A system selects a recommended PSAP from several different available PSAP by screening a consumer by providing a plurality of questions regarding the consumer's hearing that each require a subjective response and receiving the subjective responses from the consumer. The questions can include questions relating to hearing difficulty during one-on-one conversations, hearing difficulty during conversations with women and/or children, hearing difficulty during conversations in restaurants and/or meetings, and presence of stress and/or agitating sounds. The recommended PSAP is automatically selected for the consumer based at least in part on the subjective responses. The recommended PSAP provides enhancement of high frequencies if the responses indicate difficulty hearing women and/or children, provides reduction of low frequencies if the responses indicate difficulty hearing in restaurants and/or meetings, and provides phase cancellation if the responses indicate presence of stress and/or agitating sounds. The recommended PSAP is presented to the user for possible purchase.

Systems and methods for expediting online transactions are disclosed. In some embodiments, a disclosed method includes: obtaining a query submitted by a user; identifying, in the query, at least one predetermined keyword indicating a request for an expedited transaction by the user; determining, based on the query and a transaction history of the user, a product item; generating contract data related to a purchase contract of the product item; and transmitting, as a response to the query, the contract data with an option for the user to select to directly place an order of the product item.

A product distribution system comprising a controller that receives, from the user device controller, characteristics of a desired product including one of a product category and a product identification; receives, from the user device controller, a selection of a purchasing option; receives, from each seller controller, product characteristics of seller products available from each seller to be offered to the user, the product characteristics including one of a product category and a product identification; identify one or more products and/or offers associated with the purchasing option and that meets the characteristics of the desired product from the user device and the product characteristics from the seller device; and shares a subset of the user information with the seller controller, wherein the subset of the user information includes the user identifier and/or demographic information.

Methods and systems for designing, establishing and operating interactive, rebrandable stations, or Pods connected to a Service System to enable service providers to deliver qualified information, advice and agent-assisted services are disclosed herein. Said Pods may be accessed remotely or via Service Centers. A key benefit is the ability for multiple providers to enable secure services through a single Pod. Users once authenticated or logged into a said Pod, can access a plurality of service protocols. Such service protocols may be accessed using self-service tools, or through real-time assisted service. The Service System includes both user- and agent computer systems through which user and agent interactions are enabled. The agent computer system includes a number of service tools available for supporting agent-assistance servicing. The Service System further tracks and compiles session information and data.

Embodiments described herein simplify ordering of products from online shops. This may involve an agent server receiving captured contents of a product webpage from a client device and autonomously deriving product information therefrom. Alternatively, the agent service can receive a web address corresponding to a product webpage, and the agent server can visit the product webpage and capture its contents. The agent server then uses the derived product information to autonomously control ordering of the product for the user from an online shop, without requiring that the user have an account with the online shop, without requiring that the user enter personal and payment information in a check-out webpage of the online shop, without requiring that the user select a buy or shopping cart button associated with the online shop, and without requiring the online shop utilize an API to enable the agent server to interact with the online shop.

Some embodiments provide methods, systems and apparatus to enhance safety. In some embodiments, a system comprises: a central computer system comprising: a transceiver; a control circuit; and a memory coupled to the control circuit and storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to perform the steps of: communicate positioning routing instructions to the plurality of motorized transport units directing the motorized transport units to one or more external areas of a shopping facility that are exposed to weather conditions; and communicate separate area routing instructions to each of the motorized transport units that when implemented cause the motorized transport units to cooperatively and in concert travel in accordance with the area routing instructions over at least predefined portions of one or more external areas to cause ground treatment systems to address ground level conditions.

Some embodiments include a track system comprising: an elevated track system comprising a series of elevated tracks that are positioned elevated above a sales floor and products distributed over at least a portion of the sales floor of a shopping facility, and configured such that multiple motorized transport units travel along the series of elevated tracks in traversing at least portions of the shopping facility.

A central computer system directs a motorized transport unit through a retail shopping facility to a particular mobile item container having at least one item disposed therein, that item being designated for return to a particular department within the retail shopping facility such that this item can then again be presented for sale. After causing that motorized transport unit to physically attach to this mobile item container, the central computer system then directs that motorized transport unit through the retail shopping facility with the attached particular mobile item container to the one or more departments to which the item or items are to be so returned.

A system includes a contact center to provide an interaction between a consumer and an agent workstation of the contact center, where the consumer conducts a transaction with a provider through a third party marketplace. A database stores information about a relationship between the consumer, the provider and the marketplace. The contact center to routes the consumer to the agent workstation based on the relationship.

A central computer system identifies a mobile item container in a retail shopping facility as being abandoned. The central computer system then directs a motorized transport unit through the retail shopping facility to the abandoned mobile item container and causes that motorized transport unit to physically attach to the abandoned mobile item container. The central computer system then directs that motorized transport unit through the retail shopping facility with the attached abandoned mobile item container to a specified destination within the retail shopping facility. Abandonment can be determined as a function, at least in part, of determining that the mobile item container is both stationary and unattended for at least a predetermined amount of time. By one approach the central computer system can use different predetermined amounts of time when assessing abandonment depending upon where in the retail shopping facility the mobile item containers are located.