Method and apparatus for the home delivery of local retail e-commerce orders

Abstract

The method and apparatus disclosed herein empowers the general population to deliver e-commerce orders from retail stores to buyers. Embodiments of the invention reduce overall fuel usage, creating value for all members of the value chain: reduction in delivery fees for buyer, higher customer satisfaction and purchasing of goods for retailers, and the ability to earn extra income for patrons that deliver the orders. The method and apparatus comprise a database of patrons to perform home or local delivery of e-commerce orders, a database of e-commerce orders from stores, a database of buyers who place the orders, and computer instructions to match acceptable orders with patrons.

Description

STATEMENT OF PRIORITY[0001]This continuation-in-part application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 120 from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 307,379 for “Method and Apparatus for the Home Delivery of Local Retail E-Commerce Order” (W. Weng) filed on Feb. 3, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a method and apparatus that enables efficient home delivery of local retail e-commerce orders. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus that empowers members of the general population to deliver orders from a retail store to buyers in a more cost-effective way than conventional home-delivery services.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Internet-based retail sales have become a mainstay in the continued growth of electronic commerce, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau (E. Rabinovich, Journal of Business Logistics 26:1, 2005). Electronic commerce via the intern...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0045](v) adding information obtained from substeps (i)-(iv) into a database.The acceptable patron criteria of step (iii) can specify a minimum number of deliveries performed by the patron over a certain time period, or a minimum percentage of positive feedback scores of the patron, for example. The feedback can be collected from stored data on a server of the invention, or can be feedback according to a third-party ratings system, or any other method of obtaining feedback regarding a potential patron. The acceptable patron criteria of step (iii) can also specify that the patron is within a certain number of people connections to the buyer, which helps build a network of trust.

Problems solved by technology

An important challenge faced by most businesses engaging in commerce over the Internet (or by telephone or mail order) relates to the manner in which their products actually get to consumers.

However, as is well-known, the delivery cost to the consumer can be quite high.

High delivery costs can cause would-be buyers to cancel orders or otherwise purchase less from a retailer, which obviously hurts the retailer economically (provided the particular has a profitable business on each marginal order).

From an environmental standpoint, current delivery methods for retail orders can have a high cost.

Fuel is wasted when product delivery routes are longer or less efficient than they need to be.

Low product-delivery efficiencies can be caused, for example, when goods are transported across the country from a warehouse to a consumer, rather than from a local store that stocks the item.

A significant percentage of transportation fuel usage—and associated emissions—is due to inefficiencies during delivery of retail goods.

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