WO2016077596A1

WO2016077596A1 - Distributed retail transaction system

Info

Publication number: WO2016077596A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/060402
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jonathan JENKINS; William Reid
Original assignee: Orderwithme Nevada Inc.
Priority date: 2014-11-12
Filing date: 2015-11-12
Publication date: 2016-05-19

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure generally relate to a distributed retail transaction system to facilitate retail transactions within a physical store of a retail entity. Aspects of the disclosure also generally relate to an inventor management system for generating and providing an inventory alert for a retail product to a retailer, supplier, and/or manufacturer based upon an inventory management event.

Description

DISTRIBUTED RETAIL TRANSACTION SYSTEM

SUMMARY

[0001] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key and/or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Also, this Summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter in any manner.

[0002] Aspects of the disclosure relate to a distributed retail transaction system to facilitate retail transactions within a physical store of a retail entity. The system can include client devices within a physical store of a first retail entity. The client devices are communicatively coupled to the other client devices within the physical store of the first retail entity. The client devices are configured to communicate with one another relating to a retail transaction for a retail product. The system also includes a server communicatively connected to client devices of the first retail entity and configured to communicatively connect to client devices within a physical store of a second retail entity. The server can query an inventory of the second retail entity for the retail product when the retail product is unavailable in the physical store of the first retail entity. The server can also attribute a portion of a purchase price for the retail product to the first retail entity when the retail transaction is completed utilizing at least one client device within the physical store of the first retail entity.

[0003] Aspects of the disclosure also relate to an inventory management system for generating and providing an inventory alert for a retail product to a retailer, supplier, and/or manufacturer based upon an inventory management event. The system can include a server communicatively connected to one or more client devices. The server is configured to detect an occurrence of an inventory management event for a retail product. The inventory management event may be based upon a sales data characteristic, a weather data characteristic, or a product characteristic relating to the retail product. In response to detecting the occurrence of the inventory management event, the server generates an alert indicating a need for inventory modification (e.g., increase inventory, decrease inventory) for the retail product and causes transmission of the alert to a client device associated with a supplier, a retailer, or a manufacturer.

DRAWINGS

[0004] The Detailed Description is described with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0005] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration illustrating a distributed retail transaction system and an inventory management system in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0006] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a distributed retail transaction system and an inventory management system in accordance with example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a client device utilized within the systems described herein in accordance with example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a server utilized within the systems described herein in accordance with example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a client device in accordance with example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration generally describing retailer requests for a point-of-sale system.

[0011] FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrammatic illustrations generally describing the client device shown in FIG. 4 in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for issuing a portion of a purchase price to a retailer in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIGS. 10 through 12 are diagrammatic illustrations generally describing a supply chain solution in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic illustration generally describing centralized inventory ordering functionality provided by the inventory management system in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure. [0015] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for determining whether to modify inventory based upon an inventory management event in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic illustration generally describing purchase order generation functionality provided by the inventory management system in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic illustration generally describing purchase order tracking provided by the inventory management system in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 17 and 18 are diagrammatic illustrations generally describing cash flow management functionality provided by the inventory management system in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 19 is a diagrammatic illustration generally describing wellness grade generation provided by the inventory management system in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIGS. 20 through 22 are diagrammatic illustrations generally describing payment transaction functionality provided by the inventory management system in accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

[0021] Aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, example features. The features can, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the combinations set forth herein; rather, these combinations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. In one aspect, features of the disclosure are executed in a computer system 100. [0022] The present disclosure discloses client devices that can be configured as a distributed retail product transactional system utilized within a retail environment for ordering and managing products. In implementations, the retail environment comprises a physical retail store. Additionally, the present disclosure describes systems and techniques in accordance with the present disclosure that can facilitate inventory management by retailers for their distributors, brands, manufacturers, and so forth. Systems and techniques as described herein can facilitate inventory management and sales. With systems and techniques as described herein, a retailer can use a system for both the buying side and the selling side of business (e.g., an independent retail entity), and they can use a system to manage their inventory, whether it is purchasing it or selling it, and can connect the supply chains and obtain near real-time data back and up and through the supply chain.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, a system 100 is generally shown illustrating one or more aspects of the present disclosure as described in greater detail below. The system 100 may include one or more retail environments. For instance, as shown, a retail environment may encompass a physical independent retail store 50 (e.g., brick and mortar store) having a distributed retail product transactional system therein. The distributed retail product transactional system 55 may comprise multiple client devices 101 communicatively connected to another configured to initiate and/or finalize a retail product transaction. In some implementations, the distributed retail product transactional system 55 is communicatively connected to other distributed retail product transactional systems 55 that are within other physical independent retail stores 50 through a server 106. As described in greater detail below, the distributed retail product transactional system 55 can allow a consumer to purchase a retail product within a first retail store 50(1) or purchase the retail product within the first retail store 50(1) and the retail product is in a second retail store 50(2). Thus, the server 106 is configured to query the inventory for other retail stores 50 in the event that the first retail store 50(1) does not have any stock of the retail product. In these instances, if the consumer purchases the retail product in the first retail store 50(1), the server 106 can attribute a portion of the purchase price from the second retail store 50(2) to the first retail store 50(1). In some embodiments, the system 100 can provide e-commerce website hosting functionality such that one or more of the retailers can maintain an online retail website 52.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the system 100 may also comprise an inventory management system. For example, the server 106 is communicatively connected to multiple manufacturers 60 and/or suppliers 70. In this configuration, as described in greater detail below, the system 100 can provide functionality to generate electronic purchase orders, electronic invoicing, and/or electronic payments, as well as provide functionality to facilitate cash flow management. Additionally, the system 100 can provide functionality to generate alerts to transmit to retailers, suppliers, and/or manufacturers based upon the detection (e.g., determination) of an inventory management event. For instance, the server 106 may determine that inventory should be adjusted based upon a sales data characteristic, a weather data characteristic, and/or a product characteristic. In response to determining that an inventory management event has occurred, the server 106 generates an alert and transmits the alert to retailers, suppliers, and/or manufacturers. In other implementations, the purchase of inventory can be automatically adjusted based upon the inventory management event.

Example Distributed Retail Product Transactional System

[0025] Referring generally to FIGS. 2 through 5, a system 100 having a client device 101 is described. The client device 101 is configured to connect to a network 102 and provide a user interface 104. The user interface 104 is configured to provide point of sale/checkout functionality to a user, such as a consumer at a retail location. As utilized herein, the system 100 may include multiple client devices 101 configured in a number of implementations. For example, the system 100 may include a first client device 101 (e.g., a smartphone) within a retail environment associated with a consumer and a second client device 101 (e.g., a multipurpose cash register configured as a kiosk) within the retail environment associated with the independent retail entity.

[0026] A client device 101 can be an information handling system device, including, but not necessarily limited to: a mobile computing device (e.g., a hand-held portable computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a netbook computer, a tablet computer, and so forth), a mobile telephone device (e.g., a cellular telephone, a smartphone), a device that includes functionalities associated with smartphones and tablet computers (e.g., a phablet), a portable game device, a portable media player device, a multimedia device, an e-book reader device (eReader), a surface computing device (e.g., a table top computer), a cash register device (e.g., a general purpose computer including POS/checkout software), and so forth. One or more client devices 101 can be associated with a user, such as a consumer, an independent retail entity, or the like. A user can communicate with, for instance, a server 106 via a client device 101. As described in greater detail below, one or more client devices 101 may be communicatively connected to one another in a single retail environment to function as a multipurpose cash register device to initiate/finalize a transaction relating to a retail product.

[0027] In some embodiments, the server 106 provides on demand software, e.g., in the manner of software as a service (SaaS) distributed to a client device 101 via the network 102 (e.g., the Internet). For example, the server 106 hosts point-of-sale (POS)/checkout software and associated data in the cloud. In some implementations, the software is accessed by the client device 101 with a thin client (e.g., via a web browser 108). A user interfaces with the software (e.g., a web page 110) provided by the server 106 via the user interface 104 (e.g., using web browser 108). In embodiments of the disclosure, the server 106 communicates with a client device 101 using an application protocol, such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). In some embodiments, the server 106 provides a client device 101 with a user interface 104 accessed using a web browser 108 and displayed on the client device 101 (e.g., on a touch screen display). Web browser form input can be provided using a hypertext markup language (HTML) and/or extensible HTML (XHTML) format, and can provide navigation to other web pages (e.g., via hypertext links). The web browser 108 can also use other resources such as style sheets, scripts, images, and so forth.

[0028] In other embodiments, content is served to a client device 101 using another application protocol. For instance, a third-party tool provider 112 (e.g., a tool provider not operated and/or maintained by the server 106) can include content from a server 106 (e.g., embedded in a web page 110 provided by the third-party tool provider 112). It should be noted that a thin client configuration for the client device 101 is provided by way of example only and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the client device 101 is implemented as a thicker (e.g., fat, heavy, rich) client. For example, the client device 101 provides rich functionality independently of the server 106. In some embodiments, one or more cryptographic protocols are used to transmit information between a server 106 and a client device 101 and/or a third-party tool provider 112. Examples of such cryptographic protocols include, but are not necessarily limited to: a transport layer security (TLS) protocol, a secure sockets layer (SSL) protocol, and so forth. For instance, communications between a server 106 and a client device 101 can use HTTP secure (HTTPS) protocol, where HTTP protocol is layered on SSL and/or TLS protocol.

[0029] Techniques in accordance with the present disclosure can be used to implement cloud-based POS/checkout systems." For the purposes of the present disclosure, the terms "cloud-based" and "cloud computing are used to refer to a variety of computing concepts, generally involving a large number of computers connected through a real-time communication network, such as the Internet. However, cloud computing is provided by way of example only and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. The techniques described herein can be used in various computing environments and architectures including, but not necessarily limited to, client-server architectures where distributed applications are implemented by service providers (servers) and service requesters (clients), peer-to-peer architectures where participants are both suppliers and consumers of resources, and so forth.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 3, a client device 101, including some or all of its components, can operate under computer control. For example, as described below, a controller 150 can be included with or in a client device 101 to control the components and functions of client devices 100 described herein using software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manual processing, or a combination thereof. The terms "controller," "functionality," "service," and "logic" as used herein generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of software, firmware, or hardware in conjunction with controlling the client devices 100. In the case of a software implementation, the module, functionality, or logic represents program code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processor (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more computer-readable memory devices (e.g., internal memory and/or one or more tangible media), and so on. The structures, functions, approaches, and techniques described herein can be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors.

[0031] A client device 101 and the server 106 can include a respective controller 150, 151 for controlling functionality of the client device 101 and the server 106. For example, the controllers 150, 151 can initiate the display of information on the user interface 104, receive and/or process input (e.g., touch input) from the client device 101, and so forth. The controllers 150, 151 can include a respective processor 152, 153, a respective memory 154, 155, and a respective communication interface 156, 157. The processors 152, 153 provides processing functionality for the controllers 150, 151 and can include any number of processors, micro-controllers, or other processing systems, and resident or external memory for storing data and other information accessed or generated by the controllers 150, 151. The processors 152, 153 can execute one or more software programs that implement techniques described herein. The processors 152, 153 is not limited by the materials from which it is formed or the processing mechanisms employed therein and, as such, can be implemented via semiconductor(s) and/or transistors (e.g., using electronic integrated circuit (IC) components), and so forth.

[0032] The memory 154, 155 is an example of tangible, computer-readable storage medium that provides storage functionality to store various data associated with operation of the client device 101 and the server 106, such as software programs and/or code segments, or other data to instruct the processors 152, 153, and possibly other components of the client device 101, to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the memory 154, 155 can store data, such as a program of instructions for operating the client device 101 and the server 106 (including their components), and so forth. It should be noted that while a single memory 154, 155 is described, a wide variety of types and combinations of memory (e.g., tangible, non-transitory memory) can be employed. The memory 154, 155 can be integral with the processors 152, 153, can comprise stand-alone memory, or can be a combination of both.

[0033] The memory 154, 155 can include, but is not necessarily limited to: removable and non-removable memory components, such as random-access memory (RAM), readonly memory (ROM), flash memory (e.g., a secure digital (SD) memory card, a mini-SD memory card, and/or a micro-SD memory card), magnetic memory, optical memory, universal serial bus (USB) memory devices, hard disk memory, external memory, and so forth. In implementations, the client device 101 and/or the server 106 and/or the memory 154, 155 can include removable integrated circuit card (ICC) memory, such as memory provided by a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card, a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), and so on.

[0034] The communication interfaces 156, 157 are operatively configured to communicate with components of the client device 101 and/or the server 106. For example, the communication interfaces 156, 157 can be configured to transmit data for storage in the client device 101, retrieve data from storage in the client device 101, and so forth. The communication interfaces 156, 157 is also communicatively coupled with the processors 152, 153 to facilitate data transfer between components of the client device 101 and the server 106 (as well as other client devices 101 as described herein. It should be noted that while the communication interfaces 156, 157 is described as a component of a respective controller 150, 151, one or more components of the communication interfaces 156, 157 can be implemented as external components communicatively coupled to the client device 101 and/or the server 106 via a wired and/or wireless connection. The client device 101 can also comprise and/or connect to one or more input/output (I/O) devices (e.g., via the communication interface 156), including, but not necessarily limited to: a display, a mouse, a touchpad, a keyboard, and so on. [0035] The communication interfaces 156, 157 and/or the processors 152, 153 can be configured to communicate with a variety of different networks, including, but not necessarily limited to: a wide-area cellular telephone network, such as a 3G cellular network, a 4G cellular network, or a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network; a wireless computer communications network, such as a WiFi network (e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN) operated using IEEE 802.11 network standards); an internet; the Internet; a wide area network (WAN); a local area network (LAN); a personal area network (PAN) (e.g., a wireless personal area network (WPAN) operated using IEEE 802.15 network standards and/or Bluetooth technology); a public telephone network; an extranet; an intranet; and so on. However, this list is provided by way of example only and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. Further, the communication interface 156 can be configured to communicate with a single network or multiple networks across different access points.

[0036] Referring now to FIG. 5, a client device 101 can include a touch panel and/or an electronic display 160 (e.g., a touch screen). In some embodiments, the touch screen 160 can be a twenty-one and one-half inch (21.5") diagonal touch screen. As described herein, a touch panel is a human machine interface (HMI) device that allows an operator of a client device 101 to provide input using an instrument such as a finger, a stylus, and so forth. For example, the operator may use his or her fingers to manipulate images on an electronic display. In some cases, the operator may use two or more fingers simultaneously to provide unique commands, such as a zoom command, executed by moving two fingers away from one another; a shrink command, executed by moving two fingers toward one another; and so forth. In other cases, the operator may use a stylus to provide commands via a touch panel. As described herein, the touch screen 160 is an electronic visual display that incorporates a touch panel overlying a display to detect the presence and/or location of a touch within the display area of the screen. For example, the touch screen 160 enables an operator to interact directly with information that is displayed by the display underlying a touch panel. However, this touch screen configuration is provided by way of example and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the client device 101 can have one or more other displays, use one or more other input devices, and so forth.

[0037] In some embodiments, the touch screen is provided by an information handling system device configured to dock with a docking station (e.g., a base). For example, the client device 101 may comprise a tablet device, which can include, for instance, a tablet computing device having a thickness of about six millimeters (6 mm), a height of about one hundred and seventy millimeters (170 mm), and a width of about two hundred and forty millimeters (240 mm). The tablet computing device may also have a nine and seven-tenths inch (9.7 in.) display. However, these dimensions are provided by way of example only and are not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, a tablet computing device can have different dimensions. The tablet device can be configured to dock with a docking station. The docking station can be used to charge the tablet computing device. For example, the docking station can be connected to AC mains and used to charge a rechargeable battery included with the tablet computing device.

[0038] The client device 101 can include an electronic imaging device, such as an image capture device 162. In some embodiments, the image capture device 162 can be a twelve (12) megapixel, one hundred and twenty degree (120°), ultra wide lens camera device (e.g., having one thousand nine hundred and twenty by one thousand eighty (1,920 x 1,080) pixel resolution). The image capture device 162 can be used to capture images (e.g., still images), video, and so forth. However, this image capture device configuration is provided by way of example and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the client device 101 can have one or more other image capture devices. The client device 101 can also include an audio output device, such as a speaker 164. In some embodiments, the speaker 164 can be a three watt (3 W) water resistant speaker device. However, this speaker device configuration is provided by way of example and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the client device 101 can have one or more other audio output devices. [0039] The client device 101 can also include credit card reader equipment, such as a credit card reader 166. In some embodiments, the credit card reader 166 is configured to read credit card information from a magnetic strip disposed on a credit card. However, this credit card reader configuration is provided by way of example and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the client device 101 can have other credit card reader equipment. For instance, in some embodiments, a client device 101 includes functionality for receiving information from a credit card via direct contact and/or contactless communication (e.g., using a chip reader, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, and so forth). For example, the client device 101 can be configured to receive and/or transmit information associated with cards containing "Smartchip" and/or Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) chips, RFID chips, and so forth. In an example embodiment, a client device 101 includes a near-field communication (NFC) multi-protocol thirteen and fifty-six one-hundredths megahertz (13.56 MHz) contactless reader. A NFC device can be operated according to an international ISO/IEC 14443 standard, and can be configured to read Type A and/or Type B proximity cards. In some embodiments, a NFC device can be operated in a peer-to- peer mode.

[0040] The client device 101 can include one or more other reader devices, such as a bar code scanner 170. In embodiments of the disclosure, the bar code scanner 170 can comprise a light source, a lens, and a light sensor that converts optical impulses into electrical impulses. In some embodiments, the bar code scanner 170 also includes decoder circuitry configured to analyze barcode image data provided by the sensor and provide barcode content to a processor (e.g., processor 152) of the client device 101. However, this scanner device configuration is provided by way of example and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the client device 101 can have one or more other scanner devices. The client device 101 can also include a printer device, such as a receipt printer 172. In some embodiments, the receipt printer 172 can be a thermal printer, which produces a printed image on thermochromic paper loaded into a paper case of the receipt printer 172. However, this printer device configuration is provided by way of example and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the client device 101 can have one or more other printer devices.

[0041] Referring generally to FIG. 6, the client device 101 can be utilized by an independent retail entity to link purchasing and sales to create one solution and/or to provide real time inventory. As shown in FIG. 2, the client device 101 includes an inventory management module 174 stored in the memory 152 and executable by the processor 150. The inventory management module 174 provides real time inventory functionality to allow independent retail entities as described in greater detail below. For example, the system 100 allows retailers to discontinue managing with their e-commerce system or the point of sale (POS) system.

[0042] As described in greater detail herein, the client device 101 and the server 106 allow a business owner to connect with their supply chain through one or more user interfaces to provide an enhanced consumer experience. The system 100 described herein can allow retailers to automate the inventory process (e.g., using just-in-time inventory by having sell-through data). As described herein, retailers can also manage inventory in one place. Thus, a retailer can use the inventory and push it into a POS and e-commerce solution.

[0043] Referring generally to FIG. 7, a distributed retail transactional system (see FIG. 1) can provide hardware and/or software solutions that can help retailers manage their inventory and their store and can have three devices or types of devices. In an implementation, the distributed retail transactional system comprises multiple client devices 101 communicatively connected to one another within a single retail environment (e.g., a physical retail store) of an independent retail entity. For example, a first client device 101(1) may be positioned within a retail environment and include a forward facing screen (e.g., display 160) focused on the consumer experience, where the consumer can interact with the point of purchase. A consumer may interface with the display 160 (or other input/output devices) to search for a desired product. For example, the consumer may wish to check to see whether the independent retail entity has yellow shoes in stock. The consumer can enter identifying information (as described in greater detail below) at the client device 101. Additionally, a cashier may be supplied with another client device 101(2) (e.g., a tablet) to manage their inventory and the consumer checkout process. Also, a cash drawer can be provided with a specific form factor (e.g., different than a typical cash drawer). The distributed retail transactional system may comprise any number of client devices 101 communicatively connected to one another in a single retail environment for the purposes of assisting consumers to finalize a transaction for retail products. Thus, the distributed retail transactional system may include multiple displays 160 and/or user interfaces (e.g., displays 160 of each client device 101) configured to display one or more interfaces/information pertaining to a retail transaction. For example, a first display 160 of a first client device 101(1) may display a first screen including information/interfaces for a consumer related to a transaction for a retail product (e.g., displaying an interface for searching for a product, displaying an interface to enter financial information to complete the transaction, etc.) and a second display 160 of a second client device 101(2) may display a second screen including information/interfaces pertaining to an employee within the retail environment related to the transaction for the retail product (e.g., displaying information indicating a consumer is requesting assistance, displaying a picture of the consumer requesting assistance, displaying information of the current status of a transaction for the consumer, etc.).

[0044] Referring generally to FIG. 8, the client device 101 includes an interactive screen (e.g., display 160), (e.g., a large form factor touch screen that a user can touch, play with, move around images, choose colors and sizes) and at the same time the scanner 170 and the receipt printer 172 can be imbedded into the solutions so that the user does not have wires and other things moving around. In some implementations, a credit card reader 166 and an image capture device 162 can also be embedded into the client device 101. In some instances, a consumer may interface with the display 160 to indicate that the consumer requires assistance. Upon indicating the request for assistance, the client device 101 captures an image of the consumer and transmits the image (and associated data) to another client device 101 utilized by a sales associate. The image may include metadata indicating which client device 101 transmitted the image and indicating product(s) that the consumer is requesting assistance with. In an implementation, the image may be broadcast to respective sales associates currently within the independent retail entity. In another implementation, the image may be transmitted to a specific sales associate based upon current work tasks. Thus, in an implementation, an independent retail entity (e.g., a store) can use the first client device 101 to receive notifications and happenings and to provide information regarding a status pertaining to different kiosks (e.g., client devices 101 configured as kiosks) spread out through the store. As described above, the first device 101 can connect with a second client device 101 to provide information on what someone else (e.g., another consumer) is doing. The consumer can also get help on the second client device 101 (e.g., using a button labeled "Help"). When a consumer interfaces the "Help" button, the second client device 101 can take a picture of that consumer's face with the image capture device 162 and send a notification to the first client device 101 where the cashier/sales associate can more easily identify the consumer requesting assistance. Additionally, the cashier/sales associate can click on the notification to see who the person is in their store that requested help, what item they requested help with, what they are trying to find, and so forth. Additionally (e.g., at the same time), a picture of the cashier can be sent to the second client device 101 so the consumer knows who is going to come help them.

[0045] When configured as a kiosk client device 101, the kiosk client device 101 can provide an interactive experience. For example, the kiosk client device 101 may incorporate gamification functionality such as when a consumer is checking out, the consumer remains engaged at the point of check out (e.g., watching things being checked out, playing games, and doing other things that keep the consumer's attention).

[0046] A consumer mobile application can be provided through one or more client devices 101 (e.g., in the manner of a virtual shopping cart). For instance, the client device 101 may include a shopping cart module 176 stored in the memory 152 and executable by the processor 150. The shopping cart module 176 provides functionality to shop for products available through a website associated with the independent retail entity. For example, the shopping cart module 176 can provide functionality to associate items (e.g., products) to an account of the consumer for later purchase. For example, each time a second device (e.g., client device 101) as described above is used, the consumer can add items to a shopping cart, pull up a mobile app, scan a quick response code (QR code) on the back side (e.g., by flipping a card over as shown), scanning it with the second device 101, and loading the virtual items added to the shopping cart (e.g., on the second device 101) to a consumer application on the mobile device.

[0047] The system 100 as described herein can also provide an e-commerce store (e.g., an e-commerce website) so that independent retail entities (e.g., independent businesses) can run separate e-commerce sites (e.g., bike shop sites, collectible game sites), and so forth. In this manner, independent businesses can use a universal resource locator (URL) with the name and/or type of shop appended thereto (e.g., http://www.url.com/bikeshop). In this manner, trending inventory of things that were purchased in a physical store can be shown, and the site can show: "Here is the latest thing purchased." Thus, the server 106 can provide functionality to provide information (through one or more client devices 101) regarding latest purchasing trends (e.g., how many yellow coats were sold in the last month, how many bikes were sold in the last hour, etc.) pertaining to products over a defined time period. In this manner, online consumers can see what was bought recently. Further, if a consumer places an order and buys something online, that order can be routed to a store. Thus, with a first client device 101 , the retailer can receive a notification indicating that a purchase has been finalized for a product. When that order comes in, the retailer can be provided a defined time interval for what can be referred to as "run and ship" (e.g., running to the floor, grabbing the items that were bought online, pulling it to the counter, hitting ship,). When the retailer has indicated that the product is ready to ship through a second client device 101, the second client device is triggered to print out a shipping label (e.g., to a printer). In this manner, the label, knowledge that the consumer was online, and order routing can be provided to the independent business entity retailer, and the shipper can be triggered to come pick it up. For example, the retailer can indicated, through the second client device 101 that a product is ready to be shipped. For instance, the retailer interfaces with the second client device 101, which transmits a request to a shipping company to pick-up the product for shipping. [0048] In one or more implementations, the system 100 allows multiple independent business entities (e.g., independent retailers) to provide inventory to one another based on a purchase by a consumer. For example, a consumer may wish to purchase a product from a first independent retail entity (e.g., within a physical store of the retail entity). The consumer may enter this purchasing request through a first client device 101 associated with the first independent retail entity in the physical store. The client device 101 may determine that the first independent retail entity has no inventory of the desired product and then submits the product request to the server 106. The server 106 is configured to determine whether one or more other independent retail entities retain inventory of the desired product based upon the request received from the client device 101 associated with the first independent retail entity. For instance, the server 106 is configured to store data in the memory 155 representing inventory of one or more products retained at the respective independent retail entities. Upon determining that at least one other independent retail entity has inventory of the desired product, the server 106 transmits data to the first client device 101 indicating that the at least one independent retail entity has inventory of the desired product.

[0049] If the server 106 determines that multiple independent retail entities have inventory of the desired product, the server 106 is configured to provide information to the first independent retail entity of the independent retail entity that is closest in physical proximity to the first independent retail entity. In some instances, the server 106 provides the locations of each independent retail entity with respect to the location of the first independent retail entity. Thus, after browsing a retail location for a product, a consumer can purchase the product from another merchant different than that of the retailer using a client device (e.g., a client device 101). The client device 101 includes a location determining component 178 functionality (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, etc.) for determining the location of the client device 101 at the time of purchase and include the location information with information used to complete the purchase of the product. The location determining component 178 may comprise a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a satellite navigation receiver (e.g., GLONASS), a cellular signal receiver, an RF triangulation processor, an enhanced positioning system, or combinations thereof. Thus, this location information can include a geographic location. In another implementation, the location determining component 178 comprises store identifying information, retail identifying information, or the like (e.g., information to determine the location of the independent retail entity).

[0050] After the transaction is completed (e.g., the consumer purchases the product using a client device 101) within the first independent retail entity, the server 106 can determine whether a portion of the financial transaction for the purchase should be given to the first independent retail entity based upon the purchasing of the product within the first independent retail entity.

[0051] In one or more implementations, the server 106 includes a database 180 for retaining product consumer identification information. For example, the database 180 includes identifying information pertaining to product, inventory pertaining to the product included within the network of retail entities, pricing pertaining to the product, and the like.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 3, the client device 101 may include a product identification module 182 that is storable in the memory 154 and executable by the processor 152. The product identification module 182 comprises functionality to allow a consumer to identify a product desired to be purchased. For example, the product identification module 182 may comprise a scanner for scanning a barcode, such as a universal product code ("UPC"), a two-dimensional barcode, a Quick Response code ("QR code"), a European Article Numbering ("EAN") barcode, or other type of barcode. For example, an in-store advertisement pertaining to the product may have a barcode or other scannable image or graphic printed thereon for the consumer to scan. In other implementations, the product identification module 182 includes a user interface for receiving a textual description, title, or search terms associated with the product. In another implementation, the product identification module 182 includes a radio frequency identification ("RFID") reader for reading RFID tags associated with the product. In yet another implementation, the product identification module 182 comprises a camera for taking a picture of a barcode or in-store signage associated with a product, or for taking a picture of the product itself.

[0053] The client device 101 and/or the server 106 also include a purchasing module 184 that is storable in the memory 154, 155 and executable by the processor 152, 153. The purchasing module 184 represents functionality to facilitate a financial transaction pertaining to the product. For example, the purchasing module 184 provides functionality to cause the processor 152 to communicate with the processor 153 of the server 106 to facilitate the purchase of the product. In implementations, the purchasing module 184 comprises a user interface that can provide purchasing functionality (e.g., displaying products for purchase, accepting payment, confirming the transaction). The user interface can also allow the consumer to browse and research products prior to purchasing.

[0054] After obtaining information identifying a product for purchase, the product identification module 182 communicates the information to the purchasing module 184. The purchasing module 184 can then use the information to determine if the product is sold by the one or more other retail entities through the database 180. The location determining component 178 provides the location information pertaining to the first independent retail entity when the consumer concludes the financial transaction via the client device 101. The purchasing module 184 can communicate the information identifying the product for purchase, the information identifying the location of the client device 101, and other financial transactional information to the server 106 to finalize the purchase of the product.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the server 106 includes a payment processing module 186 storable in the memory 155 and executable by the processor 153. The payment processing module 186 provides functionality to process a financial transaction pertaining to the consumer good. For instance, the consumer can provide payment information via the client device 101, which is transmitted to the server 106. The payment processing module 186 is configured to function as a payment processor to debit the selected account for the amount of the purchase and credit this amount to an account of the retail entity for which the consumer selected to purchase the product.

[0056] The payment processing module 186 also provides functionality to determine whether a portion of the purchase amount is to be credited (e.g., attributable) to the first independent retail entity. For instance, the payment processing module 186 determines whether the product was purchased at a first location in a first retail entity while the product was at a second location from a second retail entity that is distinct from the first retail entity. If the product was in inventory at the second location with a second retail entity, the payment processing module 186 determines that a portion of the purchase price is attributable (e.g., credit a portion of the purchase price) to the first retail entity (e.g., the retail entity where the consumer purchased the product).

[0057] For instance, the payment processing module 186 can determine if a purchase was transacted by a consumer located within the physical location of the first independent retail entity by comparing the information identifying the location of the client device 101 with retailer information stored in the database 180. The retailer information can include information associated with independent retail entities associated with the server 106 to receive portions of the purchase price made by a consumer located within or in the proximity of the retail location as determined by the client device 101. The retailer information may comprise a retail entity's name, retail entity's location, GPS coordinates associated with the retail entity, products offered by the retail entity, network address information pertaining to the retail entity, other retail entity information pertaining to the purchase, and/or retail entity's that are associated with or partnered with the retail entity for the purposes of receiving compensation as described above.

[0058] If the information identifying the location of the client device 101 matches retail information associated with a retail entity, the payment processing module 186 determines whether a portion of the purchase price should be attributed to the retail entity having the product in stock. In one or more implementations, the database 180 may retain information pertaining to the portion of the purchase price to be attributed to one or more retail entities. For example, the portion of the purchase price attributable to a retail entity may be a fixed portion of the purchase price. In another example, the portion of the purchase price attributable to a retail entity may be based upon the type of product purchased (e.g., a first portion is attributable based upon a first product purchased and a second portion is attributable based upon a second product purchased). For instance, a retail entity may provide a larger portion of the purchase price for selling winter clothes in spring as compared to selling summer clothes in spring. In yet another example, the portion of the purchase price attributable to a retail entity may be based upon which retail entity had the product that was purchased (e.g., a first portion is attributable to a first entity and a second portion is attributable to a second entity). For instance, a retail entity that has a larger distance between that retail entity and the client device 101 may provide a larger portion of the purchase price than a retail entity that has a shorter distance between that retail entity and the client device 101.

[0059] The purchasing module 184 is also configured to generate an alert for the retailer when a product request event has been determined by the purchasing module 184. In an implementation, the purchasing module 184 may generate an alert when a number of consumers over a defined time period have requested an item and those requests resulted in a finalized purchase transaction where the retail product was located in a different physical location with a different retail entity. For instance, fifty (50) consumers over a one (1) week time period may have requested a blue widget within at a client device 101 within the physical store of a first independent retail entity. Over ninety percent (90%) of those requests resulted in a finalized purchase transaction where the consumer purchased the product at the client device 101 within the physical store of a first independent retail entity and the product was at a second physical store of a second independent retail entity. In response to determining the product request event has occurred, the purchasing module 184 generates an alert for the retailer.

[0060] Generally referring to FIG. 9, a method 900 for issuing (e.g., attributing) a portion of a purchase price to a first retailer for a purchase of a product from a second retailer where the second retailer is different from the first retailer. In one or more implementations, information pertaining to a product to purchase is received (e.g., an inventory query) from a client device within a physical store of a first independent retail entity (Block 902). For example, a consumer enters information for a product that the consumer desires to purchase at a client device 101 located within a first independent retail entity. The client device 101 provides the information for the product to the server 106. As shown in FIG. 9, a determination is made of whether the product is available at a second independent retail entity (Decision Block 904). The server 106 determines whether the product is available at a second independent retail entity based upon the information received from the client device 101. For instance, utilizing the information received, the server 106 can determine whether the product is available at a second independent retail entity by searching the database 180.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 9, if the product is available (YES from Decision Block 904), an indication that the product is available at a second independent retail entity is provided to the client device (Block 906). If the product is unavailable (NO from Decision Block 904), an indication is provided that the product is available at another retail entity (Block 908). In an implementation, the server 106 provides an indication that the product is unavailable. The server 106 may then determine whether the inventory availability at other retailers. If inventory is available from a second independent retail entity, an indication of availability is provided to client device 101.

[0062] Data to finalize a transaction for the product is received (Block 910). In one or more implementations, the consumer can input financial data to the client device 101 to finalize a transaction to purchase the product. The client device 101 transmits this financial data to the server 106 such that the server 106 can finalize the transaction to purchase the product from the second independent entity. As shown in FIG. 9, a portion of the purchase price of the product is attributed to the first independent retail entity (Block 912). In one or more implementations, once the transaction has been finalized, the server 106 determines that a portion of the purchase price is attributable to the first independent retail entity since a consumer purchased the product at a client device location within or proximate to the first independent retail entity, which is different from the second independent retail entity. In some instances, the first independent retail entity is unrelated to the second independent retail entity.

Example Inventory Management System

[0063] Inventory as a service can be used to refer to consumer interactions with a system as described herein (e.g., whether online, in-store, on a mobile device, and so forth), and as well as retailers and their inventory, and it can show what other products suppliers have. In this manner, if a consumer likes something that is not actually in the store, that order can be routed through the system to a supplier and/or drop shipper who can drop ship the order to the consumer, and when they drop ship the order to the consumer, it allows them to get credit for the order, without actually having that product in stock.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 10, a small independent business can buy inventory by itself. In doing so, it may not receive a good price. The reason it does not get a good price is because it is buying at low quantity and it does not have bid negotiating with vendors since small businesses are competing with large retailers. For example, a challenge in the toy industry is that there are a lot of independent businesses that compete with large retailers. The problem is that they are all doing it by themselves. The system 100 allows a group of independent and small businesses to form together (e.g., form a network of independent retail entities) in one industry on one platform so that, to suppliers, these small and independent businesses function as a national account. When they function as a national account, they can get better purchasing volume, better deals, better rebates, and then money can be made because the supplier to the industry supplier can act as one big national account. The business may input data pertaining to purchasing, ordering, and the like, utilizing one or more client devices 101. Based upon this input, the server 106 aggregates the received data from each business and provides this aggregated data to the respective vendor.

[0065] Referring generally to FIGS. 11 and 12, the system 100 as described herein can provide electronic purchase orders, electronic invoicing, and electronic payments. Systems and techniques of the present disclosure allow users (e.g., independent retail entities and suppliers) within the same system. As described herein, systems and techniques allow independent retailers to get on the same platform and to be able to order, invoice, and pay their suppliers and bring all those suppliers to the platform. As such, the suppliers use the same technology and the same platform and it simplifies the ability to exchange orders, invoice, and receive payments. Thus, the user can manage everyone in one place.

[0066] Referring generally to FIG. 13, with reference to ordering, central ordering, meaning every supplier in the system 100 has a catalog and that catalog provides social intelligence to the supplier and the buyer, showing how many units have been sold over the last year, how many stores have bought that. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the server 106 includes a social intelligence module 188 storable in the memory 155 and executable by the processor 153. The server 106 continually receives information from the network of independent retailers regarding purchasing of products. The social intelligence module 188 represents functionality to provide independent retail entities and/or suppliers of potential trends relating to a product. For instance, the server 106 may receives sales data relating to one or more products from the network of independent retail entities. This sales data may include the price of the product, the location where the product was sold, and one or more product characteristics. The product characteristics may include data and/or information indicating a day/time when the product was purchased, product details (e.g., color characteristics, size characteristics, etc.) a date when the product was purchased, a weather condition/data when the product was purchased, and the like. Additionally, the server 106 can receive historical weather data and/or forecasted weather data.

[0067] In one or more implementations, the social intelligence module 188 can detect (e.g., determine) that an inventory management event has occurred. In one or more instances, as described in greater detail below, the inventory management event can comprise sales data characteristics, weather data (or forecast) characteristics, and/or product (e.g., retail product) characteristics. [0068] The social intelligence module 188 can utilize the sales data, in conjunction with historical sales data (e.g., sales data from previous time periods), to provide information pertaining to suggested inventory relating to a product. In an implementation, the social intelligence module 188 can utilize historical sales data to provide data to a supplier and/or an independent retail entity relating to a suggested inventory for the product. For example, the social intelligence module 188 may compare how many sales of a product occurred within a defined region (e.g., Midwest United States) during the months of January through February. Based upon the historical sales data during this time frame in this region, the social intelligence module 188 may determine that the specific products are at a rate of twenty percent (20%) less as compared to the same product in the same region during different time periods. As such, the social intelligence module 188 can provide data indicating this trend to suppliers and/or independent retail entities such that the suppliers and/or independent retail entities can adjust production/purchasing behaviors.

[0069] In another example, the social intelligence module 188 can transmit an alert to a consumer and/or an independent retail entity based upon one or more product characteristics. For example, the social intelligence module 188 can determine that in a particular region, based upon current sales data pertaining to the product, that products having a particular characteristic (e.g., color characteristic, size characteristic, etc.) are selling more or selling less within a defined time period (e.g., over the last two (2) days, over the last two (2) weeks, etc.). As such, the social intelligence module 188 can automatically transmit an alert in near-real time once purchasing behavior has reached a defined threshold within a defined time period to at least one of a supplier of the products having the consumer characteristic or an independent retail entity that obtains inventory of the products having the consumer characteristic from a supplier. Thus, the supplier and/or the independent retail entity can adjust production/purchasing behaviors. For example, the social intelligence module 188 may determine that yellow shirts are being sold at greater than a selling threshold over the past two (2) days in the Midwest. In response, the social intelligence module 188 can generate and transmit an alert to the supplier(s) of the yellow shirts to begin producing a greater amount of shirts. Additionally, in response, the social intelligence module 188 can generate and transmit an alert to the retail(s) of the yellow shirts to begin ordering a greater amount of shirts.

[0070] In yet another example, the social intelligence module 188 can generate and transmit an alert to the suppliers, manufacturers, and/or retailers based upon upcoming weather pattern characteristics and/or weather forecast characteristics. For instance, the social intelligence module 188 may receive data representing a weather forecast or weather pattern indicating an impending snowstorm in the Midwest. Based upon this data, the social intelligence module 188 may determine past purchasing behavior based upon sales data received from the retailers. Based upon the past purchasing behavior during snowstorms comparable to the forecasted snowstorm, the social intelligence module 188 generates an alert indicating the amount of products purchased during this time period and provides this alert to the supplier(s) and/or retailer(s). The alert may also include current inventory pertaining to the products of interest such that the supplier(s) and/or retailer(s) can adjust production/purchasing behaviors to meet potential consumer demand.

[0071] FIG. 14 illustrates a method 1400 for adjusting an inventory of a product based upon an inventory management event. The inventory management event can comprise at least one of a sales data characteristic, a weather data characteristic, and/or a product characteristic. As shown in FIG. 14, sales data, weather data, and/or product data are received (Block 1402). For example, sales data, weather data, and/or product data are provided to the server 106 as described above. A determination is made whether to modify an inventory of the product based upon determining whether an inventory management event occurred (Block 1404). For instance, the server 106 may utilize one or more of the sales data, weather data, and/or product characteristics to determine that inventory of the product data should be modified. For instance, the server 106 may determine that yellow widgets are selling over a defined threshold in the Northeast region over a defined time period. Based upon this determination, the server 106 determines that the inventory for yellow widgets should be increased. In another instance, the server 106 may determine that weather data is indicating an upcoming weather disturbance in the Northwest region. The server 106 may then cross-reference which products sold over a defined threshold in the Northwest region based upon similar weather disturbances in past time periods. Based upon this cross-reference, the server 106 can determine which product inventory should be based upon the weather disturbance.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 14, data representing the inventory modification is transmitted in response to the inventory management event (Block 1406). In one or more implementations, the server 106 transmits data representing the inventory modification to retail entities within the defined region of interest (e.g., the Northeast region, the Northwest region, etc.) such that the retailers can begin modifying inventory of the product. The server 106 may also transmit data representing the inventory modification to supplier entities within the defined region of interest (e.g., the Northeast region, the Northwest region, etc.) such that the supplier can begin modifying production to meet potential need from retailers.

[0073] Referring generally to FIG. 15, a user can create purchase orders (POs) for a network of supplier(s). For instance, as shown in FIG. 3, the server 106 includes a purchase order module 190 that is storable in the memory 155 and executable by the processor 153. The purchase order module 190 provides functionality to manage purchase orders for multiple suppliers in a user interface 192. For example, the purchasing order module is configured to cause display at a display 160 of the client device 101 allowing a user (e.g., retailer) to manage multiple purchase orders pertaining to the independent retail entity. In an implementation, the server 106 provides software as a service (SaaS) functionality for managing one or more aspects of the independent retail entity. For example, a user can create a purchase order from each supplier that a user wants to work from so the user is able to manage all of those purchase orders in one place. The systems and techniques described herein provide unique functionality in the purchase orders that can be used to set screen shots, such as ordering from multiple locations, which may be difficult in typical systems. A user can select a quantity field with one click, and the user can order from multiple locations and choose which locations the user is ordering from to save time. For example, the user, through the client device 101, can create a purchase order that orders one or more products from one or more suppliers. Systems and techniques of the present disclosure can make it easy to order from multiple locations on one platform and one purchase order.

[0074] Referring generally to FIG. 16, the purchase order module 190 allows a user to track orders once the orders are entered. For example, the purchase order module 190 can present information indicating whether shipments are split so one shipment is going to go out before the other shipment. The purchase order module 190 can also present information indicating whether the products are shipping to multiple locations and stores. At the same time a user can set an alert within the system 100. For instance, the user can enter an alert through the client device 101 that causes the server 106 to generate and issue an alert indicating a product is not shipping, e.g., because it's out of quantity or the material is wrong, etc. Thus, the system 100 allows a user to track shipments in near-real time and manage/view alerts associated with those shipments.

[0075] Referring generally to FIGS. 17 and 18, the system 100 can facilitate cash flow management. For example, an interface 192 can be provided by the server 106 showing upcoming bills to a user over a defined time period (e.g., this week, next week, the week after, and so forth). For example, the user can see this week they owe $12,000 and the user can see different supplier invoices underneath it that the user bought through the system 100 that show the user each of those and how much the user pays. The system 100 can present interfaces 194 (e.g., graphical user interfaces, etc.) allowing a user to select the interface 194 to initiate a single transaction that is dispersed to the party that sent the invoice. For example, a user can select one button to initiate a financial transaction to pay those invoices owed in that week. Systems and techniques described herein can show the user an interface 192 that allows the user in the pay option to split their payment. With interface 192, the user can dictate the amount the user wishes to pay and from what financial accounts associated with the user. For example, the user can indicate through the interface 192 that the user wants to pay $1,000 from one checking account, $50 from another account, etc., using the interfaces 192, 194 In this manner, the user can split payments. The user can also set alerts or view every invoice that is owed. Systems and techniques as described herein can take things in as the user syncs through a software tool that manages payroll, inventory, sales, and so forth, and can show the user how much cash they have on hand when paying bills and if the user has available funds to pay them. Systems and techniques described herein can message the user to say, for instance, "You don't have enough available funds now, why don't you move a payment."

[0076] Referring generally to FIG. 19, the system 100 described herein can offer better terms relating to a credit application. When a user or retail entity typically deals with a supplier, the user and/or retail entity fills out different credit applications for every single supplier for which the retail entity enters into a business relationship with. The system 100 can allow the user and/or retail entity to fill out a single credit application as a buyer. A wellness grade can be used to score the credit application (e.g., as opposed to a credit score). For instance, the purchasing module 184 can provide functionality to apply a wellness grade pertaining to an independent retail entity. In some embodiments, a wellness grade can be similar to a grade a student would receive in school. For example, a wellness grade can be provided in the form of a letter grade (e.g., A, B, C, A+, A-, B+, B-, C+, C-, etc.). However, it should be noted that a grade of "F" is not necessarily provided. Thus, an indication can be provided that a user is not failing, but needs improvement. Thus, the server 106 applies a wellness grade based upon one or more transactional relationships with suppliers (e.g., how often the user/retail entity pays, etc.). For example, the purchasing module 184 may determine a wellness grade based upon one or more payment characteristics of the retailer. For example, a retailer that pays a supplier's invoice within a defined time period may receive a high wellness grade. In another example, a retailer that pays a supplier's invoice outside of the defined time period may receive a low to medium wellness grade. The wellness grade can depend on the industry the user is in and can include the user's terms. For example, if the user has an A+, that user might have net 30 payment terms. If the user has a C, that user might have net 7, or if the user has a C- that user might have to pay right away (e.g., with a credit card). The wellness grade can be scored in a variety of different ways. The server 106 as described herein can access credit scores in near-real time, and besides what the credit score is, systems and techniques as described herein can use things like what a user's social media score is, what a user's social media reviews are, and so forth. Thus, in some implementations, the processing module 184 may determine a wellness grade based upon one or more payment characteristics, one or more social media review characteristics, one or more social media score characteristics, or the like. In some embodiments, a user can use one credit application to order from many and/or all of the suppliers in the system.

[0077] The system 100 can function as a single national account for many independent retailers (e.g., function as a national account for suppliers). For example, the server 106 can receive multiple purchase orders from multiple independent retail entities. The purchase order module 190 provides functionality to organize the purchase orders based upon supplier (e.g., organizes the information obtained from multiple purchase orders for a single supplier) and generates a new purchase order with the obtained information to transmit to the supplier of interest. Thus, the suppliers will receive a single purchase order for multiple independent retail entities. The supplier still ships the products directly to the retailer. The billing information from the suppliers is received at the server 106. After the system 100 receives the billing, the purchase order module 190 organizes and generates billing information for each independent retail entities and transmits the bill to each independent retail entity. Thus, a retail entity can order products from thirty different suppliers this week and can owe the system 100 a certain amount of money pertaining to the ordering of the products. For example, it becomes one bill from all these suppliers that a user is doing business with. At the same time, the retailer can just pay one payment to the system 100 as described above, and the system 100 provides the financial obligations to the suppliers. As described herein, the system 100 can be implemented as an online distributor and such a system can act as on online virtual distributor, terms of the system are with supplier and retailers, retailers are the consumer of the system, and the retailer pays one payment and simplifies the process. This allows suppliers to get their independent retailers on a system and then the system becomes the consumer. With the supplier, instead of having to try to obtain multiple payments every week, the suppliers obtain an electronic payment from a system 100 for the respective independent retail entities as described herein. [0078] Referring generally to FIG. 20, the system 100 provides functionality for aggregated payment transactions. For example, as described above, a user/independent retail entity can view the invoices associated with them and make one payment to pay those invoices. Thus, a supplier may provide the system 100 a discount (e.g., of a minimum of 3%) for aggregating payments received from multiple independent retail entities. In one example, a system 100 as described herein may receive a 5% discount. For example, last week the suppliers sold $1,000 to independent retail entities. Thus, instead of paying the supplier $1,000, the system 100 initiates a financial transaction to pay the supplier $950.

[0079] Referring generally to FIG. 21, the system can allow the retailer to move a payment to another time period. The server 106 includes a payment processing module 196 storable in the memory 155 and executable by the processor 153. The payment processing module 196 may allow an independent retail entity to move their payments to next week or the week after to provide dynamic cash flow management. For instance, the payment processing module 196 can charge a transaction fee and allow the independent retail entity to be able to have cash flow. In implementations, the transaction fee may comprise a percentage of the payment to be moved to another time period and/or based upon the amount of time moved. Thus, in an implementation, the payment processing module 196 can dynamically move a payment that is due from a first time period to a second time period. The payment processing module 196 initiates a transaction fee that comprises a defined percentage based upon the amount of the payment that has been moved and/or the amount of time between the first time period and the second time period.

[0080] Referring generally to FIG. 22, the system 100 can provide dynamic discounting functionality for suppliers. Typically suppliers may offer what can be referred to as "early pay discounts." Two percent (2%) to net 30 is one example. The challenge is that retailers never really pay suppliers early because retailers want to pay later, while suppliers want to get paid earlier. As such, the payment processing module 196 can provide dynamic discounting functionality to encourage earlier payments to the supplier. For example, the payment processing module 196 may offer a discount in net payments terms. In one example, it is net 45 and the supplier is owed in 45 days. At any time in the system 100, a supplier can be paid early. For instance, the payment processing module 196 can implement an early pay discount started at 5% on day 1. At day 1, the supplier can come in, take the money early for an additional discount of 5% for early pay, and at day 10 the suppler can receive payment and receive a discount at 4% early pay discount, at day 20 the supplier receive a 2% discount, and so forth. Thus, the payment processing module 196 provides sliding scale functionality that provides for a discount to the supplier when the supplier receives payment early. At day 45, when the system 100 owes the suppliers money, the suppliers receive payment at 100% of what the system 100 owes. Thus, early pay allows the suppliers to have flexible payment terms. The suppliers can choose when the suppliers want to get paid and the discounts the suppliers want to pay to receive payment early.

[0081] The system 100 can also provide networking for business-to-business payments. In this manner money can be moved and a payment network can be built (e.g., as opposed to a third party). In this manner, terms can be established with retailers (e.g., pay at delivery and/or pay with a credit card). For instance, the system 100 can implement a custom gateway that processes automated clearing house (ACH) financial transactions (e.g., with a bank entity that processes credit cards). Additionally, the system 100 can establish terms with suppliers (e.g., net 45 and net 60).

[0082] Generally, any of the functions described herein can be implemented using hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry such as integrated circuits), software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Thus, the blocks discussed in the above disclosure generally represent hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry such as integrated circuits), software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the instance of a hardware configuration, the various blocks discussed in the above disclosure may be implemented as integrated circuits along with other functionality. Such integrated circuits may include all of the functions of a given block, system, or circuit, or a portion of the functions of the block, system, or circuit. Further, elements of the blocks, systems, or circuits may be implemented across multiple integrated circuits. Such integrated circuits may comprise various integrated circuits, including, but not necessarily limited to: a monolithic integrated circuit, a flip chip integrated circuit, a multichip module integrated circuit, and/or a mixed signal integrated circuit. In the instance of a software implementation, the various blocks discussed in the above disclosure represent executable instructions (e.g., program code) that perform specified tasks when executed on a processor. These executable instructions can be stored in one or more tangible computer readable media. In some such instances, the entire system, block, or circuit may be implemented using its software or firmware equivalent. In other instances, one part of a given system, block, or circuit may be implemented in software or firmware, while other parts are implemented in hardware.

[0083] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A distributed retail transaction system comprising:

a first set of client devices disposed within a physical store of a first retail entity, respective client devices of the first set of client devices communicatively coupled to other client devices of the first set of client devices within the physical store of the first retail entity, the respective client devices of the first set of client devices configured to communicate with one another relating to a retail transaction for a retail product; and a server communicatively coupled to the first set of client devices and configured to communicatively couple to a second set of client devices disposed within a physical store of a second retail entity, the second retail entity different from the first retail entity, wherein the server queries an inventory of the second retail entity for the retail product when the retail product is unavailable in the physical store of the first retail entity, wherein the server attributes a portion of a purchase price for the retail product to the first retail entity when the retail transaction is completed utilizing at least one client device of the first set of client devices.

2. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 1, further comprising the second set of client devices, respective client devices of the second set of client devices communicatively coupled to other client devices of the second set of client devices within the physical store of the second retail entity, the respective client devices of the second set of client devices configured to communicate with one another relating to a second retail transaction for a second retail product.

3. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 1, wherein each client device of the first set of client devices each include a display, wherein a display of a first client device of the first set of client devices displays information relating to the retail transaction that pertains to a consumer and a display of a second client device of the first set of client devices displays information relating to the retail transaction that pertains to an employee of the first retail entity.

4. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 1, wherein the portion of the purchase price comprises at least one of: a fixed percentage of the purchase price or a type of product of purchased.

5. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server generates an alert for the first retail entity when a number of finalized retail transactions above a defined threshold for the retail product has occurred within a defined time period and the retail product was not available within the physical store of the first retail entity, the alert comprising an indication to increase inventory for the retail product.

6. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 1, wherein a client device of the first set of client devices are configured to capture an image of a consumer requesting assistance at an image capture device integrated within the client device, the client device configure to transmit the image of the consumer to another client device of the first set of client devices associated with an employee of the first retail entity.

7. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one client device of the first set of client devices is a kiosk client device, the kiosk client device including a forward facing display arranged for engaging a consumer.

8. A distributed retail transaction system comprising:

a first set of client devices disposed within a physical store of a first retail entity, respective client devices of the first set of client devices communicatively coupled to other client devices of the first set of client devices within the physical store of the first retail entity, the respective client devices of the first set of client devices configured to communicate with one another relating to a retail transaction for a retail product; a second set of client devices disposed within a physical store of a second retail entity, respective client devices of the second set of client devices communicatively coupled to other client devices of the second set of client devices within the physical store of the second retail entity, the respective client devices of the second set of client devices configured to communicate with one another relating to a second retail transaction for a second retail product; and

a server communicatively coupled to the first set of client devices and the second set of client devices, the second retail entity different from the first retail entity,

wherein the server queries an inventory of the second retail entity for the retail product when the retail product is unavailable in the physical store of the first retail entity, wherein the server attributes a portion of a purchase price for the retail product to the first retail entity when the retail transaction is completed utilizing at least one client device of the first set of client devices.

9. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 8, wherein each client device of the first set of client devices each include a display, wherein a display of a first client device of the first set of client devices displays information relating to the retail transaction that pertains to a consumer and a display of a second client device of the first set of client devices displays information relating to the retail transaction that pertains to an employee of the first retail entity.

10. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 8, wherein the portion of the purchase price comprises at least one of: a fixed percentage of the purchase price or a type of product of purchased.

11. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 8, wherein the server generates an alert for the first retail entity when a number of finalized retail transactions above a defined threshold for the retail product has occurred within a defined time period and the retail product was not available within the physical store of the first retail entity, the alert comprising an indication to increase inventory for the retail product.

12. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 8, wherein a client device of the first set of client devices are configured to capture an image of a consumer requesting assistance at an image capture device integrated within the client device, the client device configure to transmit the image of the consumer to another client device of the first set of client devices associated with an employee of the first retail entity.

13. The distributed retail transaction system as recited in claim 8, wherein at least one client device of the first set of client devices is a kiosk client device, the kiosk client device including a forward facing display arranged for engaging a consumer.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, at a server, an availability query for a retail product from a client device of a first set of client devices, the first set of client devices disposed within a physical store of a first retail entity, respective client devices of the first set of client devices communicatively coupled to other client devices of the first set of client devices within the physical store of the first retail entity, the respective client devices of the first set of client devices configured to communicate with one another relating to a retail transaction for the retail product;

determining whether the retail product is available at a second retail entity; and attributing a portion of a purchase price for the retail product to the first retail entity when the retail transaction is completed utilizing at least one client device of the first set of client devices within the physical store of the first retail entity.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein each client device of the first set of client devices each include a display, wherein a display of a first client device of the first set of client devices displays information relating to the retail transaction that pertains to a consumer and a display of a second client device of the first set of client devices displays information relating to the retail transaction that pertains to an employee of the first retail entity.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the portion of the purchase price comprises at least one of: a fixed percentage of the purchase price or a type of product of purchased.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising generating an alert for the first retail entity when a number of finalized retail transactions above a defined threshold for the retail product has occurred within a defined time period and the retail product was not available within the physical store of the first retail entity, the alert comprising an indication to increase inventory for the retail product.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein at least one client device of the first set of client devices is a kiosk client device, the kiosk client device including a forward facing display arranged for engaging a consumer.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising receiving an image of a consumer requesting assistance from a first client device of the first set of client devices; and transmitting the image to a second client device of the first set of client devices, the second client device associated with an employee of the first retail entity.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising receiving an image of the employee from the second client device associated with the employee; and transmitting the image to the first client device.

21. An inventory management system comprising:

a server communicatively coupled to a plurality of client devices, the server configured to detect an occurrence of an inventory management event for a retail product, the inventory management event based upon at least one of a sales data characteristic, a weather data characteristic, or a product characteristic,

wherein, in response to detecting an occurrence of an inventory management event, the server generates an alert indicating a need for inventory modification for the retail product and causes transmission of the alert to at least one client device of the plurality of client devices, the at least one client device associated with at least one of a supplier, a retailer, or a manufacturer.

22. The inventory management system as recited in claim 21, wherein the server detects the inventory management event based upon comparing a sales data characteristic of the retail product with a historical sales data characteristic of the retail product and determining whether the sales data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical sales data characteristic.

23. The inventory management system as recited in claim 21, wherein the server detects the inventory management event based upon comparing a weather data characteristic of the retail product with a historical weather data characteristic of the retail product and determining whether the weather data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical weather data characteristic.

24. The inventory management system as recited in claim 21, wherein the server detects the inventory management event based upon identifying a product characteristic of the retail product and comparing a sales data characteristic of the retail product having the product characteristic with a historical sales data characteristic of the retail product having the product characteristic and determining whether the sales data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical sales data characteristic within a defined time period.

25. The inventory management system as recited in claim 24, wherein the product characteristic comprises at least one of a color characteristic, a size characteristic, a product type, or a taste characteristic.

26. The inventory management system as recited in claim 21, wherein the server is configured to determine a geographical region associated with the inventory management event and only transmits the alert to the client device of the at least one of the supplier, the retailer, or the manufacturer within the geographical region.

27. The inventory management system as recited in claim 21, wherein the alert includes a suggested inventory for the retail product, the suggested inventory based upon a trend based upon a comparison of the sales data characteristic for the retail product with a historical sales data characteristic for the retail product over a defined time period.

28. An inventory management system comprising:

a plurality of client devices, respective client devices of the plurality of client devices associated with a retail entity, a supplier, and a manufacturer; and

a server communicatively coupled to a plurality of client devices, the server configured to receive a sales data characteristic, a weather data characteristic, and a product data characteristic from at least one client device of the plurality of client devices for a retail product offered for sale by the retail entity, the server configured to detect an occurrence of an inventory management event for the retail product, the inventory management event based upon at least one of the sales data characteristic, the weather data characteristic, or the product characteristic,

wherein, in response to detecting an inventory management event, the server generates an alert indicating a need for inventory modification for the retail product and causes transmission of the alert to at least one client device of the plurality of client devices, the at least one client device associated with at least one of a supplier, a retailer, or a manufacturer.

29. The inventory management system as recited in claim 28, wherein the server detects the inventory management event based upon comparing a sales data characteristic of the retail product with a historical sales data characteristic of the retail product and determining whether the sales data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical sales data characteristic.

30. The inventory management system as recited in claim 28, wherein the server detects the inventory management event based upon comparing a weather data characteristic of the retail product with a historical weather data characteristic of the retail product and determining whether the weather data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical weather data characteristic.

31. The inventory management system as recited in claim 28, wherein the server detects the inventory management event based upon identifying a product characteristic of the retail product and comparing a sales data characteristic of the retail product having the product characteristic with a historical sales data characteristic of the retail product having the product characteristic and determining whether the sales data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical sales data characteristic within a defined time period.

32. The inventory management system as recited in claim 31, wherein the product characteristic comprises at least one of a color characteristic, a size characteristic, a product type, or a taste characteristic.

33. The inventory management system as recited in claim 28, wherein the server is configured to determine a geographical region associated with the inventory management event and only transmits the alert to the client device of the at least one of the supplier, the retailer, or the manufacturer within the geographical region.

34. The inventory management system as recited in claim 8, wherein the alert includes a suggested inventory for the retail product, the suggested inventory based upon a trend based upon a comparison of the sales data characteristic for the retail product with a historical sales data characteristic for the retail product over a defined time period.

35. A method for adjusting an inventory of a retail product based upon an inventory management event, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server from one or more client devices communicatively connected to the server, at least one of a sales data characteristic, a weather data characteristic, or a product characteristic for the retail product; determining the inventory management event occurred, the inventory management event based upon at least one of the sales data characteristic, the weather data characteristic, or the product characteristic; and

causing transmission of an alert indicating a need for modifying an inventory of the retail product, wherein the alert is transmitted to at least one client device associated with at least one of a supplier, a retailer, or a manufacturer.

36. The method as recited in claim 35, wherein determining the inventory management event occurred further comprises determining the inventory management event occurred based upon comparing a sales data characteristic of the retail product with a historical sales data characteristic of the retail product and determining whether the sales data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical sales data characteristic.

37. The method as recited in claim 35, wherein determining the inventory management event occurred further comprises determining the inventory management event occurred based upon comparing a weather data characteristic of the retail product with a historical weather data characteristic of the retail product and determining whether the weather data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical weather data characteristic.

38. The method as recited in claim 35, wherein determining the inventory management event occurred further comprises determining the inventory management event occurred based upon identifying a product characteristic of the retail product and comparing a sales data characteristic of the retail product having the product characteristic with a historical sales data characteristic of the retail product having the product characteristic and determining whether the sales data characteristic exceeds a defined threshold based upon the historical sales data characteristic within a defined time period.

39. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein the product characteristic comprises at least one of a color characteristic, a size characteristic, a product type, or a taste characteristic.

40. The method as recited in claim 35, further comprising determining a geographical region associated with the inventory management event; and only transmitting the alert to the client device of the at least one of the supplier, the retailer, or the manufacturer within the geographical region.