Systems and methods for delivering dynamic offers to incent user behavior

• US 10,528,966 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Keller, Arik, Howard, Dane, Lenahan, Michael, Mitchell, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swartz, Stephen S
• Application Number:
  US13/340,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,930 Days
• 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 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Systems and methods to deliver dynamic context sensitive offers to incent user behavior are discussed. For example, a method to deliver a dynamic context sensitive offer can include operations for generating a dynamic offer, delivering the dynamic offer, receiving data associated with a user, updating a context input with data associated with the user, and adjusting the value of the dynamic offer. Generating the dynamic offer includes associating a rule for manipulating the value of the dynamic offer based on a context input. Updating the context input of the rule includes extracting context information from the data associated with the user. Adjusting the value of the dynamic offer can be based on reevaluation of the rule with the updated context input.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

generating, by a server, a dynamic offer at a determined first time that includes a calculated initial offer value, a predefined minimum value, a predefined maximum value, and a predefined location where the dynamic offer is redeemable, wherein the calculated initial offer value is communicated to at least a first user device associated with a first user;

incrementally decreasing the calculated initial offer value to a second offer value that is or exceeds the predefined minimum value by decreasing the calculated initial offer value by a first percentage every first time interval;

receiving an indication that the first user device has transmitted the second offer value or the calculated initial offer value to a second user device associated with a friend or acquaintance of the first user; and

slowing the decrease of the calculated initial offer value based at least in part on;

a received location of the first user device, the first user device moving towards the predefined location where the dynamic offer is redeemable, and the receiving of the indication that the first user device has transmitted the second offer value to a second user device associated with a friend or acquaintance of the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reversing the slowed calculated initial offer value by increasing the slowed calculated initial offer value based at least in part on a determination that the generated dynamic offer was shared to a social media account post associated with the first user and redeemed based on the generated dynamic offer having been shared, wherein an access credential to gain access to the social media account post is provided to extract information within the post for the revision.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, by the server, a printable coupon to the first user device, wherein the printable coupon presents at least a reference to the generated dynamic offer, and wherein the presented reference is employable to redeem the generated dynamic offer at the predefined location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the printable coupon further presents at least the predefined minimum and maximum values and the determined first time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the incrementally decreasing of the initially-calculated value is based further in part on received social media information associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the received social media information includes a location history that was generated based at least in part on previously detected locations of the user device including the first location, and wherein incrementally decreasing of the initially-calculate offer is based further in part on a quantity of times the user device has been to the first location, the quantity being included within the received social media information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the received social media information includes a sharing history that includes a reference to the generated dynamic offer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the slowing or halting the decrease to the calculated initial offer value is determined to decrease the calculated initial offer value at a first rate based at least in part on the determined duration after the first time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the slowing or halting the decrease to the calculated initial offer value is determined to adjust a rate at which the calculated initial offer decreases or increases in value based at least in part on any one of a received location of the user device or a received bearing of the user device with respect to the predefined location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the slowing or halting the decrease to the calculated initial offer value is determined to adjust the rate based further in part received social media information associated with the user that includes a reference to the generated dynamic offer.

5. A computerized system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage media storing computer-usable instructions that, when used by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

generate a dynamic offer at a first time that includes an initially-calculated offer value, a predefined minimum value of the initially-calculated offer value, a predefined maximum value of the initially-calculated offer value, and a predefined location to redeem the generated dynamic offer, wherein the initially-calculated offer value is communicated to a first user device associated with a first user;

incrementally decrease the initially-calculated offer value to a second offer value by decreasing the initially-calculated offer value by a first value every first time interval;

slow the decrease of the initially-calculated offer value to a third offer value by at least changing the first time interval to a second time interval that is longer than the first time interval, wherein the slowing is based at least in part on the first user device moving towards the predefined location where the dynamic offer is redeemable; and

transmit, to the first user device, the third offer value at a second time after the first time based at least in part on the slowing the decrease of the initially-calculated offer value.

6. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the slowing of the decrease of the initially-calculated offer values is further based on a browsing history, a purchase history, and a location history associated with one of the first user or the first user device.

7. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein another decrease of the third offer value at a third time after the second time is greater than the decrease of the initially-calculated offer value based at least in part on a determination that the received location data at the third time is closer to the predefined location than earlier-received location data at the second time.

8. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein a defined set of rules is operable to temporarily stop adjustment of the third offer value based at least in part on the first user device moving within a threshold distance of the predefined location where the dynamic offer is redeemable.

9. The computerized system of claim 5, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

transmit a printable coupon that corresponds to the generated dynamic offer to the first user device.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed on a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a dynamic offer request from a user device associated with a user, the received dynamic offer request including user-preference data obtained by the user device;

calculating an initial offer value for a dynamic offer that is redeemable at a predefined redemption location in response to the received dynamic offer request, wherein the initial offer value is calculated at a determined first time based at least in part on predefined minimum maximum values the user-preference data included in the received dynamic offer request;

generating a first offer value that is higher than the initial offer value based at least in part on a second user device being further away from the predefined redemption location relative to the user device;

incrementally decreasing the calculated initial offer value to a second offer value based at least in part on the user device being closer to the predefined redemption location relative to the second user device, the user device being at a first location; and

slowing or halting the decrease to the calculated initial offer value based at least in part on the user device moving towards the predefined redemption location from the first location.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the initial offer value for the dynamic offer is calculated at the determined first time, and wherein the calculated initial offer value is decreased based further in part on a determined lapse of time after the determined first time.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the calculated initial offer value is modified based further in part on a determination that a social media post on a social media account associated with the user references at least a portion of the redeemable dynamic offer.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the modification includes an increase in the calculated initial offer value or an increase in a previous modification to the calculated initial offer value based on another determination that the redeemable dynamic offer referenced in the social media post was redeemed.