System for collaborative internet competitive sales analysis
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data comprising:
- using a computer processor to execute the steps ofreceiving at a data center a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites and storing the site activity messages in computer readable memory;
retrieving a standardized taxonomy schema with a node for each of two or more products;
deriving from the plurality of site activity messages a sales metric for the two or more products;
for a specific time period, aggregating the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and the two or more products; and
deriving a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema, wherein the two or more seller sites in the comparative report are selected based upon similarities of a seller site profile vector calculated for each of the seller sites, wherein the seller site profile vector comprises a distribution of total merchant sales of the seller site for each of at least two nodes of the standardized taxonomy schema over the specific time period.
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Abstract
A method for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data uses a data center for receiving a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites and provides a standardized taxonomy schema with a node for each of two or more products. The method derives from the plurality of site activity messages a sales metric for the two or more products and for a specific time period, aggregates the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and the two or more products, then derives a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema.
91 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data comprising:
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using a computer processor to execute the steps of receiving at a data center a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites and storing the site activity messages in computer readable memory; retrieving a standardized taxonomy schema with a node for each of two or more products; deriving from the plurality of site activity messages a sales metric for the two or more products; for a specific time period, aggregating the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and the two or more products; and deriving a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema, wherein the two or more seller sites in the comparative report are selected based upon similarities of a seller site profile vector calculated for each of the seller sites, wherein the seller site profile vector comprises a distribution of total merchant sales of the seller site for each of at least two nodes of the standardized taxonomy schema over the specific time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A computer-implemented method for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data comprising:
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using a computer processor to execute the steps of; receiving at a data center a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites and storing the site activity messages in computer readable memory; retrieving a standardized taxonomy schema in the form of a tree having at least a specific product level with a node for each of two or more products and a product category level with at least one node that encompasses two or more products from the specific product level; computing from the plurality of site activity messages, for each of the two or more seller sites and for each specific product and each product category level in the standardized taxonomy schema a sales metric wherein the computed sales metric is associated with each of the nodes of the standardized taxonomy as applied to each of the two or more seller sites; for a specific time period, aggregating the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and each of the two or more products; deriving a site profile vector by selecting specific product or product category nodes by identifying at least one node and an associated computed sales metric for each of the two or more seller sites that exceeds a materiality threshold M % and defining a profile vector with reference to such at least one node and deriving a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to the sales metric of at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema wherein the two or more seller sites that are compared share similar seller site profile vectors. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A computer-implemented method for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data comprising:
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defining a contribution threshold C; using a computer processor to execute the steps of; receiving at a data center a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites and storing them in computer readable memory; retrieving a standardized taxonomy schema in the form of a tree having at least a specific product level with a node for each of two or more products and a product category level with at least one node that encompasses two or more products from the specific product level; computing from the plurality of site activity messages, for each of the two or more seller sites and for each specific product and each product category level in the standardized taxonomy schema a sales metric wherein the computed sales metric is associated with each of the nodes of the standardized taxonomy as applied to each of the two or more seller sites; responsive to a computed sales metric associated with one of the nodes of the standardized taxonomy exceeding contribution threshold C, applying a dampening algorithm to the computed sales metric; for a specific time period, aggregating the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and the two or more products; deriving a seller site profile vector by selecting specific product or product category nodes by identifying at least one node and an associated computed sales metric for two or more seller sites and defining a profile vector with reference to such at least one node; and deriving a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to the sales metric of at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema wherein the two or more seller sites that are compared share similar seller site profile vectors. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A method for characterizing data organized in a standardized taxonomy schema in the form of a tree having a lowest level with a node for two or more categories for that lowest level and at least one higher level with at least one node that encompasses the two or more categories from the lowest level, the method comprising:
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defining a common metric for use at each node; using a computer processor to execute the steps of; for a reporting entity selected from the group consisting of an on-line seller of products, using a standardized hierarchical taxonomy schema of product categories, an investment portfolio, using a standardized hierarchical taxonomy schema of investment asset categories, and an accounting entity using a standardized hierarchical taxonomy schema of accounting categories, computing for data associated with each of a plurality of nodes in the standardized taxonomy schema the common metric; and deriving a profile vector for the reporting entity by selecting at least one node from the lowest level or at least one higher level with an associated computed common metric for a specified reporting entity that exceeds a materiality threshold M % and defining a profile vector with reference to such at least one node that reflects the magnitude of the computed common metric for each node. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for characterizing data organized in a standardized taxonomy schema in the form of a tree having a lowest level with a node for two or more categories for that lowest level and at least one higher level with at least one node that encompasses the two or more categories from the lowest level, the method comprising:
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defining a common metric for use at each node; using a computer processor to execute the steps of; for a reporting entity, selected from the group consisting of;
an on-line seller of products, using a standardized hierarchical taxonomy schema of product categories, an investment portfolio, using a standardized hierarchical taxonomy schema of investment asset categories, and an accounting entity using a standardized hierarchical taxonomy schema of accounting categories, computing for data associated with each of a plurality of nodes in the standardized taxonomy schema the common metric; andderiving a profile vector for the reporting entity by selecting more than one node from the lowest level or at least one higher level which is responsive to the magnitude of the computed common metric for each node, whereby the profile vector has multiple elements and further comprising placing the elements in an ordered list. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A computer-implemented method for collecting sales data from Internet merchant data comprising:
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using a computer processor to execute the steps of; receiving at a data center a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites, said messages generated by at least one internet web-page of the two or more seller sites in response to a user viewing the web-page or purchasing a product offered for sale on the web-page, and containing sales data from one or more channels and search string information used by a user of the internet web-page to locate the internet web-page that generated the site activity message; storing the site activity messages in computer readable memory; deriving from the plurality of site activity messages sales data for at least one product category in a taxonomy schema; and for a specific time period aggregating the sales data for the two or more seller sites and deriving an inferred product sales data report that includes information on the search string information contained in the site activity messages. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A computer-based system for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data comprising:
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database configured to receive a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites; a computer processor coupled to computer readable memory and programmed to; retrieve a standardized taxonomy schema with a node for each of two or more products; derive from the plurality of site activity messages a sales metric for the two or more products; aggregate for a specific time period the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and the two or more products; and derive a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema wherein the two or more seller sites in the comparative report are selected based upon similarities of a seller site profile vector calculated for each of the seller sites, wherein the seller site profile vector comprises a distribution of total merchant sales of the seller site for each of at least two nodes of the standardized taxonomy schema over the specific time period. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A computer-based system for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data comprising:
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a data center configured to receive a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites; a computer processor coupled to computer readable memory and programmed to; retrieve a standardized taxonomy schema in the form of a tree having at least a specific product level with a node for each of two or more products and a product category level with at least one node that encompasses two or more products from the specific product level; derive from the plurality of site activity messages a sales metric for each of the two or more seller sites and for the two or more products and for each product category level in the standardized taxonomy schema; aggregate for a specific time period the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and the two or more products; associate the computed metric with each of the nodes of the standardized taxonomy as applied to each of the two or more seller sites; derive for at least one seller site a profile vector by selecting specific product or product category nodes by identifying at least one node and an associated computed metric for the at least one seller site that exceeds a materiality threshold M % and defines a profile vector with reference to such at least one node responsive to the level of the computed metric for each product or product category node; and derive a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema wherein the two or more seller sites that are compared share similar seller site profile vectors. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A computer-based system for cataloging and reporting Internet merchant data comprising:
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a data center configured to receive a plurality of site activity messages regarding two or more seller sites; a computer processor coupled with computer readable memory and programmed to; retrieve from the computer readable memory a standardized taxonomy schema in the form of a tree having at least a specific product level with a node for each of two or more products and a product category level with at least one node that encompasses two or more products from the specific product level; derive from the plurality of site activity messages a sales metric for each of the two or more seller sites and for the two or more products and for each product category level in the standardized taxonomy schema; retrieve from computer readable memory a contribution threshold C;
apply a dampening algorithm to the computed sales metric when a computed sales metric associated with one of the nodes of the standardized taxonomy exceeds the contribution threshold C ;aggregate for a specific time period the sales metric data for each of the two or more seller sites and the two or more products; associate the computed metric with each of the nodes of the standardized taxonomy as applied to each of the two or more seller sites; derive a profile vector by selecting specific product or product category nodes by identifying at least one node and an associated computed metric for the two or more seller sites and defining a profile vector with reference to such at least one node that reflects the level of the computed metric for each product or product category node; and derive a comparative report for the sales metric for the two or more seller sites, by reference to at least one of the two or more products in the standardized taxonomy schema wherein the two or more seller sites that are compared share similar seller site profile vectors. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42)
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Specification