How does this system differ from a product selection solution?

The selection solution answers the question which product suits the customer. The availability system answers where a specific selected SKU is now, whether it can be reserved and when the customer will actually be able to get it. These responsibilities should not be mixed.

When can an item be shown as being in the store?

Only when the balance is updated quickly enough and goods already reserved, damaged or otherwise not sold are taken away. In a specialized retail, one remaining unit is often critical, so a false promise costs the customer more than in a mass category.

Is it worth reserving the item before the customer pays?

Yes, if the reservation term is short and clearly managed. It is necessary to determine when the reservation is created, how long it is valid and what happens when the customer does not arrive, so that several channels do not fight for the same unit.

What is needed before customers can open a specialized goods reservation?

There must be reliable balances and it is clear which items are sold, reserved or intended for display and service. The store must be able to confirm readiness for withdrawal. By agreeing on this order, the reservation helps to save the order and reduces the likelihood of a customer's failed trips to the store.

When does a lower number of store calls indicate better availability?

Fewer targeting calls are useful when combined decreases in bookings that have failed due to an unfound item. Therefore, both the service time and actual preparation of the item for the customer are checked.

Specialist product availability and reservation management system

The consultant and customer see where the specialty item is selected and when it can be received. Reservation helps to save the agreed amount for a specific order.

The consultant sees the balance of his shop, but can not always check and reserve the right item elsewhere. Customer search ends with one place's supply. The buyer may choose another supplier, although the item is on the same network. The option to save the order after offering another pickup location or a matched delivery is lost.

How the solution works

The consultant verifies the condition of the selected item and the amount of free space on the network.
The selected unit is reserved with an expiration date and a pick-up location.
The pick-up point employee confirms that the item is physically ready.
After the sale, cancellation or expiration of the term, the reservation is completed and the quantity is renewed.

Key challenges

The right product is not always found across the network

Solution capabilities

Network availability

The consultant sees the quantity sold in each location for a specific model or size; the item along the way is shown with the expected receipt.

Termed Reservation

The quantity allocated to the customer is protected from the next sale until the agreed withdrawal or expiration.

Request for transfer to another location

Once the porting capability is confirmed, the need is passed to logistics and the resulting execution status updates the customer's recall information.

Physical nonconformity check

No item found or unfit for sale is marked for inspection; the reservation and the promise made to the customer are corrected accordingly.

Business context

The right product is not always found across the network: The consultant sees the balance of his shop, but can not always check and reserve the right item elsewhere. Customer search ends with one place's supply. The buyer may choose another supplier, although the item is on the same network. The option to save the order after offering another pickup location or a matched delivery is lost.
The search for the right item covers the entire trading network: A customer who chooses a specialty item may be ready to wait or pick it up in another location. Visible network availability and reservation allow for such an option to be provided even during the consultation. The seller may save an order whose local store is one would not fulfill.

Core features

Network availability
Termed Reservation
Request for transfer to another location
Physical nonconformity check

Key integrations

ERP/stock accounting: The accounting balance of SKUs and the movement of goods between locations.
WMS / Warehouse System: Warehouse free, reserved and ready for transfer.
POS / Store System: Store sales, local balance correction and withdrawal approval.
E-commerce and adviser workspace: Availability request, booking initiation and the deadline promised to the customer.

Potential impact (%)

The ranges indicate an illustrative relative change in the metric under the stated assumptions. Results depend on the starting position and actual use of the solution. Percentages for different metrics must not be added together.

Share of bookings failing due to incorrect location availability

12–42%Decreasing

This illustrative scenario assumes that 30-60% of errors can be addressed through the data and rule checks described. That share is assumed to fall by 40-70%. Company data is needed to verify both the addressable share and the resulting change.

Estimated reservations that were cancelled because the unit displayed in the system was not physically sold or already intended for another customer. The percentage is calculated on the number of all bookings placed.

Part of manual calls or checks to other locations for the availability of a specific SKU

12–42%Decreasing

Consultancy is calculated, for which additional manual approval from another store or warehouse is still required before promising the item. The percentage is calculated on the number of all requests for availability of the item.

Conditional calculation scenarios. The assumptions have not been validated against client measurements.

When this solution is relevant

Stocks and reservations of goods are not aligned between stores, warehouses and electronic commerce.
The customer is promised a good that has already been reserved, or the employee cannot reliably offer the place and time of its withdrawal.

Implementation requirements

For the availability of specialized goods, the state of the stocks that are being sold, displayed and awaiting verification is aligned. The promise of withdrawal is associated with actual preparation, and the quantity not found has a clear course of booking adjustment.