MANAGING CROSS-CHANNEL FULFILLMENT IMPACT WITHIN SHARED INVENTORY DEMAND SYSTEMS

摘要

System and method for omni-channel retailer operations that integrate a network of brick-and-mortar stores with their online channel. The system and method includes calibrating a demand model for both brick-and-mortar sales and on-line channels over which a product is sold, the calibrating based upon a cross-channel fulfillment-aware inventory effect. An omni-channel sales prediction and fulfillment model is then constructed based on the calibrated demand model. Using constructed linear demand and revenue models, a plan is generated to optimize one or more: allocating of the product across physical stores, partitioning of the product for sales, and pricing of the product. Customer choices are jointly modeled across channels to allow switching, and a ship-from-store (SFS) inventory effect feature only for brick choice is applied to capture asymmetry. Inventory decision variables are introduced into an omni-channel pricing formulation to manage SFS-effect induced non-convexity and specific reformulations applied to recover a linear MIP.