SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING AND AFFECTING A CHANGE IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

• US 20120271689A1
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Etheredge, Christine C., Kaplan, Jessica A., Kapoor, Deepak K., Leung, Jason K., Perry, Denee, Sharnak, Larry, Koo, E. Bai
• Application Number:
  US13/532,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271689A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

The system evaluates a set of incentives based upon a variety of factors and/or predetermined rules and consumers are provided incentives when they satisfy one or more criteria of making payments for their transaction accounts. The one or more criteria include making an early payment, paying more than a minimum amount due, and making the payment through an automatic payment scheme. If a received payment satisfies one or more predefined criteria, one or more incentives are selected for the consumer, tracked, and provided to the consumer. The system analyzes payment information to determine attributes and positive (desirable) behavior and provides incentives to the consumer based on such positive behaviors.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining, by a computer-based system capable of incentivizing positive behavior, consumer information associated with a first consumer, wherein the first consumer is associated with a transaction account;

offering, by the computer-based system, a first incentive to the first consumer;

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the consumer information associated with the first consumer to identify a change in consumer behavior in response to the first incentive, wherein the consumer behavior is associated with the first consumer;

determining, by the computer-based system, that at least a portion of the change in consumer behavior is attributable to the first incentive;

determining, by the computer-based system and based at least partially upon the change in consumer behavior, a level of effectiveness of the first incentive;

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the change in consumer behavior to determine a strategy to affect future consumer behavior;

identifying, by the computer-based system, a second incentive with a higher level of effectiveness than the first incentive;

determining, by the computer-based system, that the first consumer and a second consumer share a common behavior characteristic associated with making a payment on a transaction account; and

producing, by the computer-based system, output based at least partially upon the strategy, wherein the producing output comprises offering, by the computer-based system, the second incentive to the second consumer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying, by the computer-based system, an incentive eligibility rule, wherein the second consumer satisfies the modified incentive eligibility rule.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a relationship between the consumer information associated with the first consumer and consumer information associated with the second consumer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second consumer was not offered the first incentive.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first incentive was offered to the first consumer based at least partially upon at least one of a payment history of the first consumer, a balance history of the first consumer, paying an amount for a bill that is more than a minimum amount due for the bill, paying an amount for the bill more than a percentage of a total outstanding balance indicated on the bill, paying a total amount over several billing cycles, paying the bill through an automatic payment channel, paying a bill earlier than a due date, paying the bill on-time, or paying the bill within a predefined timeframe.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying, by the computer-based system, the terms of the first incentive to obtain the second incentive.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the modifying the terms of the first incentive comprises modifying a consumer behavior attribute used to determine whether a desired consumer behavior is satisfied.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the modifying the consumer behavior attribute comprises at least one of reducing a payment timeframe or expanding a payment timeframe.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the modifying the consumer behavior attribute comprises at least one of reducing a payment minimum, increasing a payment minimum, reducing a minimum balance or increasing a minimum balance.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the modifying the terms of the first incentive comprises modifying a reward associated with the first incentive to a modified reward, wherein the modified reward comprises at least one of a lower Annual Percentage Rate (APR) or an achievement credit toward a lower APR.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the modifying the terms of the first incentive comprises modifying a reward associated with the first incentive to a modified reward, wherein the modified reward comprises at least one of a discount on finance charges, a rebate on finance charges, a discount on fees, or a rebate on fees.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the modifying the terms of the first incentive comprises modifying a reward associated with the first incentive to a modified reward, wherein the modified reward comprises advancing loyalty points.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the change in consumer behavior is at least one of a positive change or a negative change.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a level of effectiveness of the first incentive further comprises analyzing a behavior of a group of consumers, wherein the group of consumers was not offered the first incentive, and comparing the behavior of the group of consumers to the change in consumer behavior associated with the first consumer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a level of effectiveness of the first incentive comprises offering, by the computer-based system, the first incentive to a plurality of consumers, and analyzing, by the computer-based system, an effect of the first incentive on the plurality of consumers.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computer-based system, that the first consumer satisfies an incentive eligibility rule, wherein the first incentive comprises the incentive eligibility rule;

updating, by the computer-based system, the consumer information associated with the first consumer to associate the first consumer with the first incentive; and

producing, by the computer-based system, output based at least partially upon the first incentive in order to provide notice to the first consumer of the first incentive.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the computer-based system, consumer information associated with a plurality of consumers, each consumer in the plurality of consumers associated with a respective consumer account;

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the consumer information associated with the plurality of consumers to identify a trend in the change in consumer behavior;

determining, by the computer-based system, that the trend is at least partially attributable to the first incentive.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer information comprises at least one of consumer demographic data, consumer profile data, first transaction account history, second transaction account history, a first transaction account type, a payment received for the transaction account or consumer payment history.

19. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system capable of incentivizing positive behavior, cause the computer-based system to be capable of performing operations comprising:

obtaining, by the computer-based system, consumer information associated with a first consumer, wherein the first consumer is associated with a transaction account;

offering, by the computer-based system, a first incentive to a first consumer;

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the consumer information associated with the first consumer to identify a change in consumer behavior in response to the first incentive, wherein the consumer behavior is associated with the first consumer;

determining, by the computer-based system, that at least a portion of the change in consumer behavior is attributable to the first incentive;

determining, by the computer-based system and based at least partially upon the change in consumer behavior, a level of effectiveness of the first incentive;

analyzing, by the computer-based system, the change in consumer behavior to determine a strategy to affect future consumer behavior;

identifying, by the computer-based system, a second incentive with a higher level of effectiveness than the first incentive;

determining, by the computer-based system, that the first consumer and a second consumer share a common behavior characteristic associated with making a payment on a transaction account; and

producing, by the computer-based system, output based at least partially upon the strategy, wherein the producing output comprises offering, by the compute-based system, the second incentive to the second consumer.

20. A system comprising:

a processor capable of incentivizing positive behavior,

a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with the processor, the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to be capable of performing operations comprising;

obtaining, by the processor, consumer information associated with a first consumer, wherein the first consumer is associated with a transaction account;

offering, by the processor, a first incentive to a first consumer;

analyzing, by the processor, the consumer information associated with the first consumer to identify a change in consumer behavior in response to the first incentive, wherein the consumer behavior is associated with the first consumer;

determining, by the processor, that at least a portion of the change in consumer behavior is attributable to the first incentive;

determining, by the processor and based at least partially upon the change in consumer behavior, a level of effectiveness of the first incentive;

analyzing, by the processor, the change in consumer behavior to determine a strategy to affect future consumer behavior;

identifying, by the processor, a second incentive with a higher level of effectiveness than the first incentive;

determining, by the processor, that the first consumer and a second consumer share a common behavior characteristic associated with making a payment on a transaction account; and

producing, by the processor, output based at least partially upon the strategy, wherein the producing output comprises offering, by the processor, the second incentive to the second consumer.