System and Method for Researching Virtual Markets and Optimizing Product Placements and Displays

• US 20120271680A1
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BRIGNULL, Michele P., HAMILTON, Rick A. II, SAND, Anne R., SEAMAN, James W.
• Application Number:
  US13/540,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271680A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• 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 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A system and method for researching virtual markets and using the research to optimize product placements and displays. The system includes a monitoring engine configured to monitor information about user reactions and/or at least one product. The system also includes a recommendation engine configured to recommend a location within a virtual universe to display the at least one product based on the information monitored by the monitoring engine and a display engine configured to display the at least one product at a recommended location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a monitoring engine configured to monitor information about a user reaction and/or at least one product;

a recommendation engine configured to recommend a location within a virtual universe to display the at least one product based on the information monitored by the monitoring engine; and

a display engine configured to display the at least one product at a recommended location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring engine is further configured to monitor one or more of a user interaction, a user response, a user opinion, or a user movement.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a weighing engine configured to weigh the monitored information about the user reactions and/or the at least one product using a pairwise comparison.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is determined by:

where the user places one or more of the at least one product;

how the user interacts with the at least one product;

the user'"'"'s opinions and/or comments about the at least one product;

how proximate the user places the at least one product to other products; and

popularity of similar products.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display engine dynamically displays the at least one product.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remuneration engine configured to provide discounted products, rewards, or money to the user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a billing engine configured to charge a vendor for the information about the user and/or the at least one product.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an aggregating engine which aggregates user reactions or interactions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the recommendation engine recommends the location to place the at least one product based on the aggregated user reactions or interactions.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising dynamically changing a product display based on the user reactions or interactions.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the aggregated user reactions or interactions are sold to at least one vendor in the real world.

12. The system of claim 1, comprising:

a determining engine configured to determine a user status;

the monitoring engine configured to monitor the one or more user reactions or interactions, which include at least one of;

where the user places one or more of the at least one product;

how the user interacts with the at least one product;

the user'"'"'s opinions and/or comments about the at least one product;

how proximate the user places the at least one product to other products; and

popularity of similar products;

an assigning engine configured to assign a weight to each of the user reactions or interactions;

a weighing engine configured to weigh the user reactions or interactions;

the recommendation engine configured to recommend the location based on the weighing and the aggregated one or more user reactions or interactions; and

the assessing engine configured to assess a fee for the displaying.