SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING A PERFORMANCE-BASED CUSTOMER REFERRAL PROGRAM

• US 20110238528A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• 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: Schonhoff, Thomas K., Kaphan, Sheldon J., Ratajak, Ellen L., Bezos, Jeffrey P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,011 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• 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

A system for implementing a performance-based customer referral program includes a referral tracking system capable of tracking referrals of users from participant sites to a retail site, and capable of determining whether such referrals result in purchases on the retail site. The tracked referral activity may, for example, be used to determine performance-based commissions to pay to the participants. The system may also include an enrollment system that partially or fully automates the task of enrolling new participants and their sites in the referral program. In addition, the system may include a report generation system that provides the participants with activity reports regarding the referral and purchase activity attributable to their sites.

Claims

1. A system that provides services for implementing a referral program in which participant sites refer users to a computer-implemented retail site, the system comprising:

a referral tracking system configured to track referrals of users from the participant sites to the retail site using information encoded in referral links provided on the participant sites, said referral tracking system operative to maintain data that associates particular item purchases made from the retail site with particular participant sites to which such purchases are attributable; and

a report generation system that uses the data maintained by the tracking system to generate activity reports for particular participant sites, said activity reports revealing, for a particular participant site and time period, a total number of user referrals that occurred, and how many of said user referrals resulted in purchases;

said referral tracking system and report generation system comprising computer hardware that executes program code.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the report generation system is operable to include, within an activity report for a participant site, demographic data of users referred by the participant site to the retail site.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the demographic data is based on shipping addresses of the referred users.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the report generation system is capable of providing, within an activity report for a participant site, separate performance data for each of a plurality of item-specific referral links of the participant site.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the report generation system is capable of providing, within an activity report for a participant site, information regarding a problem occurring with a referral link on the participant site.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the referral tracking system is configured to use catalog-item identifiers encoded in the referral links to maintain data that associates particular user referral events with particular catalog items available on the retail site.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an enrollment system that automates an enrollment process for enrolling entities to participate in the referral program.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the enrollment system is operable to provide, to a program participant, linking instructions for creating referral links that are encoded with information for enabling the referral tracking system to track user referrals.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the enrollment system is operable to use information supplied by a referral program applicant regarding a candidate site to automatically assess whether the candidate site is qualified to participate in the referral program.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the referral tracking system is configured to use referral information maintained in electronic shopping carts of users of the retail site to associate particular purchases with particular participant sites.

11. The system of claim 1, in combination with the retail site.

12. A computer-implemented process implemented in connection with a referral program in which participant sites refer users to a computer-implemented retail site, the process comprising:

tracking referrals of users from the participant sites to the retail site using information encoded in referral links provided on the participant sites, said tracking of referrals comprising storing referral event data regarding particular referral events;

tracking, in association with the referrals, purchases made on the retail site by users referred by the participant sites; and

generating, for a participant site, based on the tracked referrals and purchases that are associated with the participant site, an activity report that reveals, for a particular time period, a total number of user referrals attributed to the participant site, and how many of said attributed user referrals resulted in purchases;

said process implemented by a system that comprises computer hardware.

13. The process of claim 12, wherein generating the activity report comprises providing, in the activity report, demographic data of users referred by the participant site to the retail site.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the demographic data is based on shipping addresses of the referred users.

15. The process of claim 12, wherein generating the activity report comprises providing, in the activity report, separate performance data for each of a plurality of item-specific referral links of the participant site.

16. The process of claim 12, wherein generating the activity report comprises providing, in the activity report, information regarding a problem occurring with a referral link on the participant site.

17. The process of claim 12, wherein tracking the referrals comprising using catalog-item identifiers encoded in the referral links to maintain data that associates particular user referral events with particular catalog items available on the retail site.

18. The process of claim 12, further comprising providing an enrollment system that automates an enrollment process for enrolling entities to participate in the referral program.

19. The process of claim 18, further comprising automatically transmitting, to a program participant in response to enrollment, linking instructions for creating referral links that are encoded with information for tracking user referral events.

20. The process of claim 18, further comprising, by said enrollment system, using information supplied by a referral program applicant regarding a candidate site to automatically assess whether the candidate site is qualified to participate in the referral program.

21. The process of claim 12, wherein tracking the referrals comprising using referral information maintained in electronic shopping carts of users of the retail site to associate particular purchases with particular participant sites.