Method, apparatus, and computer program product for calculating a supply based on travel propensity

• US 9,940,635 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Shariff, Shafiq, Nordquist, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Gills, Kurtis
• Application Number:
  US14/316,253
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration

Abstract

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for managing a sales pipeline, and in some embodiments, calculating supply based on travel propensity. An example method comprises identifying a total demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location, determining, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion tuple comprising at least a category, price information and a geographic area, identifying one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple, determining whether the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied, wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which the geographic location is within the promotion area for the one or more promotions, and identifying a demand gap in an instance in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by one or more processors, a demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location,

wherein a promotion tuple comprises at least a category, price information, and information indicative of a location;

determining, using the one or more processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion area being the geographic location and one or more additional areas,

wherein the one or more additional areas comprise areas to which a consumer will travel to in order to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and areas from which a consumer will travel from to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and thereby avoiding over-stocking inventory, additional demand met with inventory within the limits of this

travel and a demand reduction caused by inventory within the limits of this travel is considered,

wherein determining the promotion area for the one or more promotions comprises the one or more processors for;

determining a travel probability that a consumer that is associated with the geographic location would travel to each of the one or more additional areas;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold;

identifying each of the one or more additional areas as travel worthy in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

determining the travel probability that a consumer that is associated with each of the one or more additional areas would travel to the geographic location;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold; and

identifying each of the one or more additional areas from which the first subdivision is travel worthy in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

identifying, by one or more processors, the one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple;

determining, by one or more processors, a promotion for the one or more promotions;

determining, by one or more processors, whether a total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied,

wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which the demand existing within the geographic location and additional demand from the one or more additional areas from which the geographic location is determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple is greater than a demand reduction resulting from consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the areas determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein the total demand is determined as a function of (i) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location, plus (ii) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers from the one or more additional areas from which a consumer may travel from in order to purchase one or more promotions associated with

the promotion tuple, minus (iii) the reduction in demand calculated as a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the one or more additional areas to which a consumer may travel to determined to be travel worthy;

identifying, by one or more processors, a demand gap in an instance in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied; and

providing, by one or more processors, a dynamic user interface configured to allow users to see available demand data for the promotion tuple and trends in that data, including the demand gap, a view of the dynamic user interface being dependent on a type of user, and a selection of a map view allowing user selection of a granularity of demand data for the promotion tuple.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the total demand based on the travel probability.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a direction and distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the promotion area is indicative of one or more second subdivisions to which a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a promotion radius comprising a distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

6. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for:

identifying a demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location,

wherein a promotion tuple comprises at least a category, price information, and information indicative of a location;

determining, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion area being the geographic location and one or more additional areas,

wherein the one or more additional areas comprise areas to which a consumer will travel to in order to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and areas from which a consumer will travel from to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and thereby avoiding over-stocking inventory, additional demand met with inventory within the limits of this travel and a demand reduction caused by inventory within the limits of this travel is considered,

wherein determining the promotion area for the one or more promotions

comprises;

determining a travel probability that a consumer that is associated with the geographic location would travel to each of the one or more additional areas;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold;

identifying each of the one or more additional areas as travel worthy in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

determining the travel probability that a consumer that is associated with each of the one or more additional areas would travel to the geographic location;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold; and

identifying each of the one or more additional areas from which the first subdivision is travel worthy in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

identifying the one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple;

determining a promotion for the one or more promotions;

determining whether a total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied,

wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which

the demand existing within the geographic location and additional demand from the one or more additional areas from which the geographic location is determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple is greater than a demand reduction resulting from consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the areas determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein the total demand is determined as a function of (i) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location, plus (ii) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers from the one or more additional areas from which a consumer may travel from in order to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple, minus (iii) the reduction in demand calculated as a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the one or more additional areas to which a consumer may travel to determined to be travel worthy;

identifying a demand gap in an instance in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied; and

providing a dynamic user interface configured to allow users to see available demand data for the promotion tuple and trends in that data, including the demand gap, a view of the dynamic user interface being dependent on a type of user, and a selection of a map view allowing user selection of a granularity of demand data for the promotion tuple.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

adjust the total demand based on the travel probability.

8. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a direction and distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

9. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the promotion area is indicative of one or more second subdivisions to which a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

10. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a promotion radius comprising a distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

11. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

identify a demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location,

wherein a promotion tuple comprises at least a category, price information, and information indicative of a location;

determine, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion area being the geographic location and one or more additional areas,

wherein the one or more additional areas comprise areas to which a consumer will travel to in order to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and areas from which a consumer will travel from to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple and thereby avoiding over-stocking inventory, additional demand met with inventory within the limits of this travel and a demand reduction caused by inventory within the limits of this travel is considered,

wherein determining the promotion area for the one or more promotions comprises;

determining a travel probability that a consumer that is associated with the geographic location would travel to each of the one or more additional areas;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold;

identifying each of the one or more additional areas as travel worthy in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

determining the travel probability that a consumer that is associated with each of the one or more additional areas would travel to the geographic location;

comparing the travel probability to a predetermined threshold; and

identifying each of the one or more additional areas from which the first subdivision is travel worthy in an instance in which the travel probability satisfies the predetermined threshold;

identify the one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple;

determine a promotion for the one or more promotions;

determine whether a total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied, wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance the demand existing within the geographic location and additional demand from the one or more additional areas from which the geographic location is determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple is greater than a demand reduction resulting from consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the areas determined to be travel worthy to in order to purchase the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple,

wherein the total demand is determined as a function of (i) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location, plus (ii) an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers from the one or more additional areas from which a consumer may travel from in order to purchase one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple, minus (iii) the reduction in demand calculated as a function of an amount of the one or more promotions associated with the promotion tuple to be purchased by consumers associated with the geographic location traveling to the one or more additional areas to which a consumer may travel to determined to be travel worthy; and

identify a demand gap in an instance in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied; and

provide a dynamic user interface configured to allow users to see available demand data for the promotion tuple and trends in that data, including the demand gap, a view of the dynamic user interface being dependent on a type of user, and a selection of a map view allowing user selection of a granularity of demand data for the promotion tuple.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

adjust the total demand based on the travel probability.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a direction and distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the promotion area is indicative of one or more second subdivisions to which a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the promotion area is indicative of a promotion radius comprising a distance that a consumer would travel to redeem a promotion.