System and method for customer loyalty system utilizing referrals

• US 7,912,751 B1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Haytham Issa Allos
• Original Assignee: Haytham Issa Allos
• Inventors: Allos, Haytham Issa
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/895,848
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/14.1, 705/14.16
• US Class Current: 705/14.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems

Abstract

A system and method for a customer loyalty system utilizing referrals to generate a network of loyal customers for a business. A system and method for customers to join a customer loyalty program based on a multi-level marketing (MLM) referral program. Existing customers will receive incentives for purchases and addition incentives for referring new customers. Loyalty system customers will earn incentives every time someone within their referral network completes a purchase. Moreover, the present invention is adapted to improve the merchant'"'"'s customer relationships, adapted to building referral networks by utilizing indirect referral incentives, and easily integrates with the existing point of sale system of a business.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

A client application that is

in communication with a merchant point of sale system to permit a plurality of customer user profiles to be linked with a plurality of purchase transaction derived by the merchant point of sale system;

allows a merchant user to assign and transmit an incentive value for transactions made by the actual customer, a direct incentive value for transactions made by a direct referral of the actual customer, and at least one indirect incentive value for transactions made by an indirect referral of the actual customer to a server application;

permits the merchant user to re-configure and re-transmit the incentive value, the direct incentive value and the at least one indirect incentive value to the server application;

permits the merchant user to request for and redeem any portion of a total credit earned accumulated for each of the plurality of customer user profiles,

wherein the total credit earned is a total amount of credit earned by purchase made by the actual customer and also the amount of credit earned by purchases made by the customer'"'"'s direct and indirect referrals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application enables the capture and transmission of the plurality of customer user profiles to the server application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application provides for the ability to give bonus credit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application provides for the ability to print referral cards.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application permits at least one customer user profile to be re-linked to a new parent referral causing an optional re-calculation of the total credit earned by the actual customer if the new parent referral has a different incentive value assigned to at least one of the following, the incentive value, the direct incentive value, or the indirect incentive value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the client application permits the merchant user to generate and print reports about the plurality of stored customer user profiles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the incentive value is discount amount for a purchase.

8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

Supporting at least one merchant user;

permitting the configuration and modification of a plurality of customer user profiles, an incentive value, a direct incentive value, and at least one indirect incentive value as configured by the at least one merchant user,

wherein the incentive value is associated with a plurality of purchase transactions completed by an actual customer, the direct incentive value is associated with a plurality of direct referral transactions of the actual customer and the at least one indirect incentive value is associated with a plurality of indirect referral transactions of the actual customer;

computing a total credit earned for the plurality of user profiles,

wherein the total credit earned is derived from the plurality of transactions completed by the actual customer as associated with corresponding incentive value, the direct referral transactions as associated with corresponding direct incentive value, and the at least one indirect referral transactions as associated with corresponding indirect incentive value;

retrieving the total credit earned as requested by the at least one merchant user for the plurality of customer user profiles; and

re-computing the total credit earned when the at least one merchant user redeems any portion of the total credit earned.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the incentive value is a discount amount.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the direct incentive value is a discount amount.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the at least one indirect incentive value is a discount amount.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the total credit earned is a discount amount.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of customer profiles comprise a username and an email address.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of user profiles comprise a unique customer identifier.

15. A multi-merchant system, comprising:

A first merchant thin client application that is

in communication with a first merchant point of sale system;

permits a first merchant user to configure and transmit an incentive value for purchase transactions made by an actual customer by the first merchant point of sale system, a direct incentive value for transaction made by a direct referral of the actual customer by the first merchant point of sale system, and at least one indirect incentive value for transactions made by an indirect referral of the actual customer by the first merchant point of sale system to a server application;

permits the first merchant user to re-configure and re-transmit the incentive value, the direct incentive value and the at least one indirect incentive value as previously configured by the first merchant user to the server application;

A second merchant thin client application that is

in communication with a second merchant point of sale system;

permits a second merchant user to configure and transmit an incentive value for purchase transactions made by the actual customer by the second merchant point of sale system, a direct incentive value for transaction made by a direct referral of the actual customer by the second merchant point of sale system, and at least one indirect incentive value for transactions made by an indirect referral of the actual customer by the second merchant point of sale system to a server application;

permits the second merchant user to re-configure and re-transmit the incentive value, the direct incentive value and the at least one indirect incentive value as previously configured by the second merchant user to the server application;

A server application, that is

in communication with the first merchant thin client application and the second merchant thin client application;

permits for storage and the modification of the plurality of user profiles, the incentive value, the direct incentive value, and the indirect incentive value for the first merchant user and the second merchant user;

provides for computation and retrieval of a total credit earned,

wherein the total credit earned is a total amount of credit earned by purchases made by the actual customer and purchases made by the customer'"'"'s direct and indirect referrals completed by the first merchant user and the second merchant user; and

re-computes the total credit earned if the first merchant user or the second merchant user redeems any portion of the total credit earned.

16. The multi-merchant system of claim 15, wherein the first merchant and the second merchant have access to a customer resource management system with access to a plurality of user profiles.

17. The multi-merchant system of claim 15, wherein the incentive value is a cash discount.

18. The multi-merchant system of claim 15, wherein the direct incentive value is a rebate.

19. The multi-merchant system of claim 15, wherein the at least one indirect incentive value is a discount amount.

20. The multi-merchant system of claim 15, wherein the first merchant thin client application providing for ability to print customer referral cards.

21. The multi-merchant system of claim 15, wherein the second merchant thin client application providing for the ability to give bonus credit.