A Model for Determining Retail Product Category Assortment and Shelf Space Allocation
开发了一个品类管理模型，帮助零售商在空间有限的情况下决定库存哪些产品以及分配多少货架空间，采用模拟退火启发式算法求解。
We develop a category management model to aid retailers in the space constrained decisions of which products to stock (assortment) and how much shelf space to allocate to those products. The model is formulated as a constrained optimization problem with two basic decision variables: assortment and allocation of space to the items in the assortment. The non-linearities in the objective function and the zero-one decision variables disallow a closed form solution. We develop a heuristic solution procedure based on simulated annealing and test it on a problem with a known optimum. We also apply the technique to a larger problem without a known optimum. Finally, the solution found by simulated annealing is compared against a solution produced using a shelf allocation rule based on share of sales.