PERFORMING STUDIES OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR DETERMINED USING ELECTRONICALLY-CAPTURED CONSUMER LOCATION DATA

• US 20110099048A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Service Management Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cadio, Inc.
• Inventors: Fulford-Jones, Thaddeus R.F., Volpe, Andrew, Weiss, Eric H.
• Application Number:
  US12/910,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20110099048A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• 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 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

In embodiments, methods and systems for performing studies of consumer behavior are provided. The consumer behavior may have been determined using electronically-captured consumer location data for multiple consumers. The gathered data may be analyzed to determine behavior patterns or other characteristics of the multiple consumers. Further, inferences or predictions about consumers may be derived based on the characteristics. The inferences and predictions may be the basis of consumer analytics supplied to a business or other entity as results of a study of the consumer behavior.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating at least one programmed processor to carry out a set of acts, the at least one programmed processor being programmed with executable instructions identifying the set of acts, the set of acts comprising;

for each of a plurality of consumers, receiving a plurality of pieces of location data, each piece of location data identifying a physical location through which a consumer passed;

analyzing the location data for each of the plurality of consumers to determine at least one behavioral characteristic of the consumer;

predicting, based on the at least one behavioral characteristic of the plurality of consumers, a characteristic of operation of a retail facility when operated at each of one or more locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of acts further comprises:

determining, based at least in part on an evaluation of, for each of the plurality of consumers, at least one setting visited by the consumer, which consumers of the plurality of consumers have an existing relationship with an organization related to the retail facility.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining which consumers have the existing relationship with the organization comprises determining whether, for a consumer, the at least one setting includes an existing facility for the organization.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein predicting the characteristic of operating of the retail facility comprises predicting, for each location of the one or more locations, whether the consumers that have the existing relationship will visit the location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein predicting, for each location, whether the consumers that have the existing relationship will visit the location comprises comparing the location the at least one behavioral characteristic of the consumers to determine a likelihood that, based on the behaviors, the consumers would visit the location and, when the likelihood is above a threshold, predicting that the consumers will visit the location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the characteristic of operation of a retail facility when operated at each of one or more locations comprises predicting based at least in part on locations of places of residence and/or places of employment for the plurality of consumers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the characteristic of operation of a retail facility when operated at each of one or more locations comprises predicting, for each location of the one or more locations, based at least in part on at least one behavior characteristic of consumers with respect to routes traveled by the plurality of consumers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the characteristic of operation of a retail facility when operated at each of one or more locations comprises predicting, for each location of the one or more locations, based at least in part on at least one behavior characteristic of the plurality of consumers with respect to a region including the location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the characteristic of operation of a retail facility when operated at each of one or more locations comprises:

determining, based at least in part on the at least one place, a second organization frequently visited close in time to the organization by the consumer; and

predicting the characteristic for a particular location based at least in part on proximity to a location of a second retail facility for the second organization.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the location data for each of the plurality of consumers to determine at least one behavioral characteristic of the consumer comprises reviewing demographic data associated with at least one setting visited by the consumer.

11. A method comprising:

operating at least one programmed processor to carry out a set of acts, the at least one programmed processor being programmed with executable instructions identifying the set of acts, the set of acts comprising;

obtaining a plurality of pieces of location data for a consumer, each piece of location data identifying a location for the consumer;

identifying, based at least in part on the plurality of pieces of location data for the consumer, whether the consumer likely viewed an advertisement by determining whether a location of the consumer indicated by the plurality of pieces of location data matches a location of the advertisement;

when the consumer is determined to be likely to have viewed the advertisement, determining an effectiveness of the advertisement on the consumer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining first characteristics for the consumer based at least in part on first location data for first locations visited by the consumer prior to likely viewing the advertisement and second characteristics for the consumer based at least in part on second location data for second locations visited by the consumer after likely viewing the advertisement,

wherein determining the effectiveness of the advertisement comprises comparing the first characteristics and the second characteristics.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the effectiveness of the advertisement further comprises determining whether the consumer visited a location associated with a content of the advertisement after likely viewing the advertisement and determining whether the visit to the location associated with the content is a deviation from patterns of behavior for the consumer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the effectiveness of the advertisement further comprises determining a strength of a first characteristic of the first characteristics from which the consumer deviated in the second characteristics.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the consumer visited a location associated with the content comprises determining whether the consumer visited a business advertised in the advertisement and/or a business selling a product advertised in the advertisement.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining and identifying are carried out for a plurality of consumers, and

wherein the method further comprises determining an overall effectiveness of the advertisement for the plurality of consumers.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the effectiveness of the advertisement further comprises determining whether the consumer made a purchase at a business associated with a content of the advertisement after likely viewing the advertisement and determining whether the purchase at the location associated with the content is a deviation from patterns of behavior for the consumer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the consumer made a purchase at a business comprises reviewing purchase data for the consumer.

19. A method comprising:

operating at least one programmed processor to carry out a set of acts, the at least one programmed processor being programmed with executable instructions identifying the set of acts, the set of acts comprising;

for each consumer of a plurality of consumers, obtaining location data for a current location of the consumer and comparing the location data to at least one location for at least one known setting to determine a setting corresponding to the location data; and

inferring, for an organization associated with a setting identified as corresponding to the location data, competitors of the organization based at least in part on the location data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the set of acts further comprises

determining at least one characteristic of a first set of consumers who visit the organization;

determining, for a second set of consumers sharing the at least one characteristic, at least one second organization visited by the second set of consumers, the at least one second organization being of a same type as the organization; and

the inferring comprises identifying the at least one second organization as a competitor based at least in part on the second set of consumers visits to the at least one second organization.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the at least one characteristic of the first set of consumers comprises determining a first pattern in behavior of the first set of consumers in visiting the organization;

and

wherein determining the at least one second organization comprises determining at least one second pattern in behavior of the second set of consumers in visiting the at least one second organization, the at least one second pattern being similar to the first pattern.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining the first pattern comprises determining a set of other organizations visited in close proximity in time with the organization by the first set of consumers and determining the at least one second pattern comprises identifying at least one second organization that the second set of consumers visits in close proximity in time to the set of other organizations.