles of the workers, sensors associated with the unmanned delivery vehicles, and the electronic database; and, 
 based on the obtained inventory management data to:
 generate a list of the unmanned delivery vehicles and the workers at the retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the retailer that are capable of delivering the at least one product to the customer within the time frame within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the customer; 
 determine a delivery risk associated with delivering the at least one product to the customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each of the workers on the generated list; 
 determine a cost of delivering the at least one product to the customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each of the workers on the generated list; 
 select, from the plurality of the retail stores and the product stocking facilities of the retailer stored in the electronic database, a retail store or a product stocking facility of the retailer associated with a lowest delivery risk and a lowest delivery cost as the retail store or the product stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one product to the customer; 
 select, from the available workers and unmanned delivery vehicles indicated by the electronic database, a worker or unmanned delivery vehicle associated with the lowest delivery risk and the lowest delivery cost as the worker or unmanned delivery vehicle to deliver the at least one product to the customer from the selected retail store or the selected product stocking facility; and 
 
 transmit an electronic notification to the selected worker or unmanned delivery vehicle, the electronic notification indicating a delivery address of the customer. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the product stocking facilities of the retailer include at least one of: a distribution center of the retailer, a fulfillment center of the retailer, and a mobile storage station of the retailer. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to analyze at least one of the following additional factors based on the obtained inventory management data in order to select the retail store or the product stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one product: pending internet-based product orders being processed by the retailer; and delivery restrictions associated with the customer who purchased the at least one product from the retailer via the internet-based order. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to preferentially select the product stocking facilities over the retail stores during a selection, by the control circuit of the computing device, of the retailer store or the product stocking facility of the retailer from which to deliver the at least one product to the customer. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to select the retail store of the retailer instead of the product stocking facility of the retailer upon a determination, by the control circuit of the computing device, that delivery of the at least one product from the selected retail store of the retailer is cheaper for the retailer than delivery of the at least one product from any of the product stocking facilities of the retailer. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein, after the control circuit of the computing device selects one of the retail stores of the retailer instead one of the product stocking facilities of the retailer as a facility of the retailer from which the at least one product is to be delivered, the control circuit of the computing device is configured to preferentially select to pick the at least one product from a stock room of the retail store of the retailer instead of from a shelf on a sales floor of the retail store of the retailer. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the order processing server is configured to permit the customer to select an option requiring that delivery of the at least one product is to be from a retail store of the retailer geographically closest to the customer after processing a delivery surcharge for delivering the at least one product from the retail store of the retailer geographically closest to the customer. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic notification further indicates a time frame within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the customer. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic database further comprises customer demand forecast data associated with products stocked at the retail stores of the retailer and the product stocking facilities of the retailer. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to obtain the customer demand forecast data from the electronic database and to allocate the products between the retail stores of the retailer and the product stocking facilities of the retailer based on the customer demand forecast data obtained from the electronic database. 
     
     
         11 . A method for facilitating delivery to customers of products purchased by the customers from a retailer via internet-based orders, the method comprising:
 providing an order processing server configured to process an internet-based order for at least one product placed by a customer from the retailer;   providing an electronic database storing inventory management data including:
 data indicating geographic locations of a plurality of retail stores and product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least one product is stocked, on-hand inventory at the retail stores and the product stocking facilities where the at least one product is stocked, size and weight information associated with the at least one product ordered by the customer, and a time frame within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the customer; 
 data indicating geographic locations and pending tasks of workers at the retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the retailer, geographic locations and pending tasks of unmanned delivery vehicles, and size and weight information associated with vehicles of the workers and with the unmanned delivery vehicles, the workers and the unmanned delivery vehicles available to deliver the at least one product to the customer from the retail stores and the product stocking facilities of the retailer where the at least one product is stocked; and 
   providing a computing device in communication with the order processing server and electronic database, the computing device including a processor-based control circuit and configured to:
 obtain the inventory management data from at least one of: sensors associated with retail stores, sensors associated with the product stocking facilities, sensors associated with the vehicles of the workers, sensors associated with the unmanned delivery vehicles, and the electronic database; and, 
 based on the obtained inventory management data to:
 generate a list of the unmanned delivery vehicles and the workers at the retail stores and at the product stocking facilities of the retailer that are capable of delivering the at least one product to the customer within the time frame within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the customer; 
 determine a delivery risk associated with delivering the at least one product to the customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each of the workers on the generated list; 
 determine a cost of delivering the at least one product to the customer within the time frame via each of the unmanned delivery vehicles and each of the workers on the generated list; 
 select, from the plurality of the retail stores and the product stocking facilities of the retailer stored in the electronic database, a retail store or a product stocking facility of the retailer associated with a lowest delivery risk and a lowest delivery cost as the retail store or the product stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one product to the customer; 
 select, from the available workers and unmanned delivery vehicles indicated by the electronic database, a worker or unmanned delivery vehicle associated with the lowest delivery risk and the lowest delivery cost as the worker or unmanned delivery vehicle to deliver the at least one product to the customer from the selected retail store or the selected product stocking facility; and 
 
 transmit an electronic notification to the selected worker or unmanned delivery vehicle, the electronic notification indicating a delivery address of the customer. 
   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the product stocking facilities of the retailer include at least one of: a distribution center of the retailer, a fulfillment center of the retailer, and a mobile storage station of the retailer. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising analyzing, via the control circuit of the computing device, at least one of the following additional factors based on the obtained inventory management data in order to select the retail store or the product stocking facility from which to deliver the at least one product: pending internet-based product orders being processed by the retailer; and delivery restrictions associated with the customer who purchased the at least one product from the retailer via the internet-based order. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising preferentially selecting, via the control circuit of the computing device, the product stocking facilities over the retail stores during a selection, by the control circuit of the computing device, of the retailer store or the product stocking facility of the retailer from which to deliver the at least one product to the customer. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising selecting, via the control circuit of the computing device, the retail store of the retailer instead of the product stocking facility of the retailer upon a determination, by the control circuit of the computing device, that delivery of the at least one product from the selected retail store of the retailer is cheaper for the retailer than delivery of the at least one product from any of the product stocking facilities of the retailer. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising preferentially selecting, via the control circuit of the computing device and after the computing device selects one of the retail stores of the retailer instead of one of the product stocking facilities of the retailer as a facility of the retailer from which the at least one product is to be delivered, to pick the at least one product from a stock room of the retail store of the retailer instead of from a shelf on a sales floor of the retail store of the retailer. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising permitting, via the order processing server, the customer to select an option requiring that delivery of the at least one product is to be from a retail store of the retailer geographically closest to the customer and processing a delivery surcharge for delivering the at least one product from the retail store of the retailer geographically closest to the customer. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the electronic notification further indicates a time frame within which the at least one product is to be delivered to the customer. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising storing, on the electronic database, customer demand forecast data associated with products stocked at the retail stores of the retailer and the product stocking facilities of the retailer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising obtaining, via the control circuit of the computing device, the customer demand forecast data from the electronic database, and allocating the products between the retail stores of the retailer and the product stocking facilities of the retailer based on the customer demand forecast data obtained from the electronic database.