Sales channel management infrastructure

• US 9,224,170 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Inventors: Bennett, James D., Winslade, Christopher C.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US13/437,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.43, 705/14.49, 705/14.53, 705/26.41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 : Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 : Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance

Abstract

A sales system supports sales between a plurality of buyers and a plurality of sellers in a communication network. A sales server has a seller interface used by both a first seller and a second seller respectively via a first seller'"'"'s computer and a second seller'"'"'s computer to register availability for sale of a first product and a second product. The sales server, based upon received buyer input from an identified buyer via a buyer computer that includes buyer orders for the first product and the second product dispenses a first sales order to the first seller'"'"'s computer for the first product and a second sales order to the second seller'"'"'s computer for the second product. The sales server provides instructions to the first seller'"'"'s computer for fulfillment of the first sales order and to the second sales computer for the fulfillment of the second sales order.

Claims

1. A sales system that supports sales between a plurality of buyers and a plurality of sellers in a communication network, the sales system comprising:

a web server that facilitates online sales, the web server comprising;

a server and script environment that tracks purchase data for a user as the user browses multiple webpages provided by the web server and selects multiple products available for sale;

the server and script environment selectively keeping track of the purchase data, wherein the purchase data comprises references to user selected products and services, associated price information, one or more applicable promotional materials and shipping requirements;

the server and script environment makes the purchase data available to the user for review and approval; and

the web server accessing and processing the purchase data from a previous session in a given session and facilitating continuation of sales activity across the previous and the given session.

2. The sales system of claim 1 wherein the server and script environment selectively keeps track of the purchase data employing cookies that are communicated back and forth between the sales system and a corresponding buyer computer employed by any of the plurality of buyers.

3. The sales system of claim 2 wherein the buyer computer comprises a web client application and employs it to access the sales system over the Internet, the sales system further comprising:

the web server facilitating searches for the multiple products available for sale by the buyer from the buyer computer;

the web server facilitating the storage of searched multiple products available for sale;

the web server facilitating the purchase of the stored multiple products available for sale;

the web server facilitates subsequent order fulfillment for the purchased multiple products available for sale; and

the web server automatically registers the buyer for one or more warranties and as a target for optional service delivery and subsequent promotional activities.

4. The sales system of claim 1 further comprising:

the web server tracks usage of the sales system by the plurality of buyers and plurality of sellers;

the web server tracks incomplete transactions by the plurality of buyers;

the web server sends reminders selectively to buyers on incomplete transactions; and

the web server facilitates subsequent completion of the incomplete transactions by the corresponding ones of the plurality of buyers.

5. The sales system of claim 4 wherein the web server comprises:

a front end that employs a plurality of servers capable of handling online creation, deployment, backup and access of sales related information;

a plurality of network storage servers capable of storing sales related information and associated content, buyer feedback, and ratings information; and

a plurality of databases to provide online sales services, creation and management of transaction details, pricing data, promotional data and order fulfillment data.

6. The sales system of claim 5 wherein the web server further comprises:

a transaction logic engine that keeps track of the plurality of sellers involved in a buyer'"'"'s selection of products;

the transaction logic engine notifies each of the plurality of sellers regarding ongoing sales efforts, and incomplete sales transactions by corresponding ones of the plurality of buyers; and

the transaction logic engine selectively communicates appropriate promotional material to those of the plurality of buyers who did not complete sales transactions.

7. The sales system of claim 1 further comprising:

the web server interacts with a seller web server associated with a Previously Added seller, wherein the seller web server is external to the sales system; and

the web server employs a third party web server interface to interact with the seller web server to facilitate sales of the products available for sale on the seller web server.

8. The sales system of claim 1 further comprising:

a promotions management module that facilitates creation and management of promotional offers by the plurality of sellers;

the promotions management module facilitates dissemination to and redemption of promotional offers by one or more of the plurality of buyers;

an order fulfillment manager that tracks sales transactions and collects order fulfillment data from sales transactions conducted;

the promotions management module correlates use of disseminated promotional offers by the one or more of the plurality of buyers to the order fulfillment data collected by the order fulfillment manager to determine the efficacy of the promotional offers managed by the sales system; and

the promotions management module modifies one or more of the promotional offers to increase the efficacy of the promotional offers.

9. The sales system of claim 1 wherein:

the web server presents one of the plurality of buyers with an opportunity to purchase a warranty in at least one of the plurality of steps that the one of the plurality of buyers experiences during the purchase of one of the products available for sale, wherein the plurality of steps comprise searching for the one of the products, selecting the one of the products from a search result presented, confirming the selection of the one of the products for purchase, and paying for the purchase of the one of the products; and

the sales system offering an additional warranty for purchase by the one of the plurality of buyers, the additional warranty being for the one of the products selected for purchase by the one of the plurality of buyers.

10. The sales system of claim 9 wherein the sales system automatically registers the one of the products for sale with a corresponding manufacturer and seller, when one of the plurality of buyers completes a corresponding sales transaction.

11. A multi seller sales system comprising:

a seller interface that facilitates interaction with a plurality of seller systems, wherein each of the plurality of seller systems offer at least one product or service for sale to at least one of a plurality of buyers;

a buyer interface that facilitates interaction with a buyer electronic device;

the multi seller system employing the buyer interface to offer the at least one of a plurality of buyers an opportunity to buy the at least one product or service available for purchase from the plurality of sellers; and

the multi seller system provides a unified sales experience to the at least one of a plurality of buyers by integrating information about the at least one product or service for sale from the plurality of sellers, wherein the unified sales experience comprises seamless search, seamless selection, seamless payment and seamless order fulfillment.

12. The multi seller system of claim 11 further comprising:

the buyer interface providing access to a buyer'"'"'s web client for querying, product selection, payment and feedback, wherein the at least one of a plurality of buyers employs the buyer'"'"'s web client for online searching and purchases from the multi seller system;

a query interface communicatively coupled to the buyer interface; and

the multi-seller system providing access to the query interface, to the at least one of the plurality of buyers to facilitate search and retrieval of product information, appropriate ones of the at least one product or service available for sale, feedback information related to the at least one product or service available for sale and promotional materials for the at least one product or service available for sale.

13. The multi seller system of claim 11 further comprising:

a cross-selling module that facilitates specification of cross-selling criteria by one or more of the plurality of sellers; and

the cross-selling module determining cross selling opportunities based on a history of sales for the at least one product or service for sale, or on a history of sales to other products that are similar to the at least one product or service for sale.

14. The multi seller system of claim 13 further comprising:

the cross-selling module also offering one of the plurality of buyers with an opportunity to buy a second product available for sale when the at least one of the plurality of buyers selects for purchase a first one of the at least one product or service available for sale.

15. The multi seller system of claim 13 wherein complementary products to the at least one product or service is presented to the at least one of the plurality of buyers when the at least one of the plurality of buyers selects one of the at least one product or service for purchase.

16. The multi seller system of claim 15 wherein the complementary products are determined based on a categorization of the at least one product or service as high-end, low-end, mid-tier, or luxury items.

17. The multi seller sales system of claim 11 wherein the multi seller sales system keeps track of the at least one product or service being purchased by the at least one of the plurality of buyers and presents complementary ones of the at least one product or service for consideration by the at least one of the plurality of buyers, wherein the complementary ones of the at least one product or service are determined based on one or more of:

an associated usage or activity that is deemed complementary,

an association of usage that is deemed to be in common, based on a category of products that is in common, or

a characterization of the products that is in common.

18. The multi seller sales system of claim 11 further comprising:

a cross selling module that facilitates specification of cross-selling criteria by one or more of the plurality of sellers, wherein the cross-selling criteria comprises one or more of usage, activity, price range, location, seasonal nature and manufacturer associated with the corresponding one of the at least one product or service currently available for purchase.

19. The multi seller sales system of claim 17 further comprising:

a database of complimentary products and complimentary product sellers, wherein complimentary products are defined in terms of relationships, wherein relationships are either provided by corresponding ones of the plurality of sellers or automatically determined by the multi seller system.

20. A multi seller sales system used by a plurality of sellers, the multi seller system comprising:

a web client interface that facilitates interaction by sellers using their corresponding seller computers;

a rules manager communicatively coupled to the web client interface that facilitates specification of seller rules by the sellers, wherein the seller rules comprise one or more of rules for reporting transaction details back to each seller, operational rules for each seller, and configuration rules for each seller;

a promotions manager that facilitates communication of promotional offers and product information to at least one of a plurality of buyers based on seller rules;

a sales manager that facilitates online sales transactions conducted by the at least one of the plurality of buyers; and

a tracking manager that determines potential follow-up sales opportunities based on the seller rules and online sales transactions conducted by the at least one of the plurality of buyers.

21. The multi seller sales system of claim 20 wherein the tracking manager determines potential buyers among the at least one of the plurality of buyers based on online sales transactions conducted, and communicates promotional offers and product information to the potential buyers automatically based on seller rules.

22. The multi seller sales system of claim 20 further comprising:

a pricing manager that facilitates specification of prices; and

the multi seller sales system providing pricing information to at least one of a plurality of buyers for a product or service for sale and made available by the at least one of the sellers, wherein the pricing information is based on specification of prices and corresponding seller rules.

23. A multi-seller sales portal supporting a plurality of buyer devices of a plurality of buyers via an Internet, the multi-seller sales portal comprising:

a first service that couples via the Internet with a plurality of seller computers of the plurality of independent sellers to receive a plurality of groups of sales offering data, the plurality of groups of sales offering data being associated with a plurality of shipping source addresses; and

a second service, based on input data received from a first of the plurality of buyers via a first of the plurality of buyer devices, delivers first cart data via the Internet to support a visual presentation of virtual shopping cart content on the first of the plurality of buyer devices, the virtual shopping cart content both relating to a first of the plurality of groups of sales offering data and including a shipping cost calculated based on a first address of the first of the plurality of buyers and a first of the plurality of shipping source addresses.

24. The multi-seller sales portal of claim 23, wherein the virtual shopping cart content further relates to a second of the plurality of groups of sales offering data.

25. The multi-seller sales portal of claim 23, wherein the virtual shopping cart content further relates to a second of the plurality of groups of sales offering data and wherein the shipping cost is further calculated based on the first address of the first of the plurality of buyers and a second of the plurality of shipping source addresses.

26. The multi-seller sales portal of claim 25, wherein the first of the plurality of groups of sales offering data corresponds to a first seller and the second of the plurality of groups of sales offering data corresponds to a second seller.