METHOD OR SYSTEM FOR SIMULTANEOUS ELECTRONIC COMMERCE IN MULTIPLE DISTINCT WEB STORES INCLUDING ELECTRONIC SHOPPING CENTER

摘要

A method and system for providing a plurality of distinct web stores eachincluding an electronicshopping cart, where the plurality of the web stores is referred to as avirtual shopping centre (VSC)system on a web server system in a communication network such as the WorldWide Web (WWW).The system is implemented by executing engineered programming codeinfrastructure in memoryof a computer system. The system conducts multiple distinct electroniccommerce for a user in anumber of the distinct web stores in a session. Initially, the system providesa number of web storeswith default electronic commerce information and relates them with a defaultEmpty Store identifierto ensure that there are a minimum number of web stores in the VSC. The systemallowsmerchants to apply for the distinct web stores in the VSC and allows themerchants to sendrequired information relating to the web stores to the server system. Theserver system receivesthe information from client systems and stores the information. The serversystem then uses theinformation to uniquely assign one of the empty web stores to each of theapplicant merchant. Thesystem also allows the merchants to send information relating to items to besold on their webstores to the server system. The system groups the identifiers of the webstores as virtual floorsand assigns an identifier to each of the virtual floors. The system groups theidentifiers of virtualfloors as virtual elevator and sends a display of the virtual elevator to theclient system. The clientsystem then sends selection of identifier of a virtual floor to the serversystem. The system receivesthe selection and sends to the client system display of a group of the webstore identifiers thatrepresent the currently selected virtual floor. The client system then sendsselection of identifier of aweb store to the server system. The system receives the selection and sends tothe client system adisplay of currently selected web store including items' catalogue relating tothe selected web store.The client system sends selection of an item identifier to the server system.The system adds theselected item information to the distinct shopping cart associated with thecurrently selected webstore and sends a display of the shopping cart and a checkout button to theclient system. Thesystem allows the user to repeat any of the selections for having a pluralityof items in distinctshopping carts associated with multiple web stores in a session. Wherein uponuser's indication,the system conducts simultaneous checkout in web stores which have ordereditems whileproviding innovative reward points and distinct invoice associated with eachof the web stores forthe user. In a later session, the system allows the user to modify shipmentinformation in the webstores with relating invoice. Also the system allows the user to find storesin the VSC by enteringkeywords in a search area.