System and method for offer management

• US 7,467,106 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Lau, Tak Wing (Edward), Pederson, Shane P., Levine, Adam Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil; Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US10/869,905
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method for offer management may comprise: providing a plurality of offers for targeting at a plurality of accounts based on a plurality of business rules; prioritizing the plurality of offers; grouping the accounts based on their qualification for each offer in accordance with the business rules; optimizing the business rules based on the prioritization of the offers and the grouping of the accounts, such that each offer is associated with at least a predetermined number of accounts; imposing a volume limit or weight limit for offers assigned to each account; incorporating the offers into communications associated with the plurality of accounts based on the optimized business rules and the volume limit or weight limit; and managing production of the communications based on at least one simulation, wherein the at least one simulation is performed based on data associated with the offers, business rules and the accounts.

Claims

1. A method for offer management, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of offers and a plurality of business rules, wherein each of the plurality of offers is to be targeted at a predetermined number of accounts selected from a plurality of accounts based on the plurality of business rules;

prioritizing the plurality of offers;

grouping the plurality of accounts based on their qualification for each of the plurality of offers in accordance with the plurality of business rules;

optimizing the plurality of business rules based at least in part on the prioritization of the plurality of offers and the grouping of the plurality of accounts, such that each of the plurality of offers is associated with at least the predetermined number of accounts;

imposing a volume limit or weight limit for offers assigned to each of the plurality of accounts;

incorporating the plurality of offers into communications associated with the plurality of accounts based at least in part on the plurality of optimized business rules and the volume limit or weight limit; and

managing production of the communications based on at least one simulation, wherein the at least one simulation is performed based on data associated with the plurality of offers, the plurality of business rules and the plurality of accounts.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising adding, modifying, deleting or copying one or more offers and related business rules through a user interface.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the plurality of offers are associated with one or more financial products.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the plurality of offers are associated with one or more insurance products.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the plurality of offers and the plurality of business rules are associated with one or more individual accounts.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the plurality of offers and the plurality of business rules are associated with one or more groups, each group comprising one or more individual accounts.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising incorporating, from a content management database, a plurality of contents associated with the plurality of offers.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prioritization of the plurality of offers is based at least in part on an effectiveness of one or more historic offers.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the effectiveness is measured based on a fractional change or a logarithmic change in one or more financial behaviors of the plurality of accounts.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prioritization of the plurality of offers is based at least in part on types or categories of the plurality of offers.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising adjusting the prioritization of the plurality of offers.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising building a rule file based on the plurality of offers and the plurality of optimized business rules.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the rule file is based on a business action language (BAL).

14. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating tags representative of the plurality of offers and merging the tags with the communications based at least in part on the plurality of optimized business rules.

15. The method according to claim 1 further comprising comparing a first number of offers that are qualified for an account with a second number of offers that are incorporated into a communication associated with the account.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of managing production further comprises maintaining an accurate inventory of materials associated with the production of the communications based on the at least one simulation.

17. A method for offer management, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of offers for incorporation into statement letters associated with a plurality of accounts, wherein the incorporation of the plurality of offers is based on a plurality of business rules; and

simulating a final composition of the statement letters based at least in part on

a prioritization of the plurality of offers,

associations of the plurality of offers with the plurality of accounts, wherein the associations are made by optimizing the plurality of business rules based at least in part on the prioritization of the plurality of offers and the grouping of the plurality of accounts, such that each of the plurality of offers is associated with at least the predetermined number of accounts, and

layout, graphics and inventory weight associated with one or more sub-components of the statement letters.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising managing an inventory of materials associated with preparation of the statement letters based on the simulated final composition.

19. A system for offer management, the system comprising:

at least one user interface for entering and modifying a plurality of offers and a plurality of business rules, wherein each of the plurality of offers is to be targeted at a predetermined number of accounts selected from a plurality of accounts based on the plurality of business rules;

storage means for storing and managing the plurality of offers, the plurality of business rules and the plurality of accounts; and

processor means for

prioritizing the plurality of offers;

grouping the plurality of accounts based on their qualification for each of the plurality of offers in accordance with the plurality of business rules;

optimizing the plurality of business rules based at least in part on the prioritization of the plurality of offers and the grouping of the plurality of accounts, such that each of the plurality of offers is associated with at least the predetermined number of accounts;

imposing a volume limit or weight limit for offers assigned to each of the plurality of accounts;

incorporating the plurality of offers into communications associated with the plurality of accounts based at least in part on the plurality of optimized business rules and the volume limit or weight limit; and

managing production of the communications based on at least one simulation, wherein the at least one simulation is performed based on data associated with the plurality of offers, the plurality of business rules and the plurality of accounts.

20. The system according to claim 19 further comprising means for incorporating, from a content management database, a plurality of contents associated with the plurality of offers.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein the prioritization of the plurality of offers is based at least in part on an effectiveness of one or more historic offers.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the effectiveness is measured based on a fractional change or a logarithmic change in one or more financial behaviors of the plurality of accounts.

23. The system according to claim 19, wherein the prioritization of the plurality of offers is based at least in part on types or categories of the plurality of offers.

24. The system according to claim 19 further comprising means for adjusting the prioritization of the plurality of offers.

25. The system according to claim 19 further comprising means for building a rule file based on the plurality of offers and the plurality of optimized business rules.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the rule file is based on a business action language (BAL).

27. The system according to claim 19 further comprising means for generating tags representative of the plurality of offers and merging the tags with the communications based at least in part on the plurality of optimized business rules.

28. The system according to claim 19 further comprising means for comparing a first number of offers that are qualified for an account with a second number of offers that are incorporated into a communication associated with the account.

29. The system according to claim 19 further comprising means for maintaining an accurate inventory of materials associated with the production of the communications based on the at least one simulation.

30. A computer readable medium having code for causing at least one processor to perform offer management, the computer readable medium comprising:

code to provide a plurality of offers and a plurality of business rules, wherein each of the plurality of offers is to be targeted at a predetermined number of accounts selected from a plurality of accounts based on the plurality of business rules;

code to prioritize the plurality of offers;

code to group the plurality of accounts based on their qualification for each of the plurality of offers in accordance with the plurality of business rules;

code to optimize the plurality of business rules based at least in part on the prioritization of the plurality of offers and the grouping of the plurality of accounts, such that each of the plurality of offers is associated with at least the predetermined number of accounts;

code to impose a volume limit or weight limit for offers assigned to each of the plurality of accounts;

code to incorporate the plurality of offers into communications associated with the plurality of accounts based at least in part on the plurality of optimized business rules and the volume limit or weight limit; and

code to manage production of the communications based on at least one simulation, wherein the at least one simulation is performed based on data associated with the plurality of offers, the plurality of business rules and the plurality of accounts.