INTERNET-BASED CUSTOMER REFERRAL SYSTEM

• US 20080167946A1
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ellen L. Ratajak, Jeffrey P. Bezos, Sheldon J. Kaphan, Thomas K. Schonhoff
• Inventors: Bezos, Jeffrey P., Schonhoff, Thomas K., Kaphan, Sheldon J., Ratajak, Ellen L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,494,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An Internet-based customer referral system enables individuals and other business entities (“associates”) to market products sold on a merchant web site in return for commissions. Following registration, the associate sets up a web site (or other information dissemination system) to distribute hypertextual catalog documents that include marketing information (product reviews, recommendations, etc.) about selected products of the merchant. In association with each such product, the catalog document includes a hypertextual “referral link” that allows a user/customer to access the merchant web site and purchase the product. When a customer selects a referral link, the customer'"'"'s computer transmits unique IDs of the selected product and of the associate to the merchant'"'"'s site, allowing the merchant to identify the product and the referring associate. If the customer subsequently purchases a product from the merchant'"'"'s site, a commission is automatically credited to an account of the referring associate.

Claims

1. A method of selling an item represented in an electronic catalog of items, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving a request message generated in response to selection of an item-specific link by a referred customer, the request message identifying a referral source of the referred customer and an item recommended by the referral source;

identifying the referral source and the item using the request message;

transacting a sale of the item to the referred customer; and

in response to the sale, determining compensation for the referral source.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein compensating the referral source for the referral comprises paying the referral source a purchase price based commission.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the request message comprises a URL which includes a first code that identifies the referral source and a second code that identifies the item.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising assigning said first code to the referral source via an automated enrollment process.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, as part of the automated enrollment process, transmitting said first code to the referral source together with instructions for generating item-specific referral links that include said first code.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the request message is generated by a customer computer, and the method comprises responding to the request message by returning an item detail page for display on said customer computer, said item detail page corresponding to said item.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising generating a feedback report for the referral source, said feedback report indicating a number of customer referrals, and a number of purchases, resulting from the item-specific link.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a merchant system that hosts said electronic catalog of items.

9. A merchant system programmed and configured to perform the method of Claim 1.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting selection by a user of a link associated with an item sold by a merchant, wherein the link is provided in conjunction with a recommendation of the item, and/or an editorial description of the item, by a business entity other than the merchant;

determining whether the user completes a transaction with the merchant following the selection of the link; and

in response to completion by the user of the transaction with the merchant, determining a commission to be paid to the business entity.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the item is a book title selected by the business entity from an electronic catalog of book titles sold by the merchant.

12. The method as in claim 10, wherein the business entity is an expert in a field to which the item pertains.

13. The method as in claim 10, wherein the link is provided within an email document transmitted to the user by the business entity.

14. The method as in claim 10, wherein determining a commission comprises calculating the commission as a percentage of a purchase amount paid to the merchant by the user.

15. The method as in claim 10, further comprising generating and transmitting to the business entity a report that includes information about click-through events and purchases associated with said link.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the report includes information about click-through events and purchases associated with each of multiple links provided by the business entity.

17. The method as in claim 10, further comprising transmitting to the business entity instructions for creating item-specific links to an electronic catalog of the merchant.

18. The method as in claim 17, wherein the instructions are transmitted in response to online enrollment by the business entity in a marketing program of the merchant.

19. A merchant web site system configured to perform the method of claim 10.

20. A method of participating in an associates program implemented by a merchant system that hosts a merchant web site, the method comprising:

enrolling in the associates program via an automated enrollment process, wherein enrolling in the associates program comprises obtaining an associate identifier;

selecting an item represented on an item detail page of the merchant web site, said item capable of being purchased via the merchant web site;

generating a description of said item, said description being distinct from an item description on said item detail page;

generating an item-specific link to the item detail page of the merchant web site, said item-specific link including the associate identifier and an identifier of said item; and

incorporating the item-specific link and the description of the item into a web page of an associate web site that is separate from the merchant web site.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein generating a description of the item comprises generating an editorial description of the item.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein generating a description of the item comprises generating an editorial description of the item.