Distributed Merchandise Management via Cloud Delta Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing merchandise management systems struggle to adapt to the heterogeneous sales channel environment, where real-time price and availability information cannot be effectively monitored and managed, especially for stationary retailers, leading to data sovereignty issues and lack of interaction between manufacturers, retailers, and customers.
Innovation Solution
A distributed cloud-based merchandise management system that allows selective communication between network nodes, enabling retailers, manufacturers, and customers to interact while maintaining data sovereignty, by storing and updating data in a cloud storage system that is redundant and accessible across multiple servers, allowing delta data transmission for efficient data management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a centralized merchandise management system is used to monitor and map goods flow, then real-time price and availability information can be tracked, but data sovereignty is compromised and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the merchandise management functionality into distributed network nodes (manufacturers, retailers, customers) that each maintain their own data locally. Instead of a centralized system, each node operates semi-independently and communicates through standardized interfaces, segmenting the monolithic system into modular components that reduce overall complexity while maintaining real-time information availability.
Solution Approach 2:
Each network node maintains local data sovereignty by storing and managing its own merchandise data locally rather than in a centralized database. This allows each participant to control access to their own data while still enabling real-time information exchange through selective communication protocols, thus reducing system complexity while preserving information availability.
2Loss of information
If manufacturers implement comprehensive goods flow tracking, then visibility of product distribution is improved, but the system becomes less adaptable to heterogeneous sales channels
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables dynamic adaptation to different sales channels through configurable network nodes that can adjust their behavior based on the specific sales channel context. Each node can dynamically select which data to share and with whom, allowing the system to adapt to heterogeneous channels (online, offline, direct-to-consumer) while maintaining goods flow visibility through selective information exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized communication interfaces and data formats enable the system to handle multiple sales channel types universally. The same underlying architecture supports diverse sales channels through configurable node behaviors, making the system versatile while maintaining comprehensive goods flow tracking across all channels.
3Stability of the object's composition
If complete data synchronization is implemented across all network nodes, then data consistency is improved, but bandwidth usage and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and transmits only the essential changes (delta data) between synchronization cycles rather than complete data sets. Each node identifies and communicates only the specific data elements that have changed since the last synchronization, maintaining data consistency while significantly reducing bandwidth usage and processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of synchronizing all data continuously, the system performs partial synchronization only when changes occur. Nodes transmit data selectively based on change detection, performing the minimum necessary action to maintain consistency rather than excessive continuous synchronization, thus reducing time loss while preserving data stability.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional merchandise management systems are used by stationary retailers, then existing infrastructure is maintained, but real-time price adaptation to online channels is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The standardized communication interface acts as an intermediary layer between traditional retailer systems and the distributed network. This interface enables stationary retailers to maintain their existing infrastructure while simultaneously participating in real-time price adaptation through the network, bridging legacy systems with modern multi-channel requirements without requiring complete system replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention describes a distributed merchandise management system, in which the client, retailer and the manufacturer are linked by a network. This is implemented by a cloud storage (105), the cloud storage (105) comprising a means (105a) for storing data, a means for receiving first data from a first network node (110), the first data being associated with a physical object, a means for receiving request data from a second network node (120), a means for receiving second data from a third network node (130), the second data being associated with the first data and comprising at least one data piece adapted to change the first data depending on the received request data, a means for changing the first data based at least in part on the second data and the request data, and a means for sending a changed portion of the first data from the cloud storage (105) to the first network node (110).