Restocking Display with Fill Group Batch Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In retail stores with numerous product types, manual inventory restocking is inefficient due to the inability to visually identify which products need restocking across large areas without extensive walking, leading to delayed restocking and potential empty shelves, and existing systems require multiple applications and inefficient rule-based restocking methods.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that displays fill groups and product locations on a user interface with colored pins indicating restocking needs, allowing for batch restocking requests and updates, reducing the need for multiple applications and improving inventory management by providing real-time stock status across the store.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a person walks through every aisle of the retail store to identify products needing restocking, then they can visually see which product types need restocking, but additional products will need restocking by the time they complete the walkthrough and the process is highly time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of restocking needs through automated inventory tracking and notifications before the employee needs to act. The interface pre-organizes tasks by fill group and location, so when employees arrive at each location, the restocking work is already identified and ready to be executed immediately
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital representation (copy) of the physical store layout with product locations, inventory levels, and restocking needs displayed on a mobile device. This digital map allows employees to identify all restocking requirements remotely before leaving their current position, eliminating the need for sequential physical inspection
2Loss of information
If the system displays detailed information for each individual product requiring restocking, then employees can see specific restocking needs, but the interface becomes complex and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the large amount of restocking information into hierarchical groups (fill groups) that represent collections of products restocked together. Each fill group is displayed as a single selectable item, and detailed product information is only revealed when the employee selects a specific fill group, reducing the initial interface complexity while preserving complete information
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple individual product restocking tasks into single fill group tasks. Instead of displaying and requiring separate actions for each product, the interface combines products that are restocked together into one unified task item, simplifying the interface while maintaining complete tracking of all individual products within each fill group
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method includes displaying a plurality of fill group identifiers and a map on a user interface. Each fill group identifier represents a separate collection of products that are restocked as a group, and the map has a plurality of flags, each flag indicating the location of a product that needs to be restocked. A request is received through the user interface to set a restocking task for one of the fill groups. When the restocking task is completed, the user interface is updated so that the fill group identifier associated with the request is removed from the user interface and the flags for any products in the fill group associated with the request are removed from the map.