An information processing method includes: acquiring, for each of a plurality of pallets, loading information indicating the type and number of articles allocated to the pallet as well as a stacking order of the articles on the pallet; and setting a loading order indicating order of the pallets where loading is performed, based on the loading information regarding the pallets.

Systems and methods are provided for generating surprise gift objects presentable to intended recipients based on real-time location data associated with recipients. Users are provided with recommendations for surprise gift objects that can be provided to recipients based on information associated with recipients and inventory data associated with locations through which options associated with these surprise gift objects are made available. Through these systems and methods, recipients are notified of the availability of surprise gift objects based on their real-time location data. As recipients select different options associated with these surprise gift objects or otherwise redeem these surprise gift objects at the one or more locations, data corresponding to these redemptions is used to further enhance the systems and methods in order to provide more accurate tailored recommendations to users wishing to send surprise gift objects to recipients and to the recipients when redeeming surprise gift objects.

In a server device, an intermittent appender intermittently appends to a report file for a store, at predetermined time intervals, log information of a record newly generated or updated in a database. Upon receiving a request for download of the report file from a store terminal, a supplementary appender appends to the report file the log information after the previous appending by the intermittent appender. Upon start of appending by the supplementary appender, a provider causes the intermittent appender to hold appending, and upon completion of the appending by the supplementary appender, provides the store terminal with the report file. Upon completion of providing the report file by the provider, a resumer initializes the report file, and then cancels holding of the intermittent appender to cause the intermittent appender to resume the appending.

An order fulfilment method implemented in an automated storage and retrieval system, the method includes loading each of the stocking boxes onto a container to form storage assemblies, transporting the storage assemblies to storage spaces in the storage structure, fulfilling orders at the at least one order fulfilment station, including, for all or some of the orders, picking at least one item from at least one of the storage assemblies and placing the at least one item into an order box, at least one stocking box being emptied, the stocking box emptied of the at least one item is used as the order box for at least one of the orders in.