Systems and methods to rank and select triggers for real-time offers

• US 9,972,021 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoder, Jeanette, Amaro, Leigh, Hagey, Ryan, Gebbie, Michael James, Bankston, Michael Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Alvin L
• Application Number:
  US13/198,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,476 Days
• Field of Search: 705 14, 705 1417
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

In one aspect, a computing apparatus is configured to receive an input specifying a set of users, identify a set of triggers, each of which corresponds to a set of one or more conditions which when satisfied cause transmission of a message to the set of users, rank the triggers based at least in part on transaction data of the users that was recorded by a transaction handler, and generate a ranked list of the triggers based on the ranking.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a computing apparatus comprising;

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network in which the transaction handler interconnects issuer processors controlling consumer accounts from which payments are made and acquirer processors controlling merchant accounts to which the payments are made;

a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and configured to store identifiers of the consumer accounts in association with respective communication references, wherein authorization communications within the electronic payment processing network for the payments identify the consumer accounts using the identifiers of the consumer accounts, the data warehouse further storing transaction data recording the payments processed by the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing network, and further storing a set of triggers, each of the triggers identifying a set of one or more conditions which, when satisfied by a transaction processed by the transaction handler, cause transmission of a message to a user associated with the consumer account;

a portal coupled with the transaction handler and the data warehouse and configured to communicate via a communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network; and

a message broker configured to transmit messages using the respective communication references;

receiving, in the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input specifying a set of users;

ranking, by the computing apparatus, the triggers based at least in part on transaction data of the users recorded by the transaction handler in the data warehouse to generate a ranked list of the triggers;

providing, by the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, the ranked list for presentation via a user interface on a separate computer to allow selection of one or more triggers from the ranked list of triggers;

receiving, in the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input selecting one or more selected triggers from the ranked list of triggers, wherein the one or more selected triggers correspond to payment transactions made in the electronic payment processing network;

receiving, in the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input specifying an offer;

generating, by the computing apparatus in accordance with the input, one or more trigger records containing the one or more selected triggers selected from the ranked list of triggers;

storing in the data warehouse, the one or more trigger records;

monitoring, by the transaction handler, transactions being processed at the transaction handler to select a subset of the transactions according to the one or more trigger records by determining whether conditions specified in a trigger record are satisfied by a current transaction being processed by the transaction handler; and

in response to the current transaction of a user processed by the transaction handler satisfying the conditions specified in the trigger record,

generating, by the message broker, a message in accordance with the trigger record, wherein the message relates to the offer; and

transmitting, by the message broker using a communication reference associated with an account identifier of the user in the data warehouse, to a device of the user, the message including a code to be entered at a point of sale terminal causing a recalculation of a transaction at the point of sale terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected triggers are selected by the computing apparatus in an automated way based on the ranking.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of triggers is identified by the computing apparatus in an automated way.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking of the triggers comprises determining a likelihood of transactions of the users in the set satisfying conditions specified in respective triggers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ranking of the triggers is further based on estimating spending amounts for transactions satisfying conditions specified in respective triggers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ranking of the triggers is further based on a likelihood of the users responding to the message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message relates to an offer of a benefit;

and the transaction handler is configured to provide the benefit via statement credit after a fulfillment requirement of the offer is satisfied based on transaction data from the transaction handler.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is transmitted to a mobile phone of a corresponding user who made a transaction that matches a respective trigger.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking is based on at least one of:

probability of transactions satisfying a corresponding trigger, anticipated number of trigger events, and anticipated spending amount caused by the advertisement.

10. A computer-storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a computing apparatus to:

provide a computing apparatus comprising;

a transaction handler configured in an electronic payment processing network in which the transaction handler interconnects issuer processors controlling consumer accounts from which payments are made and acquirer processors controlling merchant accounts to which the payments are made;

a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and configured to store identifiers of the consumer accounts in association with respective communication references, wherein authorization communications within the electronic payment processing network for the payments identify the consumer accounts using the identifiers of the consumer accounts, the data warehouse further storing transaction data recording the payments processed by the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing network, and further storing a set of triggers, each of the triggers identifying a set of one or more conditions which, when satisfied by a transaction processed by the transaction handler, cause transmission of a message to a user associated with the consumer account;

a portal coupled with the transaction handler and the data warehouse and configured to communicate via a communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network; and

a message broker configured to transmit messages using the respective communication references;

receive, in the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input specifying a set of users;

rank, by the computing apparatus, the triggers based at least in part on transaction data of the users recorded by the transaction handler in the data warehouse to generate a ranked list of the triggers;

provide, by the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, the ranked list for presentation via a user interface on a separate computer to allow selection of one or more triggers from the ranked list of triggers;

receive, in the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input selecting one or more selected triggers from the ranked list of triggers, wherein the one or more selected triggers correspond to payment transactions made in the electronic payment processing network;

receive, in the portal via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input specifying an offer;

generate, by the computing apparatus in accordance with the input, one or more trigger records containing the one or more selected triggers selected from the ranked list of triggers;

store in the data warehouse, the one or more trigger records;

monitor, by the transaction handler, transactions being processed at the transaction handler to select a subset of the transactions according to the one or more trigger records by determining whether conditions specified in a trigger record are satisfied by a current transaction being processed by the transaction handler; and

in response to the current transaction of a user processed by the transaction handler satisfying the conditions specified in the trigger record,

generate, by the message broker, a message in accordance with the trigger record, wherein the message relates to the offer; and

transmit, by the message broker using a communication reference associated with an account identifier of the user in the data warehouse, to a device of the user, the message including a code to be entered at a point of sale terminal causing a recalculation of a transaction at the point of sale terminal.

11. The computer-storage medium of claim 10, wherein the message relates to an offer of a benefit, which is provided by the transaction handler via statement credit after a fulfillment requirement of the offer is satisfied based on transaction data from the transaction handler.

12. The computer-storage medium of claim 10, wherein the message reminds a recipient of the message to take advantage of the offer.

13. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a data warehouse coupled with the transaction handler and configured to store identifiers of the consumer accounts in association with respective communication references, wherein authorization communications within the electronic payment processing network for the payments identify the consumer accounts using the identifiers of the consumer accounts, the data warehouse further storing transaction data recording the payments processed by the transaction handler in the electronic payment processing network, and further storing a set of triggers, each of the triggers identifying a set of one or more conditions which, when satisfied by a transaction processed by the transaction handler, cause transmission of a message to a user associated with the consumer account;

a portal coupled with the transaction handler and the data warehouse and configured to communicate via a communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network; and

a message broker configured to transmit messages using the respective communication references;

wherein the portal is to receive via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input specifying a set of users;

the computing apparatus is to rank the triggers based at least in part on transaction data of the users recorded by the transaction handler in the data warehouse to generate a ranked list of the triggers;

the portal is to provide via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, the ranked list for presentation via a user interface on a separate computer to allow selection of one or more triggers from the ranked list of triggers, and

the portal is to receive via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input selecting one or more selected triggers from the ranked list of triggers, wherein the one or more selected triggers correspond to payment transactions made in the electronic payment processing network;

the portal is to receive via the communication channel outside the electronic payment processing network, an input specifying an offer;

the computing apparatus is to generate in accordance with the input, one or more trigger records containing the one or more selected triggers selected from the ranked list of triggers;

the data warehouse is to store the one or more trigger records;

the transaction handler is to monitor the transactions being processed at the transaction handler to select a subset of the transactions according to the one or more trigger records by determining whether conditions specified in a trigger record are satisfied by a current transaction being processed by the transaction handler; and

in response to the current transaction of a user processed by the transaction handler satisfying the conditions specified in the trigger record, the message broker is to generate a message in accordance with the trigger record, wherein the message relates to the offer; and

the message broker is to transmit using a communication reference associated with an account identifier of the user in the data warehouse, to a device of the user, the message including a code to be entered at a point of sale terminal causing a recalculation of a transaction at the point of sale terminal.