Pricing by historical comparison

• US 20110016020A1
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aaron T. Emigh
• Original Assignee: Aaron T. Emigh
• Inventors: Emigh, Aaron T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,683,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3446 Details of route searching algorithms, e.g. Dijkstra, A*, arc-flags, using precalculated routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

In some embodiments, techniques for pricing may include detecting a visitor at an e-commerce site, determining that an item offered for sale at the e-commerce site is of potential interest to the visitor, detecting another e-commerce site at which the user has viewed the item, determining a historical price, wherein the historical price is associated with a web page, wherein the web page offered the item at the other e-commerce site, calculating an offering price, wherein the offering price is based on the historical price, offering the item to the visitor at the offering price, and selling the item to the visitor at the offering price.

Claims

1. A method for pricing, comprising:

detecting a visitor at an e-commerce site;

determining that an item offered for sale at the e-commerce site is of potential interest to the visitor;

detecting another e-commerce site at which the user has viewed the item;

determining a historical price, wherein the historical price is associated with a web page, wherein the web page offered the item at the other e-commerce site;

calculating an offering price, wherein the offering price is based on the historical price;

offering the item to the visitor at the offering price; and

selling the item to the visitor at the offering price.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the item offered for sale at the e-commerce site is of potential interest to the visitor includes determining that a URL was visited, wherein the URL relates to the item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the URL was visited includes setting style information associated with a link, wherein the link is associated with the URL.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein setting style information relating to the URL includes defining a “

visited”

pseudoclass.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the URL was visited includes analyzing data provided by a browser toolbar.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user has visited a page associated with the item at the e-commerce site.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the URL was visited includes determining an attribute associated with a link, wherein the link is associated with the URL.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the URL was visited includes receiving a request at a server, wherein the request is associated with the style information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering price is the same as the historical price.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the offering price is a multiplicative factor of the historical price, wherein the multiplicative factor is less than one.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the historical price includes determining that the visitor has previously visited a plurality of competitors, and determining a plurality of competitive prices, wherein the competitive prices are respectively offered by the plurality of competitors, and selecting a minimum from among the plurality of competitive prices as the historical price.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein offering the item to the visitor at the offering price includes displaying a page dedicated to the item, wherein the offering price is included.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein offering the item to the visitor at the offering price includes providing information relating to the item and the offering price in a sidebar to a page that is provided.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein selling the item to the visitor at the offering price includes receiving a directive from the user to place the item into an electronic shopping cart, and receiving a directive from the user to perform a checkout process.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that an item offered for sale at the e-commerce site is of potential interest to the visitor includes determining that the visitor has visited a page on which the item is offered for sale.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that an item offered for sale at the e-commerce site is of potential interest to the visitor includes determining that the visitor has visited a page associated with a category of merchandise associated with the item.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the item relates to a product.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the item relates to a service.

19. A system for pricing, comprising:

a processor configured to;

detect a visitor at an e-commerce site;

determine that an item offered for sale at the e-commerce site is of potential interest to the visitor;

detect another e-commerce site at which the user has viewed the item;

determine a historical price, wherein the historical price is associated with a web page, wherein the web page offered the item at the other e-commerce site;

calculate an offering price, wherein the offering price is based on the historical price;

offer the item to the visitor at the offering price; and

sell the item to the visitor at the offering price; and

a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory provides instructions to the processor.

20. A computer program product for pricing, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

detecting a visitor at an e-commerce site;

determining that an item offered for sale at the e-commerce site is of potential interest to the visitor;

detecting another e-commerce site at which the user has viewed the item;

determining a historical price, wherein the historical price is associated with a web page, wherein the web page offered the item at the other e-commerce site;

calculating an offering price, wherein the offering price is based on the historical price;

offering the item to the visitor at the offering price; and

selling the item to the visitor at the offering price.