ONLINE MARKETPLACE WITH SHIPPING INCENTIVES

• US 20130006739A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric, Kimchi, Gur, Cheng, Lili, Burger, Doug, Paparizos, Stelios, Davis, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A marketplace server and method for facilitating purchase transactions are provided. A marketplace server may include a routing engine configured to receive an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, with the order including a first delivery address of the customer. The routing engine also calculates a delivery route to the first delivery address. An offer engine is configured to create an offer for other goods. The offer includes a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer. The offer may be targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the delivery route. The offer engine sends the offer to a second computing device associated with the second customer. Upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the computing device, the offer engine processes a purchase transaction for the offer.

Claims

1. A marketplace server for facilitating purchase transactions, comprising:

a routing engine configured to;

receive an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, the order including a first delivery address of the first customer; and

calculate a delivery route to the first delivery address; and

an offer engine configured to;

create an offer for other goods, the offer including a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer, the offer being targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the delivery route;

send the offer to a second computing device associated with the second customer; and

upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the computing device, process a purchase transaction for the offer.

2. The marketplace server of claim 1, wherein the delivery route is a first delivery route, and the routing engine is configured to modify the first delivery route to a second delivery route based on the second delivery address associated with the second customer.

3. The marketplace server of claim 2, further comprising a pricing engine configured to calculate an incremental shipping cost based on costs associated with the second delivery route.

4. The marketplace server of claim 1, wherein the offer engine is configured to identify the second customer by referencing a social graph of the first customer, and by determining a relationship between the first customer and the second customer.

5. The marketplace server of claim 1, wherein the shipping incentive includes a shipping discount for accepting delivery at the second delivery address on a specified date.

6. The marketplace server of claim 1, wherein the shipping incentive expires at an end of a timeframe.

7. The marketplace server of claim 1, wherein the offer is a first offer, and the offer engine is configured to create a second offer that is associated with an alternative delivery address for the second customer, and to send the second offer to the second computing device.

8. The marketplace server of claim 1, further including an opportunistic shipping engine configured to serve an opportunistic shipping graphical user interface for display on the second computing device of the second customer.

9. The marketplace server of claim 8, wherein the opportunistic shipping graphical user interface includes:

a product display region displaying the goods of the offer;

a delivery address display region displaying a delivery address;

a shipping incentive region displaying the shipping incentive associated with the offer; and

a shipping option selector configured to receive input of a second customer-selected shipping option.

10. The marketplace server of claim 9, wherein the opportunistic shipping graphical user interface further includes a timing region displaying a timeframe during which the shipping incentive is valid.

11. A method for facilitating purchase transactions, comprising:

receiving an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, the order including a first delivery address of the first customer;

calculating a delivery route to the first delivery address;

creating an offer for other goods, the offer including a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer, the offer being targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the delivery route;

sending the offer to a computing device associated with the second customer; and

upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the second computing device, processing a purchase transaction for the offer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the delivery route is a first delivery route, and further comprising modifying the first delivery route to a second delivery route based on the second delivery address associated with the second customer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising calculating an incremental shipping cost based on additional costs associated with the second delivery route.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying the second customer by referencing a social graph of the first customer, and by determining a relationship between the first customer and the second customer.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the shipping incentive includes a shipping discount for accepting delivery at the second delivery address on a specified date.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the shipping incentive expires at an end of a timeframe.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the offer is a first offer, and further comprising creating a second offer that is associated with an alternative delivery address for the second customer.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising serving an opportunistic shipping graphical user interface for display on the computing device of the second customer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the opportunistic shipping graphical user interface includes:

a product display region displaying the goods of the offer;

a delivery address display region displaying a delivery address;

a shipping incentive region displaying a shipping incentive associated with the offer;

a timing region displaying a timeframe during which the shipping incentive is valid; and

a shipping option selector configured to receive input of a second customer-selected shipping option.

20. A marketplace server for facilitating purchase transactions, comprising:

a routing engine configured to;

receive an order for goods from a first computing device associated with a first customer, the order including a first delivery address of the first customer; and

calculate a first delivery route to the first delivery address;

an offer engine configured to;

create an offer for other goods, the offer including a shipping incentive associated with a second delivery address of a second customer, the offer being targeted to the second customer based on a proximity of the second delivery address to the first delivery route;

wherein the routing engine is configured to modify the first delivery route to a second delivery route based on the second delivery address; and

a pricing engine configured to calculate an incremental shipping cost based on additional costs associated with the second delivery route;

wherein the offer engine is configured to send the offer for other goods to a second computing device associated with the second customer and, upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the second computing device, to process a purchase transaction for the offer.