Customer search utility

• US 8,065,353 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Eckhoff-Hornback, Wendy S., Pletsch, Joseph Herman, Perry, Patricia Ann, Ash, Robert William, Peterson, Terri Jo
• Primary Examiner(s): LY, CHEYNE D
• Application Number:
  US12/346,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 707/948, 707/949, 705/14.65, 705/16, 705/20, 705/22, 705/26.1, 705/27.2, 705/28
• US Class Current: 707/949
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A customer search terminal system may be configured to accept customer product searches and identify corresponding products and product information. A method for determining the efficacy of the customer search terminal may include receiving customer usage information including data related to customer usage of a customer search terminal and may also include receiving product sales information including data related to products sold at a point-of-sale terminal. The method may further include generating customer purchase behavior information by correlating the received customer search terminal usage information with the received product sales information when a product is sold at the point-of-sale terminal within a prescribed time period relative to a search for the product on the customer search terminal.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining the efficacy of a customer search terminal system that accepts customer product searches and identifies corresponding products and product information, the method comprising:

providing an in-store customer search terminal as a fixture in a retail establishment in a location accessible by a customer, the customer search terminal storing a database of inventory available at the retail establishment;

a reporting server receiving, at a computer, customer search terminal usage information including data related to customer usage of the customer search terminal;

the reporting server receiving product sales information including data related to products sold at an in-store point-of-sale terminal; and

generating customer purchase behavior information by correlating the received customer search terminal usage information with the received product sales information from the point-of-sale terminal, the step of correlating comprising determining sales of said corresponding products that occurred within a prescribed time period relative to the respective searches for the corresponding products on the customer search terminal, wherein the data related to customer usage includes search terms entered into a user interface of the customer search terminal and corresponding product search results displayed on the customer search terminal, wherein the data related to the customer usage further includes a customer navigation history that includes customer inputs to the customer search terminal and information about screens that are displayed on the customer search terminal during a customer search session, and wherein the customer navigation history further includes timing information related to how long each of the screens is displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data related to customer usage further includes promotional data related to products identified in the product search results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data related to customer usage further includes the proximity of the customer search terminal to products identified in the product search results.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data related to products sold includes information about the items purchased by a customer in a single transaction.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data related to products sold includes the total price of the items purchased by the customer in the single transaction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report based on the customer purchase behavior information related to one or more customer search terminals.

7. A system for determining the efficacy of a customer search terminal system that accepts customer product searches and identifies corresponding products and product information, the system comprising:

a customer search terminal provided as a fixture in a retail establishment, the customer search terminal storing a database of inventory available at the retail establishment;

a receiving module configured to receive customer search terminal usage information including data related to customer usage of the customer search terminal;

a receiving module configured to receive product sales information including data related to products sold at a point-of-sale terminal; and

a correlation module configured to generate customer purchase behavior information by correlating the received customer search terminal usage information with the received product sales information from the point-of-sale terminal, the correlation module determining sales of said corresponding products that occurred within a prescribed time period relative to the respective searches for the corresponding products on the customer search terminal, wherein the data related to customer usage includes search terms entered into a user interface of the customer search terminal and

corresponding product search results displayed on the customer search terminal, wherein the data related to customer usage further includes a customer navigation history that includes customer inputs to the customer search terminal and information about screens that are displayed on the customer search terminal during a customer search session,

wherein the customer navigation history further includes timing information related to how long each of the screens are displayed.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data related to customer usage further includes promotional data related to products identified in the product search results.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the data related to customer usage further includes the proximity of the customer search terminal to products identified in the product search results.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the data related to products sold includes information about the items purchased by a customer in a single transaction.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data related to products sold includes the total price of the items purchased by the customer in the single transaction.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the customer search terminal and the point-of-sale terminal are located in different stores.

13. The system of claim 7, further comprising a report generation module configured to generate a report based on the customer purchase behavior information related to one or more customer search terminals.