BUSINESS PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ONLINE PURCHASES USING A RULE-BASED TRANSFERABLE SHOPPING BASKET

A transferable online shopping basket is used in a business process and apparatus for online shopping at online stores. At least one online shopping basket is acquired by a buyer from an online store and is customized according to rules specified by the buyer. The buyer places zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) before they are given to at least one shopper by the online store. The shopper(s) may further customize the online shopping basket(s) with rules that do not conflict with those specified by the buyer. The shopper(s) then place zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) and return the basket(s) to the online store. An e-mail is sent to the buyer notifying the buyer the shopper(s) are finished shopping. Multiple online shopping baskets are merged into a single basket, and the buyer reviews the items in the merged online shopping basket and adds or removes items as necessary. The buyer then purchases the remaining items from the online store. The process may be repeated for additional shoppers.