Here’s one of the most frustrating facts of IT life: Desired information exists in a database, but there are so many limitations on its use that it becomes almost pointless. Welcome to local inventory online.

Here’s the goal, from the shopper’s perspective. It’s 8 p.m. and something breaks. Maybe it’s a dress shirt, a chair, a mattress. The issue is time. You’ll need to drive to the store in a matter of moments, so you need to instruct your mobile app, “Show me your chairs and limit what you show me to items that are in stock at this specific store.” Most retailers approach this in the opposite way, saying, “You first find the specific item, and we will then tell you if it is available at that store.”

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