SE1650965A1

SE1650965A1 - Method and system for purchasing a product

Info

Publication number: SE1650965A1
Application number: SE1650965A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Anders MÅNSSON Bror; Liska Ann-Cathrine; Forsberg Mats; Lemmel Fredrik
Original assignee: Urb-It & Ass Ab
Priority date: 2016-07-01
Filing date: 2016-07-01
Publication date: 2018-01-02
Also published as: WO2018004444A1

Abstract

Method for performing a purchase of a physical product from a physical point of sale (120) (POS) offering the product for direct on-site purchase, which method comprises the steps, performed by a central server (110), ofa) receiving product inventory information from several POS;b) receiving location information for several mobile delivery agents (151);c) determining an optimal product delivery route, involving a selected delivery agent, a selected one POS and a delivery location, and calculating an expected delivery time; d) presenting updated delivery time information to a purchasing user (131) and allowing the user to electronically order the product;e) sending reservation information to the POS and delivery information to the delivery agent;f) during the delivery, receiving updated inventory and location information;g) before the product has been delivered, redetermining the optimal product delivery route, and, if delivery agent or POS has changed, reverting to step e.The invention also relates to a system.

Description

Method and system for purchasing a product The present invention relates to a method and a system for purchasing a product.

The rapid development of computer technology and electronic consumer devices duringrecent years have provided many new ways for sellers and buyers of products and servicesto interact and to find each other. For instance, online marketing and purchases have in- creased drastically, now accounting for a significant share of the total market.

At the same time, the said technical development has provided new and more numerouspossibilities to take advantage of geographical proximity between seller and buyer, and also allowing more elaborate patterns of decentralization of commerce.

The present invention solves problems in this field, and in particular within the context of,and with respect to, a technical platform for allowing such decentralized commerce usingelectronic devices for connecting buyers and sellers, using delivery agents for physically de-livering products from sellers to buyers, such as within a single, geographically local neigh- bourhood, such as within a single city or even a particular downtown area.

Hence, problems arise when there are several parallel sales channels for the same stockedproducts, in particularwhen one ofa set ofavailable sales channels is via delivery by deliveryagents of the said type. Such problems, among other things, relate to electronic inventorykeeping under dynamic conditions, involving several physical shops and buyers acting inparallel and over time scales that may differ due to geographical locations and distances, as well as availability, of physical shops, products, buyers and delivery agents.

Problems also arise in the context of electronic product order placement under such dy-namic conditions. Users want a convenient and simple purchasing process while still beingreasonably confident that delivery ofan ordered product will in fact take place, which many times may be difficult to offer under uncertainty.

Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE The present invention solves the above described problems.

Hence, the invention relates to a method for performing a purchase of a physical productfrom at least one physical point of sale offering the product for direct on-site purchase,which method comprises the steps a) a central server electronically being provided inven-tory information regarding present updated physical availability of the product in questionfrom a plurality of physical points of sale; b) the central server electronically being providedlocation information regarding present respective geographic locations for a plurality ofavailable mobile delivery agents; c) the central server determining an optimal physical prod-uct delivery route, involving at least one selected delivery agent, at least a selected one ofsaid points of sale, as well as a particular delivery location, based upon the said inventoryand location in-formation, and calculating an expected delivery time for the optimal routeto the delivery location; d) the central server electronically presenting updated informationregarding the expected product delivery time to a purchasing user and allowing the user toelectronically order the product; e) the central server electronically sending reservation in-formation to the said selected point of sale, as well as delivery information to the said se-lected delivery agent; f) during the delivery of the product, the central server electronicallybeing provided updated inventory and location information; g) before the product has beendelivered to the delivery location, the central server automatically redetermining the opti-mal product delivery route, and, if at least one selected delivery agent or at least one se-lected point of sale has changed, electronically sending updated reservation informationand/or updated delivery information to such changed delivery agent(s) and/or such changed point(s) of sale, and reverting to step f.

The invention also relates to a system. ln the following, the invention will be described in detail, with reference to exemplifying embodiments ofthe invention and to the enclosed drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is an overview of a system according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to a first aspect of the invention; Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to a second aspect ofthe invention;andFigures 4a-4d are respective simplified examples of respective states of interactive graphical user interfaces in different stages of a method according to the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a system 100 according to the invention. A central server 110, which maybe a standalone or distributed server, as is conventional as such, is in communication witha plurality of physical points of sale (POS) 122 offering at least one, preferably physical,product for direct on-site purchase. Preferably, and as shown in figure 1, each POS 122, orat least several of said POS 122, are in communication with the central server 110 indirectly,via an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system 122, or similar, which in turn is a part ofan internal computerized product management system of a particular retailer 120. In figure1, the preferred configuration, for at least one, preferably several, of such retailers 120, isshown in which the product management system of the retailer 120 in question furthercomprises a respective PIM (Product lnventory Management) system 123 as well as an E- com (Electronic Commerce) system 124, or similar.

The communication link between the central sever 110 and the ERP system 121 is used forsending inventory status updates, making product orders and reservations and so forth. TheERP system 121 is responsible for keeping track of product inventory information locally,within the retailer 120 in question. The communication link between the central server 110and the E-com system 124 is used to initiate and perform an actual product purchasingtransaction. The E-com system 124 is responsible for product purchase transactions, pref- erably including electronic payment.

As shown in figure 1, there are preferably a plurality of retailers 120, several ofwhich havea respective ERP 121, PIM 123 and E-com 124 system, and several of which have a pluralityof POS 122. Preferably, a plurality of retailers 120 have ERP 121, PIM 123 and E-com 124 systems as well as a respective plurality of POS 122.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE The central server 110 is in communication with, or comprises, a database 111 for storingcentral product inventory information and other data necessary to perform a method ac-cording to the present invention. in the following, it is assumed that data stored or handledin the central server 110 may or may not be allocated to the database 111, why the data base 111 is not referred to extensively as such.

The central server 110 is also in communication with a billing agent 160, which may be abank or other financial institution, using which the central server 110 can order the billingof ordered products. This is conventional as such, and will not be described in further detail herein.

Furthermore, the central server 110 is in communication with a plurality of purchasing users131, each with a respective mobile electronic device 130. Preferably, such a mobile device130 is a general-purpose computer unit with a screen display and the possibility to executecomputer software programs on or from the computer unit in question. For instance, thedevice 130 is a conventional smartphone which runs an operating system and a locally in-stalled software application, or uses a web service, to access the corresponding functional-ity, to perform the steps described herein below, in particular in relation to the centralserver 110. Such electronic devices 130 are themselves well-known in the art, and are notdescribed in further detail herein. Each user 131 device 130 reaches the central server 110via a suitable electronic interface 112, such as a user API (Application Programming Inter-face) and/or a GUI (Graphical User Interface), provided by the central server 110 and viawhich the device 130 and potentially also the user 131 can interact with central server 110functionality. Prefera bly, the operator of the central server 110 provides custom softwareof the said type, using which the device 130 can engage in automatic communication via said interface 112.

The central server 110 is also in communication with an operator 141, running a computer140 of suitable type, for instance running or accessing configuration software functionality provided by the central server 110 and performing configurations over a certain operator Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE interface 114, such as an API and/or a GUI, so as to allow the operator 141 to perform man- ual configurations of the central server 110 functionality.

Moreover, the central server 110 is in communication with a plurality of delivery agents151, each with an associated mobile electronic device 150, which may be of a type similarto devices 130 and using a particular software functionality arranged to allow automaticcommunication with the central server 110 over an agent interface 113, such as an API and/or a GUI. The interface 113 may in general be structurally similar to the interface 112.

All communications between the central server 110 and the various entities 121, 124, 130,140, 150 preferably take place over the internet, in particular in the case of mobile devices130, 150 over wireless internet such as WiFi, GPRS, 3G, LTE, 5G or similar. lt is realized thatthe user's 131 devices 130 may, in some embodiments, equally advantageously be a con-ventional stationary or mobile computer, which may then be connected to the internet viaa suitable wire. The devices 150 are, however, preferably connected to the central server 110 via a respective wireless connection.

The present invention provides the most benefits when being operated using many inter-acting parties. Hence, it is preferred that there are at least 10, preferably at least 100, morepreferably at least 1000, users 131, each with his or her own respective device 130, regis-tered with the central server 110 for use of the system 100. Correspondingly, it is preferredthat there are at least 10, preferably at least 100, more preferably at least 1000, deliveryagents 151, each with its own respective device 150, registered with the central server 110for use of the system 100. Preferably, there are at least 10 POS 122, preferably at least 100POS 122, preferably distributed across a plurality of retailers 120, registered with the centralserver 110 for participation in the system 100 operation. Advantageously, these high num-bers of actors may be active in relation to the system 100 at the same time. Further prefer-ably, there are products of at least 10, preferably at least 100, different product types of- fered for sale via the system 100.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE lt is an important aspect of the present invention that the POS 122 are physical points ofsale. ln other words, at least a plurality of the POS 122 exist as a respective product outletat a respective physical location, which location is not the same for all connected POS 122.At least a plurality of the POS 122 offer at least one of the said products, offered for saleand delivery via the system 100 and the central server 110, for sale at the physical locationin question. ln other words, anybody could typically walk into the POS and buy the productin question off the shelf. As such, these POS 122 will also hold a number of such products available, as a form of local product inventory.

The products being available at the POS 122 in this manner are hence not, or at least notexclusively, available from a central warehouse or similar, but are actually physically presentin the POS 122 itself, for pickup by a delivery agent 151 or direct purchase by a customer physically entering the POS 122 making such an immediate purchase.

At least a plurality of the retailers 120, and preferably also individual POS 122, are furtherconnected to or themselves operating an electronic outlet, in the sense that a user can entera virtual store, such as via the internet, offering a product range overlapping with the rangeof products offered via the system 100 and the central server 110, purchase such productsonline and have them delivered using conventional surface mail or the corresponding deliv-ery systems, not using the delivery agents 151 and preferably in way which is completely separated from the system 100 and the central server 110.

Such physical, immediate purchases, and preferably also such electronic outlet purchases,then use the same inventory of products as is used by the system 100 and the central server110 and being offered to the users 131 for delivery by agents 151, so that a purchase usinganother sales channel than using the central server 110 and delivery agents 151 will affectthe available stock of products that are in fact available for purchase via the central server 110 and delivery agents 151.

Hence, the products being purchased using a method according to the present invention are not only available via the purchasing channel offered by the said method, but are also Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE available to potential purchasing parties using at least one other purchasing channel, oper-ating in parallel to the channel offered by the present system 100 and the central server 110.

The central server 110 as described herein is configured with a suitable computer softwareproduct so as to, in communication with the retailers 120, the users 131 and the agents 151,provide a high standard experience for a purchasing user 131 even in the uncertain envi-ronment caused by additional available, parallel purchasing channels of the said types that exploit the same inventory levels of said products. lt is understood that both the users 131 and the delivery agents 151 are physical, human being actors.

The delivery agents 151 will typically be passive, in relation to the system 100, until in-structed to perform a delivery. Such a delivery will be assigned to a particular agent 151 bythe central server, when so is required, via interface 113 and a suitable user interface onthe agent's 151 device 150, on the initiative of the central server 110. Preferably, such as-signment is pushed to the device 150 of the agent 151 in question, by the central server110. At this instance, the summoned agent 151 can typically accept or reject the deliveryassignment, also using said user interface, such as an interactive GUI operable on a screendisplay of the respective device 150 in question. The device 150 will also preferably supplyto the central server 110 continuously or intermittently updated information regarding thecurrent position and trajectory of the respective agent 151, both before and during an ac-cepted assignment. All these functions are preferably achieved by a computer softwareproduct executed by or from the device 150 in question, which (as is the case with the cor-responding software product executed by or from device 130) may be provided by the cen- tral server 110 operator.

Each user 131 may browse product availability, place orders and manage delivery detailsusing his or her device 130, using the interface 112 and for instance an interactive GUI op-erable on a screen display of the device 130 in question, functionality which is preferably Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE performed by a respective piece of computer software ofthe above described type, execut- able by or from the device 130 in question.

Ordered products are delivered, by at least one delivery agent 151, to a particular deliverylocation, as is described herein. This is achieved by the central server 110 building and main-taining updated aggregated product inventory information, based upon individual productor product type inventory information provided by individual ERP systems 121 and/or indi-vidual POS 122. This aggregated product inventory information allows the central server110 to reliably offer, in the manner described below, product purchases and deliveries onthe local scale, such as within a single city or downtown area. However, it also allows thepresentation, via user interface 112 (which may comprise or expose a web site the offereduser experience ofwhich is similar to a conventional online web store), an aggregated viewof products for sale from several different POS 122, and for delivery using delivery agents151, where the product availability information is reliable even in case the products are notavailable from a centralized warehouse or similar, but are only available from POS 122 ofthe above described type. ln particular, this is the case when using automatic offsetting ofactual inventory levels as described below. lt is noted that this is possible, using the presentinvention, also in the preferred case in which the same products are offered for orderingand delivery via at least one additional purchase channel, such as for delivery by conven- tional surface mail or for self-pickup.

Normally, offering these different types of purchasing channels in a way which is perceivedas reliable by the user would put a great burden on each POS 122 or retailer 120. Using thepresent invention, an individual POS 122 or retailer 120 can sign up to the central server110, so as to be provided with an electronically kept POS/retailer account therewith, andhence become part of a network offering such sales channels automatically, without thePOS 122 or retailer 120 having to do more than minimal configurations or additions to ex-isting local inventory systems, and with essentially no or only minimal manual handling of the purchasing procedure.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE ln particular, figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a first aspect of a method according to thepresent invention for performing a purchase ofa physical product from at least one physical point of sale offering the product for direct on-site purchase.

As illustrated in figure 2, the method according to this first aspect comprises the following steps. ln a first step, the method is initiated. ln a subsequent step, the central server 110 is provided, electronically, with inventory in-formation regarding present updated physical availability of at least one particular product,or product type, at (and preferably from) a plurality of respective physical POS 122. As de-scribed above, the availability in question is physical availability in at least one, preferably a plurality, of respective physical points of sale 122. ln a step which may be performed in any order in relation to the inventory informationprovision step, the central server 110 is provided, electronically, with location informationregarding present respective geographic locations for a plurality of available mobile delivery agents 151. This information is preferably provided directly by the respective devices 150.

The inventory and location information provision may preferably be achieved automati- cally, between retailers 120 and/or POS 122; devices 150; and the central server 110.

Given the inventory and location information, the central server 110 then determines anoptimal physical product delivery route. Herein, such optimal delivery routes are of funda-mental importance, and, as the expression is used herein, an ”optimal delivery route" is aplanned trajectory of one or more delivery agents picking up and delivering one or morephysical products from one or more physical points of sale 122 and delivering the said prod-uct or products to a particular delivery location, which trajectory is an at least locally optimal trajectory under a set of predetermined boundary conditions and given a particular utility Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE lO function using at least total delivery time, from the time of order, as a variable to be mini-mized. Such boundary conditions may be, for instance, that certain methods of transporta-tion, such as non-public transport cars or taxis, are not to be used; that particular types ofproducts (see below) should be delivered within a particular respective maximum time pe-riod; or that the total delivery time cannot exceed a particular maximum value. Numerous examples ofthis will be given below.

Performing multiple pickups on a route and ending up on a delivery location is in general aNP (Non Complete polynomial) complete problem, similar to the travelling salesman prob-lem. However, there are a few points that differ. Firstly, there is the inclusion restriction,that a final destination must be visited after visiting all intermediate destinations. Secondly,several options may exist for one intermediate destination, one of which has to be included in the resulting optimal route. This is a further specialization ofthat problem.

For a small number of pickup locations, exhaustive methods can be utilized. For more com-plex routes, a more elaborate algorithm has to be used. Examples of suitable methods aredescribed in the articles ”Algorithm for Route Planning with I\/Iultiple Intermediate Destina-tions", SICE Journal of Control, I\/Ieasurement, and System Integration, Vol. 4 (2011) No. 5 P353-360; ”A personal tourism navigation system to support traveling multiple destinationswith time restrictions", Advanced Information Networking and Applications, 2004, AINA2004, 18th International Conference (Volume:2); and ”A Personal Navigation System withFunctions to Compose Tour Schedules Based on I\/Iultiple Conflicting Criteria", IPSJ Digital Courier 11528-536 -January 2005.

These algorithms use different techniques and supporting algorithms, such as the ”A*”search algorithm, Dijkstra's algorithm, RasID-D, Genetic Algorithm with fitness value to can-didate solutions based on preferences, to estimate and suggest best-effort routes and com- bined delivery times.

The present invention can also incorporate, into the calculation of optimal routes, addi- tional cost factors such as per-pickup location delays, travel expense costs and so forth.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE ll Such costs may, for instance, be treated as parameters that need to fulfil predeterminedboundary conditions or be converted into one common parameter dimension such as time or money before affecting the algorithm. ln general, it is preferred that the optimal route is determined according to the following.First, an optimal travelling time between the origin (of at least one delivery agent 151), in-termediate destination(s) and a final destination (delivery location) is determined. Then,the order of intermediate destinations, if several, is determined, with the aim of minimizingthe total travelling time from the origin to the delivery location. Then, the final route fromthe origin to the delivery location via intermediate destination(s) is determined, using the results of the previous steps.

Thus, the optimal route determined by the central server 110 involves at least one selecteddelivery agent 151, at least a selected one of said POS 122, as well as a particular deliverylocation. lt is realized that the optimal delivery route is determined without any a prioriknowledge of what POS 122 and what agents 151 to use, the selection of POS 122 andagents 151 is part ofthe determination of the optimal route. The optimal route is furthercalculated based upon the said inventory and location information provided to the centralserver 110. Once the optimal route has been determined, an expected delivery time is cal- culated for the optimal route to the said delivery location. lt is preferred that the optimal route may comprise, or actually comprises, at least two dif-ferent POS 122. lt is also preferred that the optimal route may comprise, or actually com- prises, at least two different delivery agents 151.

Once the expected delivery time has been calculated, the central server 110 electronicallypresents updated information regarding the expected product delivery time to a purchasinguser 131, and the user 131 is allowed to, electronically and preferably using the above de- scribed GUI on the device 130, order the product.

Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE 12 The ordering of the product may also preferably take place via the GUI on the device 130,such as by selecting one or several products and pressing a ”purchase” button in the GUI.This will result in ordering information being provided to the central server 110 from the device 130. lt is preferred that the information received by the central server 110 beforehand is suffi-cient for the central server 110 to effectuate the order immediately, without requiring anyadditional information or confirmation from the user 131. Hence, the information availableto the central server 110 after the said initial information receipt at least comprises infor-mation identifying the desired delivery location and identifying a billing channel, but pref- erably also comprises information identifying the purchasing user 131.

Once the order has been received by the central server 110, the central server 110 elec-tronically sends reservation information to the said selected at least one POS 122, as well as delivery information to the said at least one selected delivery agent 151.

The reservation information may preferably enter directly into the respective ERP system121 of the retailer 120, directly affecting the inventory information used internally in theretailer 120 in question, and in particular for each POS 122 of the retailer 120; or it may bepresented directly to retailer 120 and/or a POS 122 as a message for the staff personnel inthe affected POS 122 to take into consideration the reservation of the ordered productwhen serving customers physically entering the POS 122 or ordering online via parallel chan- nels or other systems.

The delivery information is preferably automatically presented as a push notice on the de-vice 150 of the selected delivery agent 151, whereupon the delivery agent 151, via the in-terface 113 can choose to accept the delivery assignment indicated and detailed in said push notice. |fthere for some reason is not possible to reserve the product at the POS 122 and/or if the delivery agent 151 does not accept the delivery assignment within a certain predetermined Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 13 time period (which is preferably 1 minute or less), the optimal delivery route is immediatelyand automatically redetermined by the central server 110 under such updated precondi-tions, and the method iterates until a confirmed delivery route is achieved, involving re-quired valid reservations and acceptances. This is preferably performed in a way which doesnot at all involve the purchasing user 131, who hence preferably is not provided with anyinformation about such iterations, and in particular does not have to provide any infor- mation to this process. lt is in general preferred that delivery assignment requests are sent to more delivery agents151 than what is necessary for performing the delivery, and that the delivery agent(s)151to actually perform the delivery is or are selected as the or those first responding to theassignment request. A subset ofall available agents 151 are preferably selected, by the cen-tral server 110, for receiving assignment requests, based upon a predetermined suitabilitycriterion, such as a ranking system implemented by the central server 110, as describedbelow. lf none, or too few for performing the delivery, of the agents 151 respond, a newiteration is preferably performed, sending assignment requests to another or supplemen- tary subset of agents 151.

Then, the physical delivery is initiated, in other words the delivery agent 151 starts off tothe POS 122 devised by the central server 110 for pickup of a physical product devised bythe central server 110 according to the optimal route, and then brings said product to thedelivery location also devised by the central server 110 according to the optimal route. lfthere are several products and/or POS 122 involved, the delivery agent 151 simply followsthe route trajectory devised by the central server 110, corresponding to the optimal route.The route is preferably supplied via interface 113 and presented in a suitable format, suchas in an interactive graphical map, on a screen display ofthe device 150 ofthe agent 151 inquestion. As described above, the route may also involve several agents 151 working in parallel, in the corresponding manner.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 14 During the delivery of the product, in other words during the execution by the deliveryagent(s) of the devised optimal delivery route, the central server 110 is electronically pro-vided with updated inventory and location information. This information provision may ta keplace in the same principle way as the first updated inventory and location information pro-vided as described above, such as on the initiative of the central server 110 and/or by reg- ular or push notifications by connected POS 122 and/or agent 151 devices 150.

According to this first aspect ofthe invention, before the product(s) in question has or havebeen delivered to the delivery location, and preferably during the performance of the se-lected agent(s) of the optimal route, the central server 110 automatically redetermines theoptimal product delivery route so as to achieve an updated optimal product delivery routeunder the prerequisites carried by the updated information in question. This updated opti-mal route is preferably determined based upon said updated inventory and/or location in-formation. lf at least one selected delivery agent 151 or at least one selected point of sale122 has changed, the central server 110 again sends, electronically, reservation informationto the at least one selected POS 122 according to the updated optimal route which has adifferent role to play in the updated optimal route as compared to the previously deter-mined optimal route. Correspondingly, any delivery agent(s) 151 that has or have been as-signed altered roles as a result of the redetermination of the optimal route is or are sentdelivery information from the central server 110. lf an agent 151 is recruited for the firsttime with respect to the delivery of the product in question in the redetermined optimalroute, the agent 151 in question is preferably sent an option to accept or not to accept thedelivery assignment, as described above. ln case the agent 151 is unable to accept the de-livery, the central server 110 preferably again redetermines the optimal route under pre-requisite that that particular agent 151 is unavailable. This may be performed iteratively, until a confirmed optimal delivery route has been accomplished.

Such updating ofthe optimal delivery route is hence performed on the fly, taking into con-sideration instantaneously varying conditions for the delivery of one or several products, ina way that optimises the product delivery time and hence provides a high standard userexperience. The user 131, on the other hand, needs not be bothered with the workings of Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE the central server 110, since the delivery process may be performed completely by the cen-tral server 110 in collaboration with the retailers 120 and/or POS 122, and the delivery agent(s) 151, without providing any detailed information to the user 131.

Preferably, the central server 110 thereafter keeps obtaining updated inventory and loca-tion information, and again redetermines the optimal delivery route whenever there is rea- son to do so.

Once the product(s) has or have been delivered to the delivery location, the central server110 is notified, for instance by an acknowledgement made by the purchasing user 131 viathe user's device 130 and sent to the central server 110, and/or by the delivery agent's 151device 150 automatically sending its current position to the central server 110 that in turn verifies that the location is indeed at or sufficiently near the delivery location in question. lt is important to note that such redeterminations of the optimal route take place on thefly, after the actual physical delivery from the POS 122 to the delivery location has beeninitiated, preferably as the movement of the product in question is actually ongoing, or atleast while the at least one selected delivery agent 151 has started his or herjourney to thepickup location. Preferably, this takes place via an intimate communication between theagent's device 150 and the central server 110, as described above, in which the device 150preferably shares not only its current location, such as using a GPS sensor in the device 150,but also optional additional information, as described below. Preferably, the at least onePOS 122 further communicates, in a push type of communication, any inventory changeslocally at the POS 122 to the central server, preferably as soon as any such inventorychanges occur, such as another customer entering the POS 122 and buying a product of thesame type as the one to be delivered. The same or other POS 122 may also send informationto the central server 110, for instance that a shipment has arrived with products ofthe said type, making different POS 122 available as pickup locations for such products.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 16 lt is preferred that updated inventory and/or location information is provided to the centralserver 110 at least every 10 minutes, preferably at least every minute, and that the rede-termination is performed as soon as such updated information provides basis for an optimalroute which is more suitable than the previously determined optimal route, counting thenegative effects of having to change POS 122 and/or agents 151. Such negative effects arepreferably quantified by the central server based upon predetermined quantification rules,and a first optimal route is considered ”better” than another optimal route, by the centralserver 110, in case the total delivery time, after adjustment using such quantified negativeeffects, is shorter. Hence, an ”adjusted” expected delivery time is calculated in a way whichis congruent with the above described ways of adjusting the expected delivery time using cost factors such as per-pickup location delays and travel expense costs.

Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of a second aspect of the present invention, relating to theactual act of the purchasing user 131 ordering the product(s) delivered as described herein.lt is realized that the first aspect described above, relating to the delivery as such and itsdynamic implications, and the said second aspect are completely compatible. Hence, eve-rything which is said in relation to the first aspect is directly useful in the second aspect, as applicable, and vice versa. ln this second aspect, the method starts in a first step. ln a subsequent step, which may be performed in connection to the ordering ofthe productor beforehand, the central server 110 is provided, electronically, with information regardinga purchasing user 131. Such information may comprise any personal information regardingthe purchasing user 131, such as name and home address; credit card information or otherinformation identifying a valid payment channel of the user 131; personal interests andtastes; browsing history; and/or any information which may be used to provide the user 131 with an efficient and/or pleasant product ordering experience.

According to this second aspect of the invention, the information in particular comprises a desired delivery location. Such a desired delivery location may be explicitly given by the Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 17 purchasing user 131, such as by providing an address or selecting the current location ofthedevice 130, as measured using a GPS sensor of the device 130 (preferably in direct connec-tion to the ordering of the product, so that delivery takes place to the current location ofthe user) or similar. lt may also be automatically inferred, by the central server 110 or soft-ware executed by or from the device 130, based upon previous purchases with associateddelivery locations; knowledge of the user's 131 normal daily trajectory between home andwork (as measured by the said GPS sensor of the device 130 and reported to the centralserver 110 by the above described software), by the user defining particular desired deliverylocations for different predetermined periodically occurring and/or future time periods; orin any other way. One preferred example is that the user selects a particular object, such asa particular vehicle, and that the desired delivery location is always to that particular vehi-cle. Then, the central server 110 queries the current location of the vehicle in question, forinstance using open interfaces to the vehicle or a web page providing such information,after being granted such access by the user 131, and selects the acquired location as the desired delivery location.

An important aspect here is that the desired delivery location is provided by the purchasinguser 131 before the potential purchasable products are presented to the user 131 in ques-tion, or alternatively that information making it possible for the central server 110 to auto-matically determine the desired delivery location is provided to the central server 110 be-forehand by the user 131, so that it is not necessary for the user 131 to actually provideneither a desired delivery location nor such information in connection to the actual orderingof the product. lt is particularly preferred that the user 131 needs not specify a desireddelivery location in connection to the actual purchase, but that the central server 110 hasbeen provided sufficient information beforehand so as to determine the desired deliverylocation automatically based upon such information. This makes it possible for the user 131to simply select an available product, as described below, not having to provide any otherinformation in order to have the purchased product payed and delivered in a convenient mannef.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 18 ln particular, it is preferred that the desired delivery location is automatically selected basedupon the current location of the user 131, which is detected by and communicated to thecentral server 110 from the user 131 device 130. Alternatively, the central server 110 keepsinformation regarding at least one geographical location frequented by the user, and/or atleast one previously used delivery location for the user, and wherein the central server 110 allows the user to select the desired delivery location based upon said information.

After having received such information, the central server 110 is provided, electronically,with inventory information regarding present updated physical availability of the productin question from a plurality of physical points of sale, as well as location information regard-ing present respective geographic locations for a plurality of available mobile deliveryagents. These steps may be similar to the above described corresponding information pro- vision steps. ln a way which also may be similar to what has been described above, the central server110 thereafter determines an optimal physical product delivery route, involving at least oneselected delivery agent, at least a selected one of said points of sale, as well as the saiddesired delivery location, based upon the said inventory and location information, and cal- culates an expected delivery time for the optimal route to the desired delivery location.

Thereafter, the central server 110 determines whether or not the expected delivery timefor the at least one product is longer than a corresponding predetermined maximum deliv-ery time, which may be defined beforehand for a particular type of product and/or the pur-chasing user 131 and/or the time of day and/or in dependence of a currently prevailingsupply/demand situation with respect to the current product type(s). lf the expected deliv-ery time is not longerthan said maximum delivery time, the central server 110 automaticallycauses the purchasing user 131 to be presented with an option to purchase the productwithout having to specify a desired delivery location or a desired delivery time. The optionmay be presented in the above described interactive GUI on a screen display of the device 130, and may comprise information regarding the calculated expected delivery time. Hence, Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 19 the central server 110 may present the option itself, or alternatively and preferably, causes the device 130 to present the said option.

Here, it is important that no such purchasing option is presented to the user 131 regardinga particular product in case the product in question is not expected to be delivered withinthe said predetermined maximum time period. This may be true for individual products, orfor types of products, depending on at what aggregation level the determination is per-formed. lt is preferred that all POS 122 at which the product in question is sold are takeninto consideration for determining the optimal delivery route and the corresponding ex- pected delivery time.

Since the central server 110 has knowledge ofall information, including the desired deliverylocation, necessary for calculating an expected delivery time before presenting the userwith a selection of products, the presented selection as such will be of high quality in termsof delivery availability and timeliness, with no need to perform any additional acknowledge- ment or information provision steps vis-à-vis the user 130.

As mentioned, the predetermined maximum delivery time may be dynamically determined,but it is preferred that it is at the most 2 hours, more preferably at the most 1 hour, at least for some product types. ln practice, the user 131 will typically be presented with different options with respect todifferent products or product types, depending upon geographic product and agent 151availability as well as upon possibly different maximum delivery times for different producttypes. Hence, a virtual store may be presented with different products, in which only prod-ucts that can be delivered with expected delivery times that are shorter than the predeter-mined maximum time period are available for purchase; or such a virtual storefront may beconstructed on the fly, only presenting products available for such short expected deliverytimes. As such, the virtual store front may preferably dynamically change appearance inreaction to updated product availabilities, since the central server 110 preferably is repeat-edly provided with inventory and location information, and repeatedly redetermines the Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE optimal delivery route and corresponding expected delivery times, as illustrated in figure 3.This is preferably performed at least for a particular predetermined selection of availableproducts in the connected POS 122. Hence, the virtual store front may be a dynamicallyupdated portal, that is updated in near realtime in reaction to the movements of available delivery agents 151 and the current inventory of each of the connected POS 122.

Then, ifthe user accepts the said option, for instance by clicking on a ”purchase” button insaid virtual storefront, the central server 110 sends, electronically, reservation informationto the said selected point of sale, as well as delivery information to the said selected delivery agent, in a way corresponding to what has been said above.

Hence, in case the information sent to the agent(s)151 and the POS 122 is acknowledgedin the positive, as described above, the delivery of the product is initiated. From this point, the dynamically updated delivery process described in relation to figure 2 may be used.

During the delivery, the optimal route may hence be modified. ln case the delivery accord-ing to such a modified optimal delivery route causes at least one product to be delivered ina total delivery time exceeding the predetermined maximum one (such as after an auto-matic splitting of a delivery into two or more separate deliveries), it is preferred that a no-tification is sent to the purchasing user 131, such as to the device 130 for presentation insaid interactive GUI, providing the user 131 at least with information regarding the expecteddelay, and preferably also providing an option for the user 131 to opt out ofthe part of the delivery bound to be delayed.

As mentioned above, it is preferred that the purchased product is offered for sale by said atleast one POS 122, in addition to direct on-site purchase and purchase with delivery via saidmobile delivery agents 151, also via an e-commerce web site with conventional surface maildelivery. This is a context in which the present invention is particularly advantageous, sincesuch additional sales channels bring about a complex inventory situation, which is difficultto keep track of on the local POS 122 level. Since the central server 110 has access to anaggregated, dynamically updated view on the inventory situation, in combination with a Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE 21 dynamically updated view on the agents' 151 current locations, it can offer a far more pre- cise and useful view of current product availability to purchasing users 131.

However, it is preferred that both the central server 110 and the respective physical pointsof sale 122 keep updated inventory information regarding product availability at the respec-tive POS 122. For instance, each POS 122 may keep its existing inventory tracking softwareor database, simply providing a bridge to the central server 110 for querying and reportingcurrent inventory status and changes. This provides a particularly low ba rrier of entry to theindividual POS 122. ln this case, it is preferred that the central server 110 keeps a set ofinventory information which is a mirror of the information kept by the respective physicalpoints of sale 122. ln order to obtain the said aggregated inventory view, the central server110 in this case queries or subscribes to inventory information from each connected POS 122.

The central server 110 may be arranged to interact with, or comprise, a piece of inventorytracking software, which may for instance be provided to individual POS 122 as a SAAS (Soft-ware As A Service). ln this case, the information integration between the central server 110and the POS 122 regarding local POS 122 inventory is easy to accomplish, and the POS's 122perspective of the current inventory situation at the POS 122 in question may still be con-sidered the master, while the aggregated inventory view kept by the central server 110 is the copy. lt is preferred that the central server 110 queries at least one respective physical point ofsale 122, preferably all connected POS 122, regarding updated inventory status at the POS122 in question in connection to determining the said optimal delivery route in various sit- uations as described above.

According to a preferred embodiment, the central server 110 provides at least one, prefer-ably all connected, POS 122 with a possibility to provide information regarding future avail-ability of a product for pickup at the respective POS 122. Such provision may take place viathe ERP system 121, via a dedicated web interface usable by local POS 122 staff for directly Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE 22 providing information to the central server 110, or in any other suitable manner. Such in-formation may comprise normal scheduled product availability, such as normal openinghours; deviating opening hours; staff availability during opening or even closing hours forexpediting agent 151 pickups; any special events leading to deviating product availability;future planned shipments of more products to be received; and expected sell-outs of par-ticular product types. Then, such information received by the central server 110 is used bythe central server 110 when determining the said optimal delivery route. This will providea more reliable delivery to the user 131, while still not putting unreasonable burden on individual POS 122 staff. ln particular, it is preferred that the optimal delivery route is calculated based upon a fore-cast, as calculated or received by the central server 110, of at least one future value selectedfrom the group consisting of physical point of sale 122 opening hours and/or staffing; ex-pected local traffic situation; expected geographic delivery agent 151 availability and/or tra-jectory; aggregated supply of the product in question; and aggregated demand for the prod- uct in question. Such aggregation is preferably performed across a plurality of POS 122.

Regarding the traffic situation, it is preferred that the central system 110 receives such cur-rent and forecast information from a third party, and integrates this information with agent151 location and expected trajectory information, which integrated information is used tocalculated the expected delivery time of the delivery route considered by the central server 110.

Regarding the aggregated supply/demand for the product in question, it is preferred thatthe central server 110 automatically calculates this on product type level, based upon his-toric and current data on aggregated product purchases and POS 122 inventory. lt is pre-ferred that the central server 110 automatically analyses this data statistically, and deter-mines any periodically changing systematic patterns regarding yearly, monthly, weeklyand/or daily supply and/or demand, and takes such patterns into consideration when cal-culating an expected aggregate supply and/or demand based upon a projection ofthe avail-able aggregated historic and current information. For instance, if the supply of a product is Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 23 higher than normal while the demand is at a normal level, or in case an expected shipmentinto one ofthe centrally located, large POS 122 is expected soon, the central server 110 mayautomatically detect and exploit this fact when determining the optimal delivery route, andas a result present an expected delivery time which is shorter than what would otherwisehave been the case. This achieves a service which can dynamically and automatically adapt to the locally shifting conditions in for instance a downtown area.

I\/|ore particularly, the central server 110 preferably calculates, preferably periodically ordynamically in reaction to information update availability, a present and/or expected futureaggregated supply of the product in question, as well as an aggregated present and/or ex-pected future demand for the product in question, based upon information received fromthe physical points of sale 122. Then, the central server 110, before the optimal deliveryroute is determined, dynamically offsets its own aggregated inventory information and/ora predetermined time during which the product is reserved at the selected physical pointof sale 122, based upon the calculated aggregate supply and demand. For example, thecentral server 110 may, as a part of the determination of the optimal route, adjust downaggregated inventory levels regarding a particular product type in the wake of an expectedsale via customers entering particular POS 122, and then use the adjusted aggregated in-ventory level for determining the optimal route. This way, the central server 110 may ac-tively and proactively manage the aggregated inventory so as to achieve a stable delivery ofparticular product types in the longer term. Correspondingly, the expected inventory levelat individual POS 122 may be adjusted, which may lead to a particular optimal route using a different POS 122. ln a particularly preferred embodiment, the inventory information received by the centralserver 110 from at least one POS 122 comprises information regarding sales by the POS 122in question via at least one other channel than via the central server 110, such as via an e- commerce web site with conventional surface mail delivery as described above.

Regarding the determination of the optimal delivery route, it may in some embodiments be a single optimal route performed by a single selected delivery agent 151. However, more Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE 24 than one delivery agents 151 may be used, in parallel or even in series, and in particular onesingle product order may be handled in more than one delivery routes. As used herein, theterm ”optimal delivery route" is intended to cover also such a combination of several deliv- ery routes.

Hence, in a preferred embodiment the central server 110, as a part ofthe determination ofthe optimal route, investigates the possibility of using several delivery routes, preferablyperformed with a time overlap, in an effort to decrease the total delivery time. Preferably,the use of multiple delivery routes is associated with a cost factor of the above describedtype, taking into consideration the drawback of the user 131 having to potentially interactwith several delivery agents 151 and the fact that two or more delivery agents 151 are un-available for other delivery assignments during the delivery ofthe product in question. Thus,if such a shorter expected delivery time results, or in particular in case a determined optimaldelivery route involving only one delivery agent is expected to result in a total delivery timewhich exceeds a certain threshold, such as the above described maximum delivery time, itis preferred that the central server 110 determines the optimal delivery route as a routecomprising two sub routes, which are or may be performed in parallel by different delivery agents 151.

As mentioned above, the order placed by the user 131 may be for one or more products. lncase ordered products are to be picked up at different POS 122 (for instance, ifthey are notsold in one and the same POS 122), the optimal route must be determined with at least twoPOS 122 as intermediate stops. ln this case, the determination of the optimal delivery route may preferably comprise the following sub steps: Firstly, a first optimal delivery route is calculated, as a preliminary optimal delivery route.

Secondly, a particular one ofthe available delivery agents 151 is selected, based upon prox- imity ofthe delivery agent in question to the calculated first route.

Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE Thirdly, a second optimal delivery route is calculated, based upon location information re-garding the selected delivery agent 151. lt is realized that this second optimal delivery routemay be different from the first delivery route, both in the sense that it may involve visitingthe involved POS 122 in a different order than according to the first route, but it may alsobe so that the central server 110 determines the second optimal route from scratch, basedupon the preconditions that the selected delivery agent 151 is to be used, in which case other POS 122 may be selected for the second optimal delivery route than for the first one.

At any rate, the second optimal delivery route is then used as the determined optimal de-livery route as described above. This provides a particularly simple way of quickly determin-ing an optimal route which is sufficiently good, taking into consideration that there will typ-ically not be enough time to try all possible routes and selecting the quickest one. ln partic-ular, the preferred case is that the second route is always determined using the selecteddelivery agent 151 and the same POS 122 as according to the first route, but wherein the POS 122 may be ordered differently in the second route.

The above described setup with the central server 110 in communication with the differentinterested parties 122, 131, 151, providing a dynamically updated aggregated status view, allows further advantageous applications.

One such application is to allow for different maximum delivery times depending on theproduct type. For instance, a product in the form of an ice cream or a cup of coffee may beassociated with a maximum allowed delivery time of 30 minutes, while a pair of shoes maybe associated with a maximum allowed delivery time of 2 hours. Furthermore, differenttypes of products may be associated with maximum delivery durations, in other words amaximum time between pickup of a delivery agent 151 and delivery to the delivery location.For instance, an ice cream may have a maximum delivery duration of 10 minutes, meaningthat a delivery agent 151 likely would have to pickup the ice cream as the last stop on an optimal delivery route in order to meet this delivery duration criterion.

Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE 26 Preferably, the central server 110 defines such a maximum delivery duration for at least oneproduct type, and applies such maximum delivery durations as boundary conditions whendetermining the optimal delivery route. Hence, the optimal delivery route is preferably de-termined based upon the type of product, where by different such types are associated withdifferent thresholds regarding delivery durations, as applicable. ln particular, in case thedelivery comprises at least two products of different product types, the optimal deliveryroute is determined further based upon different delivery duration thresholds, if any, asso- ciated with the different product types.

Herein, a ”product type” means any meaningful classification of products which may be imposed by the central server 110, such as via configuration over interface 114.

Furthermore, the central server 110 may accept information, via interface 113 and prefer-ably after information supply via the above described interactive GUI on the device 150screen display, regarding future planned availability and location of individual deliveryagents 151. For instance, each delivery agent 151 may be able to, using the said GUI, specifya personal availability schedule, comprising a default schedule which may be modified bytemporary schedule amendments, and/or a planned future trajectory to be partaken by theagent 151 in question. Also, the software executed by or from the device 150 may track itsgeographic position and automatically detect motion patterns of the delivery agent 151,based upon statistical analysis of position changes over time; or make projected forecastsof the future position of the agent 151 in question. Furthermore, the central server 110 maytake into consideration delivery assignments that have already, or have not yet, been noti-fied to the agent 151 in question, implying that the agent 151 will travel to a particular delivery location in the near future.

Then, it is preferred that the central server 110 determines the optimal delivery route, andin particular what delivery agent(s) 151 is or are to participate in the delivery of the productin question, based further on such a future planned availability and/or trajectory and/or a historic trajectory of individual delivery agents 151. This way, the central server 110 may Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 27 make powerful use of its overview of the total geographic distribution and movements of all available delivery agents 151.

As described above, in some embodiments, a total aggregated supply of available productsmay be presented to the purchasing user 131. ln this case, it is preferred that such presen-tation is made available in one single digital interface view, such as on a screen display ofthe user's 131 device 130. Further preferably, such view does not disclose at what POS 122each respective product is available. I\/|oreover, it is in this case preferred that an expectedor maximum delivery time is specified for each product type, rather than for each individualproduct. ln particular, it is preferred that the user 131 in this case never has to, and prefer-ably is unable to, specify the POS 122 from which an ordered product is to be delivered. Thisprovides a particularly convenient user experience, made possible by the detachment be- tween POS 122 and user 131 provided by the central server 110.

As also has been described above, the central server 110 sends a reservation informationfor ordered product(s) to be delivered, to the POS 122 in question. lt is preferred that suchreservation is valid only for a specific time period, which may be predetermined. However,the specific time period in question is preferably determined by the central server 110 dy-namically, and in particular based upon the determined optimal delivery route. For instance,the specific time may be the actual expected time that the agent 151 pickup will occur plusa time margin of, for instance maximum 5 or 10 minutes. Preferably, the specific time mayalso be determined based upon prevailing aggregate demand/supply ofthe product in ques-tion, as well as possibly local inventory of the product in question in the selected POS 122.For instance, ifthe demand for a particular product type currently massively outweighs thesupply for that product, a retailer 120 may end up with the majority of its product stockbeing reserved pending pickup, either in the form of self-pickup by products ordered viaexternal sales channels or pending agent 151 pickup. This type of situation can be offset bythe central server 110 balancing the supply against the demand by giving priority to in-storesales. Such priority may be achieved indirectly by limiting the possible reservation time usedbefore agent 151 pickup, in turn constituting a boundary condition when determining opti-mal delivery routes as explained above - if a delivery route implies that a particular product Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 28 must be reserved for a time which is longerthan the maximum allowed time at the moment,such delivery route is not allowed. Correspondingly, when current demand is larger than current supply, allowed reservation times may be prolonged for a particular product type.

Ifthe product is not picked up from the POS 122 within the specific time period, it preferablyautomatically becomes available for purchase by other users. If this happens, the centralserver 110 preferably redetermines the optimal delivery route as described above, usingthe updated inventory information. This way, a particular product may be available for di- rect over-the-counter purchases, or be reserved for another specific time period.

According to a preferred embodiment, the central server 110, during the delivery of theproduct(s), provides an updated expected delivery time to the purchasing user 131 via thesaid GUI provided on the screen display ofthe user's 131 device 130. This way, the user may follow the ongoing delivery and can plan his or her activities up until the delivery time.

In one preferred embodiment, in case the user 131 has initially indicated that deliveries areto be made to the current location of the user 131, the user 131 may move during the de-livery, in which case the device 130 reports this to the central server 110 that uses the up-dated location of the user 131 as an input (an updated desired delivery location) in the re-determination of the optimal delivery route described above. This way, a user may for in-stance order a cup of coffee which is then delivered to the user, even if the user is on themove. All this is achieved by a simple press of a button in a GUI on the user's 131 device 130, without requiring any more interaction or input on the part of the user 131 in question.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the user, during the delivery of the product(s) andvia the said GUI provided on the screen display ofthe user's 131 device 130, is provided thechoice of modifying the determined optimal delivery route, which optimal delivery route isthen automatically redetermined by the central server in reaction to the modification. Forinstance, the user 131 may be presented with a number of alternative routes that are alllocally optimal and that all provide delivery within the maximum delivery time, from whichnumber of alternative routes the user may select one which is desired by the user 131. For Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 29 instance, in case the delivery location may be updated by the user 131 as described above,the user may select a route which is more convenient for delivery to a delivery location which the user 131 knows to be current in a while.

Also, such a modification of the optimal route may comprise a choice regarding what POS 122 to pick up the product from.

The online order and purchase of a particular basket of product(s) comprises a number ofchecks, in order to guarantee maximum likelihood of product availability during delivery.Hence, during a product listing step, the local stock levels of the product(s) in question ispreferably checked, via the E-com system 124. Then, during a product basket checkout step,the order is preferably verified, including the pickup location, the delivery location, the de-livery time and the stock keeping unit list and quantity. This verification is preferably per-formed internally in the central server 110, against the aggregated view kept therein. Then,in an order creation step, the order is preferably created using the information verified inthe said checkout step. However, the selected POS 122 may be determined at a later stage, or even changed during delivery, as described above.

The central server's 110 view of inventory levels at individual POS 122, which is used to buildthe said aggregated inventory view kept by the central server 110, may comprise a number of different activities, as outlined in the following. |nventory data may be directly uploaded to the central server 110, such as via interface 114,for instance in the form of data formatted in a predetermined way readable to the centralserver 110. ln this case, the data directly affects the recorded product stock levels in the central server 110.

The central server 110 may directly query individual POS 122 or retailers 120 regarding cur-rent inventory levels, which query may be posed to the E-com system 124. This step canalso be regarded as an inventory information synchronization between the retailer 120 andthe central server 110, and can be performed periodically or according to a push scheme.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE The E-com system 124 may also be responsible for the verification and initiation of an orderof a particular product to be part of a delivery to a user 131. ln this case, the E-com system124 validates a particular order for a particular product carried by the retailer 120 in ques-tion based on local product availability and delivery details. lf validation is successful, theorder is created based upon the same details, however preferably after payment has been verified by the central server 110 to the retailer 120.

Thereafter, the central server 110 may create the order and communicate it to the ERPsystem 121, reflecting the order details verified by the E-com system 124, comprising prod-uct or product type identities, quantities and pickup location. Once the order has been cre- ated, the inventory stock levels ofthe POS 122 in question are updated accordingly. ln response thereto, the central server 110 may synchronize the stock levels, possibly withoffsets as described above, with the ERP system 121 for all pickup POS 122 and products involved in the delivery. ln addition thereto, the central server 110 may periodically, such as at least once every day,query the ERP system 121 for an updated inventory regarding a particular product or prod- uct type in combination with a particular POS 122.

Furthermore, the central server 110 may query the PIM system 123, such as via the ERPsystem 121, for product metadata, such as product imagery, descriptions and data, for use when presenting product information to the user 131 as described above.This way, the central server 110 is able to add the aggregated functionality described hereinwithout requiring any major modifications to existing infrastructure ofthe connected retail- ers 120.

Example #1 - Stock depletion on sales channel for a purchase with immediate delivery Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE 31 Precondition: The user 131 has provided the required delivery and payment details The user 131 confirms the order on the aggregated marketplace provided by the central server 110 via an interactive GUI on the device 130 by selecting ”Confirm order” no de- vice 130. 0 The central server 110 verifies and creates the order in relation to the retailer 120. 0 The retailer 120 performs stock validation against the central server 110 for the specificorder. 0 The central server 110 checks the channel-specific (here, immediate delivery) stock in-ventory level for the provided products and selected pickup location(s) 122. 0 The product may exist in the selected pickup location 122, but not for the specified chan-nel, in which case the request fails. 0 The central server 110 temporarily reserves capacity for the ordered products. 0 The central server 110 creates an order in the ERP system 121. 0 The ERP system 121 ensures that no standard delivery dispatch takes place. 0 The central server 110 finalises and depletes the stock levels for the ordered productswith the confirmed remaining quantity from the ERP system 121. 0 The central server 110 causes the delivery to be dispatched to the delivery agents 151,for instance using an order fulfilment system which is a part of the central server 110. 0 The marketplace confirms to the user 131 that the order has been placed and that deliv- ery is dispatched.

Example #2 - Stock synchronisation on in-store purchase 0 A user 131 pays for particular products in the POS 122, and leaves with the products. 0 The POS 122 places an order in the ERP system 121. 0 The ERP system 121 sends the updated stock inventory regarding the particular productsto the central server 110, with reference to the POS 122 in question and the physicalstore sales channel. This is only done for products which have been marked as being available for immediate delivery using the central server 110 and agents 151.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 32 The central server 110 updates its view of the stock inventory for the products/POS122/sales channel combination.

The central server 110 periodically synchronizes its view on the stock inventory with theERP system 121 of the retailer 120 in question to ensure that both systems are up-to-date.

The ERP system 121 is considered data master, as the physical POS 122 warehouse/shelfstock level is periodically revised through stock-taking.

The synchronisation deals with scenarios where the sales channel specific levels havedrifted from the actual levels, for instance after in-store POS 122 purchases for products which have manually been collected from the POS 122 in-store warehouse.

Example #3 - Balancing sales channel stock inventory The inventory administrator 141 logs in to the central server 110.

The inventory administrator 141 finds the business unit (that is POS 122), product typeor concrete product he or she wishes to re-balance.

The inventory administrator 141 enters the percentage, or absolute numbers for individ-ual product(s), of stock to be reserved to the different sales channels available, namelyPOS 122 in-store; online with self-pickup; and online with immediate delivery using thecentral server 110 and agent(s) 151.

The central server 110 rebalances its view on stock inventory levels according to thegiven parameters and context, for instance entire product type or category, or individualproducts. The total number of products will remain the same, but balanced over different sales channels. ln the following, a number of particular details will be described in closer detail, regarding the provision to the user 131 of a reliable, accurate and immediate delivery.

Specifically regarding store opening hours and staff availability information available to the central server 110, these metrics are preferably offset and/or adjusted, as described above, before being used to display which products are available for immediate delivery to the user Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 33 131 in said GUI on the device 130. For instance, delivery may be offered outside POS 122 regular opening hours, such as due to extraordinary availability of the staff. |fthe POS 122 is currently closed, or if there is no staff available to perform the picking andpacking, a ”deliver at this specific time” option preferably becomes available to the client insaid GUI, at least in case available date/time options are provided to the central server 110from the POS 122 or retailer 120 in question. lf, on the other hand, the POS 122 is openand/or staff is available (such as outside of normal opening hours), immediate delivery is available and shown to the user 131 as described above.

As described above, the availability of staff in a particular POS 122 may be determined bythe central server 110 based upon a predetermined schedule provided by the POS 122 orretailer 120 in question, which schedule may be overridden to reflect extraordinary events,as they occur in real-time. Such overrides are preferably mirrored, using push communica-tion to the central server 110 and on to the device 130, in real-time to the user 131 at the digital store front.

Specifically regarding order fulfilment scheduling, scheduling of the order fulfilment processsuch as picking and packing is preferably performed on a per-POS 122 basis. As with staffavailability, the time required to prepare an order for pickup is preferably predeterminedbut may be overridden in real-time by the staff, for instance to compensate for rush hours where fulfilment times may be prolonged.

Specifically regarding the agent(s) 151, they signal availability and position information tothe central server 110 via their respective device 150, as described above. Specifically, thecurrent location, velocity and direction of the agent 151 in question is preferably periodi- cally transmitted to the central server 110 and used therein for optimal route determining.

This data is aggregated from multiple potential agents 151, and preferably allows real-time updates to the delivery capabilities with respect to a particular order. As a consequence, Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 34 this allows accurate real-time feedback to be provided to the user 131 as well as involved agents 151 regarding current route updates and similar. ln many situations, several agents 151 may be present in the local area, each being suffi-ciently well-suited to perform a particular delivery. ln such cases, a number of potentialagents 151 may receive a respective notification with an offer to perform the delivery, andthe actual selection of delivery agent is achieved through first-come acknowledgement by the agents 151 in question.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, agents 151 are ranked using a rankingscore which is calculated by the central server 110, based upon at least geographical prox-imity to the optimal delivery route, and in particular to a pickup location, but potentiallyalso based upon other factors, such as previously performed number of deliveries; averagehistoric user 131 rating; fee requested by agent 151; current agent 151 velocity, directionand/or means of transportation; current agent 151 density in the local area of a particularscored agent 151; and delivery location in relationship to a planned near-time pickup loca-tion in a different delivery route. The latter allows the exploitation of possible subsequentand bi-directional deliveries by one and the same agent 151. The ranking of the deliveryagents 151 are preferably updated as soon as new information becomes available to the central server 110.

Then, a notification describing the delivery assignment may be sent to all agents 151 withsufficiently high ranking for the particular delivery, and the delivery assignment is allocatedto the or those (in case several agents are required due to optimal route splitting as de- scribed above) agents 151 first to respond to the notification.

Specifically regarding pickup location ranking and selection, a user 131 performing a pur-chase using the above described aggregated digital storefront, using the central server 110and agent(s) 151, and requesting immediate delivery, is not directly concerned with the specifics of where the product(s) are delivered from.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE ln particular, the pickup location(s) is or are selected based on a number of parameters related not only to the order itself, but also the availability of suitable agents.

On ordering a single product, this is simplified to the product itself, without having to con-sider multiple pickup locations and sufficient stock levels for several products. However, ifhowever multiple products are ordered, a more complex process is preferably applied. lfthe products are available at the same POS 122, the process may start by examining the option to have all products delivered from the same physical POS 122.

This process preferably assumes that it is possible to find a suitable delivery agent 151. Sec-ondly, it is preferably assumed that it is more efficient to have a less suitable delivery agent151, for instance presently located further away, pickup multiple products from the same POS 122, rather than a more suitable agent 151 pickup from multiple locations. lf none ofthe available POS 122 pickup locations have all the products in stock, a multi-storepickup is preferably initiated and treated similarly to having multiple merchants in the same order, see below. ln deciding the final pickup POS 122, a ranking of the available POS 122 is preferably applied,calculated by the central server 110 based upon at least one parameter selected among thegroup of parameters comprising pre-selected POS 122 by the retailer 120 in question tohandle all immediate delivery orders; specialized POS 122 selected by the retailer 120 tohandle specific order types, such as gifts; POS 122 opening hours and staff availability (seeabove); geographical proximity to the current delivery location; and order history of theuser 131 in a particular POS 122. Hence, the merchant preferably has the possibility to in-struct the central server 110 to treat different POS 122 differently, which information inthat case will automatically be used by the central server 110 when calculating the optimal delivery route. lf multiple products are ordered, that need to be picked up from multiple POS 122, an even more complex process may be applied. As with multiple products from the same POS 122, Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE 36 it is preferably first assumed that it is possible to find a suitable delivery agent 151 regard-less of the location of the pickup locations. ln order to determine the final pickup locations,a number of steps are performed. The primary goal is to find the minimum cost route forthe delivery agent 151 to pickup all products and have them delivered to the delivery loca- tion.

The ”cost” in question is preferably defined and determined by the central server 110 basedon a number of parameters, one of which preferably is the calculated estimated travel timebetween the different locations, including the current location of the delivery agent 151 inquestion and the delivery location. Added to this is preferably a predetermined assumed per-pickup-location duration, to account for the time spent to pickup the products.

Additional parameters that may be used comprise estimated travel time, including transit;real-time public transport scheduling, hop-count and traffic delays; and delivery agent 151transport method (for example, car may be prioritized for longer distance deliveries which would result in multi-hop public transport).

The ”cost” in question is preferably calculated, by the central server 110, for all combina-tions of potential merchant pickup locations and the delivery location. When the lowest-cost delivery route has been selected, the agent 151 ranking preferably takes place as de-scribed above. The addition here is that the distance is calculated from all pickup locationsin the current delivery route, using only the shortest distance as it is considered to be the first stop for the delivery agent 151.

Example #3 - Purchase of products from multiple merchants Precondition: The user 131 is identified by the central server 110, via the device 130, and a payment method has been identified for the user 131 in question. 0 The user 131 visits the aggregated marketplace provided electronically by the central server 110, via said GUI on the device 130.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 37 0 The user 131 adds a number of products from different merchants to the shopping cart,such as a shirt and a box of chocolates. 0 The user 131 selects the option to finalise the purchase. 0 The marketplace prompts the user 131 to enter a desired delivery address/location,whereupon the user 131 enters his or her current address and selects continue; or alter-natively the central server 110 already has sufficient information for determining thedesired delivery location automatically, as described above. 0 The central server 110 calculates the optimal delivery route and associated estimatedtime of delivery, and returns this information to the marketplace. 0 The marketplace presents an order finalisation screen to the user 131, including the es-timated time of delivery to the delivery location. 0 The user 131 confirms the order via said GUI. 0 The central server 110 dispatches the order to the selected POS 122 and the subset ofselected delivery agents 151. 0 The marketplace presents an order confirmation screen to the user 131. ln the following, a number of particular details will be described in closer detail, regardingthe provision to the user 131 of a possibility to initiate an order, with associated automatic delivery, with a minimal interaction with the central server 110 at the time of ordering.

Hence, since the following information may preferably be available to the central server 110at the time of ordering by a particular user 131, using the above described mechanisms, itis possible for the system 100 to achieve highly reliable yet flexible and customizable onlinetransactions, that can be ordered bya user 131 in a very convenient and simple manner and with immediate deliveries: 0 Product information: metadata provided by the carrying retailers 120 or POS 122. 0 Product availability: real-time updated information provided from retailers 120 or POS122. 0 Delivery agent 151 availability: real-time updated information provided by devices 150. 0 Payment details: Previously gathered information from the user 131.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 38 0 Delivery details: Previously gathered information from the user 131, or based upon pre- vious user 131 behaviour or orders.

How all these factors become available to the central server 110 has been extensively de-scribed and exemplified above. In particular, personal user data, such as payment infor-mation, may be stored as a part of a personal, password-protected user profile by the cen- tral server 110.

Example #5 - Simple purchase with immediate delivery Precondition: User 131 has performed a prior purchase using the central server 110 and agent(s) 151.

The user 131 visits the aggregated store front as described above, using the GUI on de- vice 130. 0 The user 131 locates the wanted product. 0 The central server 110 / GUI on device 130 presents the product description and a buttonlabelled ”Get it now”. 0 The user 131 selects the ”Get it now"-button in the GUI. 0 The central server/GUI prompts the user 131 to identify him- or herself, whereupon theuser 131 enters her credentials, such as a user name - password combination. Alterna-tively, the user 131 is already identified as the owner of the device 130, which identifica-tion may be performed by the software application providing the said GUI on the device130, for instance using a login when the user 131installs or initiates the execution ofthesaid software application. This possession ofthe device 130 by the user 131 correspondsto a something-you-have authentication factor. 0 The central server 110 automatically determines the desired delivery location based upon available information, as described above, and a payment method is automatically identified based upon the identified user 131. One of several available payment methods Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 39 may be automatically selected, for instance based upon total payment amount. The cen-tral server 110 also determines the optimal route and calculates the expected time ofdelivery, as described above. 0 The central server 110 provides the expected delivery time to the user 131, which is pre-sented in said GUI and possibly updated in real-time during the execution ofthe deliveryby the agent(s) 151, based on delivery agent 151 position and velocity. 0 The user 131 may also select a different desired delivery location within a particular ini-tial time period, such as within 120 seconds of placing the order, upon which an orderupdate is performed and the optimal delivery route is redetermined as described above. 0 The central server 110 dispatches the order to the selected POS 122 and the set of se- lected delivery agents 151.

Specifically regarding covering relatively long distance deliveries in an urban area, this maybecome a challenge as both travel and transit times increase, as well as the delivery time variance as a result of delays.

This is particularly true if multiple pickups have to be performed along the optimal route.

Hence, if the central server 110 determines that, according to predetermined parametercriteria, the cost of doing multi-pickup becomes too large, in other words that the resultingexpected delivery time becomes longer than the above-described maximum delivery time,the delivery is preferably automatically pa rtitioned between multiple delivery agents 151, and hence split up into multiple sub delivery routes.

The algorithm for selecting the delivery agent 151 preferably takes this into consideration,for deliveries spanning over further distances, by ranking delivery agents 151 that are cur-rently located geographically close to at least one of the current pickup POS 122 locations,as well as having access to high-speed transportation (such as a car), higher than what is thecase for deliveries only spanning shorter distances. ln addition to this, possibilities to matcha planned return delivery, for such cases, lead to relatively higher ranking of such agents 151. For instance, a particular agent 151 may be able to perform returns from a particular Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE suburban area back to the city centre, in which case such agents 151 are ranked higher thanother agents 151 for deliveries from the city centre to such suburbs. Information formingthe basis of such ranking may, for instance, be residence address of individual agents 151or given planned trajectories of such individual agents 151 in the near future. Also, recencyof last delivery is used as a ranking parameter to emphasize this. Such considerations willtypically decrease the occurrence of long distance one-way journeys for the delivery agents151, which over time may cause dissatisfaction with the agents 151 and decreased effi- ciency.

Figure 4a illustrates a state of the above-discussed interactive GUI on the display ofthe user131 device 130 before a purchase of the present type. The user 131 has logged in to thecentral server 110, via the device 130, and the device 130 has read (via a GPS sensor) andreported to the central server 110 the current location (”Storgatan 1") of the device 130,and hence also the user 131. The user 131 has previously provided payment details, in par-ticular the necessary details regarding a particular credit card (”Visa **** **** **** 1234")to be used when purchasing products using the system 100. The user 131 has furthermoreconfigured his account so that delivery is to be provided with the present location of theuser 131. By pressing ”Change user details", these details, and others, can be modified. Bypressing ”Logout”, the user logs out from the service. The central server 110 has receivedproduct availability information from connected POS 120, and also available agent 151 lo-cation(s). Products (flowers, a tie and a sundae, respectively) that are all available from POS120 in sufficient proximity to both at least one available agent 151 and the desired deliverylocation (”Storgatan 1") are presented in the GUI, using product images and prices providedby the respective retailer 120 in question as described above. When the user 131 presses a button ”Get it now", the corresponding product is ordered, using the data shown in the GUI.

In figure 4b, the user 131 has pressed the button ”Get it now” below the sundae. The centralserver 110 has then provided the above discussed delivery information to both a selectedagent 151 and a selected POS 120, which information has been acknowledged by both these parties. The central server 110 calculates the expected delivery time to 24 minutes, which Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 41 is less than the predetermined maximum delivery time, which in this case and for the prod-uct type ”sundaes” is set to 30 minutes. The GUI on the device 130 also optionally displaysbilling information. By pressing the ”View delivery details” button, the user 131 may, forinstance, view a map showing the current location of the agent 151. By pressing ”Changedelivery location", the desired delivery location can be changed, triggering a redetermina-tion action by the central server 110, which in turn could result in a no-delivery, or at least a delivery delay, depending on POS 120 and agent 151 availability.

Figure 4c illustrates the state of the above-discussed interactive GUI on device 150 at themoment when the delivery assignment notification arrives to the corresponding agent 151.If the agent 151 does not press ”Accept” within a predetermined time period (here exem-plified by a period of maximum 30 seconds), the delivery assignment is not accepted by theagent 151 in question. This could result in another agent 151 performing the delivery, or ano-delivery situation. In the GUI, details regarding the delivery assignment are also dis-closed, and by pressing the ”View map” button, the agent 151 can see a map showing the optimal delivery route, as provided by the central server 110.

In figure 4d, the delivery agent 151 has pressed ”Accept”, and the delivery assignment isongoing. By pressing ”View map", the agent 151 can see the current progress along theoptimal delivery route in a map. Ifthere is a problem, such as public transport unavailability,the button ”Report problem” can be pressed. If the agent 151 needs to abort the assign-ment, the ”Abort” button can be pressed. Both ofthese actions will typicallytrigger a central server 110 redetermination ofthe optimal delivery route.

Above, preferred embodiments have been described. However, it is apparent to the skilledperson that many modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments without de- parting from the basic idea ofthe invention.

For instance, in figure 1 a particular type of retailer 120 product management system isshown, for illustrative purposes. It is realized that other setups are also possible, providingthe same basic functionality which the central server 110 relies upon as described above.

Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 42 ln general, all described exemplifying embodiments are freely combinable, as applicable.

Hence, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but can be varied within 5 the scope ofthe enclosed claims.

Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE

Claims

1. Method for performing a purchase of a physical product from at least one physical point of sale (120) offering the product for direct on-site purchase, which method comprises the steps a) Application text, 20l6~O6~30 a central server (110) electronically being provided inventory information regardingpresent updated physical availability of the product in question from a plurality ofphysical points of sale (120); the central server (110) electronically being provided location information regardingpresent respective geographic locations for a plurality of available mobile deliveryagents (151); the central server (110) determining an optimal physical product delivery route, in-volving at least one selected delivery agent (151), at least a selected one of said pointsof sale (120), as well as a particular delivery location, based upon the said inventoryand location information, and calculating an expected delivery time for the optimalroute to the delivery location; the central server (110) electronically presenting updated information regarding theexpected product delivery time to a purchasing user (131) and allowing the user (131)to electronically order the product; the central server (110) electronically sending reservation information to the said se-lected point of sale (120), as well as delivery information to the said selected deliveryagent (151); during the delivery of the product, the central server (110) electronically being pro-vided updated inventory and location information; before the product has been delivered to the delivery location, the central server(110) automatically redetermining the optimal product delivery route, and, if at leastone selected delivery agent (151) or at least one selected point of sale (120) haschanged, electronically sending updated reservation information and/or updated de-livery information to such changed delivery agent(s) (151) and/or such changed point(s) of sale (120), and reverting to step f. l6005lSE 44

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the product is offered for sale, in addition todirect on-site purchase and purchase with delivery via said mobile delivery agents (151), also via an e-commerce web site with conventional surface mail delivery.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both the central server (110) and the re-spective physical points of sale (120) keep inventory information regarding product availa- bility at the respective physical points of sale (120).

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the central server (110) inventory information is a mirror of the information kept by the respective physical points of sale (120).

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the central server (110) queries at least onerespective physical point of sale (120) in connection to determining the said optimal delivery FOUte.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central server(110) receives, from the respective physical points of sale (120), information regarding fu-ture availability ofthe product for pickup at the respective physical point of sale (120), and in that this information is used when determining the said optimal delivery route.

7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the optimal deliveryroute is calculated based upon a forecast, as calculated or received by the central server(110), of at least one future value selected from the group consisting of physical point ofsale (120) opening hours and/or staffing; expected local traffic situation; expected geo-graphic delivery agent (151) availability and/or trajectory; aggregated supply ofthe product; and aggregated demand for the product.

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central server(110) calculates a present and/or expected future aggregated supply of the product and anaggregated present and/or expected future demand for the product, based upon infor-mation received from the said physical points of sale (120), and wherein the central server (110) dynamically offsets inventory information and/or a predetermined time during which Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE the product is reserved at the selected physical point of sale (120), based upon the calcu- lated aggregate supply and demand before determining the said optimal delivery route.

9. I\/|ethod according to claim 8, wherein the said information received from the respec-tive physical points of sale (120) comprises information regarding sales via at least one otherchannel than via the central server (110), such as via an e-commerce web site with conven- tional surface mail delivery.

10. I\/|ethod according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user (131) inter-acts with the central server (110) using a portable electronic user device (130), and whereinthe desired delivery location is automatically selected based upon the current location ofthe user (131), which is detected by and communicated to the central server (110) from the user device (130).

11. Method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the central server (110) keepsinformation regarding at least one geographical location frequented by the user (131),and/or at least one previously used delivery location for the user (131), and wherein thecentral server (110) allows the user (131) to select the desired delivery location based upon said information.

12. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central server(110) determines the optimal delivery route as a route comprising two sub routes, whichare or may be performed in parallel by different delivery agents (151), in case a determinedoptimal delivery route involving only one delivery agent (151) is expected to result in a total delivery time which exceeds a certain threshold.

13. I\/|ethod according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the determination ofan optimal delivery route involving at least two physical points of sale (120) comprises thesub steps of calculating a first optimal delivery route; selecting a particular one of said plu-rality of delivery agents (151) based upon proximity of the delivery agent (151) in questionto the first route; calculating a second optimal delivery route based upon location infor-mation regarding the selected delivery agent (151); and using the second optimal delivery route as the determined optimal delivery route. Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 46

14. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the optimal deliveryroute is further determined based upon the type of the product, whereby different such types are associated with different thresholds regarding delivery durations.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the delivery comprises at least two productsof different product types, and in that the optimal delivery route is determined further based upon different delivery duration thresholds associated with said different product types.

16. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central server(110) determines the optimal delivery route, and in particular what delivery agent (151) ordelivery agents that are to participate in the delivery of the product, based further on a future planned trajectory and/or a historic trajectory of individual delivery agents (151).

17. Method according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said plurality of delivery agents(151) is associated with a portable electronic device (150), which presents a graphical userinterface via which the delivery agent (151) can provide information regarding a future planned trajectory and/or availability.

18. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a total aggregatedsupply is presented to the user (131) in one single interface view, such as on a screen displayof a portable electronic device (130) of the user (131), not disclosing at what physical pointof sale (120) each respective product is available, and with an estimated delivery time spec- ified for each product type rather than for each individual product.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the user (131) does not specify the physical point of sale (120) from which the product is to be delivered.

20. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reservation oftheproduct is valid for a specific time period, which time period is determined by the central server (110) based upon the determined optimal delivery route, and if the product is not Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 47 picked up from the physical point of sale (120) within the said time period it automatically becomes available for purchase by other users.

21. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central server(110), during the delivery ofthe product, provides an updated expected delivery time to theuser (131) via a graphical user interface provided on a screen display of a portable electronic device (130) of the user (131).

22. Method according to any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein the user (131), duringthe delivery of the product and via a graphical user interface provided on a screen displayof a portable electronic device (130) of the user (131), is provided the choice of modifyingthe determined optimal delivery route, which optimal delivery route is then redetermined by the central server (110) in reaction to the modification.

23. I\/|ethod according to claim 22, wherein such a modification comprises what physical point of sale (120) to pick up the product from.

24. System (100) for performing a purchase ofa physical product from at least one phys-ical point of sale (120) offering the product for direct on-site purchase, which system (100)comprises a central server (110) arranged to electronically receive inventory informationregarding present updated physical availability of the product in question from a pluralityof physical points of sale (120), which central server (110) is further arranged to electroni-cally receive location information regarding present respective geographic locations for aplurality of available mobile delivery agents (151), which central server (110) is further ar-ranged to determine an optimal physical product delivery route, involving at least one se-lected delivery agent (151), at least a selected one of said points of sale (120), as well as aparticular delivery location, based upon the said inventory and location information, and tocalculate an expected delivery time for the optimal route to the delivery location, whichcentral server (110) is further arranged to electronically present updated information re-garding the expected product delivery time to a purchasing user (131) and to allow the user(131) to electronically order the product, which central server (110) is further arranged to electronically send reservation information to the said selected point of sale (120), as well Application text, 20l6~06~30 l6005lSE 48 as delivery information to the said selected delivery agent (151), which central server (110)is further arranged to, during the delivery of the product, electronically receive updatedinventory and location information and, before the product has been delivered to the de-livery location, automatically redetermine the optimal product delivery route, and, if atleast one selected delivery agent (151) or at least one selected point of sale (120) haschanged, electronically send updated reservation information and/or updated delivery in-formation to such changed delivery agent(s) (151) and/or such changed point(s) of sale (120). Application text, 20l6~O6~30 l6005lSE