Managing merchant communications

• US 10,628,880 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LivingSocial Incorporated (Groupon Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: LivingSocial Incorporated (Groupon Incorporated)
• Inventors: Laird, Eric, Maggioni, Cara, Lenahan, Kerry, McCann, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Niquette, Robert R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Liz P
• Application Number:
  US13/903,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,520 Days
• Field of Search: 705 39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A merchant system structures communications among merchants, partners, and customers. The merchant system may include a messaging component that organizes messages so that a manager can quickly navigate and understand the content of incoming messages. The messaging system also may categorize a user'"'"'s profile so that a user may share profile information established at a first merchant with a second merchant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a transaction intermediary from one or more computer devices through a computer network, one or more messages associated with a merchant;

extracting, from the one or more messages at the transaction intermediary, information indicative of one or more customer transactions;

obtaining, from a storage device, one or more customer profiles associated, respectively, with the one or more customer transactions, the one or more customer profiles respectively including (i) historical data associated with a customer, and (ii) a merchant rating of the customer;

determining, at the transaction intermediary, a resource requirement and a likely time period for utilizing the resource requirement based on the information indicative of the one or more customer transactions and the one or more customer profiles associated, respectively, with the one or more customer transactions;

generating, at the transaction intermediary, a merchant message interface comprising;

an alerts tab that is configured to display, when engaged by a user, first data messages that include data associated with the resource requirement, each first data message is indicative of one or more actions that are to be taken in the likely time period and are associated with the resource requirement from which the merchant is able to select,

a customer profiles tab that is configured to display, when engaged by the user, second data messages that are each associated with a corresponding one of the one or more customer profiles, wherein each of the second data messages indicates historical data associated with a corresponding customer and a merchant rating associated with the corresponding customer; and

outputting, to a display of a merchant device, the merchant message interface.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first data messages is configured to enable the merchant to perceive the resource requirement relative to available resources.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the merchant, by engaging one of the first data messages, to accept a proposed transaction according to one of the one or more actions associated with the resource requirement.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the merchant message interface further comprises a next hour tab that is configured to display, when engaged by the user, third data messages indicative of one or more actions that are to be taken in the likely time period and are associated with the resource requirement, and wherein the likely time period is 60 minutes.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the resource requirement comprises a staffing condition associated with the merchant; and

the first data messages indicative of one or more actions associated with the resource requirement from which the merchant is able to select comprises options to modify (i) a number of staff members associated with the merchant, and (ii) a type of staff member associated with the merchant.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the resource requirement comprises a supplies condition associated with the merchant; and

the first data messages indicative of one or more actions associated with the resource requirement from which the merchant is able to select comprises options to modify (i) a number of supplies associated with the merchant, and (ii) a type of supply associated with the merchant.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

arranging the first data messages according to an order of priority associated with the merchant;

filtering out, from the first data messages, a first data message that does not satisfy a priority threshold;

updating the merchant message interface to include only the first data messages that satisfy the priority threshold.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the priority threshold is determined based on a particular time or a time period.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the resource requirement comprises a customer promotion condition associated with the merchant; and

the first data messages indicative of one or more actions associated with the resource requirement from which the merchant is able to select comprises options to modify a customer promotion associated with the customer promotion condition, the options to modify including (i) an option to terminate the customer promotion and (ii) an option to invest additional merchant resources in the customer promotion.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second data messages that are displayed in association with the alerts tab comprise a frequent guest indication or a food allergy indication.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a profile selection user input that indicates selection of one or more of the historical data associated with the customer or the merchant rating of the customer;

receiving a privacy control user input that indicates changing privacy control settings of the one or more of the historical data associated with the customer or the merchant rating of the customer; and

modifying accessibility of the one or more of the historical data associated with the customer or the merchant rating of the customer.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a customer interface comprising a customer profiles tab that is configured to display, when engaged by the user, one or more of the historical data associated with the customer or the merchant rating of the customer; and

outputting, to a device of the customer through the computer network, the customer interface.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, via the customer profiles tab, a profile selection user input that indicates selection of one or more of the historical data associated with the customer or the merchant rating of the customer;

receiving, via the customer profiles tab, a privacy control user input that indicates changing privacy control settings of the one or more of the historical data associated with the customer or the merchant rating of the customer; and

modifying accessibility of the one or more of the historical data associated with the customer or the merchant rating of the customer.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the merchant message interface is configured to be displayed on a touch-sensitive interface of the merchant device, wherein the one or more actions that are to be taken include an order placement, and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

upon detecting user engagement of the alerts tab indicating the order placement, transmitting, to an inventory management system, an order placement data message.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a transaction intermediary from one or more computer devices through a computer network, one or more messages associated with a merchant;

extracting, from the one or more messages at the transaction intermediary, information indicative of one or more customer transactions;

obtaining, from a storage device, one or more customer profiles associated, respectively, with the one or more customer transactions, the one or more customer profiles respectively including (i) historical data associated with a customer, and (ii) a merchant rating of the customer;

determining, at the transaction intermediary, a resource requirement and a likely time period for utilizing the resource requirement based on the information indicative of the one or more customer transactions and the one or more customer profiles associated, respectively, with the one or more customer transactions;

generating, at the transaction intermediary, a merchant message interface comprising;

an alerts tab that is configured to display, when engaged by a user, first data messages that include data associated with the resource requirement, each first data message is indicative of one or more actions that are to be taken in the likely time period and are associated with the resource requirement from which the merchant is able to select, and

a customer profiles tab that is configured to display, when engaged by the user, second data messages that are each associated with a corresponding one of the one or more customer profiles, wherein each of the second data messages indicates historical data associated with a corresponding customer and a merchant rating associated with the corresponding customer; and

outputting, to a display of a merchant device, the merchant message interface.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first data messages is configured to enable the merchant to perceive the resource requirement relative to available resources.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise enabling the merchant, by engaging one of the first data messages, to accept a proposed transaction according to one of the one or more actions associated with the resource requirement.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the merchant message interface further comprises a next hour tab that is configured to display, when engaged by the user, third data messages indicative of one or more actions that are to be taken in the likely time period and are associated with the resource requirement, and wherein the likely time period is 60 minutes.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the merchant message interface is configured to be displayed on a touch-sensitive interface of the merchant device, wherein the one or more actions that are to be taken include an order placement, and wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon execution, cause the one or more computers to perform further operations comprising:

upon detecting user engagement of the alerts tab indicating the order placement, transmitting, to an inventory management system, an order placement data message.