USER-TARGETED REBATES

• US 20100257020A1
• Filed: 04/02/2009
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: SACHETI, ARUN K., ARORA, SIDDHARTHA CINGH, RUSSELL, JAMES D., BRYANT, MASON D.
• Application Number:
  US12/417,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257020A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for presenting discount offers to a user. The discount offer may be based on a discount offered by a retailer or supplier and may be combined with a discount offered by one or more additional retailers or suppliers. The discount program may be coordinated by a centralized discount server that may track user browsing behavior and purchases. The discount server may present discounts based on a product previously purchased.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of presenting a targeted-discount offer to a user viewing a web page associated with an online retailer, the method comprising:

retrieving user information for the user of a computing device that has navigated to the web page associated with the online retailer, wherein the online retailer is an entity offering products or services for sale through the web page, and wherein the user information includes a unique user identification that identifies the user;

determining that the user qualifies for a discount on one or more products or services offered by the online retailer through the web page;

communicating a request for a discount offer to display to the user, wherein the request includes the unique user identification and a unique merchant identification that identifies the online retailer;

in response to the request, receiving the discount offer that includes a discount for one or more products or services offered for sale by the online retailer, wherein the discount combines a retail discount agreed to by the online retailer and a supplier discount offered by a supplier of the one or more products or services; and

displaying the discount offer to the user through the web page.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the user information is retrieved from a cookie on the computing device being used by the user to access the web page, and wherein the cookie is placed on the computing device when the user joins a discount program.

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

determining that the user purchased at least one of the one or more products or services to which the discount offer applies;

communicating a message to a discount server that includes a description of the at least one of the one or more products or services, the unique user identification, and the unique merchant identification.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises calculating a rebate due to the user equal to a product of multiplying a percentage discount by a price of the at least one of the one or more products or services purchased by the user.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the discount for the one or more products or services is based on the user previously purchasing a different product or service from a different online retailer.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the discount offer includes the discount for purchasing the one or more products or services and a second discount for purchasing two or more of the one or more products or services.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the user qualifies for the discount on the one or more products or the services because the user navigated to the web page or a web site of which the web page is a part from a third party web site associated with a third part entity that generates the discount offer.

8. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of selecting a targeted-discount offer for presentation to a user viewing a web page associated with an online retailer, the method comprising:

receiving a discount request from a computing device for a discount offer to display to the user that navigated to the web page associated with the online retailer, wherein the discount request includes a unique user identification that identifies the user and a unique retailer identification that identifies the online retailer;

in response to the discount request, selecting the discount offer for one or more products or services offered by the online retailer, wherein the discount offer includes a total discount that is calculated based on a discount provided by the online retailer and a discount provided by a supplier of the one or more products and services; and

communicating the discount offer to the computing device.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the discount offer is a combination offer for at least two products, wherein the user gets an additional discount for purchasing two or more of the at least two products.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein one of the at least two products was previously purchased from a different online retailer through a different web page.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

storing information associated with the discount request in a user information data store that includes information associated with a plurality of discount requests associated with a plurality of users, wherein each of the plurality of discount requests is stored in association with the unique user identification within said each of the plurality of discount requests.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein the method further includes:

receiving supplier-discount offers for a plurality of products or services supplied by a plurality of suppliers;

receiving retailer-discount offers from a plurality of retailers;

storing the supplier-discount offers and the retailer-discount offers in a data store.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the method further includes receiving a notification from the web page indicating that the user purchased at least one of the one or more products or services and crediting a percentage of a purchase price for the one or more products or services to an account associated with the user.

14. A method for presenting online discount offers to members of a discount program through retailer web pages associated with retailers that are participating in the discount program, the method comprises:

receiving one or more supplier-discount offers for a plurality of products and services provided by one or more suppliers that are participating in the discount program;

receiving one or more retailer-discount offers from a plurality of online retailers that are participating in the discount program;

storing the one or more supplier-discount offers and the one or more retailer-discount offers in a discount-offer data store, comprising one or more computer-storage media;

receiving a request for a discount offer from a computing device, wherein the request includes a unique identifier describing a user and a unique identifier describing the one of the plurality of online retailers;

generating a targeted-discount offer that offers a discount to the user for one or more products or services offered for sale by the one of the plurality of online retailers, wherein the discount is a combination of discounts offered in one of the one or more supplier-discount offers and one of the one or more retailer-discount offers; and

communicating the targeted-discount offer to the computing device, wherein the targeted-discount offer is displayed to the user through a web page of the one of the plurality of retailers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further includes:

providing a user interface through a membership web page that allows users to subscribe to the discount program by submitting membership information to a discount server that coordinates the discount program;

receiving membership information for the user; and

in response to receiving the membership information, placing a cookie on a user'"'"'s computing device through which the user submitted the membership information, wherein the cookie indicates the user is a member of the discount program, and wherein the cookie includes the unique identifier for the user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further includes:

receiving a purchase indication that at least one of the one or more products or services displayed in the targeted-discount offer was purchased by the user, wherein the purchase indication includes a unique user identification, a description of the at least one of the one or more products or services, and a price paid for the at least one of the one or more products or services;

generating a shopping history for a plurality of users by using the unique identifier describing the user and a url in each request for a discount received along with purchase indications received for the plurality of users.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein an individual-retailer discount specifies a percentage discount for all products or services offered by an individual online retailer that submitted the individual-retailer discount.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein an individual-retailer discount specifies a discount for specific products or services offered by an individual online retailer that submitted the individual-retailer discount.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the user qualifies for a discount on the one or more products or the services because the user navigated to the web page or a web site of which the web page is a part from a third party web site associated with a third part entity that generates the discount offer.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the targeted-discount offer is based on a previous purchase made by the user through a second one of the plurality of online retailers other than the one of the one of the plurality of online retailers.