Patent ID: 8666848

Claim:
A method, comprising: performing, by one or more computers of an inventory replenishment system of a merchant: in response to receiving an indication of one or more inventory requirement triggers, automatically scheduling, by the inventory replenishment system of the merchant, an inventory planning request for a particular inventory item, wherein the inventory planning request is a request to generate a replenishment plan for the particular inventory item; wherein said scheduling is based on one or more ordering deadlines associated with the particular inventory item, wherein the one or more ordering deadlines are specified by one or more vendors that supply the particular inventory item to the merchant; in accordance with the scheduled inventory planning request, automatically generating, by the inventory replenishment system of the merchant, a particular inventory replenishment plan based on the merchant's current inventory position of the particular inventory item; storing, by the inventory replenishment system of the merchant, the particular inventory replenishment plan; and executing, by the inventory replenishment system of the merchant, the particular inventory replenishment plan, said executing comprises sending an order for the particular inventory item to the one or more vendors that supply the particular inventory item to the merchant, wherein said executing includes: aggregating the particular inventory replenishment plan and one or more other inventory replenishment plans, wherein the particular inventory replenishment plan and one or more other inventory replenishment plans are generated by the inventory replenishment system of the same merchant; and determining whether adjustment of the particular inventory replenishment plan is required based on aggregation of the particular inventory replenishment plan and the one or more other inventory replenishment plans.