Location-Based Wish List Notification for Retail Product Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shoppers face difficulties in locating products that are not readily available online or at desired price points, often requiring excessive time and effort to find them at physical locations, especially when limited to their geographic region.
Innovation Solution
A social network-based wish list system that allows members to list desired products with a maximum price, which automatically notifies users when they are near a retail location offering the product at or below the specified price, enabling purchase or notification options through mobile alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If shoppers manually search for products at physical locations, then they can find regionally offered or custom products, but they spend excessive time and effort in the process
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring product availability at retail locations and proactively notifying shoppers before they need to search. The wish list is pre-configured with product specifications and prices, enabling the system to automatically detect when desired products are available at local stores, eliminating the need for manual searching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where product availability data from retail locations is continuously fed back to the notification system. When a product on the wish list becomes available at a location within the shopper's geographic region, the system provides immediate feedback through automated notifications, allowing shoppers to respond promptly without investing significant time in manual searches.
2Ease of operation
If shoppers are limited to their geographic region for product searches, then they can find products at physical locations, but they cannot access products available in other regions
Solution Approach 1:
The system serves multiple functions: it monitors product availability across different geographic regions, filters results based on the shopper's location preferences, and provides notifications for both local and remote product availability. This multi-functionality allows shoppers to maintain geographic constraints when desired while also having access to information about products available in other regions, effectively bridging the gap between local convenience and broader accessibility.
3Productivity
If shoppers search for products at physical locations without automated assistance, then they can purchase products, but they cannot efficiently find products at desired price points
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary price comparison by continuously monitoring product prices at various retail locations and comparing them against the shopper's desired price points. Before the shopper needs to make a purchasing decision, the system has already identified which locations offer products at acceptable prices and notifies the shopper accordingly, eliminating the need for manual price checking at multiple stores.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes feedback mechanisms that provide real-time price information to shoppers. When a product becomes available at a location with a price meeting the shopper's criteria, the system immediately notifies the shopper with relevant price details, enabling informed purchasing decisions without requiring the shopper to manually gather and compare price information from multiple sources.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer program products provide for generating a social network-based wish list of products desired by members of the social network and which are authorized to be purchased by other members of the social network on behalf of the member requesting the product. The present invention provides for automatically notifying a member of the social network that they are currently located at physical location, such as a retail store or the like, that currently has available one or more of the products on the wish list. The notifications may take the form of alerts communicated on the member's mobile communication device. Automatic notification occurs via a mobile communication device that is capable of identifying current location, determining that the current location has products available, and determine that one or more of the products currently available at the location are currently listed on the wish list.