Online Product Ordering System for In-Transit Purchasing
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Solution Overview
Problem
U.S. buyers face difficulties in purchasing foreign-manufactured products due to language barriers and complex import/export issues, resulting in higher prices and longer lead times, as they need to navigate a long and complex supply chain.
Innovation Solution
An online product ordering system that allows buyers to purchase products while they are in transit, offering real-time pricing based on quantity, purchase terms, payment type, remaining product quantity, and transit time, reducing the number of entities in the supply chain and simplifying the purchasing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If buyers navigate a long and complex supply chain to purchase foreign-manufactured products, then they can acquire products from foreign countries, but they experience higher prices and longer lead times
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows buyers to place orders for products before the products are physically shipped from foreign manufacturers. The ordering interface enables customers to select products, quantities, and shipping destinations in advance, creating binding orders that are transmitted to manufacturers before actual production or shipment occurs. This preliminary ordering action eliminates waiting time and allows immediate confirmation of availability and pricing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If buyers navigate a long and complex supply chain to purchase foreign-manufactured products, then they can acquire products from foreign countries, but they experience higher prices
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and eliminates intermediate supply chain entities (importers, exporters, distributors, brokers) from the traditional foreign product purchase process. By creating a direct digital marketplace connection between foreign manufacturers and U.S. buyers, the system removes the markup layers that intermediate entities add to product prices, allowing buyers to pay manufacturer-direct prices while still accessing foreign-manufactured goods.
3Adaptability or versatility
If buyers interact with various foreign entities in the supply chain, then they can purchase foreign-manufactured products, but language barriers make it difficult to effectively communicate and negotiate purchase terms
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a digital platform intermediary that facilitates all communication and transaction interactions between foreign manufacturers and U.S. buyers. The interface provides standardized product listings, automated quotation generation, and structured order placement forms that eliminate the need for direct language-based negotiation. All purchase terms are established through the platform's standardized processes rather than through direct communication between parties with language barriers.
4Adaptability or versatility
If buyers interact with various foreign entities in the supply chain, then they can purchase foreign-manufactured products, but complicated import/export/tariff issues make it impossible for inexperienced buyers to anticipate favorable or unfavorable commercial terms
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables inexperienced buyers to automatically receive and compare standardized commercial terms (including pricing, shipping costs, and estimated tariffs) directly from multiple foreign manufacturers through the platform. The interface presents all commercial terms in a unified, comparable format without requiring buyers to have expertise in import/export regulations or tariff calculations. The platform handles the complexity of presenting and comparing terms from different foreign entities with standardized documentation.
Data Source
AI summary
A product ordering system and method provides an online portal for a buyer to select a product for purchase, whereby the product being purchased is already en route and shipped to a destination by a seller. The online portal allows the buyer to select a quantity, purchase terms, payment type. Based on this information from the buyer, as well as in some cases, the remaining quantity of product and/or the remaining days the products have before their shipment is completed, a per unit price is computed.