System and method for targeting family members of transaction account product holders to receive supplementary transaction account products

• US 8,688,503 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Kim, Susana Sung-hye, Purkayastha, Subhra Shankar, Zucker, Jill, Kala, Abhinav K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US13/530,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.29
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history

Abstract

Utilization of information in a closed loop data system further augments modeling while at the same time enabling customization of offers based on spend patterns. Data mining techniques are leveraged to identify rules to determine higher response rate populations. These rules are referred to herein as “triggers,” in that the presence of particular attributes will trigger a cardholder as being more likely to respond to a particular offer. The benefit yielded by this approach is a greater acceptance rate to an offer provided by a transactional account company. To identify the triggers, records of cardmembers who already utilize a given product are analyzed to determine their spend patterns. The spend histories of customers who are eligible to use the product are analyzed according to the identified triggers. Customers whose spend patterns most closely correspond to the triggers are then targeted with offers for the given product.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computer-based system for targeting marketing, a potential converter to an upgraded transaction account product based on spend records of a plurality of converted transaction account holders having a pattern of spending at a merchant, wherein the plurality of converted transaction account holders have the pattern of spending at the merchant that is indicative of a change in lifestyle;

targeting, by the computer-based system, marketing about the upgraded transaction account product to the potential converter in response to the identifying;

matching, by the computer-based system, a last name of the converted transaction account holder to a last name of an individual in transaction information associated with the upgraded transaction account;

determining, by the computer-based system, that the individual is a family member of the converted transaction account holder and that a transaction in the transaction information is associated with the individual; and

targeting, by the computer-based system, marketing about a supplementary transaction account product to the converted transaction account holder, in response to the determining that the transaction is associated with the individual and that the individual is a family member.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising grouping, by the computer-based system, the merchant into a group of merchants based on a value proposition associated with each merchant.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computer-based system, that the merchant is a potential premium merchant based on the plurality of converted transaction account holders.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining that the merchant is the potential premium merchant is further based on a determined take rate for the merchant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the converted transaction account holders have done so within an interval of three months.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising grouping, by the computer-based system, the merchant into an industry group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the industry group is at least one of:

niche retail, high-end retail, fine dining, luxury travel, and leisure.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising identifying, by the computer-based system, an affinity of the converted transaction account holders for the merchant.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising deriving, by the computer-based system, a conversion rate of transaction accounts in the industry group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern of spending includes a trigger indicative of a change in lifestyle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the computer-based system, recent converters having the pattern of spending.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying is based upon a trigger that is at least one of:

an increase in education records of charge;

an increase in spend in family-related industries;

an increase in every day spend;

an increase in spend on insurance; and

existence of purchases at a merchant who traditionally caters to a gender opposite that of the potential converter.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the computer-based system, changes in the pattern of spending.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising targeting, by the computer-based system, the potential converter with an offer to add a supplemental account to an existing account associated with a financial company.

15. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer-based system for targeted marketing, cause the computer-based system to perform operations comprising:

identifying, by a computer-based system for targeting marketing, a potential converter to an upgraded transaction account product based on spend records of a plurality of converted transaction account holders having a pattern of spending at a merchant, wherein the plurality of converted transaction account holders have the pattern of spending at the merchant that is indicative of a change in lifestyle;

targeting, by the computer-based system, marketing about the upgraded transaction account product to the potential converter in response to the identifying;

matching, by the computer-based system, a last name of the converted transaction account holder to a last name of an individual in transaction information associated with the upgraded transaction account;

determining, by the computer-based system, that the individual is a family member of the converted transaction account holder and that a transaction in the transaction information is associated with the individual; and

targeting, by the computer-based system, marketing about a supplementary transaction account product to the converted transaction account holder, in response to the determining that the transaction is associated with the individual and that the individual is a family member.

16. The article of claim 15, further comprising grouping, by the computer-based system, the merchant into a group of merchants based on a value proposition associated with each merchant.

17. The article of claim 15, further comprising determining, by the computer-based system, that the merchant is a potential premium merchant based on the plurality of converted transaction account holders.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the determining that the merchant is the potential premium merchant is further based on a determined take rate for the merchant.

19. A system comprising:

a tangible, non-transitory memory communicating with a processor for targeted marketing,

the tangible, non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

identifying, by the processor, a potential converter to an upgraded transaction account product based on spend records of a plurality of converted transaction account holders having a pattern of spending at a merchant, wherein the plurality of converted transaction account holders have the pattern of spending at the merchant that is indicative of a change in lifestyle;

targeting, by the processor, marketing about the upgraded transaction account product to the potential converter in response to the identifying;

matching, by the processor, a last name of the converted transaction account holder to a last name of an individual in transaction information associated with the upgraded transaction account;

determining, by the processor, that the individual is a family member of the converted transaction account holder and that a transaction in the transaction information is associated with the individual; and

targeting, by the processor, marketing about a supplementary transaction account product to the converted transaction account holder, in response to the determining that the transaction is associated with the individual and that the individual is a family member.