METHODS AND SYSTEMS PROVIDING A MULTI-MERCHANT REWARDS PLATFORM

• US 20110161150A1
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Amit, Jayaraman, Praveen K., Steffens, Marc
• Application Number:
  US12/755,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161150A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0227 Frequent usage incentive value reconciliation between diverse systems

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing a multi-merchant rewards platform are discussed. In an example, a system can include an administration interface, a user tracking module, a rewards engine, and a database. The administration interface can receive a campaign rule from a merchant registered within an online marketplace. The user tracking module can identify a user accessing the online marketplace from a remote computer system. The rewards engine can determine, while the user is accessing the online marketplace, whether the user satisfies the campaign rule and calculate, based on the determination that the user satisfies the campaign rule, a non-monetary point allocation associated with a user action. The rewards engine can also receive input from the user indicating selection of the user action. The database can store the non-monetary point allocation associated with the user action.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, within an online marketplace, a campaign rule from a merchant, the campaign rule including criterion, the criterion including a user qualifier and an event type;

identifying a user accessing the online marketplace, the user accessing the online marketplace from a remote computer system;

determining, while the user is accessing the online marketplace, whether the user satisfies at least one criterion included in the campaign rule;

calculating, using one or more processors, a non-monetary point allocation associated with the event type, the calculating based on determining that the user satisfies the user qualifier; and

storing, based on receiving input from the user selecting a user action associated with the event type, the non-monetary point allocation in a user account associated with the user.

2. The method claim 1, wherein the receiving the campaign rule includes receiving a user qualifier defining a buyer type, wherein the buyer type includes new buyers and repeat buyers and, wherein the new and repeat buyers are determined relative to the merchant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the campaign rule includes receiving a user qualifier defining a qualifying purchase history of the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the qualifying purchase history of the user is determined based on a qualifying purchase history relative to the merchant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the event type is a purchase action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the event type includes a payment action.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the non-monetary point allocation in an account associated with the user, wherein the storing is based on receiving a selection of the user action.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the storing the non-monetary point allocation is based on a promptness criterion associated with the receiving the selection of the user action, wherein the promptness criterion is defined within the campaign rule.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the non-monetary point allocation includes determining a fixed amount non-monetary point allocation associated with the user action.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the non-monetary point allocation includes calculating a percentage-based non-monetary point allocation, the percentage-based non-monetary point allocation calculated based on a percentage of a monetary value associated with the user action.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the non-monetary point allocation includes determining an availability of stackable non-monetary point allocations associated with the available user action.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating the non-monetary point allocation includes determining a multiplier, wherein the multiplier is selected from a group of multipliers consisting of a multiplier associated with the user and a multiplier associated with the user action, the multiplier used to multiply the non-monetary point allocation.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the non-monetary point allocation in proximity to a graphical representation of the user action associated with the event type.

14. A system comprising:

a processor-implemented administration interface to receive a campaign rule from a merchant registered within an online marketplace;

a processor-implemented user tracking module to identify a user accessing the online marketplace, the user accessing the online marketplace from a remote computer system;

a processor-implemented rewards engine to,

determine, while the user is accessing the online marketplace, whether the user satisfies the campaign rule; and

calculate, based on the determination that the user satisfies the campaign rule, a non-monetary point allocation associated with a user action;

receive input from the user indicating selection of the user action; and

a database coupled to the rewards engine, the database to store the non-monetary point allocation associated with the user action.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor-implemented administration interface receives a user qualifier portion of the campaign rule, the user qualifier defines a buyer type, wherein the buyer type includes new buyers and repeat buyers and the new and repeat buyers are determined relative to the merchant.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor-implemented administration interface receives a user qualifier portion of the campaign rule, the user qualifier defines a qualifying purchase history associated with the user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor-implemented rewards engine calculates the qualifying purchase history associated with the user relative to the merchant.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor-implemented rewards engine receives a purchase action as the user action.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor-implemented rewards engine receives a payment action as the user action.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a database to store the non-monetary point allocation in association with the user, the storing based on receiving a selection by the user of the user action.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the rewards engine stores the non-monetary point allocation based on a promptness criterion associated with the receiving the selection by the user of the user action, wherein the promptness criterion is received by the administration interface as part of the campaign rule.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the rewards engine calculates the non-monetary point allocation based on a fixed amount associated with the user action.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the rewards engine calculates the non-monetary point allocation based on a percentage of a monetary value associated with the user action

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the rewards engine is to:

determine whether the non-monetary point allocation associated with the user action is stackable;

determine whether any additional non-monetary point allocations are available associated with the user action; and

calculate the non-monetary point allocation based on all stackable non-monetary point allocations available associated with the user action.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the rewards engine determines whether a non-monetary point allocation multiplier is selected from a group of multipliers consisting of a multiplier associated with the user and a multiplier associated with the user action, and the rewards engine calculates the non-monetary point allocation based on the non-monetary point allocation multiplier.

26. The system of claim 14 further comprising, a display sub-system to display the non-monetary point allocation in proximity to a graphical representation of the user action.

27. A machine-readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by one or more processors perform the following operations:

receive a campaign rule from a merchant registered within an online marketplace;

identify a user accessing the online marketplace, the user accessing the online marketplace from a remote computer system;

determine, while the user is accessing the online marketplace, whether the user satisfies the campaign rule;

calculate, based on the determination that the user satisfies the campaign rule, a non-monetary point allocation associated with a user action available to the user;

store, based on receiving input from the user selecting the user action, the non-monetary point allocation.