Using a customer's purchasing intent in recommending alternative items for purchase in a physical store

摘要

A merchant who operates a physical store is able to communicate a message to a customer who is carrying one or more items for purchase. While the customer is moving through the store, the merchant uses electronic means to gather data identifying at least one of the items carried by the customer. A computer-implemented program applied to the data analyzes the data and identifies at least one alternative item that the customer might want to buy. The program then prepares a message about the alternative item and delivers the message to the customer while the customer is still in the store.