WO2005041099A1 - Virtual shopping system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for making a virtual store (10) for use in shopping on-line includes the steps of digitally imaging a real store using a digital imaging device, creating software objects that correspond to the boundaries of the items (32) whose images are shown in the image, associating information about the products (32) with these computer objects as metadata, and then storing a website that includes the digital image on a hosting server. The hosting server is connected to a database where the product information is stored so that the user who accesses the website can obtain product information by clicking on the images of the items (32). A user can access the website, navigate the virtual store, make selections for purchase, and arrange to take possession of the purchased items (32) in a manner that closely parallels shopping at a physical store.

Description

TITLE VIRTUAL SHOPPING SYSTEM FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to the use of the Internet for purchasing goods. More particularly, it relates to the act of shopping at home using a personal computer and Internet technology. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Many people like to shop; many do not. Some of those who like to shop have little time to do so. Some people like to shop for some types of goods but find shopping for other items, such as groceries, to be a chore because it must be done at frequent intervals and often at inconvenient times. Finally, some people cannot shop because of disabilities or other factors. [0003] The explosive growth of the Internet has made it possible to purchase goods on-line. Stores may have web sites that have pictures of the goods or lists of goods. By "clicking" on the item or indicating a choice in some other conventional way, a shopper may purchase an item on-line. Often there is an abundance of information available on a web site about particular goods. Nonetheless, many shoppers, particularly those who like to shop, do not feel comfortable shopping on-line and prefer the "look and feel" of a real store to a virtual one. Thus, shopping on-line has advantages and disadvantages. [0004] Grocery shopping on-line, such as the PEAPOD web site, has been attempted but has met with limited success. If a shopper knows what he wants, on-line grocery store web sites can work well and can save time. If the shopper wants to browse, the amount of time required to select an item starts to increase because of the goods of a particular category are not all available to "see" at one time. Furthermore, for those who are particularly comfortable with a local store, shopping at a different store, one only accessible on-line, can seem somewhat off-putting or strange. [0005] Finally, although many physical stores may be convenient to shoppers, other stores are less conveniently located, perhaps even far away. Shopping at these stores in person rather than on-line may be out of the question except on rare occasions. However, given the typical on-line web site for retail establishments, on-line shopping at such stores may be a pale comparison to shopping in the physical store, both in terms of the shopping experience and the level of service provided. [0006] While computer hardware is becoming faster and cheaper and Internet access speeds are increasingly faster and broadband connections more prevalent, the process of buying goods on-line has not changed since the beginning of web browsing. The modern day approach is lacking in user interaction with the products and services, primarily as the result of the inherent limitations of thin client, HTML (hypertext markup language) based applications. [0007] Thus there remains a need for a better way for shoppers to shop in a convenient and comfortable way on-line. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] According to its major aspects and briefly recited, the present invention is a method and system for on-line shopping. "On-line" means using the Internet, extranet or a private network of computers accessible via a telecommunications network, and which network will be referred to herein simply and collectively as the "Internet." The Internet facilitates communication between a physical store and a shopper so that the shopper may shop at that store from anywhere there is access to a personal computer and to the Internet. The present method includes digitally imaging the aisles in a store, making software objects of each item, associating the software objects with certain coordinates of the digital store imaging, and then making the virtual store thus created available for on-line access over the internet using computer servers. The system includes a database, the digitally imaged store, an internet application server, and software programmed for hosting the web site and facilitating downloading and streaming of the "virtual store" to the computers of those accessing the website and who wish to shop at that virtual store. The system also includes a client-side software application that shoppers will use to view the store. This client application will use standard TCP/IP protocol and may be embedded in a web browser or used as a standalone application. The software application allows the shopper to navigate the store to find and examine "virtual" goods of interest in the same context the shopper might find them if the shopper were to visit the store itself and examine the physical goods. The software application allows the shopper not only to interact with the digital imaging of the real store, but also to consider those goods for purchase, to obtain buying decision information and to make a product selection, to pay for the selected products and to arrange for their physical receipt. [0009] The present system relies on a thick client user interface and enterprise e-commerce business objects for browsing and purchasing goods on-line. Through the use of a rich graphical user interface, streamed and downloaded digital imaging and, in an alternative embodiment, audio feeds over broadband internet connections, three-dimensional interactive product models, and complex business objects and rules, this software application will allow shoppers to experience a more realistic "in store" feel when buying goods on-line than possible by viewing simple product lists and thumbnail two-dimensional images of products, such as are typically found with prior art on-line stores. The digital imaging can be downloaded in real-time for those users with a broadband Internet connection, or it may be delivered on a CD (compact disk) and installed locally for those accessing the Internet on slower connections. For those on slower connections, the thick client user interface will connect to the server only to download up-to-date information such as inventory status, pricing, product reviews, etc. All digital imaging and audio will be locally delivered from the CD data. [0010] The present invention is not limited to retail stores having goods only on shelves. It can be adapted for use by stores having other types of conventional displays, such as clothing stores, jewelry stores and car dealerships. With any types of goods such as these, as opposed to the more familiar grocery store items, additional information may be required in order for the shopper to make a purchasing decision. [0011] A feature of the present invention is the use of digital imaging of an actual store so that the on-line shoppers can view the products in the context they would see them were they actually in the store itself. This feature is very important in overcoming the natural barrier many people have in shopping on-line. By making the on-line shopping experience as familiar and visual as possible, the on-line shopper will be more at ease and thus more inclined to focus on purchasing decisions. Furthermore, shopping can take place more quickly because it is similar to the actual in-store experience of the shopper. [0012] Another feature of the present invention is that the items in the "virtual" store are software objects that can be "opened," by "clicking" on the object, as those terms are currently understood by those familiar with use of object-based software applications, to provide information about the item itself. This feature is also very important. With grocery items, for example, shoppers are accustomed to obtaining information about a product from the product's packaging and from the labels carried on shelf edge brackets. The gesture of clicking on an image of an item thus becomes analogous in the present invention to picking up an item and yields the same results, namely, access to more information about the item. Furthermore, the amount of information can be much greater than that which might be available on the shelf or on the packaging of the product itself. [0013] The user interface will be designed in such a way that it imitates physically shopping in a store, and the user's computer's mouse will control what the user sees. For example, one can scroll and move in all directions using the mouse. You can zoom out to view more products at the same time, and zoom in to view specific products. [0014] Arranging for pick-up or delivery of the grocery items is another feature of the present invention. The virtual store, while based on a physical store laid out in a conventional way, may not be the local store. Rather, it may be remote to the shopper. However, the order placed by the shopper who shops the virtual store is filled by the local store for local pickup or delivery. [0015] These and other features and their advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of on-line shopping technology from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment accompanied by the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0016] In the figures, [0017] Fig. 1 is a top view of a portion of a typical grocery store showing different areas where goods are displayed; [0018] Fig. 2 is a view of a computer monitor showing virtual items on shelves, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0019] Fig. 3 is a view of a computer monitor with a pop up window to enable the shopper to select a product for purchase, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0020] Fig. 4 is a view of a computer monitor with a pull down menu to enable the shopper to obtain more product information, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0021] Fig. 5 is a flow chart of the virtual shopping process, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0022] Fig. 6 is a flow chart of the process for on-line shopping of the virtual store established in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and [0023] Fig. 7 is a flow chart of the process of establishing a virtual store for shopping, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0024] The present invention is a way to shop using the Internet; that it, it is a method for making and for using a website that permits on-line shopping. Although it will be described using a grocery store as a primary example, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in on-line retail sales that almost any store can be used in accordance with the present invention but particularly those that display goods for shoppers in order to help them in making their selections, where seeing the goods and obtaining information about them either from sales people, the packaging of the goods, or other convenient but store-based source enables the shopper to make purchasing decisions. [0025] Certain aspects of the invention depend on computer technology that is well known such as the tools of graphical user interfaces including pop-up windows, tool bars and pull down menus, computer input tools such as the use of a mouse for pointing and clicking and the use of voice recognition technology, as well as common internet technology such as the use of relational databases, internet browsers, data file compression and streaming video. These are all well known and well understood by those skilled in computer technology and Internet technology. The present invention is a novel and non-obvious combination of these. [0026] Referring now to the figures, there is illustrated in Fig. 1 a grocery store 10. Grocery store 10 will have check out lanes 12, long narrow shelves 14 on which goods are stacked and displayed, plus bins 16 and coolers 18 for displaying chilled produce for example. Usually like types of goods are grouped together and categories of goods are adjacent to each other in the aisles to make it easier for shoppers to find the types of products they are looking for and to make selections from among various brands. Other types of stores such as hardware stores and clothing stores operate in a similar manner. [0027] Car dealerships are arranged in similar ways, although on a different scale. Car dealers typically have cars arranged by model in rows on a lot and also a few additional cars available for close inspection inside a show room. Jewelry stores have merchandise displayed in glass display cases. Common to all of these retail stores is the display of goods or representative examples of the goods in a manner so that shoppers can see them. [0028] Of course, accessing the Internet, while most commonly done using a personal computer, may also be done using devices ranging from a television set with appropriate hardware and cable access to a personal digital assistant with a wireless modem. The word "computer" or phrase "personal computer" when used herein will be understood to include any device that can access and browse the internet, and interact with websites. The word "virtual" as in "virtual store" is intended to mean a navigable image of a store presented on a website, whether the store on which the image is based is a real store or a moc up of a store or even a drawing of a store, and, regardless of the source of the image, one which is created from a digital file adapted for display on a computer monitor. [0029] On a computer monitor 24, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the virtual store web page will show the user a view 26 of the store and will have tools available in a "tool bar" 28 for use by the shopper in navigating the store. These tools will include those needed to navigate the store and to search for items in the store, and to look closely at the goods available as well as to undergo the checkout process and arrange for physical receipt of the goods purchased. These tools can also include buttons to allow inspection and selection of products in a virtual shopping cart, buttons to allow checking off items from a grocery list, and icons of coupons for discounts on products. Other information may also be available such as information on hours of operation and store location maps. [0030] The shopper then is given a choice of either target shopping or cruising the store (Fig. 6). In the case in which a shopper wishes to go directly to particular products, target shopping is selected. The shopper selecting target shopping is then presented with a list of categories or may choose to enter search terms in a dialog box. Once a selection is keyed in, the software at the web site host server is programmed to shift the image presented on the shopper's monitor directly and immediately to the area of the shelf in the vicinity of the virtual store where the desired goods are located. [0031] The shopper can select a "zoom" tool from the tool bar at the top of the web page and look more closely at any item 32 simply by identifying the area of the screen on his monitor where the goods appear to be. When the item desired is found, the shopper zooms in on item 32 itself and selects it by clicking on it with the mouse (Fig. 3). [0032] Each item 32 is a software object. Moving the mouse curser over the object with the computer mouse and holding it there briefly, preferably a second or less, a small "pop-up" window appears that gives the price. By "clicking" on the object with the computer mouse, the shopper will open a menu 48 of choices that include "purchase" and "information" choices (Figs. 4 and 5, respectively). The "information" choices can include different types of information depending on the product. For example, if the virtual store is a grocery store, the information can include a list of ingredients and nutritional information, perhaps in the form of the image of the portion of the item's package that contains this information. As another example, if the virtual store is a clothing store, the information can include a series of construction detail views and a material description. [0033] Information may be provided about store promotions or suggestions as to related products. For example, if the product tentatively selected is a brand of cereal, there may be a manufacturer's promotion on that brand in the form of a coupon offering a discount from the stated price. There may be a low-sodium version of the same product or a house brand that is equivalent and available at a lower price. If the product is a nutritious breakfast cereal, a related product on sale may be skim milk. In a more sophisticated form of programming, the server may have information about related products other shoppers or even this particular shopper have bought and can offer reminders. For example, if the server has a record of this particular shopper purchasing plastic wrap approximately every month, it may want to remind the shopper with a prompt: "Do you need plastic wrap today?" An indication that a shopper is interested in a particular product may be used to trigger an assortment of helpful suggestions, cross selling, and up-selling, as well as become part of a database of shopper-specific information. [0034] A database in operative connection with the controlling software will be "used to identify and correlate information corresponding to the goods selected by the shopper using the object that represents the product. The use of databases to store information about software objects is well known to those skilled in internet applications, as is the variety of ways of displaying that information in pull down menus and pop up windows. [0035] Once the shopper has made a decision to buy, the item is added to a "shopping cart." On-line shopping using "shopping cart" technology is also well known. A shopping cart on an Internet store includes a running, incremental list of items tentatively selected for purchase by an on-line shopper. Usually this technology is also associated with secure credit card transaction software, also well known to those skilled in internet software applications, to allow a shopper to make payment for the items in a shopping cart that are to be purchased. [0036] The shopper, having selected item 32, is subjected to an inquiry as to whether he has finished shopping. If not, he is again presented with a list of categories or a search window to use to enter the name or brand of an item. Once entered, the computer will locate the item and the image of the area of the appropriate shelf where that item is will appear on the user's monitor. As each decision to purchase (or not purchase) is made, the user can click on the "enter" or "return" button on his personal computer to go directly to the image of the next item on his list. [0037] Alternatively, as an option, a shopper can download grocery list software for compiling a grocery list and then upload the list to the web site so that the server can take the shopper through the list seriatim. [0038] Once the shopper has finished shopping, he is directed to go to the checkout area of the virtual store. This technology is also part of "shopping cart" technology, including the security provisions for purchasing goods on-line and preserving the confidentiality of a credit card transaction. Alternatively, the shopper may have an account with the store that can be debited with the cost of the groceries. A receipt is emailed to the shopper or, alternatively, the shopper can download the receipt to a local computer and print it out or receive an itemized receipt when taking physical receipt of the groceries bought. [0039] In addition to checking out, the shopper is presented with two choices, in the preferred embodiment, regarding the physical receipt of the groceries. The shopper may elect to have them delivered, in which case, the time and date of delivery must be entered, or the shopper may elect to pick them up, in which case the time and date of pick up must be entered. [0040] When a shopper prefers to "cruise" the store, the server will allow the shopper to navigate through the aisles of the virtual store at the shopper's pace, using for example, his mouse or the up, down, left and right buttons on his computer, pausing to examine the store's offerings where desired. Navigation through the virtual store means "playing" the digital imaging of the store products at speed in order to create the impression of moving through the store, but pausing or accelerating at will through the digital imaging. Selections when cruising are made in the same way as with targeting shopping, namely, by zooming in on a particular item and then indicating a tentative selection by moving the curser over the image of the object and clicking. The shopper can switch back and forth from cruising to target shopping at will. [0041] A shopper may enter a chat room with the store staff to inquire about products. For example, if the shopper is shopping in the meat department, the shopper may wish to inquire about particular cut of meat and the best way to prepare them.

"Chatting" with the store butcher enables the consumer to make a more intelligent choice. [0042] As an alternative example, the shopper could enter a chat room with a representative of one of the products on display. Chat room technology is well known to those skilled in the art of Internet software applications and related technology. [0043] In an alternative embodiment, the present invention would allow voice chatting real time. In yet an alternative embodiment, the present invention would allow chatting with other customers. The present virtual shopping system and method is achieved in steps, set forth as follows. [0044] The first step in building the present virtual shopping system is to digitally image the store inventory. Every physical store has one thing in common: aisles (or sections). This fact suggests a logical grouping that shoppers, even those that are not computer savvy, would already be familiar and comfortable with. Therefore, according to the present invention, products are preferably grouped in the same way a physical store would, namely, by aisles. [0045] After business hours in an actual store, or at any time in a mock up of a real store, using a high resolution digital camera or camcorder mounted at eye level on a tripod and connected to a computer using a high speed data cable, the photographer slowly pans through the aisles of the store. Imaging should be done at a distance and with a lens selected so that the complete display area along an aisle (top to bottom) encompasses the entire screen. [0046] After imaging the store, the digital feed will be uploaded to a computer having an administrative control panel user interface. The user will then play back the digital images via the user interface and begin to build the database. Using simple "drag and drop" functions, well known to those of ordinary skill in object-based software programming, the user will first mark the outlines of the images of the products as they appear on the images. These outlines become the software object boundaries that map to individual products, or product groupings, which will allow the on-line shopper to interact with individual, "virtual" products. [0047] After marking off all product outlines and establishing the image of the product as an object, the user will then use the software to associate the product identification and inventory control as meta data to the product object. In this phase, the user will identify the product metadata, such as: SKU, universal product code (UPC), retail price, sale price, on-hand stock count, detailed descriptions, etc., in connection with specific objects. Using the drag and drop toolbar menu, the user will be able to attach additional product views, three-dimensional data models, and links to external software objects to each product object. For example, a grocery store may wish to have an image of the nutrition information from the package used as meta data, while a clothing boutique may wish to have a three dimensional, interactive data model that the shopper can rotate and zoom in on. In the first example, the image of the nutrition information is made and stored in the database. The location of this image is linked to a phrase such as "nutrition information" on a pull-down menu available by right-clicking on the product object. All of this type of information, in text or graphics format, can be attached to the product objects as metadata. [0048] Once the metadata have been associated with all product objects, the store owner can then continue building and deploying the site. For example, the website will have a home page. The home page will have a login feature so that previous users do not have to re-key in data regarding name, address, local store, and preferences such as grocery pickup versus home delivery. [0049] The virtual store software application will compress and optimize the digital imaging to create a binary file which will be deployed to an application server. The application server serves the storefront production to those accessing the web site in either a streamed or downloaded format. If streamed, the application server feeds both the digital imaging and the product metadata. If from a CD or downloaded, the application server serves the metadata. The streamed approach will allow for an instantaneous interaction with the storefront and is therefore preferred for customers who have access to the internet via broadband connection, while the downloadable format will allow for a higher quality picture after downloading data files. In addition, those on slow internet connections may wish to use data CDs instead of downloading data files. Users having access to the internet via a non-broadband connection (i.e. 56 Kbs or less) should use the downloadable format, since the connection will not be fast enough to support streamed video. [0050] The application server will operate on standard Internet protocols, namely, HTTP/HTTPS and TCP/IP ports 80 and 443, thus not limiting those users accessing the internet from computers comiected via proxy servers and firewalls. It uses preferably XML-based web coding for communications between the thick client front end and integration with other third party legacy software (supply chain management, accounting, CRM, etc). Open standards will be used in order to support exchange with third party systems - such as credit card merchant accounts. The desired open standard is SOAP Web Services. [0051] The application server has two primary purposes. First, it is responsible for serving the storefront binary digital image file (via download or streaming), produced as described above. Second, it contains all the business logic for communicating with both the shopper's thick client front end and the third party legacy systems. [0052] The thick client front end of the website is a rich graphical user interface having the look and feel of physically being in the store. The main functions of this front end are: [0053] Browsing - shoppers are able to pick an aisle to browse. They can click on a subsection of a selected aisle in order to zoom in on a detailed view of a product. By "clicking" on the image of the product, the shopper can get more information about the product, such as the pricing, availability, etc. From this level they are able to add the product to their shopping basket and continue shopping. [0054] Searching - using the product metadata, shoppers are able to search the database for a particular product or type of product using keywords. Searching metadata brings them to the exact section in the correct aisle. They can then zoom in on that product and add it to their virtual basket. [0055] Purchasing - once the shoppers find the product they are interested in, they can add it to their "shopping baskets" for future checkout. Shoppers will also be able to save their purchases in their baskets if they wish to continue shopping at a later date. This of course means that a record of the products they have identified for purchase will be saved. [0056] Order Processing - after adding the desired products to the shopping basket, the shoppers can simply "check out" by selecting their preferred payment method and indicating their preferred method of receipt of the goods (pick-up, delivery, etc). The technology for "shopping baskets" and "checking out" of a virtual store using credit card payment, with and without security provisions, is well known. [0057] Order Tracking - the rich user interface will allow shoppers to view prior purchases of goods and to track the status of their orders in real time. [0058] In addition to user interaction with the product browsing feature, the software establishes a convenient and secure shopping experience. Rather than registering and supplying address and payment information for each store visited each time it is visited, the shopper need only enter payment preferences and contact and shipping information once. This data is then stored within the thick client interface and made available for use by that shopper at multiple stores whenever that shopper shops. [0059] Due to the nature of the thick client user interface (and the absence of the restrictions that are inherent with thin client HTML), the shopping experience from browsing to ordering will be highly interactive, convenient, and secure. Features such as live voice chat customer support, live text chat customer support, live voice chat collaboration with other shoppers, voice activated browsing (in which the shopper speaks the name of the product of interest) and more are all features of the present invention that add to the reality and effectiveness of the shopping experience. [0060] In use, the shopper accesses the Internet and logs onto the present web site that in the present example is a virtual grocery store. The user logs in, if a current customer, or registers as a new customer. The shopper then downloads or streams the digital images of the virtual store. Next, the shopper selects target shopping or cruising depending on whether the shopper only wants a few specific items or wants to browse the store. The shopper can also prepare a shopping list electronically from the web site software. [0061] If the shopper elects to target shop, he enters the first item he is seeking into a dialog box and clicks on a "go" button. The image shifts to that portion of the store where that item is depicted. The consumer moves the computer curser over the object to learn the price, left clicks on that item to purchase it, perhaps zooming in on it to better see it, or right clicks for information about it. If the item is what the consumer wanted, he left clicks on the item to add it to a "grocery cart." [0062] Once all items have been assembled in the shopper's grocery cart, the shopper will proceed to checkout and confirm previous purchasing choices and delivery options. [0063] The "virtual store" navigated by the shopper may be remotely located and may not be a store available for shoppers to shop; that is, it may be a mockup of a store. When the shopper logs onto the web site and logs in for shopping, the local store will be identified and its current inventory database made available in case the shopper selects an items from the virtual store that is not available at the local store. The shopper will be notified and given the choice of selecting a different item, eliminating the item from the shopping list, or of backordering the item. [0064] When the final list of purchased products is available, it will be transmitted to fulfillment personnel at the local store who will arrange to have the goods assembled for pickup at the appointed time or for delivery to the address corresponding to the shopper's address. [0065] Other types of stores suggest other types of information and displays of goods. For example a clothing store can have displays of clothing on simulated three-dimensional models. The simulated models can be selected by the consumer according to the consumer's size, outfitted in the tentatively selected garments and then rotated for three-dimensional viewing. For example, a consumer who wears a size 14 dress can select a simulated model having that size to see how a dress, nominally shown in size 8 would look on a size 14 model in three dimensions. [0066] As another example, jewelry can be "modeled" on a simulated model for both size and appearance. A tour inside a car can also be provided by car dealerships. [0067] It will be apparent to those skilled in on-line shopping technology that there are many substitutions and modifications that can be made to the foregoing preferred embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, defined by the appended claim.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A method for making an on-line store, said method comprising the steps of: providing a store having products displayed in a sequence; making a digital image of said products as displayed in said sequence in said store; creating software objects corresponding to said products; providing a database; populating said database with data about said products associating data about said products as metatags with said computer objects of said products; storing said digital image on a host server; connecting said database with said host server so that said database can be accessed via said meta tags; and connecting said host server to a computer network so that users of said computer network can access said digital image of said products.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said digital image is a video digital image.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: providing a shopping basket; and enabling a user to associate said products with said shopping basket for purchase.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing means for a shopper to purchase products corresponding to said computer objects.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing means for a shopper to arrange to take possession of products corresponding to said software objects.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing means for moving from product to product in said sequence of products.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said creating step further comprises the steps of: identifying the boundaries of said products; and creating objects corresponding to said boundaries.

8. An on-line store accessible from a computer network, consisting of: a database containing product information; a graphical user interface including a digital image showing a sequence of product images, each product image of said sequence of product images having a boundary corresponding to the physical boundary of said each product image, said boundary defining a software object, said software object being associated with metatags that are linked to product information, said information being stored in said database; and a host server adapted for storing and delivering said graphical user interface and in operational connection with said database, said host server connected to a computer network so that users accessing said server can view said imaging and obtain product information by clicking on said product images.

9. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, further comprising: means for enabling a user to identify product images corresponding to products the user wishes to purchase; and means in operational connection with said host server for providing said products to said user.

10. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, further comprising means carried by said server for answering questions from a user accessing said server.

11. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, wherein said product information contains related product information stored with said product information so that, when said user obtains product information, said user obtains related product information.

12. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, wherein said host server delivers said graphical user interface by downloading to computers used to access said host server.

13. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, wherein said host server delivers said graphical user interface by streaming to computers used to access said host server.

14. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, wherein said digital image depicts said sequence of product images as products corresponding to said product images would be arranged in a physical store.

15. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, wherein said digital image is stored in said host server as a binary file.

16. The on-line store as recited in claim 8, wherein said graphical user interface enables a user accessing said host server to navigate said digital image