LOCATION AND TRANSACTION-BASED MULTI-BRAND LOYALTY SERVICE

• US 20140358661A1
• Filed: 05/28/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: vMobo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: vMobo, Inc.
• Inventors: Or, Yan, Sankaran, Anand Kumar, Gopinathan, Madhu, Sundaresan, Vinu
• Application Number:
  US13/903,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358661A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems

Abstract

A multi-brand loyalty server provides real-time product or service suggestions to customers based on transaction data. The multi-brand loyalty server receives customer information and transaction data from a merchant device(s) located at a merchant subscriber'"'"'s premises. A loyalty event, such as a promotion or reward for a suggested product or service, is determined based on the transaction data. Information about a suggested merchant and the loyalty event is sent to a mobile device operated by the customer in order to encourage him to make a purchase from the suggested merchant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing to a customer in real-time a loyalty event for a merchant network of merchants that subscribe to a loyalty service, the method comprising a computer system located remotely from the merchant subscribers performing the steps of:

receiving a customer identification from a merchant loyalty device located on premises at a first merchant subscriber, the customer identification identifying the customer;

receiving transaction data from a merchant transactions device located on premises at the first merchant subscriber, the transaction data comprising information about a transaction between the first merchant subscriber and the customer; and

in real time, determining a loyalty event within the merchant network based on the transaction data and sending a notification of the loyalty event to the customer'"'"'s mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a loyalty event depends on a geographic location of the first merchant subscriber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the loyalty event is for a second merchant subscriber and the step of determining the loyalty event includes selecting the second merchant subscriber based on a geographic relation between the first and second merchant subscribers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selecting the second merchant subscriber is limited to those merchant subscribers that are within a geographic search vicinity of the first merchant subscriber.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the geographic search vicinity is defined as located within a same shopping area as the first merchant subscriber.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the geographic search vicinity depends on the transaction data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant network is limited to merchants located within a certain metropolitan area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant network is limited to merchants that offer luxury brands and/or luxury services.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a loyalty event depends on a type of business transacted by the first merchant subscriber.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty event is for a second merchant subscriber and the step of determining the loyalty event includes selecting the second merchant subscriber based on a relation between the types of business transacted by the first and second merchant subscribers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a loyalty event depends on transaction data for past transactions for the customer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a loyalty event depends on aggregate transaction data received for many customers and many transactions.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyalty event is a promotion and the promotion must be redeemed within a certain time of the transaction between the first merchant subscriber and the customer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a customer identification comprises receiving at least one of:

a phone number, a membership number, and a barcode of the membership number.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant transactions device is a point of sale device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant transactions device and the merchant loyalty device are one device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification is sent to the customer'"'"'s mobile device via short message service (SMS).

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification is sent to the customer'"'"'s mobile device via a mobile application.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer'"'"'s mobile device is a mobile phone.

20. A multi-merchant loyalty server system for providing to a customer in real-time a loyalty event for a merchant network of merchants that subscribe to a loyalty service, the server system configured for:

receiving a customer identification from a merchant loyalty device located on premises at a first merchant subscriber, the customer identification identifying the customer;

receiving transaction data from a merchant transactions device located on premises at the first merchant subscriber, the transaction data comprising information about a transaction between the first merchant subscriber and the customer; and

in real time, determining a loyalty event within the merchant network based on the transaction data and sending a notification of the loyalty event to the customer'"'"'s mobile device.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store instructions executable by a computer system, the instructions for:

receiving a customer identification from a merchant loyalty device located on premises at a first merchant subscriber, the customer identification identifying the customer;

receiving transaction data from a merchant transactions device located on premises at the first merchant subscriber, the transaction data comprising information about a transaction between the first merchant subscriber and the customer; and

in real time, determining a loyalty event within the merchant network based on the transaction data and sending a notification of the loyalty event to the customer'"'"'s mobile device.