WO2004088552A1

WO2004088552A1 - Method of restocking a product on a shelf in a shop

Info

Publication number: WO2004088552A1
Application number: PCT/FR2004/000555
Authority: WO
Inventors: Florence Cathala-Cano
Original assignee: Compagnie Gervais Danone
Priority date: 2003-03-27
Filing date: 2004-03-09
Publication date: 2004-10-14
Also published as: FR2853107A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of restocking a product in the form of consumer units (1) which are disposed on a shelf (L1, L2, , LN) in a shop, each product (1) having a barcode which can be entered by a computer system at the check-out. The invention is characterised in that it comprises the followings steps consisting in: placing at least one consumer unit (1') having a product restocking identifier (E), e.g. a secondary barcode, among the consumer units (1) of said product; and, when a consumer unit (1') comprising an identifier (E) is presented at the check-out (C1, , CN), triggering an order for said product reference to be restocked on the shelf thereof (L1, , LN). The invention is particularly suitable for palletised products.

Description

PROCESS FOR ASSEMBLING A PRODUCT

IN A LINEAR OF A STORE.

The present invention relates to a process for reassorting a product in a store shelf. The products arranged in the shelves (or linear) of a store are provided with a bar code ("EAN code") which is read by an appropriate reader during the checkout, which allows the computer system of the store issue a sales receipt for payment. This data entry also makes it possible to inform an inventory management system to manage the restocking of products by the supplier (s).

The restocking of products in the store shelves is carried out by visual inspection by the store staff, after which the shelf of the product in question is restocked from the warehouse stock, which is managed as indicated above. However, any failure to supply a shelf leads to the temporary absence on the shelf of a product or range of products from a supplier, which results in a potential loss of turnover for the latter, since the first impact of a shelf break is the postponement of the consumer's purchase to a competing product. The subject of the present invention is a method for restocking a product in a store shelf.

The invention thus relates to a method of restocking a product of which consumer units are arranged in a shelf of a store, each consumer unit having a bar code allowing entry by a computer system during a checkout, characterized in that it has the following steps:

- having among consumer units of this product at least one consumer unit having an identifier for reassorting the product, and being arranged in a place for which, after sampling, the remaining stock of consumer units (1) is at a sufficiently low level for a reassortment of said product. - when a said consumer unit with an identifier is presented at the cash desk, trigger an instruction to reassort said product reference in its shelf.

The method thus makes it possible, by a warning procedure triggered in a simple manner, to warn the staff of the store reserve that a product is going to be out of stock and that the shelf must be restocked with the product whose bar code has been entered.

At least one consumer unit carrying a said identifier is thus arranged in the shelf in a place for which, after sampling by consumers, the stock of consumer units remaining is at a level low enough to justify a reassortment of said product, while the other products do not carry a restocking identifier.

Said identifier can be a tablet or any other visual element, but it is advantageously an electronic identifier such as a secondary restocking barcode which is substituted for the primary barcode of the product.

For example, the barcode of a product corresponds to the following series of numbers: 3 06832 004010 3

In the context of the present invention, we designate it as the primary bar code.

The secondary bar code corresponds to a separate series of numbers for the part corresponding to the product code:

004011 instead of 004010. The secondary bar code then corresponds to: 3 06832 004011 3 Advantageously, the consumer units having a said electronic identifier such as a secondary bar code include a label, which is superimposed on a printed medium, which carries the primary bar code. The invention can in this case be implemented in a simple manner by adding a step of labeling the consumer units which it is desired to characterize.

The consumer units can be placed in a container such as a cardboard which serves as a display for the product on the shelf. The consumer unit can for example be a pack, in particular a pack of bottles.

In the case of palletized products, the product pallet can be put directly on the shelf.

This applies in particular to bottle packs, in particular mineral water. At least one consumption unit (a pack of bottles) carrying a said identifier is placed in one of the lower layers of the pallet, in particular in one of the three or four lower layers of the pallet.

Several consumer units of the same layer or of two adjacent layers can carry a reassortment identifier. The other consumer units do not have a restocking identifier. For example, they carry a primary barcode.

The invention also relates to a set of consumer units of a product, intended to be arranged in a department of a store for distribution, each consumer unit being provided with a bar code allowing entry by a computer system during a checkout, characterized in that at least one consumer unit has a restocking identifier, which can be a visual identifier or an electronic identifier, for example a secondary bar code. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description below given by way of nonlimiting example, in conjunction with the appended drawings, and in which: - Figure 1 is a diagram of the establishment of a point of sale,

- Figures 2a, 2b and 2c illustrate an exemplary embodiment concerning a palette of packs of water bottles. In Figure 1, a store has a number of boxes Ci, C ₂ ... C _n network connected to a central computer system SY, and a number of shelves Lι ... L _N for product presentation.

In the embodiment described below, the product is a reference of bottled mineral water presented on a pallet P in the form of packs 1 of six bottles 2 having a certain number of bunk beds, l ₂ , l ₃ , l _n ... produced according to a predetermined palletizing plan. A pack 1, which constitutes a consumption unit (or consumer unit) carries a bar code defining the reference of the product, as well as each of the bottles 2. In FIGS. 2b and 2c which represent layers of beds on the palette P, Fi designates the face of the pallet P which faces the consumers.

The method of palletizing consumer units of the product remains conventional, with the exception of the specific marking of certain consumer units V with an identifier E (visual identifier such as a tablet, or electronic identifier such as a secondary bar code CB 'substituted for the primary bar code CB identifying the product). The secondary bar code CB 'identifies the product during checkout and the need for reassortment of said product on the shelf. It suffices for this that the cash register processing software has been modified so as to allow the automatic identification of the secondary codes CB 'concerned, in addition to the functions usually performed. The consumer units that are the subject of this specific marking are selected on the chain according to the place they will occupy in the pallet P, by virtue of the palletization plan. This marking can for example be achieved by covering the bar code CB of the pack or packs V to be characterized, by an identification label E carrying the secondary code CB '. This operation is carried out on the chain before placing the product on a pallet using a labeling machine. In case the packs are provided with a detachable bar code label in addition to the label carrying the bar code, it is possible to delete this detachable label for the pack or packs to be marked or replace it with a label bearing an identifier E. We will choose in particular a group packs l ', for example 4 in number, on one of the 3 or 4 lower beds (or layers) of the pallet P for example the bed l ₂ , designating the lower bed of the pallet P. In this way, when, after removal from the shelf by consumers, the bed or layer l ₂ comes to be released, and a consumer picks up a pack provided with an identifier E, this removal indicates after going to the checkout of this pack that the volume presented in department is at the minimum level and that, if the department is not restocked, the product will break.

When checking out, the barcode is entered and:

- either the identifier is of the electronic type, for example the bar code being the secondary bar code CB ', and it is identified as such by the computer system: this automatically triggers a restocking procedure by notifying the store reserve of a need to restock the product whose barcode has been entered,

- or the identifier is visual (for example a tablet) and it is processed by the cashier so that, by an appropriate action on the keyboard, is associated with the bar code entered a computer instruction representative of a request for restocking of the product.

The product replenishment alert can be generated by the SY computer system to which the cash register is linked by any visual (display, printing of a newspaper, etc.) or audible means, in particular using a computer terminal or '' a terminal B located for example in the reserve

RES, which indicates to the store handlers that the product in question will soon be in short supply in the department.

For a product in packs, it suffices to selectively mark the packs. It is not necessary to mark each of the individual products 2 (for example the bottles) of the pack 1 '. In fact, only around 30% of bottle packs are "dismantled" by consumers to collect bottles individually. In such a case, the barcode label E of the pack l 'of the pallet P is not read at the cash register. It suffices to "mark" several packs to ensure redundancy in the reliability of the restocking procedure. Once the restocking alarm is triggered, a time delay (function of the sales time of the consumer units of a pallet) avoids unnecessary close alarms.

The invention also applies to the case where products placed on shelves in displays such as cartons and in this case consumer units provided with an identifier are arranged at the rear of the display (the front face, facing consumers, is identified as such). The consumer units provided with an identifier are for example arranged in the three rear rows of the consumer units.

In the context of the invention, it is also expected that the identifiers will be affixed by the handling operators when the consumer units of the products are placed on the shelves.

The method of the invention thus makes it possible to manage the restocking of all or part of the products of a point of sale, and in particular the products with fast rotation or even the products with low rotation. The electronic identifier has been described above as an integral part of the secondary barcode. It can also be an identifier which is added to the CB bar code.

Claims

1. Method for restocking a product of which consumer units are arranged in a store shelf, each product having a bar code allowing entry by a computer system during a checkout, characterized in that presents the following steps: having among consumer units of this product at least one consumer unit (1 ') having a restocking identifier (E) of the product and arranged in a place for which, after sampling, the stock of consumer units ( 1) remaining is at a sufficiently low level to justify a reassortment of said product.

- when a said consumer unit (1 ′) provided with an identifier (E) is presented at the cash desk, trigger an instruction to reassort said product reference in its shelf.

2, Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said identifier (E) is an electronic identifier, in particular a secondary code (CB ') substituted for the primary bar code (CB) of the product, the corresponding electronic identifier, for the system IT (SY), to a reassortment of the product.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the consumer units (1 ') having a said electronic identifier, in particular a secondary bar code (CB'), include a label (E) carrying the electronic identifier (CB ¹ ) , which is superimposed on a printed medium bearing the primary bar code (CB).

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the consumer unit is a pack, in particular a pack of bottles.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the consumer units of said product are palletized and are shelved in this form and in that at least one consumer unit carrying an identifier (E) is arranged in one of the layers lower (h, l ₂ , ...) of the pallet (P).

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that several consumer units of the same layer or of two adjacent layers carry a said identifier (E).

7. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the consumer units of said product are arranged in a container, for example a carton, which serves as a display for the product on the shelf.

8. Set of consumer units of a product, arranged in a department of a store for distribution each consumer unit being provided with a bar code allowing entry by a computer system during a checkout, characterized in that at least one consumer unit (1 ′) presenting a restocking identifier (E) is arranged in a place for which, after sampling, the stock of consumer units (1) remaining is at a level low enough to justify a reassortment of the product.

9. The assembly of claim 8, characterized in that said identifier is an electronic identifier, in particular a secondary bar code (CB ') substituted for said primary bar code (CB).

10. The assembly of claim 9, characterized in that at least one consumer unit (1 ') carrying a said electronic identifier has a primary bar code (CB) covered by a label (E) carrying said electronic identifier, in particular said code secondary bar (CB ').

11. Assembly according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the consumer units are palletized and in that at least one consumer unit (1 ') carrying a restocking identifier (E) is arranged on one of the lower layers ( li, l ₂ , ...), in particular one of the three lower layers of the pallet (P).

12. Assembly according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the consumer units (1, l ') are arranged in a container, for example a carton, which serves as a display for the product on the shelf.