Patent ID: 7171376

Claim:
In a digital data processing environment, a method of pricing of goods by, and allocation of a given inventory of goods to, a plurality of retail sites, the method comprising: A. for each of a plurality of candidate allocations of the given inventory among the plurality of retail sites, where each candidate allocation comprises assignment of a respective share of the given inventory to each of the plurality of sites, performing the steps of (i) estimating an optimal price of the goods at each retail site, which optimal price will return an optimal gross margin to that site in view of its assignment of the respective share of the inventory, (ii) determining, for the plurality of sites, the sum of the optimal gross margins determined in step (i), B. choosing the candidate allocation that results in a maximum sum of optimal gross margins, C. displaying in a report at least one of (i) at least one site's respective share of the candidate allocation of inventory chosen in step (B), and (ii) the optimal price associated with at least one site's respective share of the candidate allocation of inventory chosen in step (B).