Systems and Methods to Provide a User Interface to Control an Offer Campaign

• US 20130085869A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Mark, Stan, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 10,380,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.72
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems

Abstract

In one aspect, a computer implemented method is provided for the provision, on a computing apparatus, of a user interface configured via a portal to permit a merchant to define an offer campaign. The offer has a plurality of milestones required to be met in order to provide a benefit to a user. The computing apparatus may be further configured to associate the offer with a user, detect the progress of the user toward the milestone, and transmit a message to the user regarding the user'"'"'s progress toward the milestone.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

providing, via a computing apparatus, a first user interface configured to allow a merchant to define an offer campaign in which users are notified of a benefit offered by the merchant, the offer campaign configured to instruct the computing apparatus to provide a message to a respective user in response to authorization of a transaction in a consumer account of the respective user, wherein fulfillment of the benefit is based at least in part on the transaction satisfying one or more requirements specified via the first user interface for the offer campaign;

providing, via the computing apparatus, a second user interface configured to allow the merchant to adjust a scale of the offer campaign to a first scale; and

executing, by the computing apparatus, the offer campaign in accordance with the first scale identified via the second user interface, including providing the message to a first user in response to authorization of a transaction in a consumer account of the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scale of the offer campaign corresponds to a size of a geographic region in which the offer campaign is executed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offer campaign is limited by the size of the geographic region in offering the benefit to users.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

offering, by the computing apparatus, the benefit to users satisfying one or more requirements of the offer campaign.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scale of the offer campaign corresponds to a rate according to which the benefit is offered to users in accordance with the offer campaign.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scale of the offer campaign corresponds to a desired rate at which the benefit is provided to users who have completed requirements specified in the offer campaign.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface allows the merchant to:

identify a plurality of milestones for the first user participating in the offer campaign to receive the benefit, based on a plurality of transactions in the consumer account of the first user; and

associate at least one message to be transmitted to the first user in response to the first user reaching each of the milestones.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of milestones are linked via prerequisite conditions to define the offer campaign.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each respective milestone of the plurality of milestone is defined via a respective event specification provided by the merchant in the first user interface;

and the respective event specification includes;

a field to optionally identify a separate event specification as a prerequisite condition, and

a field to identify an optional message to be transmitted in response to the first user reaching the respective milestone.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer campaign includes at least one rule to attach an offer of the benefit to an account of a user;

and the first scale is based on a rate to attach the offer to users according to the at least one rule.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first scale is based on at least one of:

a speed of providing the offer, and

a scale of recipients of the offer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer campaign identifies a fulfillment action to provide the benefit to the consumer account of the first user when the first user satisfies fulfillment requirements of the offer campaign.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing of the offer campaign comprises:

associating an offer of the benefit with the consumer account of the first user in accordance with a rule specified using the first user interface;

determining the first user achieving a milestone in the offer campaign based on a transaction being processed by a transaction handler; and

transmitting, by the computing apparatus, the message to the first user in real time as the transaction handler processes the transaction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first scale is limited based at least on one of:

a geographical area and a budget associated with the benefit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the offer is associated with the consumer account of the first user in response to one of:

a selection of an advertisement by the first user;

a determination that a current location of a device of the first user satisfies a location criterion of the offer campaign;

a transaction of the first user performed using the consumer account of the first user; and

enrollment in a program to receive, from the computing apparatus, offers.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a user interface configured to allow the merchant to bid against competitors for opportunities to present the offer to users.

17. A computer-storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to at least perform:

providing, via the computing apparatus, a first user interface configured to allow a merchant to define an offer campaign in which users are notified of a benefit offered by the merchant, the offer campaign configured to instruct the computing apparatus to provide a message to a respective user in response to authorization of a transaction in a consumer account of the respective user, wherein fulfillment of the benefit is based at least in part on the transaction satisfying one or more requirements specified via the first user interface for the offer campaign;

providing, via the computing apparatus, a second user interface configured to allow the merchant to adjust a scale of the offer campaign to a first scale; and

executing, by the computing apparatus, the offer campaign in accordance with the first scale identified via the second user interface, including providing the message to a first user in response to authorization of a transaction in a consumer account of the first user.

18. A computing apparatus having at least a processor and a memory storing instructions configured to instruct the processor to perform operations, the computing apparatus comprising:

a transaction handler configured to process transactions in consumer accounts;

a portal configured to provide;

a first user interface configured to allow a merchant to define an offer campaign in which users are notified of a benefit offered by the merchant, the offer campaign configured to instruct the computing apparatus to provide a message to a respective user in response to authorization of a transaction in a consumer account of the respective user, wherein fulfillment of the benefit is based at least in part on the transaction satisfying one or more requirements specified via the first user interface for the offer campaign, and

a second user interface configured to allow the merchant to adjust a scale of the offer campaign to a first scale; and

a rule engine configured to execute the offer campaign in accordance with the first scale identified via the second user interface, including providing the message to a first user in response to authorization of a transaction in a consumer account of the first user.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a data warehouse configured to store rules of the offer campaign, transaction records of transactions processed by the transaction handler, and a communication reference in association with the consumer account of the first user;

a message broker configured to generate the message in accordance with the rules of the offer campaign; and

a media controller configured to transmit the message to the communication reference of the first user.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the rules of the offer campaign include a plurality of records of event specification, each respective record in the plurality of records of event specification identifying a respective milestone to be achieved by the first user in the offer campaign, the respective record includes

a field to optionally identify a separate record as a prerequisite condition, and

a field to identify an optional message to be transmitted in response to the communication reference of the first user reaching the respective milestone.