Automated-service retail system and method

Abstract

A combination automated-service and self-service store for implementation at brick-and-mortar retail locations is provided. The store and corresponding method of implementation is an automated-servicemodel in which robots, deployed at the brick-and-mortar location, fill orders for fungible goods placed by customers either online or in-store. The store also includes a shopping section where customers can select / order items and / or personally select non-fungible goods. The store includes a shopping section for non-fungible goods that customers prefer to pick out by hand and a back end automatedorder fulfillment section for other goods (e.g., fungible goods, dry goods, etc.). The two sets of goods are merged to a delivery bundle and delivered together for pickup by the customer. The combination automated-service and self-service store combines the convenience of online shopping and self-service shopping using an unconventional approach that reduces costs for the retailer and simultaneously increases customer satisfaction.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for automated servicing at a retail location suitable for combining brick-and-mortar and online shopping methods and systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to retail locations that provide a combined automated and self-service shopping experience. Background technique [0002] Since its invention by Clarence Saunders in 1916 (U.S. Patent No. 1,242,872), self-service stores have dominated retailing to such an extent that a hundred years later, the generic term "Store" means a self-service store by default. In fact, many people (especially retailers) have difficulty or even imagine different forms of brick-and-mortar retail models or systems. [0003] Since the advent of the Internet in the late 1990s, the advantages of electronic commerce (especially as practiced by online retailers such as Amazon, Inc.) have persuaded consumers to shift a steadily increasing proportion of their shoppi...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, this "multi-channel" model ends up being a complex strategy and difficult to implement successfully

Images