Acquiring customer insight in a retail environment

• US 9,760,896 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: entIT Software LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Ghosh, Riddhiman, Jain, Jhilmil, Dekhil, Mohamed E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meinecke Diaz, Susanna M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walker, III, George H
• Application Number:
  US12/906,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20120095805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,521 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a computer-implemented method of acquiring customer insight information in a retail environment. The method includes receiving a product interaction from a mobile device, the product interaction comprising a product identifier corresponding to a product located in the retail environment. The method also includes determining a customer location within the retail environment based on a planned location of the product. The method also includes performing a business action based, at least in part, on the product interaction. The method also includes storing customer insight information corresponding to the product interaction to a data structure.

Claims

1. A computer system that acquires customer insight information in a retail environment, comprising:

a computing device with a processor that is configured to execute computer-readable instructions; and

a memory device that stores instructions modules that are executable by the processor, the instructions modules comprising a content customization engine configured to;

receive, over a wireless communication network, a product interaction from a mobile device of a given customer, the product interaction comprising the mobile device scanning a product identifier corresponding to a product located and being sold in the retail environment, the product identifier comprising a scannable tag on the product;

determine a planned location of the product within the retail environment by looking up the planned location within a store planogram, electronically stored in a content management system, using the received product identifier;

determine a customer location of the given customer within the retail environment as the determined planned location of the product; and

initiate a business action based, at least in part, on the product interaction and the customer location, including;

cause a hardware display located within the retail environment near the customer location to display information regarding the product, wherein the information is provided by the content customization engine and the hardware display is to play media content, including at least still images, video or audio;

cause an audio system separate from the display and that is used within the retail environment to make announcements to play further information regarding the product responsive to a plurality of customer-initiated product interactions with the product performed by a plurality of customers, wherein the information is provided by the content customization engine; and

transmit discount information regarding the product for redemption by the given customer to the mobile device responsive to having received one or more prior product interactions with the product from the mobile device; and

a tracking and analytics engine configured to store customer insight information corresponding to the product interaction and the customer location to a data structure.

2. The computer system of claim 1, comprising a personalization engine configured to receive a user profile, wherein the business action is based, at least in part, on the user profile.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the user profile is stored to the mobile device and is communicated to the personalization engine as a part of the product interaction.

4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the user profile comprises at least one of brand preferences, previous product purchases, and customer likes and dislikes.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the content customization engine receives a plurality of product interactions from a plurality of customers and the business action comprises an in-store advertisement corresponding to the plurality of product interactions.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the content customization engine identifies an advertising medium in the vicinity of the customer based on the customer location, and the business action comprises rendering an advertisement corresponding to the product on the advertising medium.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tracking and analytics engine is configured to analyze customer foot traffic within the retail environment based on product interactions received from a plurality of mobile devices.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tracking and analytics engine is configured to analyze in-store product interactions to identify a particular product in which a customer has shown an interest but has not purchased.

9. A method of acquiring customer insight information and providing customized content in a retail environment, comprising:

receiving, by a server over a wireless communication network, a product interaction from a mobile device of a given user, the product interaction comprising the mobile device scanning a product identifier corresponding to a product located and being sold in the retail environment, the product identifier comprising a scannable tag on the product;

determining, by the server, a planned location of the product within the retail environment by looking up the planned location within a store planogram, electronically stored in a content management system, using the received product identifier;

determining, by the server, a customer location of the given customer within the retail environment as the determined planned location of the product;

performing, by the server, a business action based, at least in part, on the product interaction and the customer location, including;

causing a hardware display located within the retail environment near the customer location to display information regarding the product, where the information is provided by a content customization engine running on the server and the hardware display is to play media content, including at least still images, video, or audio;

causing an audio system separate from the display and that is used within the retail environment to make announcements to play further information regarding the product responsive to a plurality of customer-initiated product interactions with the product performed by a plurality of customers, wherein the information is provided by the content customization engine; and

transmitting discount information regarding the product for redemption by the given customer to the mobile device responsive to having received one or more prior product interactions with the product from the mobile device;

storing customer insight information corresponding to the product interaction and the customer location to a data structure.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the product interaction comprises a request for at least one of product specifications, product reviews, or product offers.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the product interaction comprises a request for in-store customer assistance.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein performing a business action comprises sending product related information to the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein performing a business action comprises dispatching a customer service agent to the customer location.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein performing a business action comprises sending media content to the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein performing a business action comprises rendering advertising content on an in-store advertising medium located in the vicinity of the customer location.

16. The method of claim 9, comprising receiving a user profile from the mobile device, wherein performing the business action is based on the product identifier and the user profile.

17. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium, comprising code configured to direct a processor to acquire customer insight information and provide customized content, the code configured to direct a processor to:

receive, over a wireless communication network, a product interaction from a mobile device of a given customer, the product interaction comprising the mobile device scanning a product identifier corresponding to a product located and being sold in the retail environment, the product identifier comprising a scannable tag on the product;

determine a planned location of the product within the retail environment by looking up the planned location within a store planogram, electronically stored in a content management system, using the received product identifier;

determine a customer location of the given customer within the retail environment as the determined planned location of the product;

perform a business action based, at least in part, on the product interaction and the customer location, including;

causing a hardware display located within the retail environment near the customer location to display information regarding the product, wherein the information is provided by a content customization engine and the hardware display is to play media content, including at least still images, video, or audio;

causing an audio system separate from the display and that is used within the retail environment to make announcements to play further information regarding the product responsive to a plurality of customer-initiated product interactions with the product performed by a plurality of customers, wherein the information is provided by the content customization engine; and

transmitting discount information regarding the product for redemption by the given customer to the mobile device responsive to having received one or more prior product interactions with the product from the mobile device; and

store customer insight information corresponding to the product interaction and the customer location to a data structure.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the product interaction comprises a request for information corresponding to the product.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein performing the business action comprises sending product related information to the mobile device.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein performing the business action comprises rendering advertising content on an in-store advertising medium located in the vicinity of the customer location.