Forecast Spend Module for Real-Time Shopping Cart Expenditure Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current shopping experiences lack effective tools for customers to forecast expenditures in real-time while shopping, failing to provide comprehensive budget management and comparison options within physical store environments.

Innovation Solution

A mobile device application that integrates a forecast spend module, budget module, and augmented reality features to present a shopping cart interface, allowing users to track item costs, apply filters for price comparisons, and receive alerts on discounts and sales, while communicating with local and remote store databases for comprehensive shopping assistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If real-time expenditure forecasting and budget management features are integrated into mobile shopping applications, then customer shopping experience and informed decision-making are improved, but device complexity and computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveshopping experienceVSAvoidapplication complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The application divides expenditure forecasting into separate functional modules: item detection module for identifying products, forecast spend module for calculating costs, budget module for tracking limits, and filter module for comparing options. Each module operates independently but integrates through standardized interfaces, reducing overall system complexity while enabling comprehensive budget management functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-calculates forecast spend values and budget status before checkout occurs. By continuously monitoring the shopping cart and updating expenditure forecasts in real-time as items are added or removed, the application performs budget management actions in advance, allowing customers to make informed decisions before finalizing purchases

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If multiple forecast filters and comparison options are provided for price analysis, then purchasing decision quality is improved, but information processing time and computational load increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprice comparison accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The forecast spend application updates expenditure forecasts and price comparisons at periodic intervals based on shopping cart changes rather than continuously calculating all possible filter combinations. When items are added or removed, the system triggers targeted recalculations only for affected product categories and filter sets, reducing computational overhead while maintaining accurate real-time pricing information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts forecast spend calculations based on selected filter parameters such as store location, product category, and discount applicability. By changing calculation parameters rather than reprocessing all data, the application efficiently provides accurate price comparisons across multiple scenarios without excessive computational load

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If comprehensive item tracking and budget monitoring are implemented throughout the shopping process, then expenditure control is improved, but data processing requirements and system resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebudget management accuracyVSAvoiddevice energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The forecast spend module automatically detects items in the shopping cart using the device's camera and barcode scanning capabilities, eliminating the need for manual item entry. The system self-updates expenditure forecasts and budget status based on detected items, reducing the energy-intensive manual input process while maintaining accurate tracking throughout the shopping experience

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11222380B2Method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for forecasting expenditures to improve customer shopping experience in a store environment

Publication Date: 2022.01.11 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to forecasting expenditures to improve customer shopping experience in a store environment. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a device associated with a customer can present a shopping cart user interface and initiate a forecast spend module of a forecast spend application. The device can monitor an item detection module of the forecast spend application for a new item added to a physical shopping cart associated with the shopping cart user interface or otherwise marked for purchase. In response to the new item being added to the shopping cart or otherwise marked for purchase, the device can update, via the forecast spend module, a forecast spend field in the shopping cart user interface with a forecast spend value based upon a cost of the new item.