International Business Machines Corporation

Xiaowei Bao

Emrah Zarifoglu

France Savard

Pavel Zelinsky

A method, system and computer program product for fulfilling an online order. An online order to purchase an item(s) is received. The 'candidate locations' that stock the item(s) of the online order and that can be used to fulfill at least a portion of the online order are determined. A stockout cost for each of these candidate locations for fulfilling an item of the online order may be calculated, where the stockout cost is a cost of a potential lost sale of the item of the online order by the candidate location if the candidate location fulfills the item of the online order. A shipping location among the candidate locations to fulfill the item is then determined based at least in part on the stockout cost for each of the candidate locations for fulfilling the item. The item is then shipped to the customer from the determined shipping location.

Growing community of inventors

Denver, CO, United States of America

Xiaowei Bao