Competitive sales environment in a virtual world

• US 8,732,035 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Katz, Neil A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): YU, ARIEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/144,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/41
• US Class Current: 705/26.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The invention provides a method, system, and program product for providing a competitive sales environment in a virtual world. In one embodiment, the invention comprises receiving a request for product or service information from a consumer avatar, querying a database of vendors based on the request for product or service information, identifying at least one vendor relevant to the request for product or service information, notifying the at least one vendor of the request, and making available to the consumer avatar a sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

Claims

1. A method of providing a competitive sales environment in a virtual world, the method comprising:

receiving, byat least one computing device, a request for product or service information from a consumer avatar;

querying, by the at least one computing device, a database of vendors based on the request for product or service information;

identifying, by the at least one computing device, at least one vendor relevant to the request for product or service information;

notifying, by the at least one computing device, the at least one vendor of the request;

querying, by the at least one computing device, the at least one vendor to participate or decline participation in a sales environment with the consumer avatar;

receiving, by the at least one computing device, a response from the at least one vendor, wherein the response of the at least one vendor is based on the request for product or service information and a quantity of vendors notified being below a predetermined threshold; and

in response to the at least one vendor accepting the query to participate in the sales environment with the consumer avatar, making available to the consumer avatar, using the at least one computing device, the sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

soliciting, using the at least one computing device, from the consumer avatar additional information using a virtual customer service representative (CSR);

accepting, using the at least one computing device, additional information from the consumer avatar; and

providing, using the at least one computing device, the additional information to a CSR avatar.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a vendor customer service representative (CSR) avatar soliciting, using the at least one computing device, additional information from the consumer avatar.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, using the at least one computing device, a secondary product or service on behalf of the consumer avatar.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondary product or service is requested by a customer service representative (CSR) avatar.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, using the at least one computing device, based on the request for product or service information, a secondary product or service relevant to the request for product or service information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating, using the at least one computing device, a sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying, using the at least one computing device, an existing sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying includes adding, using the at least one computing device, at least one of the following to the existing sales environment:

a customer service representative (CSR) avatar, a vendor'"'"'s logo, a vendor'"'"'s product, and a representation of a vendor'"'"'s product or service.

10. A system for providing a competitive sales environment in a virtual world, the system comprising:

at least one computing device for performing a method, the method comprising;

receiving a request for product or service information from a consumer avatar;

querying a database of vendors based on the request for product or service information;

identifying at least one vendor relevant to the request for product or service information;

notifying the at least one vendor of the request;

querying the at least one vendor to participate or decline participation in a sales environment with the consumer avatar;

receiving a response from the at least one vendor, wherein the response of the at least one vendor is based on the request for product or service information and a quantity of vendors notified being below a predetermined threshold; and

in response to the at least one vendor accepting the query to participate in the sales environment with the consumer avatar, making available to the consumer avatar the sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

11. The system of claim 10, the method further comprising:

soliciting from the consumer avatar additional information using a virtual customer service representative (CSR);

accepting additional information from the consumer avatar; and

providing the additional information to a CSR avatar.

12. The system of claim 10, the method further comprising:

allowing a vendor customer service representative (CSR) to solicit additional information from the consumer avatar.

13. The system of claim 10, the method further comprising:

requesting a secondary product or service on behalf of the consumer avatar.

14. The system of claim 13, the method further comprising:

determining, based on the request for product or service information, a secondary product or service relevant to the request for product or service information.

15. The system of claim 10, the method further comprising:

creating a sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

16. The system of claim 10, the method further comprising:

modifying an existing sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

17. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which when executed, provides a competitive sales environment in a virtual world, the program product comprising:

program code for receiving a request for product or service information from a consumer avatar;

program code for querying a database of vendors based on the request for product or service information;

program code for identifying at least one vendor relevant to the request for product or service information;

program code for notifying the at least one vendor of the request;

program code for querying the at least one vendor to participate or decline participation in a sales environment with the consumer avatar;

program code for receiving a response from the at least one vendor, wherein the response of the at least one vendor is based on the request for product or service information and a quantity of vendors notified being below a predetermined threshold; and

in response to the at least one vendor accepting the query to participate in the sales environment with the consumer avatar, program code for making available to the consumer avatar the sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

18. The program product of claim 17, further comprising:

program code for soliciting from the consumer avatar additional information using a virtual customer service representative (CSR);

program code for accepting additional information from the consumer avatar; and

program code for providing the additional information to a CSR avatar.

19. The program product of claim 17, further comprising:

program code for requesting a secondary product or service on behalf of the consumer avatar.

20. The program product of claim 17, further comprising at least one program code selected from a group consisting of:

program code for creating a sales environment based on the request for product or service information; and

program code for modifying a sales environment based on the request for product or service information.

21. A method for deploying an application for providing a competitive sales environment in a virtual world, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

receive, by at least one computing device, a request for product or service information from a consumer avatar;

query, by the at least one computing device, a database of vendors based on the request for product or service information;

identify, by the at least one computing device, at least one vendor relevant to the request for product or service information;

notify, by the at least one computing device, the at least one vendor of the request;

query, by the at least one computing device, the at least one vendor to participate or decline participation in a sales environment with the consumer avatar;

receive, by the at least one computing device, a response from the at least one vendor, wherein the response of the at least one vendor is based on the request for product or service information and a quantity of vendors notified being below a predetermined threshold; and

in response to the at least one vendor accepting the query to participate in the sales environment with the consumer avatar, make available to the consumer avatar the sales environment based on the request for product or service information.