Method, apparatus, and computer program product for calculating a supply based on travel propensity

• US 10,706,435 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2018
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Shariff, Shafiq, Nordquist, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Gills, Kurtis
• Application Number:
  US15/919,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration

Abstract

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for managing a sales pipeline, and in some embodiments, calculating supply based on travel propensity. An example method comprises identifying a total demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location, determining, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion tuple comprising at least a category, price information and a geographic area, identifying one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple, determining whether the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied, wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which the geographic location is within the promotion area for the one or more promotions, and identifying a demand gap in an instance in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location,

wherein a promotion tuple comprises at least a category, price information, and information indicative of a location;

determining, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion area being the geographic location and one or more additional areas,

wherein the one or more additional areas comprise areas to which a consumer will travel to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and areas from which a consumer will travel to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein determining the promotion area for the one or more promotions comprises;

determining a travel probability that a consumer that is associated with the geographic location would travel to each of the one or more additional areas;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold; and

identifying each of the one or more additional areas as one of the one or more additional areas in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

identifying the one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple;

determining, for each promotion of the one or more promotions, a portion of the demand of the promotion tuple at the geographic location that each promotion fulfills by determining an estimated number of units of demand that can be fulfilled for each promotion at the geographic location based on historical sales of promotions having the same identification pair;

determining whether a total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied,

wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which the demand existing within the geographic location is greater than a demand reduction resulting from consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the areas determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase other promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein the total demand is determined as a function of (i) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location, minus (ii) the reduction in demand calculated as a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the one or more additional areas to which a consumer may travel to determined to be travel worthy; and

providing a dynamic user interface configured to allow users to see available data and trends in that data, a view of the dynamic user interface being dependent on a type of user, and a selection of at least one of a map view allowing selection of a granularity of data or a data view in a form of a priority list comprising a filter for at least one of geography or taxonomy.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the total demand based on the travel probability.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a direction and distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the promotion area is indicative of one or more second subdivisions to which a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a promotion radius comprising a distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow users to see instances in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the total demand is also a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers from areas outside the promotion area.

8. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for:

identifying a demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location,

wherein a promotion tuple comprises at least a category, price information, and information indicative of a location;

determining, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion area being the geographic location and one or more additional areas,

wherein the one or more additional areas comprise areas to which a consumer will travel to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and areas from which a consumer will travel to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein determining the promotion area for the one or more promotions comprises;

determining a travel probability that a consumer that is associated with the geographic location would travel to each of the one or more additional areas;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold; and

identifying each of the one or more additional areas as one of the one or more additional areas in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

identifying the one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple;

determining, for each promotion of the one or more promotions, a portion of the demand of the promotion tuple at the geographic location that each promotion fulfills by determining an estimated number of units of demand that can be fulfilled for each promotion at the geographic location based on historical sales of promotions having the same identification pair;

determining whether a total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied,

wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which

the demand existing within the geographic location is greater than a demand reduction resulting from consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the areas determined to be travel worthy to in order purchase other promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein the total demand is determined as a function of (i) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location, minus (ii) the reduction in demand calculated as a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the one or more additional areas to which a consumer may travel to determined to be travel worthy; and

providing a dynamic user interface configured to allow users to see available data and trends in that data, a view of the dynamic user interface being dependent on a type of user, and a selection of at least one of a map view allowing selection of a granularity of data or a data view in a form of a priority list comprising a filter for at least one of geography or taxonomy.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

adjust the total demand based on the travel probability.

10. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a direction and distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

11. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the promotion area is indicative of one or more second subdivisions to which a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

12. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a promotion radius comprising a distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

13. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow users to see instances in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied.

14. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the total demand is also a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers from areas outside the promotion area.

15. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

identify a demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location,

wherein a promotion tuple comprises at least a category, price information, and information indicative of a location;

determine, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion area being the geographic location and one or more additional areas,

wherein the one or more additional areas comprise areas to which a consumer will travel to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and areas from which a consumer will travel to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein determining the promotion area for the one or more promotions comprises;

determining a travel probability that a consumer that is associated with the geographic location would travel to each of the one or more additional areas;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold; and

identifying each of the one or more additional areas as one of the one or more additional areas in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

identify the one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple;

determine, for each promotion of the one or more promotions, a portion of the demand of the promotion tuple at the geographic location that each promotion fulfills by determining an estimated number of units of demand that can be fulfilled for each promotion at the geographic location based on historical sales of promotions having the same identification pair;

determine whether a total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied, wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance the demand existing within the geographic location is greater than a demand reduction resulting from consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the areas determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase other promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein the total demand is determined as a function of (i) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location, minus (ii) the reduction in demand calculated as a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the one or more additional areas to which a consumer may travel to determined to be travel worthy; and

provide a dynamic user interface configured to allow users to see available data and trends in that data, a view of the dynamic user interface being dependent on a type of user, and a selection of at least one of a map view allowing selection of a granularity of data or a data view in a form of a priority list comprising a filter for at least one of geography or taxonomy.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

adjust the total demand based on the travel probability.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a direction and distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the promotion area is indicative of one or more second subdivisions to which a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a promotion radius comprising a distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow users to see instances in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied.

21. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the total demand is also a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers from areas outside the promotion area.