SEARCH ANALYZER SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED MERCHANT OFFER PROGRAM AND CUSTOMER SHOPPING

• US 20110191180A1
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Upton, Michael W., Blackhurst, Jason
• Application Number:
  US13/013,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191180A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a merchant offer program application, which is downloaded onto a customer computer, and that works in connection with the customer'"'"'s accounts at an institution. The merchant offer program application monitors the websites that the customer views, as well as the content the customer is viewing on those websites, such as the products offered for sale through the website or other information on the website. The merchant offer program provides additional information to the customer, such as special offers that are available for the product being viewed, the identity of other merchants that offer the product or a competing product, advertisements or offers regarding other ancillary products typically sold along with the product being considered, etc. The information sent to the customer can be based not only on the website product being viewed, but on the customer'"'"'s past purchase behavior, account balances, interests, etc.

Claims

1. A system for providing merchant offers comprising:

a memory device;

a communication device; and

a processing device operatively coupled to the memory device and the communication device, wherein the processing device is configured to execute computer-readable program code to;

receive content information related to a search performed by a customer;

access account information for the customer from an institution;

determine an offer for the customer based at least in part on the content information received related to the search performed by the customer and the account information from the institution; and

provide the offer to the customer at a customer computer system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the account information is customer transaction information from a customer account at the institution.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the account information is customer profile information from a customer account at the institution.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the account information is relationship information from a customer account at the institution related to the relationship the customer has with the institution or a merchant that is providing a product associated with the offer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device configured to execute computer-readable program code to determine the offer for the customer is also based at least in part on the relationship the institution has with a merchant that is providing the product associated with the offer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content information related to the search comprises a category or a search term in which the customer is interested.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the content information related to the search comprises a product type, a product name, a brand, a merchant, a manufacturer, an industry, or a location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute computer-readable program code to cause the processing device to:

rank the offers when more than one offer is determined based at least in part on the content information received related to the search performed by the customer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the rank of the offers are determined based at least in part on price, location, merchant, savings, alphanumerically, search history, purchase history, or customer rating.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on agreements the institution has with merchants that provide products associated with the offers.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the agreements relate to fees paid by the merchants to the institution or products the merchants obtain from the institution.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on the customer'"'"'s current location.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on transaction histories the customer has with the merchants.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on a social networking feature that ranks the offers based on the preferences of other customers of the institution.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on input from the customer.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the institution is a financial institution.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing device configured to execute the computer-readable program code comprises executing the computer-readable program code of a merchant offer program application.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the merchant offer program application is stored in a first memory device associated with the institution;

and wherein the processing device configured to execute the computer-readable program code of the portion of the merchant offer program application stored in the first memory device associated with the institution is a first processing device associated with the institution.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least a portion of the merchant offer program application is stored in a second memory device associated with the customer computer system;

and wherein the processing device configured to execute the computer-readable program code of the portion of the merchant offer program application stored in the second memory device associated with the customer computer is a second processing device associated with the customer computer.

20. A computer program product for a merchant offer program system operated through a financial institution, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured for receiving content information related to a search performed by a customer;

an executable portion configured for accessing account information for the customer from an institution;

an executable portion configured for determining an offer for the customer based at least in part on the content information received related to the search performed by the customer and the account information from the institution; and

an executable portion configured for providing the offer to the customer at a customer computer system.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the account information is customer transaction information from a customer account at the institution.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the account information is customer profile information from a customer account at the institution.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the account information is relationship information from a customer account at the institution related to the relationship the customer has with the institution or a merchant that is providing a product associated with the offer.

24. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the executable portion configured for determining the offer for the customer is also based at least in part on the relationship the institution has with a merchant that is providing the product associated with the offer.

25. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the content information related to the search comprises a category or a search term in which the customer is interested.

26. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the content information related to the search comprises a product type, a product name, a brand, a merchant, a manufacturer, an industry, or a location.

27. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise:

an executable portion for ranking the offers when more than one offer is determined based at least in part on the content information received related to the search performed by the customer.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on price, location, merchant, savings, alphabetically, alphanumerically, search history, score, or customer rating.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on agreements the institution has with merchants that provide products associated with the offers.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the agreements relate to fees paid by the merchants to the institution or products the merchants obtain from the institution.

31. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on the customer'"'"'s current location.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on transaction histories the customer has with the merchants.

33. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on a social networking feature that ranks the offers based on the preferences of other customers of the institution.

34. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on input from the customer.

35. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the institution is a financial institution.

36. A method for providing merchant offers, the method comprising:

receiving content information related to a search performed by a customer;

accessing account information for the customer from an institution;

determining an offer for the customer based at least in part on the content information received related to the search performed by the customer and the account information from the institution, through the use of a processing device; and

providing the offer to the customer at a customer computer system.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the account information is customer transaction information from a customer account at the institution.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the account information is customer profile information from a customer account at the institution.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the account information is relationship information from a customer account at the institution related to the relationship the customer has with the institution or a merchant that is providing a product associated with the offer.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein determining the offer for the customer is also based at least in part on the relationship the institution has with a merchant that is providing the product associated with the offer.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein the content information related to the search comprises a category or a search term in which the customer is interested.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein the content information related to the search comprises a product type, a product name, a brand, a merchant, a manufacturer, an industry, or a location.

43. The method of claim 36, wherein the method further comprises:

ranking the offers when more than one offer is determined based at least in part on the content information received related to the search performed by the customer.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on price, location, merchant, savings, alphabetically, alphanumerically, search history, score, or customer rating.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on agreements the institution has with merchants that provide products associated with the offers.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the agreements relate to fees paid by the merchants to the institution or products the merchants obtain from the institution.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on the customer'"'"'s current location.

48. The method of claim 43, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on transaction histories the customer has with the merchants.

49. The method of claim 43, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on a social networking feature that ranks the offers based on the preferences of other customers of the institution.

50. The method of claim 43, wherein the ranks of the offers are determined based at least in part on input from the customer.

51. The method of claim 36, wherein the institution is a financial institution.