Method of testing item availability and delivery performance of an e-commerce site

• US 8,249,955 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Nicholas and Kristin Gross Trust U/A/D April 13 2010
• Original Assignee: John N. Gross
• Inventors: Gross, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gort, Elaine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US12/728,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20100191663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products

Abstract

An inventory management, and a shipping/returns management system can be analyzed to determine various performance characteristics of an e-commerce operator, such as whether the latter maintains sufficient items to meet demand, whether distribution is occurring in a timely fashion, etc. The systems are analyzed using one or more anonymous proxy accounts.

Claims

1. A method of testing item delivery performance of items ordered from an e-commerce site, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a request for a user with a computing system for a first item to a first server supporting a first e-commerce site;

wherein said first server is adapted to conduct transactions with users for items on said first e-commerce site, including delivery of such items;

(b) confirming that said first item is available at inventory maintained by said first e-commerce site by contacting said first server with said computing system in response to said user request;

wherein said confirming is performed by said computing system accessing availability information presented by said first server in response to a proposed transaction for said first item, and which availability information is derived from but is separate from a database of transactions or inventory maintained by said first server;

(c) repeating steps (a) to (b) in response to said user request with said computing system for a separate e-commerce site;

(d) when said first item is available at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site, receiving a first notification with the computing system from said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site of a target delivery time for said first item to be delivered to a first location associated with said user;

(e) measuring an actual delivery time of said first item from said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site;

(f) generating a performance rating for said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site based on steps (d) to (e).

2. The method of claim 1, further including a step:

(d) identifying any selection bias introduced by a recommender system at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site and generating a report automatically to said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site and to a publicly viewable site quantifying said selection bias.

3. The method of claim 1, further including a step:

(f) adjusting a compensation paid by a third provider of said first item to said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site based on said performance rating.

4. The method of claim 1, further including a step:

(d) identifying any selection bias introduced by the recommender system and reporting the same automatically to said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the above steps are performed over a network by a client device operating as said computing system.

10. The method of claim 1 further including a step:

generating a notification to the e-commerce site when said performance rating exceeds a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of user accounts across a plurality of separate geographical locations is tested to determine said performance rating.

12. The method of claim 1, further including a step:

testing a recommender system at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site to measure an effect of advertising at such site.

13. The method of claim 1, further including a step:

testing a recommender system at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site to measure a learning rate for new items at such site.

6. A method of testing item delivery performance of items ordered from an e-commerce site, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a request for a user with a computing system for a first item to a first server supporting a first e-commerce site;

(b) confirming that said first item is available at said first e-commerce site with said computing system;

wherein said confirming is performed by said user accessing availability information presented by said first server in response to a proposed transaction for said first item, and which availability information is derived from but is separate from a database of transactions or inventory maintained by said first server;

(c) repeating steps (a) to (b) with said computing system for a separate e-commerce site;

(d) when said first item is available at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site, determining a performance rating based on a processing time and delivery time required for said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site to process said request for the first item, distribute the first item to a first location associated with said user, process a return of the first item from said first location, and generate a second notification that a second item has been shipped to said first location;

(e) wherein said user is a first test user associated with a first proxy account having a dummy profile including a first demographic profile and a first geographic region;

(f) repeating steps (a) through (d) for at least one second user associated with a second proxy account having a dummy profile including a second demographic profile and a second geographic region;

(g) determining with the computing system whether said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site are in compliance with an inventory or delivery time requirement specified for said first item based on said performance rating.

7. The method of claim 6, further including a step:

(d) identifying any selection bias introduced by a recommender system at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site and generating a report automatically to said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site and to a publicly viewable site.

8. The method of claim 6, further including a step:

(f) adjusting a compensation paid by a third provider of said first item to said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site based on said performance rating.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the above steps are performed over a network by a client device operated as said computing system.

14. The method of claim 6, further including a step:

testing a recommender system at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site to measure an effect of advertising at such site.

15. The method of claim 6, further including a step:

testing a recommender system at said first e-commerce site or said separate e-commerce site to measure a learning rate for new items at such site.