Reducing purchase hesitance

• US 8,566,170 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Joseph, B. Anthony, Green, Matthew K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Rob
• Application Number:
  US12/039,794
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments of systems, methods, and computer programs that facilitate reducing purchase hesitance. At least one product offered by a seller at an initial price is displayed to a buyer. Activity of the buyer throughout an electronic commerce system is tracked. Purchase hesitance in the activity is identified. A concession is offered to the buyer by the seller to provide incentive to the buyer to purchase the product within the electronic commerce system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

encoding for display to a buyer at least one product offered by at least one seller at an initial price;

tracking activity of the buyer throughout an electronic commerce system, wherein the electronic commerce system is at least one of an electronic auction system, a fixed price electronic marketplace, or an electronic marketplace allowing for price negotiation between the buyer and the at least one seller;

identifying a hesitance of the buyer in the activity to purchase the at least one product from the at least one seller by detecting when the buyer searches for a substitute product, wherein the substitute product differs from the at least one product;

offering at least one concession from the at least one seller to the buyer in association with the offering of the at least one product, the at least one concession comprising a revised offer configured to provide incentive to the buyer to purchase the at least one product within the electronic commerce system, wherein the revised offer expires within a predetermined amount of time;

encoding for display to the buyer a retail value of the revised offer; and

transmitting the revised offer to the buyer, wherein the step of transmitting further comprises alerting the buyer of the revised offer using at least one of an electronic mail message, a short message service message, a popup window, or an on-screen message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the hesitance of the buyer further comprises determining when the buyer views the at least one product within the electronic commerce system and subsequently exits the electronic commerce system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the hesitance of the buyer further comprises determining when the buyer adds the at least one product to a shopping cart assigned to the buyer in the electronic commerce system.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining when the buyer subsequently removes the at least one product to the shopping cart.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the hesitance of the buyer further comprises detecting when the buyer seeks the at least one product from an alternate seller within the electronic commerce system, wherein the alternate seller differs from the at least one seller.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the hesitance of the buyer further comprises determining when a first price of the at least one product offered by the at least one seller is offered by a competing seller within the electronic commerce system at a second price, wherein the second price is lower than the first price.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the hesitance of the buyer further comprises determining when the buyer has attempted to negotiate a sales price of the at least one product with the at least one seller.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one concession further comprises reducing the initial price of the at least one product.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein offering the at least one concession further comprises identifying an additional product and the additional product is the at least one concession.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the additional product is an item that is associated with the at least one product.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the additional product is offered to the buyer at a reduced price, wherein the reduced price is lower than a retail price of the additional product.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the additional product is offered to the buyer free of charge.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one concession is at least one of a reduced shipping cost, a reduced gift wrapping cost, an additional product, the at least one product at a price lower than the initial price, or a discount on a future purchase.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein offering at least one concession further comprises defining a concession rule describing at least one predetermined concession offered to buyers, the at least one predetermined concession corresponding to the at least one product.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein offering at least one concession further comprises:

notifying the at least one seller that the buyer exhibits the hesitance to purchase the at least one product; and

encoding for display a concession form to be presented to the at least one seller to define the at least one concession.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein offering at least one concession further comprises:

defining a concession rule describing a predetermined monetary value of the at least one concession; and

identifying a concession having a monetary value less than or equal to the predetermined monetary value.

17. A program embodied in a computer readable medium and executable by a processor-based system, comprising:

code that displays to a buyer at least one product offered by at least one seller at an initial price;

code that tracks activity of the buyer throughout an electronic commerce system wherein the electronic commerce system is at least one of an electronic auction system, a fixed price electronic marketplace, or an electronic marketplace allowing for price negotiation between the buyer and the at least one seller;

code that identifies a hesitance of the buyer in the activity to purchase the at least one product from the at least one seller by detecting when the buyer searches for a substitute product, wherein the substitute product differs from the at least one product;

code that offers at least one concession from the at least one seller to the buyer in association of the at least one product, the at least one concession comprising a revised offer configured to provide incentive to the buyer to purchase the at least one product within the electronic commerce system, wherein the revised offer expires within a predetermined amount of time;

code that encodes for display a retail value of the revised offer; and

code that transmits the revised offer to the buyer by alerting the buyer of the revised offer using at least one of an electronic mail message, a short message service message, a popup window, or an on-screen message.

18. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that identifies a hesitance of the buyer further comprises code that determines when the buyer views the at least one product within the electronic commerce system and subsequently exits the electronic commerce system.

19. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that identifies a hesitance of the buyer further comprises code that determines when the buyer adds the at least one product to a shopping cart assigned to the buyer in the electronic commerce system.

20. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, further comprising code that determines when the buyer subsequently removes the at least one product to a shopping cart.

21. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that identifies a hesitance of the buyer further comprises code that detects when the buyer seeks the at least one product from an alternate seller within the electronic commerce system, wherein the alternate seller differs from the at least one seller.

22. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that identifies a hesitance of the buyer further comprises code that determines when a first price of the at least one product offered by the at least one seller is offered by a competing seller within the electronic commerce system at a second price, wherein the second price is lower than the first price.

23. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that identifies a hesitance of the buyer further comprises code that determines when the buyer has attempted to negotiate a sales price of the at least one product with the at least one seller.

24. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that transmits further comprises code that alerts the buyer of the revised offer using at least one of an electronic mail message, a short message service message, a popup window, and an on-screen message.

25. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the at least one concession further comprises a reduction of the initial price of the at least one product.

26. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that offers at least one concession further comprises code that identifies an additional product and the additional product is the at least one concession.

27. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 26, wherein the additional product is an item that is associated with the at least one product.

28. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 26, wherein the additional product is offered to the buyer at a reduced price, wherein the reduced price is lower than a retail price of the additional product.

29. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 26, wherein the additional product is offered to the buyer free of charge.

30. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the at least one concession is at least one of a reduced shipping cost, a reduced gift wrapping cost, an additional product, the at least one product at a price lower than the initial price, or a discount on a future purchase.

31. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that offers at least one concession further comprises code that defines a concession rule describing at least one predetermined concession offered buyers, the at least one predetermined concession corresponding to the at least one product.

32. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that offers at least one concession further comprises:

code that notifies the at least one seller that the buyer exhibits the hesitance to purchase the at least one product; and

code that encodes for display a concession form to be presented to the at least one seller to define the at least one concession.

33. The program embodied in the computer readable medium and executable by the processor-based system of claim 17, wherein the code that offers at least one concession further comprises:

code that defines a concession rule describing a predetermined monetary value of the at least one concession; and

code that identifies a concession having a monetary value less than or equal to the predetermined monetary value.

34. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device in communication with a client computing device associated with a buyer; and

application program code executed in the at least one computing device causing the at least one computing device to;

display to the buyer at least one product offered by at least one seller at an initial price;

track activity of the buyer throughout an electronic commerce system wherein the electronic commerce system is at least one of an electronic auction system, a fixed price electronic marketplace, or an electronic marketplace allowing for price negotiation between the buyer and the at least one seller;

identify a hesitance of the buyer in the activity to purchase the at least one product from the at least one seller by detecting when the buyer searches for a substitute product, wherein the substitute product differs from the at least one product;

offer at least one concession from the at least one seller to the buyer in association of the at least one product, the at least one concession comprising a revised offer configured to provide incentive to the buyer to purchase the at least one product within the electronic commerce system, wherein the revised offer expires within a predetermined amount of time;

encode for display a retail value of the revised offer; and

transmit the revised offer to the buyer by alerting the buyer of the revised offer using at least one of an electronic mail message, a short message service message, a popup window, or an on-screen message.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the application program code executed in the at least one computing device causing the at least one computing device to identify a hesitance of the buyer further determines when the buyer views the at least one product within the electronic commerce system and subsequently exits the electronic commerce system.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the application program code executed in the at least one computing device causing the at least one computing device to identify a hesitance of the buyer further determines when the buyer adds the at least one product to a shopping cart assigned to the buyer in the electronic commerce system.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the application program code executed in the at least one computing device causing the at least one computing device to identify a hesitance of the buyer further comprises logic that determines when the buyer subsequently removes the at least one product to a shopping cart.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one concession further comprises a reduction of the initial price of the at least one product.

39. The system of claim 34, wherein the application program code executed in the at least one computing device causing the at least one computing device to offer at least one concession further identifies an additional product and the additional product is the at least one concession.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the additional product is an item that is associated with the at least one product.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the additional product is offered to the buyer at a reduced price, wherein the reduced price is lower than a retail price of the additional product.

42. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one concession is at least one of a reduced shipping cost, a reduced gift wrapping cost, an additional product, the at least one product at a price lower than the initial price, or a discount on a future purchase.