USER SEGMENTATION FOR LISTINGS IN ONLINE PUBLICATIONS

• US 20110246323A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Ramaswami, Badrinarayanan, Ambikapathy, Srinivasa Raghavan, Nagarajan, Harishankar, Manickavelu, Kumaresan, Swamiraj, Monica, Mehta, Mihir
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

A method and a system segmenting a user viewing listings in online publications to render the listing according to a rule received from a seller. For example, the system receives one or more listings submitted by a seller. The listing comprises one or more modifiable parameters. The system also receives a rule from the seller, the rule associated with a first listing of the one or more listings. A profile is associated with a user based on data collected about the user. The first listing is rendered to the user based on the profile associated with the user and the rule by modifying the one or more parameters.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory to store one or more listings submitted by a seller each listing describing an item for sale by the seller, the listing comprising one or more modifiable parameters; and

one or more processors to implement;

a rules module to receive a rule from the seller and to associate the rule with a first listing of the one or more listings;

a user behavior module to associate a profile with a user based on data collected about the user; and

a rendering module to render the first listing to the user by modifying at least one of the one or more modifiable parameters of the first listing based on the rule and the profile associated with the user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a parameters module to identify the one or more modifiable parameters from the one or more listings submitted by the seller.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the parameters module is further to identify an additional parameter based on two or more listings submitted by the seller.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the additional parameter comprises a product feature.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a seasonal module to modify the listing according to a season.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile is based on a department associated with the listing.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile comprises an indication of buyer stickiness.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first listing is rendered in response to a query received from the user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a listing is associated with default parameters.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data collected about the user comprises at least one of demographic information, buying patterns, seasonal traditions, and buyer stickiness.

11. A method comprising:

identifying a first listing submitted by a first seller and a second listing submitted by a second seller to provide to a user, the first listing and the second listing each describing an item for sale by the first and second sellers;

accessing a first rule associated with the first listing, the first rule submitted by a first seller, and a second rule associated with the second listing, the second rule submitted by a second seller;

rendering, to the user, the first listing by modifying a first modifiable parameter of the first listing, based on a profile associated with the user and the first rule; and

rendering, to the user, the second listing by modifying a second modifiable parameter of the second listing based on the profile associated with the user and the second rule, the modifying of the first and second listings performed using one or more processors.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a season associated with the profile and the first rule; and

modifying a third parameter in the first listing based on the season.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from the first seller, the first rule, the first rule associated with more than one listing received from the seller.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a listing received from the first seller that describes a second item similar to a first item described in the first listing;

identifying a third parameter associated with the first listing based on a product feature of the second item; and

accessing a third rule received from the seller, the third rule associated with the third parameter.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the profile is associated with a department associated with the first listing and the second listing.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first parameter is selected from the group of parameters comprising price, color, item title, item description, item picture, shipping options, warranties offered, return policy, and sale type.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the profile of the user is selected from a plurality of profiles associated with the user based on a season.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the profile indicates buyer stickiness.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying the first parameter in the first listing; and

identifying the second parameter in the second listing.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, the instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving one or more listings submitted by a seller, each listing describing an item for sale by the seller, the listing comprising one or more modifiable parameters;

receiving a rule from the seller, the rule associated with a first listing of the one or more listings;

associating a profile with a user based on data collected about the user; and

rendering the first listing to the user by modifying at least one of the one or more modifiable parameters of the first listing based on the rule and the profile associated with the user.