Systems and methods for facilitating group rewards

• US 20030200143A9
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Van Luchene, Andrew S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Fincham, Magdalena M., Tulley, Stephen C., Walker, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,985,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention a retailer may receive a request from a group of customers for a reward the group desires to earn by making purchases at the retailer. In response to such a request the retailer determines purchasing conditions the group must satisfy in order to earn the reward. The purchasing conditions may be determined based on, for example, a value of the reward (e.g., a cost of the reward to the retailer), a number of customers in the group, and/or a time by which the group desires to earn the reward. The purchasing conditions may be determined such that the retailer realizes at least a predetermined profit after the cost of providing the reward is considered. The methods of the present invention may be implemented at an online and/or brick-and-mortar retailer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a retailer, an indication of a group of customers,

wherein the indication of the group defines a number of customers in the group;

receiving an indication of a reward the group desires to earn in exchange for completing purchases at the retailer,

wherein the indication of the reward defines an expected cost of the reward to the retailer;

determining, based at least partially on the number of customers and the expected cost, purchasing conditions the group would have to satisfy in order to earn the reward,

wherein the purchasing conditions define at least one of

a number of purchases,

a frequency of purchases, and

a value of purchases

to be made by the group at the retailer;

outputting the purchasing conditions to the group;

receiving, from the group, a response to the purchasing conditions; and

registering the group for the reward if the response indicates an acceptance of the purchasing conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises:

determining an amount of profit to be realized by the retailer;

determining the purchasing conditions such that the amount of profit realized by the retailer if the purchasing conditions are satisfied is at least a predetermined amount of profit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining the amount of profit further comprises:

determining the expected cost of the reward;

determining an expected cost of the purchases to be made by the group in accordance with the purchasing conditions;

determining an expected monetary value to be received by the retailer as a result of registering the group to earn the reward in accordance with the purchasing conditions; and

subtracting

(a) the expected monetary value

from the sum of

(a) the expected cost of the reward, and

(b) an expected cost of the purchases.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the expected monetary value comprises:

determining a sum of payments to be received by the retailer from the group for the purchases to be made in accordance with the purchasing conditions.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the expected monetary value comprises:

determining a monetary value of acquiring at least one new customer.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the expected monetary value comprises:

determining a monetary value of habituating at least one customer into a shopping pattern with the retailer.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the expected monetary value comprises:

determining an estimated value of purchases that would have been completed by at least one customer at another retailer if the customer had not been part of the group registered to earn the reward.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the expected cost of the purchases comprises:

determining an expected cost to the retailer of products and services included in the purchases to be made by the group.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the expected cost of the purchases comprises:

determining operating expenses incurred by the retailer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining purchasing conditions further comprises:

determining information on past purchases completed by one or more customers comprising the group; and

determining, based at least partially on the information on past purchases, purchasing conditions the group would have to satisfy in order to earn the reward.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchasing conditions comprise at least one purchasing condition that has to be satisfied by a respective customer comprising the group.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchasing conditions comprise at least one respective purchasing condition for each respective customer comprising the group.

13. The method of claim 12:

wherein the group comprises at least a first customer and a second customer,

wherein the purchasing conditions comprise at least a first purchasing condition associated with the first customer and a second purchasing conditions associated with the second customer, and

wherein the first purchasing condition associated with the first customer is different from the second purchasing condition associated with the second customer.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein each respective purchasing condition for each respective customer is determined based on data associated with the respective customer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data comprises data of past purchases completed by the respective customer.

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

a time by which the group desires to earn the reward; and

wherein step of determining comprises;

determining, based at least partially on the time by which the group desires to earn the reward, purchasing conditions the group would have to satisfy in order to earn the reward.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchasing conditions define a time by which the group will earn the reward.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises:

at least one of a product and service offered for sale by an entity other than the retailer.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the reward comprises:

at least one of a specified number of units of a product and a specified number of provisions of a service offered for sale by an entity other than the retailer.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the group has satisfied the purchasing conditions; and

providing the reward to the group.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of providing comprises:

providing payment for the reward to the group, thereby providing the group with a means by which to purchase the reward from an entity other than the retailer.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of providing comprises:

providing payment for the reward to an entity other than the retailer, thereby causing the entity to provide the reward to the group.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, if the response from the group indicates a rejection of the purchasing conditions, alternate purchasing conditions;

outputting the alternate purchasing conditions to the group;

receiving, from the group, a response to the alternate purchasing conditions; and

registering the group for the alternate purchasing conditions if the response indicates an acceptance of the alternate purchasing conditions.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving, with the response from the group, information for use in determining alternate purchasing conditions.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the information comprises at least one of a revised number of customers comprising the group, a revised value of the reward, and a revised time by which the group desires to earn the reward.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the information comprises a suggestion for modifying one or more of the outputted purchasing conditions.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication defines an expected cost of the reward to the retailer by specifying a monetary amount the retailer would have to provide in order to obtain the reward for the group.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication defines an expected cost of the reward to the retailer by providing information describing the reward, wherein the information is sufficient to enable the retailer to determine how much the retailer would have to pay to another entity that offers the reward for sale, in order to provide the reward to the group.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the information describing the reward comprises:

an identification of at least one entity that offers the reward for sale.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the information describing the reward comprises:

an identification of at least one entity that manufactures the reward.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the information describing the reward comprises:

characteristics of the reward that the retailer may utilize to find an entity that offers the reward for sale.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the information describing the reward comprises:

a price for the reward, as charged by an entity that offers the reward for sale.

33. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a group of customers,

wherein the indication includes a number of customers comprising the group;

receiving a description of a reward that the group desires to earn in exchange for completing purchases at a retailer;

determining a value of the reward;

determining, based on the value, at least one condition the group must satisfy in order to earn the reward; and

outputting the at least one condition to the group.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving a response from the group; and

registering the group for the reward if the response from the group indicates an acceptance of the at least one condition.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one condition defines at least a value of purchases the group must complete.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining a value of the reward comprises:

receiving an indication of the value of the reward as part of the description of the reward received from the group.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining a value of the reward comprises:

determining a value of the reward based on a description of the reward.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of determining a value of the reward further comprises:

determining an entity that provides the reward;

determining a price at which the entity would provide the reward to the group; and

determining the value of the reward to be the price.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of determining a value of the reward further comprises:

determining an entity that provides the reward;

determining a price at which the entity would provide the reward to the retailer; and

determining the value of the reward to be the price.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the step of determining an entity that provides the reward comprises:

determining, from the description of the reward received from the group, an entity that provides the reward.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein determining an entity that provides the reward comprises:

receiving the description of the reward, the description including an indication of the entity that provides the reward.

42. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

outputting, to the group for approval, an indication of the determined entity.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the step of determining an entity that provides the reward comprises:

determining, from the description of the reward received from the group, an entity that provides the reward.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

outputting, to the group for approval, an indication of the determined entity.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the entity that provides the reward is identified in the description of the reward received from the group.

46. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of determining a value of the reward comprises:

determining a value of the reward based at least partially on the indication of the number of customers in the group.

47. A method comprising:

receiving, from a customer, a description of a reward the customer desires to earn as part of a group of customers;

determining conditions the group would have to satisfy in order to earn the reward,

wherein the conditions define

a minimum number of customers comprising the group,

a time by which the group would earn the reward, and

at least one purchasing condition comprising at least one of a frequency of purchases, a monetary value of purchases, and a number of purchases to be completed by the group before the time; and

outputting the conditions to the customer.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the conditions further define a time at which the group may begin to attempt to earn the reward.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the time at which the group may begin to attempt to earn the reward comprises:

a time at which the minimum number of customers has registered as being part of the group attempting to earn the reward.

50. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

determining that the minimum number of customers has registered as being part of the group; and

tracking the purchases of the customers to determine whether the group has satisfied the purchasing conditions.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising:

determining that at least one additional customer has registered as being part of the group; and

revising at least one of the purchasing conditions based on the at least one additional customer.

52. The method of claim 50, further comprising:

outputting the description of the reward and the conditions to at least one customer other than the customer from whom the description of the reward was received.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of outputting further comprises:

outputting, to the at least one customer other than the customer from whom the description of the reward was received, an invitation to join the group.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the invitation includes:

an indication of at least one of

at least one revised purchasing condition and a revised time by which the reward will be earned.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of outputting comprises:

outputting the invitation via a Web site associated with the retailer at which the purchases to earn the reward are to be completed.

56. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of outputting comprises:

outputting the invitation at a point-of-sale of the retailer at which the purchases to earn the reward are to be completed.

57. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of outputting comprises:

causing the invitation to be printed at a point-of-sale terminal of the retailer at which the purchases to earn the reward are to be completed.

58. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

determining that the group of customers has satisfied the conditions, thus determining that the group of customers has earned the reward; and

causing the reward to be provided to at least one of an entity and a person,

wherein the at least one of an entity and a person does not comprise a member of the group of customers that earned the reward.