Method and system for co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle

Abstract

There is provided a computer-implemented method and systems of co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, such as an ice cream truck. Within a computer application, geo-fenced areas 12a-d representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle can be designated. It is then determined, whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle 14 is within one of the geo-fenced areas, and, if the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is determined to be within the said one of the of geo-fenced areas, a first customer-notification condition, such as the availability of goods or services, associated with the said one of the of geo-fenced areas is activated. For at least one further one of the geo-fenced areas, a second customer-notification condition, such as future availability of goods or services, associated with the said at least further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas is activated.

Description

The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method of co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, particularly for ice cream trucks and similar cateringtype vehicles. The invention further relates to a system for co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, and also to a system suitable for implementing the aforementioned method. Ice cream trucks and similar catering type vehicle operate with an unusual business model, in that they move from pitch to pitch to sell goods to the public. When demand at a location has ended, the ice cream truck will move to a new location in order to seek additional demand. The ice cream truck is therefore periodic moving location. It is also peculiar in that there is only a single vendor involved, and they need to manage demand themselves without any overarching fleet control which may be available to a larger organisation. For ice cream vendors, the challenge is therefore in how to predict demand without missing opportunities in a location by the constant re-location of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to reduce or substantially obviate the aforementioned problems. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method of co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: a] within a computer application, designating a plurality of geo-fenced areas representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle; b] determining whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, and, if the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is determined to be within the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, activating a first customernotification condition associated with the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas; and c] for at least one further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, activating a second customer-notification condition associated with the said at least further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas. Within the present application, a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is intended to refer to a vehicle which carries goods or services for sale, and which carries sufficient supplies to cater for at-site purchases. This is distinct from a mobile delivery vehicle, such as a truck or courier, where the vehicle merely delivers goods from a warehouse or other supply centre according to a pre-determined order placed by a user. The ability for a vendor to designate multiple geo-fenced areas in which different notification conditions can be set, allows for real-time demand management to be performed, and may in turn allow for improved co-ordination of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle based on anticipated sales during a day. In particular, this allows vendors to activate geo-fencing manually or based on strategic input which could be provided as feedback from the system. Preferably, the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle may be a mobile catering vehicle, and in particular, an ice cream truck. The nature of mobile catering, where food is prepared, sold, and / or served from a catering van, makes the present invention highly suitable. This is particularly the case for ice cream trucks, since the goods have a limited usable life as frozen or cold items. Optionally, the first customer-notification condition may be indicative of a current availability of goods or services from the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. One possible notification condition is where the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is present in a location, in which case the customer notification desired is an advertisement of said current location and availability of goods and / or services from the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. Preferably, the second customer-notification condition may be indicative of a future availability of goods or services from the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. For locations where the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is not currently present, but where the vendor intends to be in the near future, a preferred notification condition is one in which the customers are appraised of the future location or locations of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle and expected timings thereof. During step b], the first customer-notification condition may comprise sending a notification to a sub-set of registered customers according to a pre-determined criterion. Notifications could be sent based on location of the customer for instance, or based on pre-determined filters set by the customers and / or vendor. This provides a more tailored approach to customer notification. Optionally, during step b], the first customer-notification condition may comprise sending a notification to customers currently within the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas and / or to customers currently within a pre-determined distance of the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas. During step b], the first customer-notification condition may only be activated when the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is determined to be stationary. Advertising of the location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle may only be desirable once pitched, that is, once the location from which sales will occur is settled. This may be automatically determined by the processor, for instance, or could be manually input by the vendor once stationary. Preferably, during step c], the second customer-notification condition may comprise sending a notification to a sub-set of registered customers according to a pre-determined criterion. During step c], the second customer-notification condition may comprise sending a notification to customers currently within the at least said further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas and / or to customers currently within a pre-determined distance of the at least said further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas. Preferably, the first and / or second customer notification conditions may be automatically triggered based on a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. The first and / or second customer notification conditions may be manually triggered by a user. The triggering of notifications could be triggered based on geographic location, for example, which may simplify the vendor experience. Alternatively, for greater control of their own experience, the vendor may prefer to input manual triggers themselves. The computer-implemented method may further comprise a step d] of, for at least one further said one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, activating a third customer-notification condition associated with the said at least further one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas. During step d], the third customer-notification condition may comprise sending a notification to a sub-set of registered customers according to a pre-determined criterion. Optionally, during step d], the third customer-notification condition comprises sending a notification to customers currently within the at least said further one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas and / or to customers currently within a predetermined distance of the at least said further one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas. The third customer notification condition may be automatically triggered based on a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. Additional notification conditions may be desirable, in that it allows the vendor to identify a sequence of locations to visit, with automatic triggering based on the route chosen, which may be an optimised route identified within the present system. Optionally, the third customer notification condition may be manually triggered by a user. The first and / or second notification conditions may include ordering or pre-ordering availability or eligibility conditions for goods and / or services of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. It is desirable that notifications can prompt customers to express interest in the goods and / or services in advance of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle arriving, as this may allow for route optimisation of the vehicle based on demand. This enables strategic planning of the route based on certain parameters, particularly by activation or deactivation of geo-fenced locations for order availability based on the current location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle and / or additional strategic decisions. Optionally, the processor may identify a next one of the geo-fenced location to direct the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, based on orders and / or pre-orders associated with the said at least further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas. Demand-based route optimisation which is triggered based on notifications sent and expressions of interest received provides the vendor with a much greater freedom to identify custom which is particularly advantageous for ice cream trucks and other mobile catering vehicles, where this has been based on guesswork thus far. Preferably, the first and / or second notification conditions may include bespoke incentivisation conditions for goods and / or services of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. The ability to incentivise customers may help to drive sales and demand, thereby increasing customer engagement with the present system. The first and / or second notification conditions may be configured to generate push notifications to customers. Push notifications are a means of prompting customers effectively, and given that the window of opportunity for sales for mobile sales-and-delivery vehicles is quite small, this is the optimum way of achieving customer engagement. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for coordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the system comprising: a tracking device associated with a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle identify a location thereof; a processor configured to designate a plurality of geo-fenced areas representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the processor being in communication with the tracking device to determine whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas; a notification generator associated with the processor and which is configured to generate customer notifications in accordance with a first customer-notification condition and a second customernotification condition; and a wireless transmitter associated with the notification generator configured to output the customer notifications to customer devices in accordance with the first customer-notification condition and the second customernotification condition. A system for monitoring the location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle and causing notifications to be sent out about its whereabouts and availability of goods and / or services allows for much greater vendor control over the demand for their goods and / or services. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for implementing a method in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the system comprising: a customer interface having a notification generator which is configured to generate customer notifications on a customer device; a vendor interface configured to designate a plurality of geo-fenced areas representative of an operative region for a mobile salesand-delivery vehicle on a vendor device, the vendor interface being further configured to generate set at least first and second customer-notification conditions associated with a one of the said plurality of geo-fenced areas and a further at least one of the said plurality of geo-fenced areas respectively; and a processor configured to receive a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle and determine whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, wherein the processor is configured to trigger the notification generator to output customer notifications to customer devices in accordance with the first customer-notification condition and the second customer-notification condition based on a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. The system outlined herein provides a means of engagement between vendors and customers which allows the vendor to most effectively communicate their availability whilst also optimizing their potential revenue according to demand. Customers have the advantage of being catered to directly, and being able to influence the vendor by expression of demand. Optionally, the processor may be a central processor. The provision of a central processor, for example, as a centralized or decentralized server, allows for a single processor to control many different vendor interfaces all at the same time, as well as providing a means of displaying many different vendor options to customers using the relevant computer application. A plurality of vendor interfaces may be provided for a plurality of vendors using the system, the customer interface being configured to generate customer notifications associated with each of the plurality of vendors. For the customer, the provision of multiple vendors within a single computer application allows them to identify options for obtaining time-limited goods and / or services that may have otherwise been missed due to bad luck. For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a pictorial representation of a user interface of computer application capable of implementing a computer-implemented method in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, in a first condition with a plurality of generic geofenced areas demarcated in a first geographical location; Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic representation of a computer-implemented method in accordance with the first aspect of the invention; Figure 3 shows a pictorial representation of the user interface of Figure 1, in a first condition with a plurality of custom geo-fenced areas demarcated in the first geographical location; and Figure 4 shows a pictorial representation of the user interface of Figure 1, in a second condition with a plurality of custom geo-fenced areas demarcated in a second geographical location. Referring firstly to Figure 1 there is shown a user interface 10 of a computer application which is indicative of a geographical location; in this instance, a coastal city region having roads and motorways indicated on a map. Within the user interface 10, there are visibly indicated a plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, having generic shapes. The shapes of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d are set having a determined radius from a central point, and therefore are circular. The location of a user, which may be based on a location of a user device such as a smartphone having an onboard geo-locator, or a tracking device associated with a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, is marked on the user interface 10 with an icon 14. As can be seen, the user is currently located within a first said geo-fenced area 12a. The use of the computer application will now be described in relation to the vendor experience. The vendor uses the user interface 10, here referred to as a vendor interface, to designate the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d representative of an operative region for their mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle on their vendor device. This could be via manual input, for instance, the vendor clicks on a plurality of locations and identifies an operative radius therefrom. For ice cream trucks, a 2 mile radius might be appropriate. Alternatively, the computer application may identify high-demand areas where the vendor should pitch, based on one or more incoming data streams relating to customer demand; for instance, identification of pre-orders. Once the vendor has set the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, then the computer application can begin to notify customers of the availability of goods and / or services from the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. The computer application is in communication with a processor. This could be an onboard processor of the vendor device, or more likely, a server, centralized or decentralized, which is communicable with all vendor devices for vendors utilising the present system via a service provider. Within the vendor interface, the vendor is able to set notification conditions associated with the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, which may be triggerable based on the current location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle and as indicated by the icon 14 in the user interface 10. This represents notifications which trigger to notify potential customers either within the operative area defined by the plurality of geofenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, or customers who have notification alerts set up which coincide or overlap with one or more of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. If the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is determined to be within the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, then a first customer-notification condition associated with the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a is activated. It may preferably only be activated once the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is deemed stationary, that is, having pitched. Typically, this will take the form of a push notification to customers having notification settings appropriate for the geo-fenced area 12a and will likely advertise the presence of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. However, there are lots of different potential notification conditions which could be applied within the geo-fenced area 12a within which the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. For instance, the notification condition could be indicative of an imminent departure of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. The notification condition could be indicative of incentivisation offers and / or conditions or stock counts of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. There are many plausible notification options for a vendor which could be identified. However, for at least one further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12b, 12c, 12d, the processor is able to active a second customer-notification condition associated with the said at least further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12b, 12c, 12d. This is to enable manipulation of demand for the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, with a view to increasing sales, incentivising customers to order or pre-order goods, and / or to identify a most-suitable next geo-fenced area 12b, 12c, 12d to attend. Examples of possible notification conditions for the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12b, 12c, 12d which the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is not located in include, but are not limited to: notification of imminent arrival of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle; notification of incentives offered to customers to attract the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle to said geo-fenced area 12b, 12c, 12d; notification of conditions required to achieve attendance of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle to said geo-fenced area 12b, 12c, 12d, such as minimum order or pre-order requirements; and / or push notifications to encourage customers to announce their demand for goods. Additionally, the vendor may have the option to selectively activate or deactivate the notification conditions for the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, so that ordering capability can be turned off for areas already completed or not intended to be visited by the vendor that day. It will be appreciated that it is possible to distinguish between the further of the geofenced areas 12b, 12c, 12d and set alternative, or third, customer-notification conditions in each location. Furthermore, it may be possible to selectively send notifications only to certain sub-sets of potential customers, for instance, based on previous order history, geographic proximity, or ones who have pre-expressed an interest in the goods and / or services to be offered. Pre-orders or expressions of interest from potential customers may also be recorded by the processor, and this may result in advanced route sequencing for the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. For instance, if there are different options within the further geo fenced areas 12b, 12c, 12d as to which should be a next location visited, the processor may provide feedback to the vendor and identify a most lucrative or efficient next location to visit. This allows for demand-based route optimisation not achievable within the art. The triggering of notifications could be provided so as to be automatically triggered by the processor, based on the geographical location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. Alternatively, there could be partial automation, where the user inputs trigger conditions which are then automatically triggered, or the sending of notifications could be fully manual and triggered by the user according to predetermined rule sets for each of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. The present system therefore allows vendors to activate geo-fencing manually, based on strategic planning, and / or automatically according to one or more inputs to the processor. Vendors can set parameters for acceptance of orders based on the intended route to be followed between the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. Order eligibility can also be dynamically altered or adjusted based on one or more conditions set for the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. For example, customers in a geo-fenced area 12b could be prohibited from placing orders at certain times, but this could be triggered manually or otherwise by the vendor based on their current or intended location, and / or additional strategic decisions, such as difficulty or distance when following a route to the geo-fenced area 12b. Additionally, the vendor may have the ability to alter minimum order requirements for different geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d in real-time. This allows vendors to manage customer demand and optimize their operations both in a proactive and a reactive manner. The geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d themselves could be manipulated in real-time, either by altering the customer notification conditions, or by alteration of the size or location of the geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d in order to ensure optimal efficiency and customer reach. To summarize, and as indicated in Figure 2, there is a computer-implemented method of co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, referenced at M100, the method comprising the steps of: a] within a computer application, designating, at step S101, a plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle; b] determining, at step S102, whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, and, if the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is determined to be within the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, activating a first customer-notification condition associated with the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a; and c] for at least one further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12b, 12c, 12d, activating, at step S103, a second customer-notification condition associated with the said at least further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12b, 12c, 12d. By using this setting of notification conditions, the vendor has several options for features which could be provided within the vendor interface. A ‘pitch up’ feature enables vendors to designate a specific location within the geofenced area 12a in which they are currently situated. Customers within the geo-fenced area 12a or who have notification set to be received from the geo-fenced area 12a can receive notifications about the vendor’s specific location, allowing them to identify where the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is located. This may be achievable via a dedicated customer interface implemented through the computer-implemented method. Furthermore, customers can then place orders directly within the customer interface, to streamline payment and allow the vendor to prepare the goods more efficiently. This could be prepared on a timeslot basis, which may be more critical for ice cream than for non-frozen goods. Notifications can be issued when the order is ready for collection, and the customer can arrive to collect at the allotted time. A ’repeat order’ feature may be provided for customers within their customer interface. When a vendor enters one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, customers available for notifications for the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d receive a notification. This notification may be primed with a ‘repeat last order’ option so that customers can re-order a previous order for simplicity. This may allow for simple gesture control, for instance, swipe-based ordering, within the customer interface. This may be performable via the notification, without necessarily having to open the computer application. A ’floating booking’ feature may be provided, which allows customers to pre-order from vendors, without the vendor necessarily fulfilling the order. This may specifically cater for scenarios where customers require advance booking for events such as small gatherings or barbecues. Since this is a non-binding order type, this provides vendors with flexibility to accommodate larger bookings or events on a given day, where booking would otherwise have been required. This may yield cost savings to the customer, since there is no risk over over-pre-payment, but the customer will be aware of the risk of non-fulfilment. The customer interface may also provide the option to pay a fixed price to book the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle in a more traditional manner. A ‘last orders reminder’ feature may also be provided. This could be provided as a button on the customer interface which is associated with a particular geo-fenced area 12a, most likely the currently occupied area. This enables vendors to notify customers before leaving the geo-fenced area 12a so that customers have the ability to place final orders before departure of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. This allows for pro-active informing of customers of departure, incentivising them to make last-minute purchases before the vendor moves on. Similarly, the system may be able to store and recall a preferred ordering address associated with a customer. The storing of the address may be a designated anchor point from which geographic notifications are triggered, rather than necessarily a ‘live’ location of the customer. When the vendor with an area becomes online and local, then the customers whose active address falls within this area will receive notifications to let them know the vendor is in their area, with a minimum order amount specified by the vendor for that area. Customers may be provided with the option to search for specific vendors within their customer interface, or may be able to search by area to identify which vendor or vendors are available. Multiple addresses could be stored, and notifications issued based on each applicable address. Figure 3 shows the vendor user interface 110 of Figure 1, showing the same city map. However, instead of the radius-based geo-fenced areas previously illustrated, there is instead a plurality of customised geo-fenced areas 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d which have been set by the vendor directly, with the icon 114 notifying the location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle once again. This may be more appropriate for areas with specific population densities, for instance, or where travel across different regions may be difficult. Particularly where customised geo-fenced areas are available, it may be preferred that the system prevent vendors from designating overlapping geographic co-ordinates, so that two vendors are not active in the same locations. This could be at the same time, or at any time. Figure 4 shows an alternative vendor user interface 210, showing a street-level map, again, with a plurality of customised geo-fenced areas 212a, 212b, 212c which are indicative of specific streets, rather than wider geographical areas. This is most appropriate for an ice cream truck, again, indicated at icon 214. Whilst the invention is mostly designed to cover a mobile catering vehicle, such as an ice cream truck, it will be appreciated that mobile service providers also exist; for instance, mobile automotive repair facilities exist. The present invention could be used for such vendors just as easily. Overall, there is a system for co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the system comprising: a tracking device associated with a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle identify a location thereof; a processor configured to designate a plurality of geofenced areas representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the processor being in communication with the tracking device to determine whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas; a notification generator associated with the processor and which is configured to generate customer notifications in accordance with a first customer-notification condition and a second customer-notification condition; and a wireless transmitter associated with the notification generator configured to output the customer notifications to customer devices in accordance with the first customer-notification condition and the second customer-notification condition. A tracking device provides a means of locating the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle for display in a vendor and / or customer interface. The processor may be part of a smartphone for instance or could be part of a decentralised or centralised server system. There must then also be a means for transmitting notification signals according to the customer-notification conditions, and a wireless transmitter is capable of performing this. This represents the hardware required at the vendor end. Additionally, there is provided system for implementing the computer-implemented method above, the system comprising: a customer interface having a notification generator which is configured to generate customer notifications on a customer device; a vendor interface configured to designate a plurality of geo-fenced areas representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle on a vendor device, the vendor interface being further configured to generate set at least first and second customer-notification conditions associated with a one of the said plurality of geo-fenced areas and a further at least one of the said plurality of geo-fenced areas respectively; and a processor configured to receive a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle and determine whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, wherein the processor is configured to trigger the notification generator to output customer notifications to customer devices in accordance with the first customer-notification condition and the second customer-notification condition based on a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. This system represents the software requirements to implement the computer-implemented method. A plurality of vendor interfaces may be provided for a plurality of vendors using the system, the customer interface being configured to generate customer notifications associated with each of the plurality of vendors. This allows for a single central app to be produced via which different vendors can make use of the method outlined in the present invention. The present invention therefore provides a means of managing a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle in which customizable notification regions can be set, by the use of geofencing, to pro-actively manage the demand for the goods and / or services provided by the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle. This is particularly applicable for an ice cream truck, which has a business model appropriate for this approach. The words ‘comprises / comprising’ and the words ‘having / including’ when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. The embodiments described above are provided by way of example only, and various changes and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:a] within a computer application, designating a plurality of geo-fenced areas representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle;b] determining whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, and, if the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is determined to be within the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, activating a first customer-notification condition associated with the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas; andc] for at least one further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, activating a second customer-notification condition associated with the said at least further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas.

2. A computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is a mobile catering vehicle.

3. A computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mobile catering vehicle is an ice cream truck.

4. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first customer-notification condition is indicative of a current availability of goods or services from the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle.

5. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second customer-notification condition is indicative of a future availability of goods or services from the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle.

6. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein during step b], the first customer-notification condition comprises sending a notification to a sub-set of registered customers according to a predetermined criterion.

7. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein during step b], the first customer-notification condition comprises sending a notification to customers currently within the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas and / or to customers currently within a pre-determined distance of the said one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas.

8. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein, during step b], the first customer-notification condition is only activated when the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is determined to be stationary.

9. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein during step c], the second customer-notification condition comprises sending a notification to a sub-set of registered customers according to a predetermined criterion.

10. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein during step c], the second customer-notification condition comprises sending a notification to customers currently within the at least said further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas and / or to customers currently within a predetermined distance of the at least said further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas.

11. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or second customer notification conditions are automatically triggered based on a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle.

12. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first and / or second customer notification conditions are manually triggered by a user.

13. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a step d] of, for at least one further said one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, activating a third customer-notification condition associated with the said at least further one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas.

14. A computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 13, wherein during stepd], the third customer-notification condition comprises sending a notification to a sub-set of registered customers according to a pre-determined criterion.

15. A computer-implemented method as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, wherein during step d], the third customer-notification condition comprises sending a notification to customers currently within the at least said further one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas and / or to customers currently within a pre-determined distance of the at least said further one or additional one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas.

16. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the claims 13 to 15, wherein the third customer notification condition is automatically triggered based on a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle.

17. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the third customer notification condition is manually triggered by a user.

18. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or second notification conditions include ordering or preordering availability or eligibility conditions for goods and / or services of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle.

19. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor identifies a next one of the geo-fenced locations to direct the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, based on orders and / or pre-orders associated with the said at least further one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas.

20. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or second notification conditions include bespoke incentivisation conditions for goods and / or services of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle.

21. A computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or second notification conditions are configured to generate push notifications to customers.

22. A system for co-ordinating a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the system comprising:a tracking device associated with a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle identify a location thereof;a processor configured to designate a plurality of geo-fenced areas representative of an operative region fora mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle, the processor being in communication with the tracking device to determine whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas;a notification generator associated with the processor and which is configured to generate customer notifications in accordance with a first customer-notification condition and a second customer-notification condition; anda wireless transmitter associated with the notification generator configured to output the customer notifications to customer devices in accordance with the first customer-notification condition and the second customer-notification condition.

23. A system for implementing a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 21, the system comprising:a customer interface having a notification generator which is configured to generate customer notifications on a customer device;a vendor interface configured to designate a plurality of geo-fenced areas representative of an operative region for a mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle on a vendor device, the vendor interface being further configured to generate set at least first and second customer-notification conditions associated with a one of the said plurality of geo-fenced areas and a further at least one of the said plurality of geo-fenced areas respectively; anda processor configured to receive a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle and determine whether the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle is within one of the plurality of geo-fenced areas, wherein the processor isconfigured to trigger the notification generator to output customer notifications to customer devices in accordance with the first customer-notification condition and the second customer-notification condition based on a location of the mobile sales-and-delivery vehicle.5 24. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor is a central processor.

25. A system as claimed in claim 23 or claim 24, wherein a plurality of vendor interfaces is provided for a plurality of vendors using the system, the customer interface being configured to generate customer notifications associated with each of the plurality of vendors.21

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