Systems And Methods For Mapping In-Store Transactions To Customer Profiles

• US 20140358742A1
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Achan, Kannan, Ali, Afroza, Benson, Ron
• Application Number:
  US13/907,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358742A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Example systems and methods for mapping in-store transactions to customer profiles are described. In one implementation, a method receives information of a plurality of customer profiles of a plurality of online customers. Each of the customer profiles includes a plurality of types of attributes associated with a respective one of the online customers. The types of attributes include a first type of attribute. The method also receives information of a plurality of in-store transactions by a plurality of in-store customers. The information of each of the in-store transactions includes the first type of attribute associated with the respective in-store customer. The method further maps, for at least one of the in-store customers, one or more of the customer profiles of online customers to the at least one of the in-store customers based at least in part on the first type of attribute.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, first information related to one or more online customers and second information related to one or more in-store customers; and

mapping at least one of the one or more online customers to at least one of the one or more in-store customers based at least in part on a match in the first information and the second information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information includes information of customer profiles of the one or more online customers, each of the customer profiles including a plurality of types of attributes including a first type of attribute, and wherein the second information includes information of in-store transactions by the one or more in-store customers, the information of each of the in-store transactions including the first type of attribute of the types of attributes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapping comprises mapping at least one of the one or more online customers to at least one of the one or more in-store customers based on a match in the first type of attribute.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the types of attributes associated with each of the customer profiles comprise a last name, a first name, an address, and one or more identifiers of one or more traceable tenders.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first type of attribute comprises the one or more identifiers of one or more traceable tenders.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more traceable tenders comprises a credit card or a debit card.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapping comprises mapping the one or more of the customer profiles of online customers to the at least one of the in-store customers by matching the first type of attribute associated with the at least one of the in-store customers to the respective first type of attribute associated with each of the one or more of the customer profiles.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapping comprises mapping the one or more of the customer profiles of online customers to the at least one of the in-store customers based at least in part on the first type of attribute using probabilistic inference.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapping comprises mapping more than one of the customer profiles of online customers to the at least one of the in-store customers based at least in part on the first type of attribute using weights associated with the more than one of the customer profiles, and wherein the weights are determined based on one or more similarities between the types of attributes associated with the more than one of the customer profiles.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, information indicating that a first in-store transaction and a second in-store transaction of the in-store transactions are related; and

performing either of;

mapping at least one of the customer profiles mapped to a first in-store customer associated with the first in-store transaction to a second in-store customer associated with the second in-store transaction;

or

mapping at least one of the customer profiles mapped to the second in-store customer associated with the second in-store transaction to the first in-store customer associated with the first in-store transaction.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more similarities between one or more of the types of attributes associated with a first customer profile of the customer profiles and corresponding one or more of the types of attributes associated with at least a second customer profile of the customer profiles; and

annotating the first and the second customer profiles to indicate that online customers associated with the first and the second customer profiles are related.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors from a point of sale, first information related to a first in-store customer of the in-store customers;

identifying one or more similarities between a second type of attribute in the first information and the second type of attribute associated with at least one customer profile of the customer profiles; and

mapping the at least one customer profile of the customer profiles to the first in-store customer responsive to the identifying.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second type of attribute comprises biometric information.

14. A method comprising:

accessing, by one or more processors, a database to obtain information of customer profiles of a plurality of online customers, each of the customer profiles including a plurality of types of attributes;

receiving information of a first in-store transaction by a first in-store customer, the information of the first in-store transaction including a first type of attribute of the types of attributes associated with the first in-store customer; and

mapping one or more of the customer profiles of online customers to the first in-store customer based at least in part on a match in the first type of attribute of the first in-store customer and the first type of attribute of the mapped one or more customer profiles of online customers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the types of attributes associated with each of the customer profiles comprise a last name, a first name, an address, and one or more identifiers of one or more traceable tenders, and wherein the first type of attribute comprises the one or more identifiers of one or more traceable tenders.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the one or more traceable tenders comprises a credit card or a debit card.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the mapping comprises mapping the one or more of the customer profiles of online customers to the first in-store customer by matching the first type of attribute associated with the first in-store customer to the respective first type of attribute associated with each of the one or more of the customer profiles.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the mapping comprises mapping more than one of the customer profiles of online customers to the first in-store customer based at least in part on the first type of attribute using weights associated with the more than one of the customer profiles, and wherein the weights are determined based on one or more similarities between the types of attributes associated with the more than one of the customer profiles.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, information indicating that the first in-store transaction and a second in-store transaction of the in-store transactions are related; and

performing either of;

mapping at least one of the customer profiles mapped to the first in-store customer associated with the first in-store transaction to a second in-store customer associated with the second in-store transaction;

or

mapping at least one of the customer profiles mapped to the second in-store customer associated with the second in-store transaction to the first in-store customer associated with the first in-store transaction.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more similarities between one or more of the types of attributes associated with a first customer profile of the customer profiles and corresponding one or more of the types of attributes associated with at least a second customer profile of the customer profiles; and

annotating the first and the second customer profiles to indicate that online customers associated with the first and the second customer profiles are related.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors from a point of sale, first information related to a first in-store customer of the in-store customers;

identifying one or more similarities between a second type of attribute in the first information and the second type of attribute associated with at least one customer profile of the customer profiles; and

mapping the at least one customer profile of the customer profiles to the first in-store customer responsive to the identifying,

wherein the second type of attribute comprises biometric information.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store data and one or more sets of instructions; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to execute the one or more sets of instructions and perform operations comprising;

receiving, by one or more processors, information of a plurality of customer profiles of a plurality of online customers, each of the customer profiles including a plurality of attributes associated with a respective one of the online customers, the attributes including an identifier of a traceable tender;

receiving information of a plurality of in-store transactions by a plurality of in-store customers, the information of each of the in-store transactions including an identifier of a traceable tender used by the respective in-store customer in one or more in-store purchases; and

mapping, for at least one of the in-store customers, one or more of the customer profiles of online customers to the at least one of the in-store customers by matching the identifier of the traceable tender associated with the at least one of the in-store customers to the respective identifier of a traceable tender associated with each of the one or more of the customer profiles.