Customized customer portal

• US 20030036978A1
• Filed: 08/16/2001
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Dodd, Russell Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,200,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing customized information to customers are disclosed. The systems and methods provide a holistic approach to providing sales support to a customer intending to purchase items for re-sale. Methods are disclosed by which information available to a seller regarding goods for sale may be selected and even tailored with respect to particular customer users of the method. Similarly, systems which accomplish similar results are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

a) providing an interface to a plurality of customers,

b) receiving customer identification information from at least one of said customers, said receiving being accomplished through the use of said interface,

c) receiving from at least one of said customers an indication of purchase interest in at least one consumer product, wherein said at least one consumer product is selected by said at least one of said customers from a plurality of consumer products available for sale, wherein the identity of said plurality of consumer products is made known to said plurality of customers through the use of said interface,

d) accessing customer information related to said at least one of said customers from a pre-existing database,

e) providing to said at least one of said customers product information regarding said at least one consumer product through the use of said interface, wherein said product information provided is customized on the basis of said customer information accessed in step (d).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface is provided on ore or more programmable computers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface is a graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface provided via the world wide web.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said indication of purchase interest in accomplished through the use of representative icons.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said pre-existing database comprises sales information with respect to said plurality of customers.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least steps (d) and (e) are accomplished through the use of a pre-programmed relational database.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the product information provided in step (e) is customized on the basis of customer type.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the product information provided in step (e) is customized on the basis of customer specific characteristics.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the product information provided in step (e) comprises sales projection information calculated with respect to said at least one of said customers.

11. A system comprising:

a) a customer interface, wherein said customer interface is provided through the use of machine readable instructions resident on a machine readable format,

b) a customer information database, wherein said database comprises information contained in a machine readable format, wherein said database contains customer information records pertaining to each of a plurality of customers, and wherein each of said customer information record is associated with each of said customers for access by said system,

c) a product information database, wherein said database comprises information contained in a machine readable format, wherein said database comprises information contained in a machine readable format, wherein said database contains product information records pertaining to each of a plurality of products, and wherein each of said product information record is associated with each of said products for access by said system, and

d) one or more customization algorithms, wherein said algorithms are contained in a machine readable format, wherein at least one of said algorithms contains instructions sufficient to associate information contained in one or more of said customer information records with information contained in one or more of said product information records.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said customization algorithm contains instructions sufficient to manipulate information contained in one or more of said product information records by performing calculations using input contained in one or more of said customer information records to arrive at a computed result not previously contained in either said customer information database or said product information database.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said computer result is capable of being displayed through said user interface.