ML Listing Creation for Demand Forecasting and Inventory Gaps

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face challenges in identifying upcoming seasonality trends and demand changes to automatically create listings, leading to delayed market entry and allowing competitors to capture early customers.

Innovation Solution

A machine-learning forecasting model predicts future sales using historical data and current buyer demand, identifying inventory gaps and automatically generating listings with adjustable thresholds for publication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If users perform manual research to identify sale opportunities, then they can identify demand trends, but the process is time-consuming and delays listing creation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedemand forecast accuracyVSAvoidlisting creation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual research and analysis with an automated machine learning system that uses natural language processing and predictive analytics to identify sale opportunities. The system automatically monitors market trends, analyzes product demand, and generates listing recommendations, eliminating the need for users to manually research demand trends while maintaining high accuracy in identifying profitable opportunities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables users to create listings by simply providing product information, while the platform's automated systems handle the time-consuming tasks of market analysis, demand forecasting, and optimal listing timing determination. The machine learning models continuously learn from market data and automatically adjust strategies, allowing the system to serve itself in identifying and executing sale opportunities without requiring user expertise or time investment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If users stock inventory before creating listings, then they ensure product availability, but this delays their ability to capture early market share

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinventory availabilityVSAvoidmarket entry time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying profitable sale opportunities and preparing listing recommendations before users need to create actual listings. The machine learning models analyze market trends and predict demand spikes in advance, allowing users to receive ready-to-publish listing recommendations that can be quickly deployed when market conditions are favorable, thus capturing early market share without requiring advance inventory stocking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts listing strategies based on real-time market conditions and predicted demand. Rather than requiring users to commit to inventory stocking in advance, the system continuously monitors market signals and generates adaptive listing recommendations that can be quickly created and published. This dynamic approach allows users to respond rapidly to market opportunities while maintaining flexibility in inventory management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Loss of information

If users manually monitor competitors, then they can identify market opportunities, but this prevents timely listing creation as competitors capture early customers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompetitor data accuracyVSAvoidlisting creation speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual competitor monitoring with automated web crawling and natural language processing systems that continuously scan competitor listings, pricing, and market activity. These systems automatically extract and analyze competitor data, identifying gaps and opportunities in real-time. The machine learning models process this information to generate actionable listing recommendations, enabling users to quickly create listings that capitalize on competitor weaknesses without requiring manual analysis or delaying listing creation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS12536556B2Smart listing creation based on machine-learning analysis
Publication Date: 2026.01.27 EBAY INC
  • US12536556B2 patent drawing
  • US12536556B2 patent drawing
  • US12536556B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems and methods are directed to automatic listing generation and inventory management based on machine-learning analysis. The system trains a time series-based machine learning (ML) model that forecasts sales. During inference time, the system determines one or more potential categories for a user based on custom preferences and previous analytic queries of the user. High demand items in the one or more potential categories are then applied to the ML model, which outputs probabilities of predicted sales for the high demand items. The system then determines items having a potential inventory gap by cross-checking current inventory with items having a probability outputted by the ML model that satisfies a probability threshold. For each item that satisfies the probability threshold, competitor sales data, predicted sales data derived from the ML model, and editable fields displaying automatic listing thresholds that trigger the automatic generation of a corresponding listing are presented in a user interface.