Systems and methods for recommending third party products and services

• US 8,346,624 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allconnect, Inc. (Red Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Allconnect, Inc. (Red Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Goad, Glenn R., Martin, David Norman, Trivedi, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US12/634,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

Systems and methods for recommending third party products and services. The method includes the steps of ranking the third party products and services based on one or more factors, and generating a user profile based on one or more user-related factors. Next, the method determined appropriate third party products and services based on the user'"'"'s geographical location and filters the third party products and services based on the user profile and the user'"'"'s geographical location. These filtered results are dynamically ranked based on the user profile, and personalization of the third party products and services. Finally, the method provides the ranked results pertinent to the end user'"'"'s preferences, and the geographical location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for offering recommendations for one or more third party products and services to a user based on a geographical location associated with the user, and based on user-related parameters and information relating to the third party products and services, comprising the steps of:

receiving information relating to third party products and services, wherein the information relating to the third party products and services includes availability information indicative of geographic availability for each product and service, and wherein the information relating to the third party products and services includes product performance data indicative of performance results for each product and service;

receiving one or more user-related parameters, wherein the one or more user-related parameters include preferences of the user and location information corresponding to a geographical location associated with the user;

identifying from the third party products and services one or more eligible third party products and services available to the user by comparing the availability information for each third party product and service to the location information corresponding to the geographical location associated with the user;

ranking the one or more eligible third party products and services based on the one or more user-related parameters and based on the information relating to the third party products and services, including the product performance data indicative of performance results for each product and service; and

providing the user with information relating to at least one of the one or more ranked eligible third party products and services.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the third party products and services is selected from the group comprising:

consumer experience information, on-going promotions or sales information, information regarding product or service plan metrics, product or service rating information, product or service popularity, product or service reviews, product or service profitability, product or service type, price, product or service details, or number of sales.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking further comprises the steps of:

retrieving the information relating to the third party products and services for each eligible third party product and service;

retrieving the one or more user-related parameters for each eligible third party product and service;

assigning weights to the retrieved information relating to the third party products and services and user-related parameters for each eligible third party product and service;

calculating a score for each eligible third party product and service based on the weighted information relating to the third party products and services and weighted user-related parameters, wherein the weighted information relating to the third party products and services includes weighted product performance data indicative of weighted performance results for each product and service; and

ranking the eligible third party products and services based on the scores.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the step of assigning weights to the retrieved information relating to the third party products and services, including the weighted product performance data indicative of weighted performance results for each product and service further comprises the step of using a look-up table to determine predetermined weights corresponding to each or the one or more eligible third party products and services.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

identifying the user based on the one or more user-related parameters;

retrieving user preferences and preference history information pertinent to the user; and

classifying the user into one or more categories based on the one or more user-related parameters, user preferences, and preference history information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the step of identifying the user further comprises the steps of:

receiving one or more user details selected from user name, email address, telephone number, social security number, date of birth, verification password, account number, account name, or user ID; and

comparing the received user details with user information stored in a database.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the one or more categories include a high profile customer, a low profile customer, a medium profile customer, a high value customer, a low value customer, a medium value customer, a particular age group, or a particular preference group.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user-related parameters include one or more of census demographics, age of the user, user'"'"'s family size, marital status of the user, census income data pertaining to the user, user'"'"'s credit score, information relating to the user'"'"'s current geographical location, information relating to the user'"'"'s previous geographical location, specifics of the user'"'"'s geographical location.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the location information corresponding to the geographical location of the user comprises one or more of:

zip code, map coordinates, neighborhood information, address information, address history, residence plan, residence specifications, residence type, census data, ownership information.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performance results for each third party product and service comprises a conversion rate indicative of a ratio of a total number of orders placed by users for a respective third party product and service as compared to a total number of offers for the respective third party product and service.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performance results for each third party product and service comprises a completion rate indicative of a ratio of a number of actual installs for a respective third party product and service as compared to a total number of orders placed by users for the respective third party product and service.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performance results for each third party product and service comprises a payment rate indicative of a ratio of a total number of actual payments received from users for a respective third party product and service as compared to a total number of orders placed by users for the respective third party product and service.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performance results for each third party product and service comprises a growth rate indicative of an incremental difference in number of orders placed for a respective third party product and service over a defined time period as compared to a total number of orders placed for the respective third party product and service over an earlier defined time period.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the product performance data includes a gross revenue associated with each third party product and service.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performance results for each third party product and service comprises user reviews indicative of consumer experiences of users for each respective third party product and service.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the third party products and services is received from each respective service provider in real time.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the third party products and services is received from external sources that are separate from respective service providers.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving additional product performance data indicative of additional performance results of previously ranked one or more eligible third party products and services;

re-ranking the one or more eligible third party products and services based on the retrieved additional product performance data indicative of additional performance results, one or more user-related parameters, and the information relating to the third party products and services; and

providing the user with updated information relating to at least one of the one or more re-ranked eligible third party products and services.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein availability information indicative of geographic availability includes secondary address information relating to physical characteristics of a property corresponding to the geographical location associated with the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the secondary address information is selected from the group comprising:

a property type, a property plan, a property size, number of rooms in the property, previous products or services installed in the property, census data pertaining to ownership and resident information for the property, capability data corresponding to products or services deliverable at the property.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking the one or more eligible third party products and services further comprises the steps of:

retrieving historical information in connection with at least one of the one or more ranked eligible third party products and services corresponding to a previous ranking step;

re-ranking the one or more eligible third party products and services based on the retrieved historical information; and

providing the user with updated information relating to at least one of the one or more re-ranked eligible third party products and services.

22. A system for offering recommendations to a user for one or more third party products and services based on a geographical location associated with the user and based on availability information indicative of geographic availability for each product and service, the system comprising:

an electronic database for storing (a) one or more user-related parameters, and (b) information relating to third party products and services, wherein the information relating to the third party products and services includes availability information indicative of geographic availability for each product and service, and wherein the information relating to the third party products and services includes product performance data indicative of performance results for each product and service;

a processor communicably coupled to the electronic database, wherein the processor performs the steps of;

generating a user profile based on the one or more user-related parameters including preferences of the user and location information corresponding to a geographical location associated with the user;

determining one or more third party products and services eligible for the user by comparing availability information for each third party product and service to the location information corresponding to the geographical location associated with the user;

ranking the one or more eligible third party products and services based on the one or more user-related parameters and based on the information relating to the third party products and services, including the product performance data indicative of performance results for each product and service; and

providing the user with information relating to at least one of the one or more ranked eligible third party products and services.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the information relating to third party products and services is selected from the group comprising:

consumer experience information, on-going promotions or sales information, information regarding product or service plan metrics, product or service rating information, product or service popularity, product or service reviews, product or service profitability, product or service type, price, product or service details, or number of sales.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the ranking step performed by the processor includes the additional steps of:

retrieving from the electronic database, the one or more user-related parameters and the information relating to the third party products and services for each eligible third party product and service;

assigning weights to the retrieved one or more user-related parameters and the information relating to the third party products and services for each eligible third party product and service;

calculating a score for each eligible third party product and service based on the weighted one or more user-related parameters and the weighted information relating to the third party products and services, wherein the weighted information relating to the third party products and services includes weighted product performance data indicative of weighted performance results for each product and service; and

ranking the eligible third party products and services based on the scores.

25. The system or claim 24, wherein the weights assigned to the retrieved one or more user-related parameters and the information relating to third party products and services, including the product performance data indicative of performance results for each product and service are determined by accessing a predetermined look-up table stored in the electronic database.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor performs the additional steps of:

identifying the user;

receiving one or more third party product and service preferences from the user;

retrieving user information and preference history information pertinent to the user from the electronic database; and

classifying the user into one or more categories based on the third party product and service preferences, user information, and preference history information.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the processor performs the additional steps of identifying the user by:

receiving one or more user details selected from user name, email address, telephone number, social security number, date of birth, password, account number, account name, or user ID; and

comparing the received user details with user information stored in the electronic database.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more categories include a high profile customer, a low profile customer, a medium profile customer, a high value customer, a low value customer, a medium value customer, a particular age group, or a particular preference group.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more user-related parameters are selected from the group comprising:

census demographics, age of the user, user'"'"'s family size, marital status of the user, census income data pertaining to the user, user'"'"'s credit score, information relating to the user'"'"'s current geographical location, information relating to the users previous geographical location, specifics of the user'"'"'s geographical location.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the location information corresponding to a geographical location associated with the user comprises one or more of:

zip code, map coordinates, neighborhood information, address information, address history, residence plan, residence specifications, residence type, census data, ownership information.

31. In a system for facilitating purchase by users of third party products and services offered by one or more third party product and service providers, wherein the third party products and services are offered to geographical locations associated with the users, a method for identifying optimal third party products and services for a user, comprising the steps of:

receiving product/service information corresponding to a plurality of products/services offered by the one or more third party product and service providers, wherein the product/service information includes availability information indicative of geographic availability for each product and service, and wherein the product/service information includes product performance data indicative of performance results for each product/service;

receiving location information corresponding to a geographical location associated with the user;

identifying from the plurality of products/services one or more eligible third party products/services available to the user by comparing the availability information for each third party product and service to the location information corresponding to the geographical location associated with the user;

standardizing the product/service information for the one or more eligible third party products/services based on one or more predefined rules;

assigning a predefined weight to each of the standardized one or more eligible third party products/services that comprise the standardized product/service information, wherein the predetermined weight takes into account the performance data indicative of performance results for each product/service;

calculating a composite score for each eligible third party product/service offered by the one or more third party product and service providers based on the standardized product/service information and predefined weights associated with each of the one or more eligible third party product/service; and

generating one or more product/service recommendations for the user based on the composite score for each of the one or more eligible third party product/service according to a predefined ranking scheme,

whereby the one or more product/service recommendations are used to suggest one or more products or services to the user that best fit me user'"'"'s needs.