US 11,922,436 B2
System and method for product assortment management
Sourit Manna, Hooghly (IN); Somedip Karmakar, Kolkata (IN); and Arunita Das, Kalyangarh (IN)
Assigned to Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Filed by Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Filed on Oct. 16, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/072,294.
Application 17/072,294 is a continuation of application No. 16/508,538, filed on Jul. 11, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/733,412, filed on Sep. 19, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 201841026788 (IN), filed on Jul. 18, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0035127 A1, Feb. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. G06Q 30/02 (2012.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06Q 10/0637 (2023.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); G06Q 30/0201 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 30/0201 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0221 (2013.01); G06Q 10/0637 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system that is configured to adjust the assortment of products in retail stores, the system comprising:
a first retail store and a second retail store organized as a cluster;
a third retail store that is organized outside of and not a part of the cluster;
product display units in each of the first retail store, the second retail store, and the third retail store, the product display units configured to display the products for sale to customers;
a plurality of sales entry devices that collect and transmit sales information, the sales entry devices being disposed at the first retail store, the second retail store, and the third retail store, the sale entry devices including sensors that obtain the sales information, the sensors being cameras or scanners that are configured to automatically and in real-time obtain information concerning items being purchased by customers;
an electronic communication network that is coupled to the plurality of sales entry devices;
an assortment adjustment apparatus that is coupled to the electronic communication network and disposed at a central processing center, the assortment adjustment apparatus including a transceiver circuit, a database, and a control circuit;
wherein the sales information is selectively transmitted across the electronic communication network in batches or in real-time;
wherein the database is configured to store a retail store count ratio, the retail store count ratio being a percentage of retail stores in the cluster where a product is carried;
wherein the control circuit is configured to:
determine performance of the product and customer loyalty to the product for the first retail store and the second retail store, the performance of the product being based upon the sales information received from the cameras or the scanners of the sales entry devices via the transceiver circuit, the loyalty being a measure of a frequency of customer purchases of the product, the loyalty being determined at least in part based upon an analysis of the sales information obtained by the scanners or cameras;
determine a substitutability measure for each product, the substitutability measure being determined at least in part by an analysis of the sales information obtained by the scanners or cameras;
based upon the retail store count ratio, the performance of the product, the customer loyalty to the product, and the substitutability measure of the product, select an action including one or more of:
electronically controlling a first automated device and/or sending first electronic instructions to the first retail store in the cluster to move first products in the first retail store into a first arrangement or assortment;
electronically controlling a second automated device and/or sending second electronic instructions to the second retail store in the cluster to move second products in the second retail store into the first arrangement or assortment;
electronically controlling a third automated device and/or sending third electronic instructions to the third retail store to move third products in the third retail store into a second arrangement or assortment, the second arrangement or assortment being different than the first arrangement or assortment;
wherein moving the products involves one or more of physically moving products within shelves or physically moving products between shelves.