Methods for alerting a sales representative of customer presence based on customer identification information

• US 8,055,551 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark Griner, Michael Milgramm
• Original Assignee: Mark Griner, Michael Milgramm
• Inventors: Milgramm, Michael, Griner, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; William
• Application Number:
  US12/284,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705 1437- 1438, 705 261- 272, 705/7.29, 705/7.34
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0237 at kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for sales optimization having a store database storing information about past shopping experiences and preferences of different customers, a business rules engine connected to the store database, a biometric database containing biometric data, a customer identification engine connected to the biometric database; and a biometric detector detecting customer'"'"'s presence in the store. The biometric detector is connected to the biometric database through the customer identification engine. The customer identification engine identifies detected customers using data stored in the biometric database. The system also includes at least one sales representative terminal connected to the business rules engine. When sales optimization tactic is determined, it is conveyed from the business rules engine to the sales representative terminal.

Claims

1. A process implemented on a computer system, comprising:

obtaining biometric information about a customer using at least one device connected to the computer system;

storing the biometric information about the customer in a database of the computer system;

determining, based on a comparison in a customer identification engine connected to the computer system of the biometric information about the customer stored in the database of the computer system with biometric information obtained during at least one visit of the customer to a store, shopping experience information comprising at least one length of time spent by the customer during the at least one visit in at least one region of the store;

determining purchase behavior information about the at least one visit of the customer to the store comprising at least whether the customer made a purchase during the visit, and if so, information about the purchase;

electronically associating within the computer system the shopping experience information and the purchase behavior information with the biometric information about the customer stored in the database of the computer system;

during a visit of the customer to the store subsequent to the at least one visit, identifying the customer by comparing, in the customer identification engine, the biometric information about the customer stored in the database of the computer system with biometric information obtained during the subsequent visit;

determining at least one length of time spent by the customer during the subsequent visit in at least one region of the store;

determining, by a business rules engine connected to the computer system, based at least on the shopping experience information, on the purchase behavior information, and on the at least one length of time spent by the customer during the subsequent visit in at least one region of the store, whether contacting the customer is statistically expected to increase sales; and

electronically relaying, through the computer system, an instruction to a store sales representative based on the determination of the business rules engine.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein:

the shopping experience information further comprises whether the customer was approached by at least one sales representative during the at least one visit.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein:

the shopping experience information further comprises an identity of the at least one sales representative that approached the customer during the at least one visit;

the business rules engine further determines, based at least on the shopping experience information, on the purchase behavior information, and on the at least one length of time spent by the customer during the subsequent visit in at least one region of the store, a particular sales representative who is statistically expected to most increase sales by contacting the customer; and

the instruction is electronically relayed, through the computer system, to the particular sales representative.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein:

the business rules engine further determines, based at least on the shopping experience information, on the purchase behavior information, and on the at least one length of time spent by the customer during the subsequent visit in at least one region of the store, a particular offer which is statistically expected to most increase sales if presented to the customer; and

the instruction which is electronically relayed through the computer system to the particular sales representative comprises the particular offer.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein:

the business rule engine calculates an estimated purchase by the customer if unassisted, an offer lift factor for each of various possible offers which could be presented to the customer representing the estimated fraction of sales which would be made to the customer if the offer is presented, and a sales person lift factor for each of various possible sales representatives which could contact the customer representing the estimated fraction of sales which would be made to the customer if the sales person contacts the customer; and

the particular offer and the particular sales representative are selected by the business rule engine so as to maximize the product of the estimated purchase by the customer if unassisted, the offer lift factor and the sales person lift factor.

6. The process of claim 3, wherein the computer system, by comparing the purchase behavior information which relates to assisted sales and the purchase behavior information which relates to unassisted sales, determines the particular sales representative'"'"'s effectiveness.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein the particular sales representative'"'"'s effectiveness is determined based on at least one of the particular sales representative'"'"'s ability to close sales, up-sell, or cross-sell.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the determination of the particular sales representative who is statistically expected to most increase sales by contacting the customer is based at least in part on the particular sales representative'"'"'s effectiveness.

9. The process of claim 2, wherein:

the shopping experience information further comprises whether the customer refused sales assistance from the at least one sales representative that approached the customer during the at least one visit.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein:

the biometric information obtained during the at least one visit is obtained by at least one entry camera and at least one corresponding exit camera; and

the at least one length of time spent by the customer during the at least one visit in at least one region of the store is determined based on a difference in time between an identification of the customer by the customer identification engine based on biometric information obtained by the at least one entry camera and an identification of the customer by the customer identification engine based on biometric information obtained by the at least one corresponding exit camera.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one entry camera comprises a camera at an entrance of the store;

the at least one corresponding exit camera comprises a camera at an exit of the store; and

the at least one region of the store comprises the entire store.

12. The process of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one entry camera comprises multiple entry cameras positioned at entrances of multiple departments of the store;

the at least one corresponding exit camera comprises multiple corresponding exit cameras at exits of the multiple departments of the store; and

the at least one region of the store comprises the multiple departments of the store.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein:

the biometric information obtained during the at least one visit is obtained by at least one product display camera;

the at least one length of time spent by the customer during the at least one visit in at least one region of the store is determined based on a period of time during which an identification of the customer by the customer identification engine is made based on biometric information obtained by the at least one product display camera; and

the at least one region of the store comprises an area in front of a product display.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein:

the determining, by the business rules engine connected to the computer system, is performed at least two times during the subsequent visit;

as a result of a first one of the at least two performances during the subsequent visit, the business rule engine determines that contacting the customer is not statistically expected to increase sales; and

as a result of a second of the at least two performances during the subsequent visit performed after the first one of the at least two performances, the business rule engine determines that contacting the customer is statistically expected to increase sales.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the purchase behavior information comprises a fact that the customer has not made a purchase.

16. A process implemented on a computer system, comprising:

obtaining identifying information about a customer using at least one device connected to the computer system;

storing the identifying information about the customer in a database of the computer system;

determining, based on a comparison in a customer identification engine connected to the computer system of the identifying information about the customer stored in the database of the computer system with identifying information obtained during at least one visit of the customer to a store, shopping experience information comprising at least one length of time spent by the customer during the at least one visit in at least one region of the store;

determining purchase behavior information about the at least one visit of the customer to the store comprising at least whether the customer made a purchase during the visit, and if so, information about the purchase;

electronically associating within the computer system the shopping experience information and the purchase behavior information with the identifying information about the customer stored in the database of the computer system;

during a visit of the customer to the store subsequent to the at least one visit, identifying the customer by comparing, in the customer identification engine, the identifying information about the customer stored in the database of the computer system with identifying information obtained during the subsequent visit;

determining at least one length of time spent by the customer during the subsequent visit in at least one region of the store;

determining, by a business rules engine connected to the computer system, based at least on the shopping experience information, on the purchase behavior information, and on the at least one length of time spent by the customer during the subsequent visit in at least one region of the store, whether contacting the customer is statistically expected to increase sales; and

electronically relaying, through the computer system, an instruction to a store sales representative based on the determination of the business rules engine.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein:

the shopping experience information further comprises whether the customer was approached by at least one sales representative during the at least one visit.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein:

the shopping experience information further comprises whether the customer refused sales assistance from the at least one sales representative that approached the customer during the at least one visit.

19. The process of claim 16, wherein:

The determining, by the business rules engine connected to the computer system, is performed at least two times during the subsequent visit;

as a result of a first one of the at least two performances during the subsequent visit, the business rule engine determines that contacting the customer is not statistically expected to increase sales; and

as a result of a second of the at least two performances during the subsequent visit performed after the first one of the at least two performances, the business rule engine determines that contacting the customer is statistically expected to increase sales.

20. The process of claim 16, wherein the purchase behavior information comprises a fact that the customer has not made a purchase.