Enhanced Shopping & Merchandising Methodology

摘要

An enhanced shopping system for facilitating grocery shopping and in-store advertising is disclosed. The system uniquely changes (1) the way grocery retail industry captures and retains customers, (2) how customers organize their shopping efforts in grocery stores, (3) the approach to advertising and reaching customers, and (4) the information available to retailers and merchandisers related to customer (a) shopping patterns, (b) responses to merchandising and advertising, and (c) specific impact of discounting/coupons.

主权项

1. A method for automatically generating a shopping Hat for use in a retail store, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) storing in a computer memory device a plurality of generic and branded retail items available for purchase in a retail store defining stored retail items; (b) providing an electronic interface for enabling consumers to select generic and branded retail items stored in said computer memory device defining selected retail items; (c) providing an option to a manufacturer to acquire one or more virtual merchandising options for one or more retail items which associates said one or more merchandising options with said one or more retail items in said computer memory device; (d) creating by a digital computer under program control an electronic shopping list of said selected retail items; (e) determining for each said selected retail item whether said virtual merchandising option has been acquired and;
(1) for selected retail items for which no virtual merchandising option has been acquired (an “Unprotected Product”), automatically displaying an alternative Protected Product whenever a Protected Product is available and is a comparable alternative. The switching option for said selected item can be (i) the direct replacement on the list of the Unprotected Product with a Protected Product or (ii) the notification that an alternative, comparable or equivalent product is available and replacement of the Unprotected Product on the list with input from the consumer, in either of these cases, an incentive to switch may or may not be offered to the consumer; or(2) for selected retail items which are Protected Products, displaying the item as a “branded” item (where the details displayed are more than for an item which is an Unprotected Product. An incentive associated with purchasing the Protected Product may or may not be offered as the additional brand recognition may be sufficient; or(3) for selected retail items (either Unprotected or Protected Products) which are in specific, pre-defined category or group of products, a Protected Product may be added to the consumer's shopping list as a “suggestion” or linked product, displaying the item as a “suggested” item, generally with a coupon associated with said product and wherein the suggested or linked product is displayed in the aisle associated with suggested product and not the original product; and (f) displaying an electronic shopping list on an electronic display on a mobile device with said selected and switched items.