Marketing and rewards system and method

• US 20070130000A1
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ayman Assanassios
• Original Assignee: Ayman Assanassios
• Inventors: Assanassios, Ayman
• Application Number:
  US11/283,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130000A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing a marketing program for a selected group of merchants which provides incentives to consumers to purchase goods and/or services from the selected group of merchants. The method comprises establishing one or more merchant selection rules, registering a consumer wishing to participate in the program, receiving merchant information, matching the received merchant information with available merchant selection rules and adding merchants to one or more selected group of merchants after determining that the respective merchants have the required characteristics. A machine readable database operable to store specified information representing earned credits for participating consumers is provided. The program is universal in the sense that the method of payment is unrestricted and participating consumers receive an identification and which can be used for purchases from a participating merchant, in a store, by phone or online.

Claims

1. A method for providing a marketing program for a selected group of merchants which provides incentives to consumers to purchase goods and/or services from the selected group of merchants, the method comprising:

establishing a merchant selection rule that includes a criterion a merchant is required to meet to join the selected group of merchants;

registering a consumer wishing to participate in the program;

receiving merchant information from merchants who desire to join the selected group of merchants, the merchant information including characteristics of the respective merchants;

matching the received merchant information with the merchant selection rule and adding merchants to the selected group of merchants after determining that the respective merchants meet the required criterion;

providing a machine readable database on a communication network operable to store information representing earned credits for participating consumers resulting from transactions between participating consumers and participating merchants;

providing access for participating merchants and participating consumers to update the database with the specified information for a particular transaction, the access being independent of the method of payment for goods and/or services and independent of where the goods and/or services are offered for sale;

storing in the database information as to available incentives and respective values for the incentives relative to individual and/or cumulative value of transactions; and

providing access to the database for participating consumers to select incentives according to earned credits from purchases from the selected group of merchants.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the incentives include sweepstakes cards enabling a participating consumer to win money.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein an amount provided by the sweepstakes cards is related to the amount of the consumer'"'"'s earned credits.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a logo to the selected group of merchants to be displayed by the selected group of merchants.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising advertising the marketing program.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the advertising is provided at least in printed media, television, radio, and/or over the internet.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving consumer information from consumers, wherein the consumer information includes an identification of the consumer'"'"'s registration.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a survey to consumers to receive information from participating consumers, and awarding the participating consumers credits for completing the survey.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging the selected group of merchants a fee for participating in the marketing program.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the fee comprises a flat fee entitling merchants to join the selected group for a period of time.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the fee comprises a royalty percentage of each sale made to participating consumers.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a second merchant selection rule that includes a different criterion a merchant must meet to join a second selected group of merchants.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the merchant has concurrent membership in both the first selected group and the second selected group of merchants.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising using an ID card to provide access to the database for recording a transaction.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a transaction identifier to use for later access when the ID card is not available at the time of the transaction.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the merchant sends the transaction identifier to a database for later use in authentication.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant information is received in machine readable form.

18. An apparatus for providing a marketing program for a selected group of merchants which provides incentives to consumers to purchase goods and/or services from the selected group of merchants, the apparatus comprising:

a merchant selection rule that includes a criterion a merchant is required to meet to join the selected group of merchants;

a registration module that registers a consumer wishing to participate in the program;

a merchant information reception module that receives merchant information from merchants who desire to join the selected group of merchants, the merchant information including characteristics of the respective merchants;

a matching module that matches the received merchant information with the merchant selection rule and adds merchants to the selected group of merchants after determining that the respective merchants meet the required criterion;

a machine readable database provided on a communication network operable to store information representing earned credits for participating consumers resulting from transactions between participating consumers and participating merchants;

an interface that provides access for participating merchants and participating consumers to update the database with the specified information for a particular transaction, the access being independent of the method of payment for goods and/or services and independent of where the goods and/or services are offered for sale;

wherein information is stored in the database as to available incentives and respective values for the incentives relative to individual and/or cumulative value of transactions; and

wherein access to the database is provided for participating consumers to select incentives according to earned credits from purchases from the selected group of merchants.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the incentives include sweepstakes cards enabling a participating consumer to win money.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein an amount provided by the sweepstakes cards is related to the amount of the consumer'"'"'s earned credits.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a logo provided to the selected group of merchants to be displayed by the selected group of merchants.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further wherein the marketing program is advertised.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the advertising is provided in at least printed media, television, radio, and/or over the internet.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a consumer information reception module that receives consumer information from consumers, wherein the consumer information includes an identification of the consumer'"'"'s registration.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further a survey provided to consumers to receive information from participating consumers, and credits awarded to the participating consumers for completing the survey.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein selected group of merchants is charged a fee for participating in the marketing program.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the fee comprises a flat fee entitling merchants to join the selected group for a period of time.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the fee comprises a royalty percentage of each sale made to participating consumers.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a second merchant selection rule that includes a different criterion a merchant must meet to join a second selected group of merchants.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the merchant has concurrent membership in both the first selected group and the second selected group of merchants.

31. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an ID card that provides access to the database for recording a transaction.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a transaction identifier to use for later access when the ID card is not available at the time of the transaction.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the merchant sends the transaction identifier to a database for later use in authentication.

34. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the merchant information received is provided in machine readable form.