International Business Machines Corporation

Danai Tengtrakool

Jialin Li

Pradeep K Nanjundaswamy

Srikanth Sundararajan

Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The method computer program products, and systems can include, for instance: obtaining a request for in venue pickup of an article by a customer user, the request specifying an article identifier for the article; obtaining from a data repository article dimensional information of the article; evaluating loading of the article into a transport apparatus associated to the customer user based on the article dimensional information and transport apparatus dimensional information of the transport apparatus; and outputting a notification to the customer user based on the evaluating.

Pickup article cognitive fitment

A method, system and computer program product are disclosed for using shoppers for in-venue pick up of online orders. In an embodiment, the method comprises determining that an online order has been placed by a first shopper for a product in a venue, identifying a second shopper in a specified area to get the product, sending to the second shopper a message including a promotional offer in exchange for getting the product, receiving the product from the second shopper, and in response to receiving the product from the second shopper, honoring the promotional offer. In an embodiment, the second shopper is identified in a specified area relative to the venue. In an embodiment, the method further comprises determining a cost associated with getting the product in the store; and generating the promotional offer based, at least in part, on this determined cost associated with getting the product.

Leveraging shoppers for store pick up

Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The method computer program products, and systems can include, for instance: receiving a request from a customer user for reception of an item by the customer user at a retail venue and data specifying a current physical location of the customer user relative to the retail venue; predicting based on the current physical location of the customer user and historical data of the customer user a time of arrival of the customer user at the retail venue; and outputting a notification to the customer user based on the predicting, the notification including timing information of the reception.

Cognitive article reception

Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The methods include, for instance: determining that an item misplaced in a venue may be retrieved by one or more customer. A candidate customer may be identified and rewards that may be offered are compiled. The candidate customer is selected as one who is predicted to be most likely to respond to a request for retrieval, and a reward is selected for cost effectiveness in retrieving the item. The request to retrieve the item is sent to the candidate customer.

Customer-assisted item retrieval

A method, system, and/or computer program product dynamically controls an available inventory level for a particular product. An in-store shopper identification receiver receives an in-store shopper's identification signal from an in-store shopper identification transmitter in a shopper's personal electronic device. Based on the in-store shopper being in the physical store, a local area network connection between the shopper's personal electronic device and a local area network in the physical store is activated, thus enabling a retrieval of an in-store shopper's wish list stored on the shopper's personal electronic device. The available inventory level for the particular product on the in-store shopper's wish list is then adjusted according to the presence of the in-store shopper in the store and the contents of the in-store shopper's wish list.

Growing community of inventors

Burlington, MA, United States of America

Danai Tengtrakool