Systems and methods to provide intelligent analytics to cardholders and merchants

• US 9,947,020 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fordyce, III, Edward W., Winters, Michelle Eng, Amaro, Leigh
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Alan S
• Application Number:
  US14/267,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection

Abstract

In one aspect, a computing apparatus includes: a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions processed by the transaction handler, a portal coupled with the data warehouse to receive one or more parameters as an input and to provide spending activity information for presentation as a response to the input, and an analytics engine coupled with the portal and the data warehouse to analyze spending activities of a user based on the transaction data and the one or more parameters to generate the spending activity information regarding transactions in a plurality of accounts of the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing apparatus from a user via a portal, an electronic version of a receipt of a payment transaction for a purchase;

storing, by the computing apparatus, the receipt in a data warehouse in association with an account number of an account of the user;

identifying, by the computing apparatus, the account number of the account of the user involved in the payment transaction and an IP address of a device associated with the user based on the electronic version of the receipt stored in the data warehouse;

identifying, by the computing apparatus, a first time period of the payment transaction based on a timestamp associated with the payment transaction;

determining, by the computing apparatus, a cookie ID associated with the IP address of the device associated with the user, the cookie ID associated with a second time period, the second time period being within a predetermined amount of time of the first time period;

assigning, by the computing apparatus, the account number of the account of the user and the cookie ID associated with the IP address of the device associated with the user in a data structure;

determining, by the computing apparatus, at least one online activity associated with the cookie ID based on the IP address of the device associated with the user;

correlating, by the computing apparatus, the at least one online activity associated with the cookie ID, conducted at a time before the payment transaction, with the account number of the account of the user involved in the payment transaction;

generating, by the computing apparatus, a correlation result based on correlating the at least one online activity with the payment transaction, wherein the correlation result comprises data indicating a rate of conversion from the at least one online activity to the payment transaction;

demonstrating, by the computing apparatus, a success of the online activity in leading to the purchase using the correlation result;

determining, by the computing apparatus, a preferred communication channel of the user;

generating, by the computing apparatus, an offer associated with an online advertisement for the user based on the correlation result; and

communicating, by the computing apparatus, the offer associated with the online advertisement to the user via the preferred communication channel of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the online activity includes searching.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the online activity includes web browsing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the online activity includes social networking.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the online activity includes the online advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic version of the receipt is generated from scanning a paper version of the receipt.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic version of the receipt is a photo picture of the receipt.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlating is based at least in part on purchase details.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the purchase details include information at a stock-keeping unit level.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, purchase details via an authorization response responding to an authorization request for the payment transaction processed at a transaction handler; and

receiving the purchase details associated with the payment transaction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the purchase details identify, at a Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) level, one or more items purchased via the payment transaction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the purchase details include warranty information for an item of the one or more items.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the purchase details include a receipt from a merchant for the first transaction.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the purchase details further identify a price for an item.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the purchase details are received with a settlement request of the payment transaction.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data to present the spending activities organized according to a set of categories; and

providing a receipt associated with a spending activity of the user in response to a user selection of the spending activity.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving account number information associated with the account number of the account of the user when the user makes the payment transaction;

obtaining the IP address of the device associated with the user via an acquirer processor; and

storing data that indicates the use of the account number of the account of the user with the IP address of the device associated with the user and with the timestamp associated with the payment transaction in the data structure.

18. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computing apparatus from a user via a portal, an electronic version of a receipt of a payment transaction for a purchase;

storing, by the computing apparatus, the receipt in a data warehouse in association with an account number of an account of the user;

identifying, by the computing apparatus, the account number of the account of the user involved in the payment transaction and an IP address of a device associated with the user based on the electronic version of the receipt stored in the data warehouse;

identifying, by the computing apparatus, a first time period of the payment transaction based on a timestamp associated with the payment transaction;

determining, by the computing apparatus, a cookie ID associated with the IP address of the device associated with the user, the cookie ID associated with a second time period, the second time period being within a predetermined amount of time of the first time period;

assigning, by the computing apparatus, the account number of the account of the user and the cookie ID associated with the IP address of the device associated with the user in a data structure;

determining, by the computing apparatus, at least one online activity associated with the cookie ID based on the IP address of the device associated with the user;

correlating, by the computing apparatus, the at least one online activity associated with the cookie ID, conducted at a time before the payment transaction, with the account number of the account of the user involved in the payment transaction;

generating, by the computing apparatus, a correlation result based on correlating the at least one online activity with the payment transaction, wherein the correlation result comprises data indicating a rate of conversion from the at least one online activity to the payment transaction;

demonstrating, by the computing apparatus, a success of the online activity in leading to the purchase using the correlation result;

generating, by the computing apparatus, an offer associated with an online advertisement for the user based on the correlation result; and

communicating, by the computing apparatus, the offer associated with the online advertisement to the user.

19. A system, comprising:

at least one microprocessor;

memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one microprocessor to perform operations, the system comprising;

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network to process transactions, wherein the electronic payment processing network connects issuer processors and acquirer processors using the transaction handler, each of the transactions being processed via the transaction handler communicating with an issuer processor and an acquirer processor to make a payment from an issuer to an acquirer in response to an account identifier of a customer, as issued by the issuer, being submitted by a merchant to the acquirer processor, the issuer processor controlled by the issuer to make the payment on behalf of the customer, the acquirer processor controlled by the acquirer to receive the payment on behalf of the merchant;

a data warehouse configured to;

store transaction data recording the transactions processed by the transaction handler;

a portal coupled with the data warehouse and configured to;

receive from a user an electronic version of a receipt of a payment transaction for a purchase from a merchant; and

store the receipt in the data warehouse in association with an account number of an account of the user; and

an analytics engine coupled with the portal and the data warehouse to;

identify the account number of the account of the user involved in the payment transaction and an IP address of a device associated with the user based on the electronic version of the receipt stored in the data warehouse;

identify a first time period of the payment transaction based on a timestamp associated with the payment transaction;

determine a cookie ID associated with the IP address of the device associated with the user, the cookie ID associated with a second time period, the second time period being within a predetermined amount of time of the first time period;

assign the account number of the account of the user and the cookie ID associated with the IP address of the device associated with the user in a data structure;

determine at least one online activity associated with the cookie ID based on the IP address of the device associated with the user;

correlate the at least one online activity associated with the cookie ID, conducted at a time before the payment transaction, with transaction data associated with the payment transaction;

generate a correlation result based on correlating the at least one online activity with the payment transaction, wherein the correlation result comprises data indicating a rate of conversion from the at least one online activity to the payment transaction;

demonstrate a success of the online activity in leading to the purchase using the correlation result;

generate an offer associated with an online advertisement for the user based on the correlation result; and

communicate the offer associated with the online advertisement to the user via the IP address of the device associated with the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data warehouse is configured to further store a communication reference;

and the portal is configured to further use the communication reference to provide an alert to the user when a condition specified by the user via the portal is satisfied.