SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR PERSONALIZATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF A MARKETPLACE

• US 20140100991A1
• Filed: 10/10/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Lenahan, Michael, Mitchell, Ben, Chung, Chahn, MacLaurin, Matthew Bret, Skorupski, James Ross, Wolfe, Jesse, Chien, Hsin-Yi, Tahir, Marie Jeanette Floyd, Dandekar, Jai, Cypher, Healey, Sandoval, Myra, Suglian, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for enhancing and personalizing an interactive marketplace. The systems and methods provided herein may allow a user to receive search results that are tailored to the user'"'"'s personal preferences based on social and purchasing information known about the user. In addition, the systems and methods provided herein may provide shipping updates to a buyer that include a personalized message based on location information provided by the package being shipped. In addition, the systems and methods provided herein allow merchants to provide incentives and rewards for shoppers by participating in interactive shopping games.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a search query from a user;

retrieving user data from a user profile of the user;

performing a search based on the search query;

filtering the results of the performed search based on the retrieved user data; and

presenting the filtered results to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query includes one or more images.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising applying an image recognition algorithm to the one or more images to identify one or more items in the image, the one or more items being items offered for sale.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data includes information related to items that the user wants, items that the user owns, a location of the user, and past item searches that the user has performed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data includes social network activity of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating one or more recommendations based on the user data; and

presenting the one or more recommendations to the user in conjunction with the filtered results.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the filter results include one or more items offered for sale and further comprising:

retrieving a location of the one or more items offered for sale; and

generating a map showing the location of based on the retrieved locations of the products of interest.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining if the user is within a predetermined distance from the locations of the one or more items; and

sending an alert to the user indicating that the user is close to the one or more items.

9. A method for providing shipping notifications for a package being shipped, the method comprising:

receiving a location update from the package;

determining information related to the location of the package from the location update; and

creating a personalized location update based on the determined information; and

transmitting the created location update to a recipient of the package.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the personalized location update includes at least on of:

a location of the package, weather at the location of the package, a time of day at the location, or a status of the package.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein transmitting the created location update comprises transmitting the update over at least one of short messaging service (SMS), e-mail, social networks, and a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining compatibility information of an item included in the package with one or more items owned by the user, the compatibility information indicating a compatibility of the item included in the package with the one or more items owned by the user, wherein the location update includes the compatibility information.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a recommendation based on the compatibility information.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining information related to the location of the package from the location update:

generating a recommendation based on an item included in the package, the recommendation included one or more similar items offered for sale; and

identifying a merchant based on the location of the package, the merchant offering the one or more similar items for sale and being able to timely ship the one or more similar items offered for sale such that the one or more similar items may be received by the user concurrently with the package;

wherein the location update includes the recommendation and provides the user an ability to purchase the item from the merchant.

15. A method comprising:

presenting an interactive game shopping interface to a user;

receiving user input from the user related to the interactive shopping game; and

generating a recommendation for the user based in part on the user input.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the interactive shopping game interface includes a list of interactive shopping games;

and

wherein the user input is a selection of a particular interactive shopping game from the list of interactive shopping games.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the user input is an action performed in furtherance of an interactive shopping game being displayed on the interactive shopping game interface.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the recommendation is further based on a user profile of the user maintained as part of a network-based marketplace.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the recommendation includes at least one item offered for sale and an incentive to purchase the at least one item, the item being offered for sale being related to the interactive shopping game.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the incentive is a predetermined number of rewards points that may be used in a network-based marketplace.