SYSTEM FOR INDIVIDUALIZED CUSTOMER INTERACTION

• US 20110208569A1
• Filed: 05/03/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Ghani, Rayid, Fano, Andrew E., Cumby, Chad M., Krema, Marko
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A method and system for using individualized customer models when operating a retail establishment is provided. The individualized customer models may be generated using statistical analysis of transaction data for the customer, thereby generating sub-models and attributes tailored to customer. The individualized customer models may be used in any aspect of a retail establishment'"'"'s operations, ranging from supply chain management issues, inventory control, promotion planning (such as selecting parameters for a promotion or simulating results of a promotion), to customer interaction (such as providing a shopping list or providing individualized promotions).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining whether a particular customer hoarded products of a particular product category during a past promotion by a retail establishment;

based on determining that the particular customer hoarded the products of the particular product category during the past promotion, determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages; and

determining, by one or more computers, whether to offer a future promotion to the particular customer based on determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the past promotion was a sale or a coupon offering.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a particular customer hoarded products of a particular product category during a past promotion by a retail establishment comprises determining whether the particular customer acquired a greater number of the products of the particular product category during the past promotion than the particular customer would have acquired had the past promotion not occurred.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining a total amount that the particular customer actually spent on the products of the particular product category during a time period that includes the past promotion and a period of time after the past promotion; and

determining a total amount that the particular customer would have spent on the products of the particular product category during the time period had the past promotion not occurred; and

comparing the total amount that the particular customer actually spent to the total amount that the particular customer would have spent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining that the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of the type that the retail establishment encourages when the total amount that the customer actually spent is greater than the total amount that the customer would have spent.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining that the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of the type that the retail establishment discourage when the total amount that the customer actually spent is less than the total amount that the customer would have spent.

7. The method of claim 4, comprising:

determining an individual replenishment rate for the particular customer and for the particular product category; and

selecting a duration of the period of time after the past promotion based on the individual replenishment rate for the particular customer and for the particular product category.

8. The method of claim 4, comprising:

determining an amount of revenue lost during the past promotion to the retail establishment for the particular customer based on comparing the total amount that the particular customer actually spent to the total amount that the particular customer would have spent.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

comparing the amount of revenue lost during the past promotion to the retail establishment for the particular customer, to a predefined unacceptable loss threshold,

wherein the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion is determined to be of the type that the retail establishment encourages when the amount of revenue lost does not exceed the predefined unacceptable loss threshold, and

wherein the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion is determined to be of the type that the retail establishment discourages when amount of revenue lost exceeds the predefined unacceptable loss threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining a total amount that the particular customer actually spent on the products of the particular product category during a time period that includes a period of time after the past promotion only; and

determining a total amount that the particular customer would have spent on the products of the particular product category during the time period had the past promotion not occurred; and

comparing the total amount that the particular customer actually spent to the total amount that the particular customer would have spent.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to offer a future promotion to the particular customer based on determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining to offer the future promotion to the particular customer based on determining that the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising offering the future promotion to the particular customer based on determining to offer the future promotion.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to offer a future promotion to the particular customer based on determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining not to offer the future promotion to the particular customer based on determining that the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment discourages.

14. A nonvolatile computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

deteimining whether a particular customer hoarded products of a particular product category during a past promotion by a retail establishment;

based on determining that the particular customer hoarded the products of the particular product category during the past promotion, determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages; and

determining whether to offer a future promotion to the particular customer based on determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining a total amount that the particular customer actually spent on the products of the particular product category during a time period that includes the past promotion and a period of time after the past promotion; and

determining a total amount that the particular customer would have spent on the products of the particular product category during the time period had the past promotion not occurred; and

comparing the total amount that the particular customer actually spent to the total amount that the particular customer would have spent.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining that the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of the type that the retail establishment encourages when the total amount that the customer actually spent is greater than the total amount that the customer would have spent.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages comprises:

determining that the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of the type that the retail establishment discourage when the total amount that the customer actually spent is less than the total amount that the customer would have spent.

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise:

determining an individual replenishment rate for the particular customer and for the particular product category; and

selecting a duration of the period of time after the past promotion based on the individual replenishment rate for the particular customer and for the particular product category.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise:

determining an amount of revenue lost during the past promotion to the retail establishment for the particular customer based on comparing the total amount that the particular customer actually spent to the total amount that the particular customer would have spent.

20. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

determining whether a particular customer hoarded products of a particular product category during a past promotion by a retail establishment;

based on determining that the particular customer hoarded the products of the particular product category during the past promotion, determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages; and

determining whether to offer a future promotion to the particular customer based on determining whether the hoarding by the particular customer during the past promotion was of a type that the retail establishment encourages or a type that the retail establishment discourages.