Determination and management of click values associated with visitors to web sites

• US 8,769,079 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goswami, Bhavesh
• Primary Examiner(s): SCOTT, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US11/767,897
• Time in Patent Office: 2,563 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223, 705/14, 705/14.23, 705/14.41, 705/14.52, 705/37, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems

Abstract

Tools and techniques for determining click values are described herein. A method for determining click values may include processing transaction history records. These records may be related to transactions that are conducted between visitors and a website. The method may also include computing respective click values associated with different visitors, based on the transaction history records involving those visitors. These click values indicate a likelihood that the visitors may transact for particular goods or services offered through the website.

Claims

1. A method of using click values associated with visitors to monetize advertising using a website, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of different categories;

computing respective click values associated with different ones of the visitors based at least in part on interaction by the visitors with goods or services categorized within the plurality of different categories, wherein the click values indicate respective perceived business values of the visitors in the plurality of different categories, wherein the computing the respective click values includes;

tracking individual instances of interaction between the visitors and goods or services categorized within the plurality of different categories;

determining fundamental click values associated with each of the individual instances; and

aggregating the fundamental click values for individual ones of the visitors and the plurality of different categories to compute the respective click values associated with different ones of the visitors;

assigning the click values to respective visitor identifiers of the visitors in the plurality of different categories;

receiving a bid amount as an amount of money an advertiser is willing to pay to have an advertisement presented to one of the visitors having a respective click value in one of the plurality of different categories;

selecting, from a plurality of advertisements, at least one advertisement having a click value that is less than or equal to the respective click value of the one of the visitors; and

designating a placement from a plurality of locations for the at least one advertisement for presentation to the one of the visitors based at least in part on the bid amount associated with the at least one advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the plurality of different categories includes defining categories based on goods or services offered by the website.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the plurality of different categories includes defining categories based on goods or services offered by at least one advertiser on the website.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein computing respective click values includes:

dividing a plurality of transaction history records related to transactions conducted between a plurality of visitors and at least one web site into the plurality of different categories; and

processing the plurality of transaction history records to determine the perceived business values of the visitors in the plurality of different categories.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the at least one advertisement to the one of the visitors.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising associating respective transactions with at least one of the plurality of different categories that include defined categories based on goods or services.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein computing click values includes associating click values with the at least one of the plurality of different categories.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising associating ones of the transactions with respective sub-categories of goods or services.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising associating the click values with the sub-categories.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the processing the plurality of transaction history records includes identifying purchase transactions effected by the ones of the visitors.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the processing the plurality of transaction history records includes identifying respective subject matter involved with the transactions.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing to a click value database the click values, the respective visitor identifiers, and the plurality of different categories.

13. At least one click value server for determining click values associated with visitors to a website, for performing the method of claim 1.

14. A web service providing click value determination services to a plurality of clients, performing the method of claim 1.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes two or more advertisements, and wherein the designating a placement is performed for the two or more advertisements for presentation based at least in part on the bid amount associated with each of the two or more advertisements.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting from a plurality of advertisements the at least one advertisement results in a selection of advertisements that are different for a first visitor and a second visitor, the first visitor and the second visitor having different respective click values.

17. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of indications of visitor activity with goods, services, or both, the plurality of indications of visitor activity associated with individual ones of visitors to an electronic marketplace;

determining fundamental click values associated with each of the plurality of indications of visitor activity;

aggregating the fundamental click values for the individual ones of the visitors to determine click values associated with the individual ones of the visitors;

storing the click values determined for a visitor in association with a visitor identifier for the visitor, wherein the click value indicates a perceived business value associated with the visitor;

determining a click value associated with the visitor based at least on a visitor identifier associated with the visitor;

querying for at least one advertisement to present to the visitor based at least on the click value, the advertisement selected from a plurality of advertisements having respective bid values that include at least a bid click value and a bid amount as compensation for placement of the advertisement; and

selecting, for presentation to the visitor, at least one of the plurality of advertisements that includes a bid click value that is less than or equal to the click value associated with the visitor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the goods, services, or both are categorized into a plurality of different categories, and wherein the aggregating the fundamental click values for the individual ones of the visitors includes aggregating the fundamental click values based on the plurality of different categories.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving the plurality of indications of visitor activity includes receiving indications of browsing history associated with the plurality of visitors.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the selecting at least one of the plurality of advertisements further includes querying for the advertisement based on at least one of the different categories in addition to the bid click value.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving at least one advertisement corresponding to at least one selected bid that specified at least the click value associated with the visitor.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving at least one advertisement corresponding to at least one selected bid that specified at least the click value and the category associated with the visitor.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving at least two advertisements that correspond to respective selected bids that specified at least the click value associated with the visitor.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the at least one of the plurality of advertisements by the user;

generating a request for feedback from the visitor and for an advertiser of the advertisement responsive to the receiving the selection; and

sending the request for feedback to the advertiser.