System and method for researching virtual markets and optimizing product placements and displays

• US 8,271,330 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brignull, Michele P., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Sand, Anne R., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): KUCAB, JAMIE R
• Application Number:
  US12/328,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.52, 705/14.53
• US Class Current: 705/14.53
• 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 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A system and method for researching virtual markets and using the research to optimize product placements and displays. The system includes a monitoring engine configured to monitor information about user reactions and/or at least one product. The system also includes a recommendation engine configured to recommend a location within a virtual universe to display the at least one product based on the information monitored by the monitoring engine and a display engine configured to display the at least one product at a recommended location.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computing infrastructure for displaying products comprising:

monitoring one or more user reactions or interactions with a product or display by one or more users in a virtual universe using one or more processors;

aggregating the one or more user reactions or interactions using the one or more processors;

recommending a location in the virtual universe to place the product or display based on the aggregated one or more user reactions or interactions using the one or more processors;

displaying the product or display at the recommended location;

determining a user status using the one or more processors;

monitoring the one or more user reactions or interactions, which include at least one of;

where the user places one or more of the at least one product;

how the user interacts with the at least one product;

the user'"'"'s opinions and/or comments about the at least one product;

how proximate the user places the at least one product to other products; and

popularity of similar products using the one or more processors;

assigning a weight to each of the user reactions or interactions;

weighing the user reactions or interactions using the one or more processors;

recommending the location based on the weighing and the aggregated one or more user reactions or interactions using the one or more processors; and

assessing a fee for the displaying.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically changing a product display based on the one or more user reactions or interactions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregated one or more user reactions or interactions are sold to at least one vendor in the real world.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 8 are offered by a service provider based on one of a fee and subscription basis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 8 are provided on a computer infrastructure, which is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.

6. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the storage medium, programmed to:

aggregate one or more user actions related to a product within a virtual universe;

recommend a location in the virtual universe for the product based on the aggregated one or more user actions;

display the product at the recommended location;

ascertain a user status, which includes one or more of a hired user, a normal user, and a promotional user;

monitor the one or more user actions, which include at least one of a user reaction, a user response, a user opinion, and a user or product movement;

aggregate and present the one or more user actions to at least one of a product vendor or a location owner;

send the monitored one or more user actions to a recommendation engine;

weigh the monitored one or more user actions using a weight assigned by at least one of the user, the product vendor, or the location owner;

recommend a location based on the weighing; and

assess a fee for the display.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the one or more user actions include one or more of a user reaction, user response, user opinion, and user or product movement.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the recommendation is based on weighing one or more of:

where a user places the product;

how the user interacts with the product;

the user'"'"'s opinions and/or comments about the product;

how proximate the user places the product to another product; and

popularity of similar products.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the product is dynamically displayed at the recommended location.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the recommended location is sold to a virtual vendor and/or a real world vendor.

11. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer program product is at least one of supported, deployed, maintained, and created by a service provider.