Patent Publication Number: US-2017372394-A1

Title: Facilitation of authorized in-store pickup

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a non-provisional claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/843,488 entitled “Facilitation of Authorized In-Store Pickup in Conjunction with Online Ordering,” filed previously on Mar. 15, 2013, under Attorney Docket No. 072031.030432-99US1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     An entity may offer a variety of ways to purchase an item. For example, an entity may have a brick-and-mortar location where a customer can purchase the item in-store. The entity may also have a website where the customer can place an order online for the item. Typically, when the customer orders online, the customer receives delivery of the item at the customer&#39;s address. However, there may be instances where the customer who places the order online may want immediate possession of the item rather than wait sometimes several days for delivery. In such instances, the merchant may offer a service whereby the customer can pick up the item in-store after placing the order online. 
     In some cases, a customer may be unable to pick up items that are purchased online and designated to be picked up in-store. For example, the customer may purchase heavy materials (e.g., lumber) for a do-it-yourself project. The customer may not have the necessary vehicle to transport the materials and/or may be physically unable to carry the materials. In such cases, the customer may designate an authorized party to pick up the materials. However, by enabling the authorized party to pick up the customer&#39;s materials, the merchant may be opening itself to the possibility of theft when a non-authorized party picks up the materials instead. 
     It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure generally relates to technologies configured to facilitate authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering. According to some example technologies, a method for facilitating authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering is provided. According to the method, a request to process an order placed through a website may be received. The order may include an item selected by a customer. In response to receiving the request, the website may be transformed to a cart fulfillment web page. The cart fulfillment web page may include a fulfillment interface. 
     Through the fulfillment interface, a selection of an option for in-store pickup by a third party may be received from the customer. Through the fulfillment interface, identifying information regarding the third party, pickup details associated with the in-store pickup of the item by the third party, and a preferred notification method for contacting the third party may also be received from the customer. In response to receiving the identifying information, the pickup details, and the preferred notification method, an authorization pickup record related to the in-store pickup of the item by the third party may be generated. The authorization pickup record may be transmitted to the third party via the preferred notification method. 
     It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may also be implemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a computer-readable medium. These and various other features will be apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and a review of the associated Figures. 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended that this Summary be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The foregoing and other features of this disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following Detailed Description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures. Understanding that these Figures depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying Figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a simplified network architecture configured to facilitate authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 2  is a simplified network architecture configured to facilitate store-to-store pickup when items are not available in one store but may be available in one or more other stores, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for facilitating authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for facilitating store to-store pickup when items are not available in one store but may be available in one or more other stores, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein; 
         FIG. 5  is a computer architecture diagram showing an illustrative computer hardware architecture for a computing system capable of implementing the embodiments presented herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying Figures, which form a part hereof In the Figures, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the Detailed Description and Figures are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein. 
     This disclosure is drawn, inter alia, to methods, systems, and computer readable media configured to facilitate authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering and/or to facilitate store-to-store pickup when items are not available in one store but may be available in one or more other stores. In an illustrative example of authorized in-store pickup, a customer may access a merchant&#39;s website through a web browser executing on the customer&#39;s computer. Through the merchant&#39;s website, the customer may browse items offered by the merchant and place selected items in a digital shopping cart. When the customer has completed her order and is ready to check out, the merchant&#39;s website may transform to a processing webpage that includes a fulfillment interface and a payment interface. 
     The fulfillment interface may provide multiple options for fulfilling the customer&#39;s order. Such options may include delivery to the customer&#39;s address, in-store pickup by the customer, and/or in-store pickup by a third party authorized by the customer. If the customer selects the option for in-store pickup by a third party, then the fulfillment interface may prompt the customer to enter identifying information regarding the third party. The delivery interface may also prompt the customer to enter pickup details associated with the pickup of the selected items. Such pickup details may include a preferred store location, the pickup date, and/or the pickup time. The fulfillment interface may further prompt the customer to enter a preferred notification method in which the merchant can communicate with the third party. The payment interface may prompt the customer to enter payment information, such as credit card information or PAYPAL credentials, for purchasing the selected items. 
     When the customer has completed entering the requisite information in the fulfillment interface and the payment interface, the customer may submit the completed order for processing through the merchant&#39;s website. In addition to processing the payment information, the merchant&#39;s website may also generate an authorization pickup record for the third party and a purchase confirmation for the customer. 
     The authorization pickup record may be provided to the third party via the preferred notification method. The authorization pickup record may include verification data enabling the third party to verify that she is authorized on behalf of the customer to pick up the purchased items. For example, the verification data may include a unique bar code that can be scanned by a store employee or automated system to verify that the third party is authorized. The authorization pickup record may also include relevant information associated with the pickup, such as customer information, the location of the store, the pickup date, the pickup time, the purchased items to be picked up, the size and weight of the purchased items, and/or driving directions to the store. 
     The purchase confirmation may confirm that the customer&#39;s purchase has been processed. The purchase confirmation may also confirm the fulfillment option selected by the customer. For example, the purchase confirmation may include at least some of the information provided to the third party in the authorization pickup record. The purchase confirmation may be provided to the customer through a web page on the merchant&#39;s website, an email to the customer, and/or some other suitable communication method. 
     In an example of store-to-store pickup, a customer may be shopping at a primary store. While shopping at the primary store, the customer may discover that one or more items on her shopping list are not available or out-of-stock at the primary store. The customer may visit the customer service desk at the primary store. At the customer service desk, a store employee may access a store-to-store module provided by a store computer. Through the store-to-store module, the store employee may enter one or more product identifiers (e.g., stock-keeping units, universal product codes, etc.) associated with items. 
     Upon receiving the product identifiers, the store-to-store module may locate one or more alternate stores that contain one or more of the items and generate an ordered list of the alternate stores. The ordered list may be ordered by percentage match (i.e., the stores that contain the highest percentage of the items) and/or the shortest distance between the alternate stores and the primary store. The store computer may be coupled to a printer configured to print out the ordered list in an inventory ticket. Alternatively, the store computer may be configured to transmit the inventory ticket electronically to the customer (e.g., through the customer&#39;s mobile device via the Internet). 
     The inventory ticket may include various information regarding the product identifiers and the alternate stores. For example, the inventory ticket may include a listing of the alternate stores according to the ordered list. Under each alternate store, the inventory ticket may further include a listing of each item by name and product identifier, a quantity available of each item in the respective alternate store, and/or location information (e.g., aisle, bay, etc.) of each item in the respective alternate store. Additionally, the listing of the alternate stores may include relevant store information, such as the store number, the store address, and/or the store phone number. 
     The customer may utilize the inventory ticket to visit one or more of the alternate stores in order to locate the items associated with the product identifiers. Alternatively, the primary store may schedule a pick-up by the customer or an authorized third party (e.g., as described herein). The store computer may be a desktop computer, laptop computer, or mobile device. 
     The store-to-store module may also include functionality whereby a customer can schedule in-store pickup of the items on the inventory ticket. The customer can schedule in-store pickup by the customer, in-store pickup by an authorized third party, or drop shipment or delivery to the customer. For example, when the customer visits the customer service desk, the store employee may utilize the store-to-store module to schedule the pick-up time and, depending on the customer&#39;s preference, to obtain identifying information on the customer or the authorized third party who will perform the pick-up. If third party pick-up is selected, then the store-to-store module may transmit an authorization pickup record, as described herein, to the third party. 
     Scheduling a pick-up time through the store-to-store interface may be particularly useful if one or more of the items are out-of-stock at one or more of the alternate stores. For example, the store employee may utilize the store-to-store module to determine when out-of-stock products at one or more of the alternate stores will become in-stock again. Through such information, the store employee can schedule an appropriate pick-up time after the product is in-stock. 
     While the subject matter described herein is presented in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with the execution of an operating system and application programs on a computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that other implementations may be performed in combination with other types of program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, point-of-sale computers, kiosk computers, and the like. 
     In the following Detailed Description, references are made to the accompanying Figures that form a part hereof, and which are shown by way of illustration, specific embodiments, or examples.  FIG. 1  is a simplified network architecture  100  configured to facilitate authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein. The network architecture  100  may include a customer computer  102 , a third-party computer  104 , and a server computer  106 . The customer computer  102 , the third-party computer  104 , and the server computer  106  may be coupled by a communications network  108 . The customer computer  102  may be associated with a customer  110 . The third-party computer  104  may be associated with a third party  112 . The server computer  106  may be associated with a corporate entity  114  (hereinafter “entity  114 ”). The entity  114  may control one or more brick-and-mortar stores, such as a store  116 . It should be appreciated that the server computer  106  may be arranged in the store  116  or remote from the store  116 . 
     The server computer  106  may include a website module  118 , an item database  120 , and an in-store pickup module  122 . The website module  118  may provide one or more web pages configured to access the item database  120 . The item database  120  may include records of multiple items, such as an item  124 . The customer computer  102  may include a web browser  126 . The customer  110  may utilize the web browser  126  to remotely access the website module  118  via the communications network  108 . In particular, the website module  118  may enable the customer  110  to browse various items contained in the item database  120  and to select one or more items for purchase. At least some of the items found in the item database  120  and made available for purchase through the website module  118  may also be available for purchase and/or pickup at the store  116 . 
     The website module  118  may include, among other web pages, a cart processing web page  128 . The cart processing web page  128  may include a fulfillment interface  130  and a payment interface  132 . When the customer  110  has selected one or more items for purchase, the website module  118  may place the selected items in a digital shopping cart. When the customer  110  has completed her order and is ready to check out, the customer  110  may cause the website module  118  to transform to the cart processing web page  128 . For example, the customer  110  may select a “checkout” button on a given web page via a mouse click or a tap on a touchscreen interface. Although the fulfillment interface  130  and the payment interface  132  are illustrated in  FIG. 1  as being embodied on the same web page, it should be appreciated that the fulfillment interface  130  and/or the payment interface  132  may be embodied on one or more separate web pages. 
     The fulfillment interface  130  may provide multiple options for fulfilling the order of the customer  110 . Such options may include delivery to an address of the customer  110 , in-store pickup by the customer  110 , and/or in-store pickup by the third party  112  authorized by the customer  110 . The option for in-store pickup by the third party  112  may be utilized when the customer  110  does not want or is unable able to pick up the purchased items. For example, if the purchased items are heavy and large, the customer  110  may not have the necessary vehicle to transport the purchased items and/or may be physically unable to carry the purchased items. In such cases, the customer  110  may designate the third party  112  to pick up the purchased items for the customer  110 . For example, the third party  112  may be a friend of the customer  110  or a contractor hired by the customer  110  and not associated with the entity  114 . 
     In an illustrative embodiment, the customer  110  selects the option for in store pickup by the third party  112 . In response to receiving the selection of the option for in-store pickup by the third party, the fulfillment interface  130  may display a first set of interface elements  134 , a second set of interface elements  136 , and a third set of interface elements  138 . It should be appreciated that one skilled in the art may contemplate other sets of interface elements in the fulfillment interface  130  not described herein. Some examples of interface elements may include text boxes, radio buttons, drop-down menus, and/or check boxes. 
     The first set of interface elements  134  may prompt the customer  110  to enter identifying information regarding the third party  112 . Some example identifying information may include the name of the third party  112 , an email address of the third party  112 , and/or a telephone number of the third party  112 . It should be appreciated that some of the information (e.g., telephone number) obtained from the third party  112  may be personal, sensitive, or otherwise confidential by its nature. In such instances, the fulfillment interface  130  may allow the third party  112  to opt out of providing such information and/or offer the third party  112  options to provide other identifying information. 
     The second set of interface elements  136  may prompt the customer  110  to enter pickup details associated with the pickup of the selected items. Some example pickup details may include a preferred store location (e.g., if the entity  114  controls multiple brick-and-mortar stores), a pickup date, a pickup time, and/or a secret question-answer combination. The third set of interface elements  138  may prompt the customer  110  to enter a preferred notification method in which the entity  114  can communicate with the third party  112 . Some example notification methods may include text message and/or email. The payment interface  132  may prompt the customer  110  to enter payment information, such as credit card information or PAYPAL credentials, for purchasing the selected items. 
     When the customer  110  has completed entering the requisite information in the fulfillment interface  130  and the payment interface  132 , the customer  110  may submit the completed order for processing through the website module  118 . In addition to processing the payment information, the website module  118  may also generate an authorization pickup record  140  for the third party  112  and a purchase confirmation  142  for the customer  110 . 
     The authorization pickup record  140  may be provided to the third party  112  via the preferred notification method entered by the customer  110  in the fulfillment interface  130 . For example, if the preferred notification method is text message and the third-party computer  104  is a smartphone device, then the website module  118  may transmit the authorization pickup record  140  via short message service (“SMS”) to the telephone number associated with the smartphone device. In some embodiments, the authorization pickup record  140  may include verification data enabling the third party  112  to verify at the store  116  that she is authorized on behalf of the customer  110  to pick up the purchased items. In one example, the verification data may include a unique bar code that can be scanned by an employee of the store  116  or by an automated system at the store  116  to verify that the third party  112  is authorized. In another example, the verification data may include the secret question-answer combination entered by the customer  110  in the fulfillment interface  130 . In this example, when the third party  112  picks up the purchased items at the store, an employee of the store  116  or an automated system at the store  116  may ask the third party  112  to provide the correct answer to the question in the secret question-answer combination. The authorization pickup record  140  may also include relevant information associated with the pickup, such as information regarding the customer  110 , the location of the store  116 , the pickup date, the pickup time, the purchased items to be picked up, the size and weight of the purchased items, and/or driving directions to the store  116 . 
     The purchase confirmation  142  may confirm that the customer&#39;s purchase has been processed. The purchase confirmation  142  may also confirm the fulfillment option selected by the customer  110 . For example, the purchase confirmation  142  may include at least some of the information provided to the third party  112  in the authorization pickup record  140 . The purchase confirmation  142  may be provided to the customer  110  through a web page, an email to the customer  110 , or some other suitable communication method. 
     In some embodiments, the server computer  106  may also include a pickup confirmation module  144 . When the third party  112  picks up the purchased items at the store  116 , the pickup confirmation module  144  may provide a pickup confirmation message  146  to the customer  110  via a text message, an email, or some other suitable communication method. For example, the pickup confirmation module  144  may be configured to transmit the pickup confirmation message  146  to the customer  110  in response to an employee of the store  116  or an automated system at the store  116  scanning the unique bar code contained in the authorization pickup record  140 . 
       FIG. 2  is a simplified network architecture  200  configured to facilitate store-to-store pickup when items are not available in one store but may be available in one or more other stores, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein. The network architecture  200  may include a primary store  202 , a first alternate store  204 A, and a second alternate store  204 B. The primary store  202  and the alternate stores  204 A- 204 B (collectively “alternate stores  204 ”) may be controlled by the entity  114 . An employee  206  may work in the primary store  202 A and may have access to a store computer  208  and a printer  210  coupled to the store computer  208 . The store computer  208  may be configured to execute a store-to-store module  212 . When executed by the store computer  208 , the store-to-store module  212  may be configured to provide a store-to-store user interface  214 . 
     In an illustrative embodiment, a customer  216  may visit the primary store  202  in order to purchase items in a shopping list. While shopping at the primary store  202 , the customer  216  may discover that one or more items in the shopping list are not available or out-of-stock at the primary store  202 . These items that are not available or out-of-stock at the primary store  202  may be referred to herein as missing items. The customer  216  may visit a customer service desk at the primary store  202 . In particular, the customer service desk may include the store computer  208 , and the employee  206  may work at the customer service desk. 
     At the request of the customer  216 , the employee  206  may enter, through the store-to-store user interface  214 , one or more product identifiers associated with the missing items. Some example product identifiers may include stock-keeping units (“SKUs”) or universal product codes (“UPCs”). In some cases, the customer  216  may not have such product identifiers available. For example, the customer  216  may have only the names and/or descriptions of the missing items. In such cases, the store-to-store user interface  214  may include a look-up function through which the employee  206  can retrieve the product identifiers by the names or other suitable characteristics of the missing items. 
     Upon receiving the product identifiers through the store-to-store user interface  214 , the store-to-store module  212  may be configured to locate one or more alternate stores, such as the alternate stores  204 , that contain one or more of the missing items and generate an ordered list  218  of the alternate stores. In some embodiments, the ordered list  218  may be ordered by percentage match. That is, the stores that contain a higher percentage of the missing items. In some other embodiments, the ordered list  218  may be ordered by the shortest distance between the alternate stores  204  and the primary store  202 . For example, if the primary store  202  is closer to the first alternate store  204 A than the second alternate store  204 B, the first alternate store  204 A may be ranked higher than the second alternate store  204 B in the ordered list  218 . In yet some other embodiments, the ordered list  218  may be ordered by both the percentage match and the shortest distance. 
     The store-to-store module  212  may be configured to generate an inventory ticket  220  based on the ordered list  218 . The inventory ticket  220  may include various information regarding the product identifiers and the alternate stores. For example, the inventory ticket  220  may include a listing of the alternate stores  204  according to the ordered list  218 . Under each alternate store, the inventory ticket  220  may further include a listing of each missing item by name and product identifier, a quantity available of each item in the respective alternate store, and/or location information (e.g., aisle number, bay number, etc.) of each item in the respective alternate store. Additionally, the listing of the alternate stores  204  may include relevant store information, such as the store number, the store address, and/or the store phone number. 
     The information contained in the inventory ticket  220  may be retrieved from a local or remote database, such as an alternate store database  222 . In a local implementation, the alternate store database  222  may be located in the primary store  202 . In a remote implementation, the alternate store database  222  may reside at a central location and may serve multiple stores controlled by the entity  114  including the primary store  202 . 
     The employee  206  may print a physical copy of the inventory ticket  220  using the printer  210  and provide the physical copy to the customer  216 . Alternatively or additionally, the store-to-store module  212  may be configured to transmit the inventory ticket  220  electronically to the customer  216 . For example, the store-to-store module  212  may transmit the inventory ticket  220  to a mobile device or email address associated with the customer  216  via the Internet. 
     The customer  216  may utilize the inventory ticket  220  to visit one or more of the alternate stores  204  in order to locate the missing items. Alternatively, the primary store  202  may schedule a pick-up by the customer  216  or an authorized third party (e.g., as described herein). The store computer  208  may be a desktop computer, laptop computer, or mobile device. 
     It should be appreciated that the logical operations described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as states operations, structural devices, acts, or modules. These operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof. It should be appreciated that more or fewer operations may be performed than shown in the Figures and described herein. These operations may also be performed in a different order than those described herein. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , additional details regarding the operation of the website module  118  and the pickup confirmation module  144  will be provided. In particular,  FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating an example process  300  for facilitating authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein. The website module  118  and/or the pickup confirmation module  144  may be configured to perform one or more operations  302 - 326  in the process  300 . 
     In  FIG. 3 , the process  300  begins at operation  302 , where the website module  118  may receive a request to process a completed order. For example, the customer  110  may access, via the web browser  126 , various web pages provided by the website module  118  in order to browse items contained in the item database  120  and to place selected items in a digital shopping cart. When the customer  110  has completed her order and is ready to check out, the customer  110  may provide the request to process the completed order. For example, the customer  110  may provide the request to process the completed order by selecting a “checkout” button on a given web page. After operation  302 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  304 . 
     At operation  304 , the website module  118  may provide the fulfillment interface  130  through a web page, such as the cart processing web page  128 . The fulfillment interface  130  may provide multiple options for fulfilling the order of the customer  110 . Such options may include delivery to the address of the customer  110 , in-store pickup by the customer  110 , and/or in-store pickup by the third party  112  authorized by the customer  110 . After operation  304 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  306 . 
     At operation  306 , the website module  118  may receive a selection of the option for in-store pickup by the third party  112 . Through the fulfillment interface  130 , the customer  110  may select one of the options for fulfilling the order of the customer  110 . In an illustrative embodiment described with respect to  FIG. 3 , the customer  110  has selected the option for in-store pickup by the third party  112 . After operation  306 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  308 . 
     At operation  308 , the website module  118  may display, through the fulfillment interface  130 , the first set of interface elements  134 , the second set of interface elements  136 , and the third set of interface elements  138 . As previously described, the first set of interface elements  134  may prompt the customer  110  to enter identifying information regarding the third party  112 . The second set of interface elements  136  may prompt the customer  110  to enter pickup details associated with the pickup of the selected items. The third set of interface elements  138  may prompt the customer  110  to enter a preferred notification method in which the entity  114  can communicate with the third party  112 . After operation  308 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  310 . 
     At operation  310 , the website module  118  may receive the identifying information regarding the third party  112 , the pickup details associated with the pickup of the selected items, and the preferred notification method from the customer  110  via the first set of interface elements  134 , the second set of interface elements  136 , and the third set of interface elements  138 , respectively. Some example identifying information may include the name of the third party  112 , an email address of the third party  112 , and/or a telephone number of the third party  112 . Some example pickup details may include a preferred store location, a pickup date, a pickup time, and/or a secret question-answer combination. Some example notification methods may include text message and/or email. After operation  310 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  312 . 
     At operation  312 , the website module  118  may provide the payment interface  132  through a web page, such as the cart processing web page  128 . The payment interface  132  may prompt the customer  110  to enter payment information, such as a credit card number or PAYPAL credentials, for purchasing the selected items. After operation  312 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  314 . At operation  314 , the website module  118  may receive the payment information entered by the customer  110  through the payment interface  132 . After operation  314 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  316 . 
     At operation  316 , the website module  118  may generate authorization pickup record  140  for the third party  112 . In some embodiments, the authorization pickup record  140  may include verification data enabling the third party  112  to verify at the store  116  that she is authorized on behalf of the customer  110  to pick up the purchased items. For example, the authorization pickup record  140  may include a unique bar code. The authorization pickup record  140  may also include relevant information associated with the pickup, such as information regarding the customer  110 , the location of the store  116 , the pickup date, the pickup time, the purchased items to be picked up, the size and weight of the purchased items, and/or driving directions to the store  116 . After operation  316 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  318 . 
     At operation  318 , the website module  118  may provide the authorization pickup record  140  to the third party  112 . In particular, the website module  118  may provide the authorization pickup record  140  to the third party  112  via the preferred notification method entered by the customer  110  in the fulfillment interface  130 . After operation  318 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  320 . 
     At operation  318 , the website module  118  may generate the purchase confirmation  142  for the customer  110 . The purchase confirmation  142  may confirm that the customer&#39;s purchase has been processed. The purchase confirmation  142  may also confirm the fulfillment option selected by the customer  110 . For example, the purchase confirmation  142  may include at least some of the information provided to the third party  112  in the authorization pickup record  140 . After operation  320 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  322 . 
     At operation  322 , the website module  118  may provide the purchase confirmation  142  to the customer  110 . In particular, the website module  118  may provide the purchase confirmation  142  to the customer  110  through a web page, an email to the customer  110 , or some other suitable communication method. After operation  322 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  324 . 
     At operation  324 , the pickup confirmation module  144  may receive an indication that the third party  112  has picked up the items purchased by the customer  110 . For example, when the third party  112  visits the store  116  to pick up the purchased items, the third party  112  may provide a copy of a unique bar code contained in the authorization pickup record  140 . An employee of the store  116  may utilize a suitable scanning device to scan the unique bar code in order to verify that the third party  112  is authorized. In response to verifying that the third party  112  is authorized, the scanning device may transmit the indication the third party  112  has picked up the purchased items to the pickup confirmation module  144 . After operation  324 , the process  300  may proceed to operation  326 . 
     At operation  326 , the pickup confirmation module  144  may provide the pickup confirmation message  146  to the customer  110  in response to receiving the indication that the third party  112  has picked up the items purchased by the customer  110 . In particular, the pickup confirmation module  144  may transmit the pickup confirmation message  146  to the customer  110  via a text message, an email, or some other suitable communication method. After operation  326 , the process  300  may either repeat (e.g., periodically, continuously, or on demand as needed) or terminate. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , additional details regarding the operation of the store-to-store module  212  will be provided. In particular,  FIG. 4  is a flow diagram illustrating an example process  400  for facilitating store-to-store pickup when items are not available in one store but may be available in one or more other stores, in accordance with some embodiments presented herein. The store-to-store module  212  may be configured to perform one or more operations  402 - 410  in the process  400 . 
     In  FIG. 4 , the process  400  begins at operation  402 , where the store-to store module  212  may launch the store-to-store user interface  214 . In one example, the store-to-store module  212 , when executed, may automatically launch the store-to-store user interface  214 . In another example, the employee  206  may cause the store-to-store module  212  to launch through some interface element provided by the store-to-store module  212 . After operation  402 , the process  400  may proceed to operation  404 . 
     At operation  404 , the store-to-store module  212  may receive one or more product identifiers associated with various items through the store-to-store user interface  214 . As previously described, product identifiers may include SKUs or UPCs. In some instances, the store-to-store module  212  may provide a look-up function for retrieving corresponding product identifiers based on names or other suitable characteristics of the items. After operation  404 , the process  400  may proceed to operation  406 . 
     At operation  406 , the store-to-store module  212  may locate one or more alternate stores, such as the alternate stores  204 , that contain one or more of the missing items and generate the ordered list  218  of the alternate stores. The store-to-store module  212  may rank the alternate stores based on percentage match, shortest distance to the primary store, and/or other suitable criteria. After operation  406 , the process  400  may proceed to operation  408 . 
     At operation  408 , the store-to-store module  212  may generate the inventory ticket  220  based on the ordered list  218 . Such inventory ticket  220  may be displayed to the employee  206  through the store-to-store user interface  214 . In an illustrative example, the inventory ticket  220  may include a ranked list of the alternate stores. Under each alternate store, the inventory ticket  220  may further include a listing of each missing item by name and product identifier, a quantity available of each item in the respective alternate store, location information (e.g., aisle number, bay number, etc.) of each item in the respective alternate store, relevant store information, the store address, and/or the store phone number. After operation  406 , the process  400  may proceed to operation  410 . 
     At operation  410 , the store-to-store module  212  may output the inventory ticket  220  for the customer  216 . In some embodiments, the store-to-store module  212  may print a physical copy of the inventory ticket  220  using the printer  210 . In this case, the employee  206  can manually hand the printed copy to the customer  216 . In some other embodiments, the store-to-store module  212  may transmit the inventory ticket  220  to a mobile device or email address associated with the customer  216  via the Internet. After operation  410 , the process  400  may either repeat (e.g., periodically, continuously, or on demand as needed) or terminate. 
       FIG. 5  is an example computer architecture diagram illustrating a computer  500 , in accordance with some embodiments presented herein. Some examples of the computer  500  may include the customer computer  102 , the third-party computer  104 , the server computer  106 , and the store computer  208 . The computer  500  may include a central processing unit  502 , a system memory  504 , and a system bus  506  that couples the memory  504  to the central processing unit  502 . The computer  500  may further include a mass storage device  512  for storing one or more program modules  514  and a data store  516 . Some examples of the program modules  514  may include the website module  118 , the pickup confirmation module  144 , and the store-to-store module  212 . Some examples of the data store  516  may include the item database  120  and the alternate store database  222 . The mass storage device  512  may be connected to the central processing unit  502  through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus  506 . The mass storage device  512  and its associated computer-readable storage media may provide non-volatile storage for the computer  500 . Although the description of computer-readable storage media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable storage media can be any available computer storage media that can be accessed by the computer  500 . 
     By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for the storage of information such as computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. For example, computer-readable storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer  500 . 
     The term “storage media” as used herein refers to any non-transitory media that store data and/or instructions that cause a machine to operate in a specific fashion. Storage media is distinct from but may be used in conjunction with “transmission media.” Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, among others, including the wires that comprise at least some embodiments of the bus  506 . Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio frequency and infrared data communications. 
     According to various embodiments, the computer  500  may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through a network, such as the communications network  108 . The computer  500  may connect to the communications network  108  through a network interface unit  510  connected to the bus  506 . It should be appreciated that the network interface unit  510  may also be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems. The computer  500  may also include an input/output controller  508  for receiving and processing input from a number of input devices (not shown), including a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, and a game controller. The input/output controller  508  may also be configured to receive user input via gestures, tap/touch (e.g., via a touchscreen), and/or voice. Similarly, the input/output controller  508  may provide output to a display or other type of output device (not shown). 
     The bus  506  may enable the central processing unit  502  to read code and/or data to/from the mass storage device  512  or other computer-readable storage media. The computer-readable storage media may represent apparatus in the form of storage elements that are implemented using any suitable technology, including but not limited to semiconductors, magnetic materials, optics, or the like. The computer-readable storage media may represent memory components, whether characterized as RAM, ROM, flash, or other types of technology. The computer-readable storage media may also represent secondary storage, whether implemented as hard drives or otherwise. Hard drive implementations may be characterized as solid state, or may include rotating media storing magnetically-encoded information. 
     The program modules  514  may include software instructions that, when loaded into the central processing unit  502  and executed, cause the computer  500  to generate field sets. The program modules  514  may also provide various tools or techniques by which the computer  500  may participate within the overall systems or operating environments using the components, flows, and data structures discussed throughout this description. For example, the program modules  514  may implement interfaces for generating field sets. 
     In general, the program modules  514  may, when loaded into the central processing unit  502  and executed, transform the central processing unit  502  and the overall computer  500  from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose computing system customized to generate field sets. The central processing unit  502  may be constructed from any number of transistors or other discrete circuit elements, which may individually or collectively assume any number of states. More specifically, the central processing unit  502  may operate as a finite-state machine, in response to executable instructions contained within the program modules  514 . These computer-executable instructions may transform the central processing unit  502  by specifying how the central processing unit  502  transitions between states, thereby transforming the transistors or other discrete hardware elements constituting the central processing unit  502 . 
     Encoding the program modules  514  may also transform the physical structure of the computer-readable storage media. The specific transformation of physical structure may depend on various factors, in different implementations of this description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to: the technology used to implement the computer-readable storage media, whether the computer-readable storage media are characterized as primary or secondary storage, and the like. For example, if the computer-readable storage media are implemented as semiconductor-based memory, the program modules  514  may transform the physical state of the semiconductor memory, when the software is encoded therein. For example, the program modules  514  may transform the state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit elements constituting the semiconductor memory. 
     As another example, the computer-readable storage media may be implemented using magnetic or optical technology. In such implementations, the program modules  514  may transform the physical state of magnetic or optical media, when the software is encoded therein. These transformations may include altering the magnetic characteristics of particular locations within given magnetic media. These transformations may also include altering the physical features or characteristics of particular locations within given optical media, to change the optical characteristics of those locations. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope of the present description, with the foregoing examples provided only to facilitate this discussion. 
     Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that concepts and technologies for the facilitation of authorized in-store pickup in conjunction with online ordering are presented herein. It should further be appreciated that concepts and technologies for the facilitation of store-to-store pickup when items are not available in one store but may be available in one or more other stores are also presented herein. Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to computer structural features, methodological acts, and computer readable media, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specific features, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims. 
     The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims.