Consumer interaction system

• US 20020184109A1
• Filed: 02/07/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Conopco, Inc. (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Conopco, Inc. (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Harbron, Christopher George, Ravindranathan, Mohan, Hayet, Marie, Shaw, Katharine Jane, Patel, Shail
• Application Number:
  US10/067,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184109A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A method of efficient ordering of goods comprising the following steps:

(a) a client interacts with an electronic shopping system to indicate his willingness to place an order, whereby said interaction optionally involves the addition of further background information to the system and/or the addition of order specific information to the system;

(b) the electronic shopping system produces a suggestion of the shopping list for said client based on

(1) information concerning goods which are available for ordering, their prices and optionally further information relating to said goods; and

(2) information concerning the historic purchasing behaviour of said client; and optionally

(3) background information of said client; and optionally (4) environmental information; and

(c) said client reviews said suggestion of the shopping list and optionally amends said list followed by placing the order.

Claims

1. A system for the production of orders for the purchasing of goods said system providing:

(a1) first storage means comprising information concerning goods which are available for ordering, optionally their prices and optionally further information relating to said goods;

(a2) second storage means comprising information concerning the historic purchasing behaviour of one or more clients

(a3) optional third optional storage means comprising background information of said one or more clients;

(a4) optional fourth optional storage means comprising environmental information; and

(b1) if said third storage means are present then optional interaction means for said one or more clients to add background information to storage means (a3);

(b2) optional interaction means for said one or more clients to add order specific information to the system; and

(c1) order prediction means which, based on the information stored in said storage means (a1-a4), optionally supplemented by the information of (b2), produces a suggestion of the order for said one or more clients;

(d1) optional interaction means for said one or more clients for reviewing the order of cl optionally amending and supplementing said order and placing the order,

2. A system according to claim 1 for the electronic ordering of goods.

3. A system according to claim 1 for use to provide in-store purchasing advice to clients.

4. A system according to claim 1, for the ordering of supermarket goods.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the prediction is performed by using one or more selected from the group of:

calculation of average values, regression, logistic regression, survival analysis, time series analysis, non-linear time series analysis, neural nets, random effect models, genetic algorithms, rule based methods, decision tree models and fuzzy logic.

6. A system according to claims 1, wherein the order is presented to the client in an ordered manner, by one or more selected from the group of:

the estimated probability that the client will order the items

the average frequency with which the client orders the items

the cost of the items.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the shopping environment is characterised by one or more selected from the group of (1) average order sizes of multiple products (2) relatively high order frequency (3) a relatively high percentage of repeat-sales.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the suggested order comprises explanation or recommendations and whereby the system optionally comprises further interaction means for the customer to provide feedback.

10. A method of claim 9 wherein a system according to claim 1 is used.

9. A method of efficient purchasing of goods comprising the following steps:

(a) a client interacts with a shopping system to indicate his willingness to purchase goods, whereby said interaction optionally involves one or more of (a1) the addition of further background information to the system and (a2) the addition of order specific information to the system;

(b) the shopping system produces a suggestion of the order for said client based on;

(b1) information concerning goods which are available for ordering, optionally their prices and optionally further information relating to said goods; and

(b2) information concerning the historic purchasing behaviour of said client; and

optionally (b3) background information of said client; and

optionally (b4) environmental information; and

(c) said client reviews said suggestion of the order and optionally amends said order followed by optionally placing the order.