Incentivize Reviews Using Purchase Proof Based on Mobile Payment Data

• US 20150254700A1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Vardhman
• Application Number:
  US14/230,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254700A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards

Abstract

Systems and methods for incentivizing reviews are provided. One example method includes obtaining, by one or more computing devices, data from a mobile payment system indicating that a user has performed a transaction with a commercial entity, the transaction having a transaction time. The method includes obtaining, by the one or more computing devices, location data associated with one or more mobile computing devices associated with the user. The method includes determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether the user was located at the commercial entity at the transaction time based at least in part on the location data. The method includes providing, by the one or more computing devices, an incentive for the user to provide a review of the commercial entity when it is determined that the user was located at the commercial entity at the transaction time.

Claims

1. A method for incentivizing reviews, the method comprising:

obtaining, by one or more computing devices, data from a mobile payment system indicating that a user has performed a transaction with a commercial entity, the transaction having a transaction time;

obtaining, by the one or more computing devices, location data associated with one or more mobile computing devices associated with the user;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether the user was located at the commercial entity at the transaction time based at least in part on the location data; and

when it is determined that the user was located at the commercial entity at the transaction time, providing, by the one or more computing devices, an incentive for the user to provide a review of the commercial entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising awarding, by the one or more computing devices, the incentive to the user when it is determined that the user has provided the review of the commercial entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the incentive comprises an amount of currency, the amount being based on a value of the transaction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein awarding, by the one or more computing devices, the incentive to the user comprises incrementing, by the one or more computing devices, a balance of a virtual wallet associated with the user by the amount of currency, and wherein the virtual wallet is a component of the mobile payment system.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the incentive comprises a coupon.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein awarding, by the one or more computing devices, the incentive to the user comprises storing, by the one or more computing devices, the coupon in a virtual wallet associated with the user, and wherein the virtual wallet is a component of the mobile payment system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the review comprises a review of a product purchased from the commercial entity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing, by the one or more computing devices, an incentive for the user to provide a review of the commercial entity comprises providing, by the one or more computing devices, an incentive for the user to provide, via a review platform operated by a first entity, a review of the commercial entity, and wherein the first entity also operates the mobile payment system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile payment system is operated by a first entity, the first entity being unrelated to the commercial entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user employed the one or more mobile computing devices to perform the transaction with the commercial entity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the location data associated with the one or more mobile devices associated with the user comprises a plurality of location reports received from the one or more mobile devices associated with the user, each of the plurality of location reports providing a geolocation and a time; and

determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether the user was located at the commercial entity at the transaction time based at least in part on the location data comprises determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether one or more of the plurality of location reports provides a geolocation that is within a threshold distance from the commercial entity and provides a time that is within a threshold amount of time from the transaction time.

12. A system for incentivizing reviews, the system comprising:

a mobile payment system comprising one or more computing devices, the mobile payment system being configured to;

maintain a virtual wallet for a user; and

process a transaction between the user and a commercial entity, the transaction having a transaction time;

a review incentivization system comprising one or more computing devices, the review incentivization system being configured to;

determine whether the user was located at the location of the commercial entity at the transaction time based at least in part on location data obtained from one or more mobile devices associated with the user; and

when it is determined that the user was located at the location of the commercial entity at the transaction time, provide an incentive for the user to provide a review of the commercial entity.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a review system comprising one or more computing devices, the review system being configured to receive the review of the commercial entity from the user;

wherein the review incentivization system is further configured to award the incentive to the user when the review system receives the review of the commercial entity from the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the review incentivization system is configured to provide the incentive for the user to provide the review of the commercial entity via a user interface of the review system or via a user interface of the mobile payment system.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the review incentivization system is configured to award the incentive to the user by communicating with the mobile payment system to increment a balance of the virtual wallet for the user by an amount of currency or to store a coupon in the virtual wallet.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more mobile devices associated with the user were used to perform the transaction between the user and the commercial entity.

17. A method for incentivizing reviews, the method comprising:

obtaining, by one or more computing devices, transaction data from a mobile payment system, the transaction data describing a transaction processed by the mobile payment system, wherein the transaction comprises a plurality of products purchased by a user from a third-party commercial entity;

selecting, by the one or more computing devices, one of the plurality of products based at least in part on review data associated with each of the plurality of products; and

offering, by the one or more computing devices, an incentive to the user to provide a review of the selected product;

wherein the third-party commercial entity is unaffiliated with the mobile payment system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting, by the one or more computing devices, one of the plurality of products based at least in part on review data associated with each of the plurality of products comprises:

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a number of existing reviews for each of the plurality of products; and

selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the one of the plurality of products based at least in part on the number of existing reviews for each of the plurality of products.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the one of the plurality of products based at least in part on the number of existing reviews for each of the plurality of products comprises selecting, by the one or more computing devices, the product that has the smallest number of existing reviews.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the transaction data comprises an itemized receipt of the transaction.