Method for indicating consumer demand

• US 20030014269A1
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malkin, Peter K., Morrow, Lewis Alexander, Kellogg, Wendy Anne
• Granted Patent: US 7,035,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A method for providing interactive sales support to a customer via a mobile device comprises receiving user input via the mobile device, determining whether the user input is a customer query, if so, adding the customer query to a query queue and delivering an acknowledgment to the mobile device confirming the receipt of the customer query, determining a response to the customer query in the query queue, and delivering the response to the mobile device. The step of determining the response further comprises parsing the customer query for at least one key word, and retrieving a response corresponding to the key word from a database. The method includes determining whether the user input is a product identifier, if so, retrieving data corresponding to the product identifier from a database, and delivering the response to the mobile device including the data corresponding to the product identifier.

Claims

1. A method for providing sales support, comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic service request including a product identifier and a customer query from a customer within a sales environment;

retrieving data corresponding to the product identifier from a product database;

determining a portion of the data relating to the customer query; and

delivering an electronic reply to the customer including the portion of the data corresponding to the product identifier and relating to the customer query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of issuing the customer a mobile device, wherein the mobile device issues the electronic service request.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of issuing the customer a mobile device, wherein the mobile device determines the product identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of issuing the customer a mobile device and a corresponding customer identification.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the customer identification is persistent.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the customer identification is issued with the service request.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of storing the service request in a customer database corresponding to the customer identification.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the product identifier is determined according to one of a product radio frequency identification tag, a bar code scan, a verbal description provided by the customer, a digital photo, and an alphanumeric identification.

9. A method for providing sales support, enabling a business and a customer to communicate via a mobile device, comprising of the steps of:

issuing the customer the mobile device;

receiving an electronic service request including a product identifier and a customer query via the mobile device;

retrieving data corresponding to the product identifier from a product database;

determining a portion of the data corresponding to the product identifier and relating to the customer query; and

delivering an electronic reply to the mobile device including the portion of the data corresponding to the product identifier and relating to the customer query.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of issuing the customer a customer identification, wherein the customer identification associates the mobile device with the customer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the database stores the association between the mobile device and the customer.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

making the association upon issuing the mobile device to the consumer; and

breaking the association upon return of the mobile device to the business.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of tracking the customer within the store based on a position of the mobile device in relation to a plurality of beacons.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a server stores positions over time as position data.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

logging the position data; and

mining the position data for a pattern of movement.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the product identifier is determined according to one of a product radio frequency identification tag, a bar code scan, a verbal description provided by the customer, a digital photo, and an alphanumeric identification.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of determining the response further comprises the steps of:

parsing the customer query for at least one key word; and

retrieving a response corresponding to the key word from a database.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the user input is a product identifier, if so, retrieving data corresponding to the product identifier from a database; and

delivering the response to the mobile device including the data corresponding to the product identifier.

17. A method for providing interactive sales support to a customer via a mobile device comprising of the steps of:

receiving user input via the mobile device;

determining whether the user input is a customer query, if so, adding the customer query to a query queue and delivering an acknowledgment to the mobile device confirming the receipt of the customer query;

determining a response to the customer query in the query queue; and

delivering the response to the mobile device.