MARKETING CAMPAIGN APPLICATION FOR MULTIPLE ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS

• US 20140074595A1
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• 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: Greenspan, David M., Chomsky, Mara K., Schochet, Randi, Vakil, Elizabeth K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system is disclosed for allowing a merchant to create offers for distribution via multiple distribution channels. The distribution channels may include social media networks and location based services. The method may include receiving offer parameters for generating the offer, generating offer data based on the offer parameters and merchant transaction data, and determining data subsets of the offer data for distribution through multiple electronic distribution channels. The systems and methods may include associating a transaction account of the account holder with the offer, monitoring a transaction of the transaction account, comparing with a criterion governing the offer, and generating a report for the merchant. The report may include various metrics of the offer, such as return on investment, tracking information on the number of repeat customers and new customers during an offer period, and may occur approximately real-time with the transaction.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

setting, by a merchant system, offer parameters, wherein an offer is generated based on the offer parameters by a computer-based system configured to facilitate the offer;

selecting, by the merchant system, a first electronic distribution channel and a second electronic distribution channel, wherein the offer is distributed by the computer-based system to an account holder via the first electronic distribution channel and the second electronic distribution channel; and

receiving, at the merchant system and from the computer-based system, a report based on a transaction associated with the offer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, by the merchant system, a merchant location for redemption of the offer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting, by the merchant, a criterion for the offer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic distribution channel and the second electronic distribution channel individually comprise at least one of a merchant website, a social media website, an affiliate website, a partner website, an external vendor, and a mobile device communication.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the merchant system, a business objective of the offer, wherein the business objective is at least one of acquisition of new customers, and loyalty of prior customers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the offer parameters are provided based on the business objective.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer-based system provides offer parameter guidelines based on the business objective.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer parameters include at least one of a percent discount, a discount value, a spend threshold to receive a discount, a limited number of visits to use the offer, an offer duration, a maximum number of provided offers, and a maximum number of redeemed offers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the report includes at least one of number of the offers transmitted, number of the offers accepted, number of the offers redeemed, total value of the redeemed offers, average size of the transaction involving the offer, and rate of the offer redemption.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the report includes a return on investment, wherein the return on investment is based on a comparison of a first transactions during an offer period and second transactions during a non-offer period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the report includes non-transaction information, and wherein the non-transaction information includes at least one of demographic information of the account holder and social media indicators.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting information in the report includes tracking information on repeat customers and new customers during an offer period.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the report is received in approximately real-time with the transaction.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-based system is configured to generate offer data based on the offer parameters and merchant transaction data, and wherein the computer-based system is further configured to determine a first data subset of the offer data for distribution through the first electronic distribution channel and determine a second data subset of the offer data for distribution through the second electronic distribution channel.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer is a coupon-less offer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising debiting a transaction account held by the merchant system, in response to the computer-based system matching an accepted offer with a record of charge in a transaction account held by the account holder.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising revising, by the merchant system, the offer based on the report during an offer period.

18. A merchant system comprising:

a processor for setting an offer;

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 perform operations comprising;

setting, by a merchant system, offer parameters, wherein the offer is generated based on the offer parameters by a computer-based system configured to facilitate the offer;

selecting, by the merchant system, a first electronic distribution channel and a second electronic distribution channel, wherein the offer is distributed by the computer-based system to an account holder via the first electronic distribution channel and the second electronic distribution channel; and

receiving, at the merchant system and from the computer-based system, a report based on a transaction associated with the offer.

19. The merchant system of claim 18, wherein the offer parameters include at least one of a percent discount, a discount value, a spend threshold to receive a discount, a limited number of visits to use the offer, an offer duration, a maximum number of provided offers, and a maximum number of redeemed offers.

20. The merchant system of claim 18, further comprising determining, by the merchant system, a business objective of the offer, wherein the business objective is at least one of acquisition of new customers, and loyalty of prior customers.