Retail website user interface, systems and methods

• US 10,332,196 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Alcott, Jennifer, Weber, Chad, Stromquist, Peter, Dingman, Josh, Stenzinger, Robert, Netland, Nicole, Roux, Thibault
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiaszek, Amber A
• Application Number:
  US15/845,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20180174228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742, 705 261- 262
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A web site that presents a user interface that displays images of products to a user. The product images that are displayed are of products that are recently trending or popular as determined by data derived from one or more sources. Each product image is displayed without the price of the respective product and without text naming, describing or identifying the respective product. Therefore, the user interface is constructed to focus on the trending products themselves so that the user interface is clean and uncluttered, allowing customers to focus on the trending products for possible purchase.

Claims

1. A system comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) displayable on a display device, the GUI including:

a plurality of product images displayable on the display device, each product image being of a product that is determined to be trending within the past seven days or less prior to being displayed, wherein determining whether the product is trending includes information from one or more social networks, the information from the one or more social networks including a number of positive reviews being greater than a minimum threshold, wherein the positive reviews include specifically designed approval mechanisms associated with the one or more social networks, and in response to determining that one of the plurality of product images is not in season, the one of the plurality of product images is determined to not be trending; and

each product image is displayable without a price of the respective product and without text naming, describing or identifying the respective product, wherein each product image can be selected, and when one of the product images is selected, in a location of at least a part of the selected product image, the price of that product, text naming or describing that product, and a link to permit viewing of further details of that product are displayable.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each product is determined to be trending based on a total number of positive reviews of the product and/or a total number of recommendations of the product via the one or more social networks.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each product is determined to be trending based on the total number of positive reviews of the product and the total number of recommendations of the product via the one or more social networks.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each product image is of a product that is determined to be trending within the past three days or less prior to being displayed, and no product images are displayable of products that are not trending within the past three days or less.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising one or more of the following:

i) the positive reviews are from a website of a retailer that sells the products, and the displayable product images have an average review score from the retailer website that is equal to or exceeds the minimum threshold; and

ii) each product image is of a product that is in stock.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising a badge icon displayable adjacent to one of the product images for the product that has received the largest number of positive reviews or the largest number of recommendations.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising a first badge icon displayable adjacent to one of the product images for the product that has received the largest number of positive reviews, and a second badge icon displayable adjacent to one of the product images for the product that has received the largest number of recommendations.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the products are grouped into product categories;

and

for each product category, one of the badge icons is displayable adjacent to one of the product images for the product in the product category that has received the largest number of positive reviews or the largest number of recommendations.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a link that, when selected, causes only the product images of products that are currently subject to a sales promotion to be displayable.

10. The system of claim 3, when one of the product images is selected, in the location of at least a part of the selected product image, the total number of positive reviews for that product and the total number of recommendations for that product are displayable.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of product images are displayable on the display device in an arrangement of rows and columns including at least 4 columns.

12. An Internet website system, comprising:

at least one server that is connectable to the Internet and that is configured to provide a website that is viewable on the Internet, the website displays a plurality of separate product images arranged in a plurality of rows and columns;

each product image is of a product that is for sale by a company and has received at least one positive product review and/or has received at least one recommendation via at least one social network within a predetermined time period prior to being displayed;

each product image is displayed without a price of the respective product and without text naming, describing or identifying the respective product;

the website does not display any product images of products that have not received at least one positive product review or at least one recommendation via at least one social network within the predetermined time period; and

each product image is of a product that is in stock for sale by the company,

wherein each product image can be selected, and when one of the product images is selected, in a location of at least a part of the selected product image, the price of that product, text naming or describing that product, and a link to permit viewing of further details of that product are displayable.

13. The Internet website system of claim 12, further comprising a badge icon displayed adjacent to one of the product images for the product that has received the largest number of positive product reviews or the largest number of recommendations.

14. The Internet website system of claim 12, wherein the website includes a deals link that, when selected, causes only the product images of products that are currently subject to a sales promotion to be displayed.

15. A computer-implemented method of presenting products to a consumer for purchase via a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display device of the consumer, comprising:

determining products that are trending within the past seven days based on information from at least one social network, the information from the one or more social networks including a number of positive reviews being greater than a minimum threshold, wherein the positive reviews include specifically designed approval mechanisms associated with the one or more social networks, and in response to determining that one of the plurality of product images is not in season, the one of the plurality of product images is determined to not be trending;

via a website that is accessible by the consumer and that is rendered via one or more servers, displaying on the display device of the consumer a product image of each trending product, and displaying each product image without a price of the respective product and without text naming, describing or identifying the respective product, wherein each product image can be selected, and when one of the product images is selected, in a location of at least a part of the selected product image, the price of that product, text naming or describing that product, and a link to permit viewing of further details of that product are displayable.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining products that are trending comprises determining products that are trending within the past three days prior to being displayed, and no product images are displayed of products that are not trending within the past three days.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising filtering the products determined to be trending so that:

i) the positive reviews are from a website of a retailer that sells the products, and the displayed products have an average review score from the retailer website that is equal to or exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

ii) each product image is of a product that is in stock.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a badge icon adjacent to one of the product images for the product that has received the largest number of positive reviews or the largest number of recommendations.