Patent ID: 8204799

Claim:
A system, comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors coupled to said memory; wherein said instructions are executable by at least one of said one or more processors to implement an order management system; wherein said order management system is configured to implement a virtual shopping cart interface configured for use with each of a plurality of merchants, wherein each given one of said plurality of merchants is registered to receive inventory fulfillment services provided by a fulfillment services provider for inventory items offered in commerce by said given merchant, wherein the fulfillment services provider is distinct from said plurality of merchants, wherein the inventory fulfillment services include shipping the inventory items to customers, and wherein at least two of said plurality of merchants are configured to present their own independent respective shopping interfaces, which each support the virtual shopping cart interface, to said customers; wherein said virtual shopping cart interface is configured to receive requests on behalf of a given one of said customers to indicate two or more of said inventory items respectively offered by two or more different ones of said merchants within a virtual shopping cart managed by said virtual shopping cart interface, wherein said virtual shopping cart corresponds to said given customer; and wherein, in response to receiving a request to finalize an order on behalf of said given customer, said order management system is configured to instruct said fulfillment services provider to ship said two or more inventory items to said given customer in one or more shipments, wherein at least one of said one or more shipments comprises inventory items offered by said two or more different merchants, and wherein each of said two or more different merchants is a merchant of record for its respective offered inventory item.