EP2304592A1 - System of acquiring shopper insights and influencing shopper purchase decisions - Google Patents
System of acquiring shopper insights and influencing shopper purchase decisionsInfo
- Publication number
- EP2304592A1 EP2304592A1 EP09767021A EP09767021A EP2304592A1 EP 2304592 A1 EP2304592 A1 EP 2304592A1 EP 09767021 A EP09767021 A EP 09767021A EP 09767021 A EP09767021 A EP 09767021A EP 2304592 A1 EP2304592 A1 EP 2304592A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- shopper
- store
- end device
- commerce server
- wireless end
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/10—Office automation; Time management
Definitions
- the present invention relates to systems of acquiring shopper insights upon use of purchased products from a store. More specifically, the present invention is in the technical field of shopping systems of acquiring shopper insights and of also influencing shoppers by receiving product feedback from shoppers and transmitting influential messages to shoppers after the shoppers have used and experienced a product. Influential messages may include, but are not limited to the following: offers, coupons, advertisements, consumer reports, dynamic pricing, recipes and all manner of inducements suitable for influencing shopper's future purchase decisions. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
- a retailer's and a supplier's need to influence shoppers do not end after a purchase is made, but continue after the point of sale.
- stores and suppliers desire economic and effective methods to influence shoppers after shoppers have interacted with products or taken products home, to encourage shoppers to purchase the products on a continuing basis. Consequently, stores and suppliers often provide coupons at the point of sale.
- Sales promotions can encompass a wide variety of different actions and procedures designed to stimulate product sales. Sales promotion include, for example, in-store purchase suggestions from sales clerks, limited-time price reductions on items, in- store announcements of products over public address systems, coupons distributed in a store to shoppers or distributed via newspaper and magazine inserts to readers for future redemption with a purchase, and more sophisticated multimedia programs presented over special display kiosks that display or play to passing shoppers.
- the invention provides a system of tracking a shopper's use of purchased products in a store.
- the system comprises a shopper profile for each shopper that uses the system, an out-of-store communication network that has an Internet connection, a wireless end device attachable to the out-of-store communication network, and a commerce server that is in operative communication with the wireless end device through the Internet connection and through the out-of- store communication network.
- the commerce server receives a shopper's feedback about the shopper's use of purchased products
- the shopper's feedback is preferably, but not necessarily, transmitted from the wireless end device to the commerce server.
- the shopper profile is stored on the commerce server for storage and further treatment.
- the commerce server transmits influential messages for influencing the shopper's future purchases.
- the out-of-store communication network is located in a shopper's home, a shopper's place of business or any other place that is outside of a store and that is in a locale, preferably, in which one or more purchased products can be used by the shopper or others.
- the wireless end device comprises a scanning device that can scan and read readable media on a shopper's purchased product.
- readable media is of the machine readable type including, but not limited to, a barcode, UPC media, and the like.
- the readable media is transformed and stored into an electronic information packet, which contains all of the relevant data from the readable media that was previously scanned by the shopper.
- the electronic information packet is stored on the wireless end device.
- a wireless end device transmits the electronic information packet through the out-of-store communication network through the Internet and to the commerce server, where it is stored, said the stored electronic information packet is then transferred to the appropriate shopper profile.
- Shopper profiles are also stored on the commerce server.
- a data management device or some other suitable analytical device that is operatively attached to the commerce server, analyzes each electronic information packet to determine the opportunity to influence the shopper's future purchases. After such analysis, the commerce server selects one or more influential messages. After selection, the commerce server transmits one or more influential messages to the shopper in accordance with the shopper profile.
- the one or more influential messages include content data selected from the group consisting of a competitive savings opportunity, a co-branding opportunity, a product warning, a product combination warning, a product review, recipe suggestions, a response to an historical progression, an alternative choice for product purchase, in-retail establishment directions to locate a product, an electronic coupon, and other types of suitable sales inducements.
- Such influential messages may take several forms and are not limited by their form of communication to a shopper. Such forms include, but are not limited to, text messages, videos, electronic photographs, illustrations, hyperlinks, audio messages and the like.
- a system of influencing a shopper's future purchases when a shopper provides feedback about the shopper's use of purchased products comprises a shopper profile for each shopper that uses the system, an out-of-store communication network having an Internet connection, a wireless end device attachable to the out-of-store communication network, a commerce server that is in communication with the wireless end device through the Internet and through the out-of-store communication network, and a shopper influence engine operatively connected to the commerce server.
- the commerce server receives the feedback about the shopper's use of purchased products.
- the shopper influence engine generates and transmits influential messages to the wireless end device used by the shopper. Ideally, the influential message influences the shopper's future purchases.
- each shopper is provided with a wireless end device to take out of a retail store for use at home or elsewhere.
- a wireless end device is an inexpensive, convenient tool for creating shopping lists and wish lists that allow the shopper to scan product labels of in-use and expended products at home and add or edit shopping lists on the wireless end device.
- the shopper creates and edits shopping lists and inventory lists on the wireless end device, a home computer, a laptop, or some combination thereof.
- a system for building a shopper profile that includes the wireless end device, an organization device, and a shopper profile builder.
- the wireless end device includes a product scanning device configured to scan the labels of purchased products whereby each scanned label produces scanned product data for each scan.
- a wireless end device can also scan product coupons to produce a scanned coupon data.
- the organization device is configured to organize the scanned product data and the scanned coupon data.
- the shopper profile builder is configured for constructing a shopper profile.
- the shopper profile includes the scanned product data that is linked to the shopper.
- the shopper profile also includes the scanned coupon data for coupons scanned by a shopper.
- a system for gaining a shopper's insight on purchased products at the second moment of truth includes an out-of-store communication network having an Internet connection, a wireless end device attachable to the out-of-store communication network, a commerce server, and a store communication network.
- the wireless end device is configured to scan, generate, and transmit scanned data through the home communication network at the scanning of one or more product barcodes, i.e., readable media.
- the commerce server is in operative communication with the wireless end device through the Internet and through the out-of-store communication network.
- the store communication network is located about a store whereby the store communication network communicates with the wireless end device and the commerce server.
- At least one of the purchased products has at least one readable media.
- the readable media is scanned by the wireless end device, and at such scanning of the readable media, the commerce server generates at least one question for transmission to and display on the wireless end device.
- FIG. 1 provides a schematic of components for several systems herein;
- FIG. 2 provides a schematic of components of an exemplary embodiment of the system herein;
- FIG. 3 provides a flowchart schematic of the operability of one or more systems herein;
- FIG. 3 provides a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of the wireless end device.
- the invention provides a system of tracking a shopper's use of purchased products in a store.
- the system comprises a shopper profile for each shopper that uses the system, an out-of-store communication network that has an Internet connection, a wireless end device attachable to the out-of-store communication network, and a commerce server that is in operative communication with the wireless end device through the Internet connection and through the out-of- store communication network.
- the commerce server receives a shopper's feedback about the shopper's use of purchased products
- the shopper's feedback is preferably, but not necessarily, transmitted from the wireless end device to the commerce server.
- the shopper profile is stored on the commerce server for storage and further treatment.
- the commerce server transmits influential messages for influencing the shopper's future purchases. These influential messages are sent to the shopper's wireless end device at the second moment of truth.
- the out-of-store communication network is located in a shopper's home.
- home and "shopper's home” will include a shopper's actual home, a shopper's place of business, and other non- store locations.
- expended products refers to purchased products used by a shopper.
- the "second moment of truth” as used herein means the moment in time when a human being has used a purchased product and has at least a partially formed impression and/or opinion about the used product.
- the second moment of truth includes the time spent after interaction with a product and refers to the period of time directly after the shopper or a member of shopper's household has interacted with a product. Since shoppers in general do not typically use or otherwise interact with products in the store, the second moment of truth typically occurs in the home and at locations away from the store.
- home computer refers to any computing device located outside of the store which associates with the shopper's wireless end device.
- the term specifically includes personal desktop and laptop computers owned or used by the shopper, and advanced cell phones with a capacity for connecting to the Internet. Since the second moment of truth often occurs in the shopper's home, it is anticipated that the home computer will be physically located in the shopper's home. However, since the second moment of truth can occur at the workplace, the home computer can be physically located in the shopper's workplace.
- the "home communication network” as used herein, means any communications network or group of networks positioned about the home and is capable of accessing the Internet.
- An exemplary embodiment of the home communication network is a communication multi-network.
- store communications network it is meant, herein, a communications network in a store that comprises but is not limited to one or more of the following: routers for wireless and/or wired communication, one or more data management devices (e.g., switches), one or more computational devices (e.g., server grade computer, commerce server) and others.
- An exemplary store communication network is a multi-network of the type described in US 11/859,703 filed on September 21, 2007, US 12/058,705 filed on March 29, 2008, and US12/172,326 filed on July 14, 2008, the substance of each patent application being included by reference in full herein.
- multi-network it is meant, herein, a communications network in a store comprising two or more dissimilar types of communication network types, two or more similar types of communication networks or some combination thereof.
- store herein means all manner of retail environments in which the purchase of goods occurs and in which shoppers are physically present to purchase such goods including, but not limited to, grocery stores, convenience stores, clothing stores, consumer goods stores, specialty stores, manufacturing facilities, warehouses, open-air markets, and many other retail store types.
- Exemplary embodiments include a store communication network located within or about the store, whereby the store communication network is capable of communicating with the out-of-store communication network.
- a commerce server herein is operatively attached to at least one store communication network.
- Exemplary systems are adapted for the wireless end devices to be used in both the out-of-store communication network and the store communication network for communication with the one or more commerce servers.
- the commerce server it is meant, herein, one or more store computers, preferably server-grade, that can be alternately located within a store or outside of a store.
- the commerce server comprises one or more electronic devices, for example, a series of server grade computers, operated by the store or the supplier, depending on the embodiment.
- the commerce server is operated by the store and positioned within the store.
- the commerce server is not positioned within the store, but is in communication with one or more store communication networks.
- the wireless end device comprises a product scanning device that can scan and read readable media located on purchased products.
- readable media is of the machine readable type, including but not limited to, a barcode, UPC media, and the like.
- Upon scanning the readable media is transformed and/or stored into an electronic information packet, such electronic information packet containing all of the relevant data from the readable media that was previously scanned by the shopper.
- the electronic information packet is stored on the wireless end device.
- a wireless end device transmits the electronic information packet through the out-of-store communication network through the Internet and to the commerce server, where the electronic information packet is stored on the commerce server. Once stored on the commerce server, each said electronic information packet is assigned to the appropriate shopper profile.
- the commerce server analyzes each electronic information packet to determine the opportunity to influence the shopper's future purchases. After such analysis, the commerce server selects one or more influential messages. After selection, the commerce server transmits one or more selected influential messages to the shopper in accordance with the shopper profile.
- the one or more influential messages include content data selected from the group consisting of a competitive saving opportunity, a co-branding opportunity, a product warning, a product combination warning, a product review, a response to a historical progression, an alternative choice for product purchase, in-retail establishment directions to locate a product, an electronic coupon, and/or another type of suitable sales inducement.
- Such influential messages may take several forms and are not limited by their form of communication to a shopper. Such forms include, but are not limited to, text messages, videos, electronic photographs, illustrations, hyperlinks, audio messages, and the like.
- Also provided herein is a system of influencing a shopper's future purchases when a shopper provides feedback about the shopper's use of purchased products is provided to the system.
- This system comprises a shopper profile for each shopper that uses the system, an out-of-store communication network having an Internet connection, a wireless end device attachable to the out-of-store communication network, a commerce server that is in communication with the wireless end device through the Internet and through the out-of-store communication network, and a shopper influence engine operatively connected to the commerce server.
- the commerce server receives the feedback about the shopper's use of purchased products.
- the shopper influence engine generates and transmits influential messages to the wireless end device used by the shopper.
- the influential message influences the shopper's future purchases through inducements to purchase through inducements to purchase.
- each shopper is provided with a wireless end device to take out of a retail store for use at home or elsewhere.
- a wireless end device is used for creating shopping lists and wish lists that allow shoppers to scan product labels of in-use and expended products at home and add or edit shopping lists on a wireless end device or a computer at any time.
- a system for building a shopper profile that includes a wireless end device, an organization device, and a shopper profile builder.
- the wireless end device includes a product scanning device configured to scan the labels of purchased products whereby each scanned label produces scanned product data for each scan.
- a wireless end device herein can also scan readable media located on product coupons to produce a scanned coupon data.
- the organization device is configured to organize the scanned product data and the scanned coupon data.
- the shopper profile builder is configured for constructing a shopper profile.
- the shopper profile includes the scanned product data that is linked to the shopper.
- the shopper profile also includes the scanned coupon data for coupons scanned by a shopper.
- a system for gaining a shopper's insight on purchased products at the second moment of truth includes an out-of-store communication network having an Internet connection, a wireless end device attachable to the out-of-store communication network, a commerce server, and a store communication network.
- the wireless end device is configured to scan, generate, and transmit scanned data through the out-of-store communication network at the scanning of readable media.
- the commerce server is in operative communication with the wireless end device through the Internet and through the out-of-store communication network.
- the store communication network located about a store whereby the store communication network communicates with the wireless end device and the commerce server.
- At least one of the purchased products has at least one readable media.
- the readable media is scanned by the wireless end device, and at such scanning of the readable media, the commerce server generates at least one question for transmission to and display on the wireless end device.
- the home comprises a home communication network, which is a communications network for communication between a wireless end device and other devices such as home computers, which are communicatively coupled to a commerce server.
- a home communication network includes "out-of-store communication networks".
- the wireless end device is mobile and is therefore not bound for use in one location, whether in the home or a store.
- a preferred commerce server herein includes a computer readable memory and a store processing system configured to be communicatively coupled to the computer readable memory.
- the store processing system includes a program code stored in the computer readable memory configured to receive, organize and distribute electronic information pertinent to the business of running the store. It is noted herein, however, that a commerce server of the type discussed does not necessarily have a store processing system in order to be operative within the systems discussed herein.
- the commerce server operates from a centralized location housing many high power and high speed computational devices that can receive, manage, and transmit electronic data from many wireless end devices to and from many store communication networks.
- one or more commerce servers are not centrally located, but are located regionally so that a group of one or more commerce servers can serve a region of stores.
- exemplary embodiments include the one or more commerce servers that are located within the store and manage data for a single store.
- Exemplary embodiments described herein provide for systems of tailoring the influential message, for example, an e-coupon, to specific shoppers and delivering the influential message directly to the wireless end device used by the shopper in the home and in the store. Consequently, the present systems and methods reduce or even eliminate the unnecessary step previously conducted by the shopper of searching through a multitude of paper and electronic files for a coupon that meets the shopper's personal interests and needs. Moreover, exemplary embodiments provide a means for the shopper to electronically organize the e-coupons and to avoid the cumbersome task of printing the e-coupons and remembering to bring them to the store for redemption.
- the systems herein allow a shopper to take a wireless end device herein to a store having a compatible store communication network after receiving and storing the influential messages, including the e-coupons, at the second moment of truth, which is likely experienced at home. After shopping in the store with the wireless end device, when the shopper is ready to check out, the shopper electronically redeems the e-coupons accessed through the wireless end device.
- the systems and methods provided herein reduce or even eliminate the need to print the coupons received electronically.
- the content of the influential messages includes but is not limited to the following: the form of recipe suggestions, suggested entries for the shopper's shopping list, e-coupons, targeted pricing of an item, alerts when a shopper has passed a product on his shopping list, a consumer report, a survey, a current pricing information, discounts, product reviews, competitive product offers, enhanced saving opportunities, co-branding opportunities, responses to historical progression of product selection, general product warnings, product warnings tailored to shopper profile (e.g., a shopper profile includes allergen data that someone in the shopper's family is allergic to peanuts, thus the influential message may be "The product you just selected was produced in a factory that handles peanuts "), combination product warnings (e.g., "We see that you purchased a prescription medication last week that may conflict with the prescription medication that you have selected to include on your shopping list, please consult your physician before
- the systems and methods disclosed herein are able to cull data related to the second moment of truth in order to generate shopper feedback on his use of the product previously purchased in the store.
- the shopper scans the readable medium of the expended product with the wireless end device, an opportunity to rate the product appears within the wireless end device.
- the following sets of questions are asked of and answered by the shopper:
- FIG. 1 provides a schematic of the components for several systems herein.
- wireless end device 40 is provided.
- Wireless end device 40 is a store supplied wireless device that is usable in a store and outside of a store so long as there is a compatible out-of-store communication network, a wireless router to attach to electronically, or both.
- FIG. 1 shows a wireless connection 15 between wireless device 40 and wireless router 12.
- wireless end device 40 is wirelessly attached to wireless router 12.
- Wireless router 12 is positioned in multiple locales outside of a store like a shopper's home, office, and other places. Persons of skill will recognize that the placement of wireless router 12 can be anywhere and applicable to the systems herein so long as wireless router 12 resides outside of a store and is not itself directly operatively attached to a store's computer or communication network.
- wireless router 12 positioned within a shopper's home.
- Wireless router 12 serves to 1) be connected to the Internet through known means like an Ethernet connection, 2) transmit data to wireless end device 40, and 3) transmit data from wireless end device 40 to the Internet and on to one or more final destinations.
- the Internet serves as an information superhighway through which to transmit from and transmit to wireless end device 40.
- Commerce server 94 can be, but is not necessarily, the final point of destination of data transmitted by wireless end device 40. Data transmitted to commerce server 94 is stored. Where shopper 7 has a shopper profile created and stored on commerce server 94, data transmitted to commerce server 94 from wireless end device 40 is attached to a shopper's particular shopper profile. Additionally, data stored on commerce server 94 can be analyzed by one or more analytical engines like an influencing engine (not shown).
- the commerce server 94 is preferably a server grade computer like those made and sold by such companies as DELL®, IBM®, HP®, COMPAQ® and the like. Persons of skill in the art will be well familiar with such server grade computers made by any one of the foregoing companies and others not specifically mentioned herein.
- Influencing engine herein is a computer program that determines, statistically, the most appropriate one or more influential messages to send to a particular shopper 7. Influencing engine, in making such a determination, regards one or more of the following data points: a shopper profile (i.e., a shopper inputted register of likes, dislikes, wants, needs, location, family household data, shopping patterns, and other information specific to a given shopper 7); product information (e.g., cost, availability, store inventory, competitive assessment, ingredient list and other information specific to a given product for purchase); regulatory information; scanned product data from a shopper's use of a product; and feedback data provided by shopper 7 or by members of shopper 7's household.
- a shopper profile i.e., a shopper inputted register of likes, dislikes, wants, needs, location, family household data, shopping patterns, and other information specific to a given shopper 7
- product information e.g., cost, availability, store
- Influencing engine operates by reviewing substantially all of the data points about the shopper 7 and/or shopper 7 household's use of purchased products and then assigning statistical weight to each data point. Once assigned, influencing engine then calculates the percentages of likelihood of re-purchase of a previously purchased product and/or the percentages of likelihood of purchase of a new product given feedback about previously purchased product.
- Product competitor information is also available to influencing engine so that a competitor's offer for product purchase (i.e., a sales inducement) can be transmitted to shopper 7 as an influencing message.
- store computer network 95 is operatively attached to commerce server 94 either wirelessly or in a wired fashion by, for example, Ethernet cable.
- a store computer network 95 can be actually separate from commerce server 94 but not necessarily.
- commerce server 94 can be housed in the one or more computers that make up the store computer network 95 in a store or it can be its own device or devices positioned outside of the store but operatively attached to the store computer network 95. Either configuration noted herein is suitable for the operation of the systems and is at the discretion of the respective system operators.
- FIG. 3 provides a flowchart schematic of the operability of one or more systems herein.
- Three important ingredients for operability to any of the systems discussed and claimed herein are 1) at least one wireless end device 40 for use by a shopper and/or members of a shopper's household, 2) attachment of wireless end device 40 to wireless router 12 so that information may be freely transmitted and received by wireless end device 40, and 3) shopper's use of purchased products about which shopper 7 may provide feedback and receive influential messages for future purchases of the same, similar or different products.
- shopper 7 brings wireless end device 40, preferably, into his home along with purchased products. Once entering the home, wireless end device 40 attaches, electronically, to wireless router 12 and is now able to transmit and receive information or data through the Internet to one or more commerce servers 94. As shown in FIG. 4, shopper 7 scans the readable media on a product, preferably, as a product is being used and consumed. [0071] Once the readable media has been scanned it is either immediately transferred to a commerce server 94, stored on wireless end device 40 as an electronic data packet, or both.
- the treatment of scanned data at this point depends upon several factors including, but not limited to, the storage capacity on wireless end device 40, data transmission rates between wireless end device 40 and commerce server 94, and the most efficient use of resources within the system. Persons of skill in the art will understand that the immediate treatment of scanned data from product readable media is at the discretion of a system operator and can be decided based upon optimal efficiency conditions of the systems herein.
- commerce server 94 When scanned readable media data is transmitted to commerce server 94 it is there logged, stored and assigned to the particular wireless end device 40 from which received. At such time, commerce server 94 also assesses whether a shopperprofile exists for the user of wireless end device 40. If a shopper profile is associated with a particular wireless end device 40 from which data has been received, data transmitted to commerce server 94 is assigned to shopper 7's shopper profile. Once assigned, transmission of data to commerce server 94 begins to be analyzed by influencing engine for treatment and possible transmission of influential messages transmitted back to shopper 7 and presented on wireless end device 40.
- the influencing engine herein is a software program capable of analyzing shopper 7 transmitted data that includes but is not limited to information about products, their use, shoppers' opinion of such products, likelihood of re-purchase and more.
- shopper 7 When shopper 7 has used a purchased product, he is experiencing a second moment of truth — i.e., a formed opinion or impression of a product during the time or just after a product's use. At the moment that the scanned data of an expended product is created, commerce server 94 recognizes that the shopper 7 is experiencing a second moment of truth. In exemplary embodiments, at that moment, influencing engine prompts shopper 7 to supply feedback with respect to product use. Once that feedback is received, influencing engine further assesses what additional influential messages to provide shopper 7 to influence his future purchases. By such process, the shopper 7 has the opportunity to decide whether the product is something that is worth replacing.
- a second moment of truth i.e., a formed opinion or impression of a product during the time or just after a product's use.
- commerce server 94 recognizes that the shopper 7 is experiencing a second moment of truth.
- influencing engine prompts shopper 7 to supply feedback with respect to product use
- the systems and methods provided herein provide the shopper with an efficient and convenient system and method for creating the shopping list to purchase replacements of the expended products.
- the store is provided valuable shopper preference data concerning shopper and his buying habits.
- the shopper preference data is received by the commerce server and is ultimately transmitted through the store computer network for final storage and processing.
- the shopper preference data is beneficial to stores, merchandisers, manufacturers and advertisers because they each have the opportunity to substantially immediately influence shopper 7 to purchase products at store by providing information or incentives in order to optimize or maximize a shopper's purchasing decisions.
- the influential messages received by shopper 7 through wireless end device 40 have an influential effect on the shopper.
- shopper chooses to ignore the influential messages and thereby avoids being influenced.
- the store influences shopper 7 at the second moment of truth by displaying an advertisement on wireless end device 40. This method of advertising is particularly valuable for stores, merchandisers, advertisers and manufacturers, because the advertised products are likely to be chosen for purchase.
- the reason the advertised products are likely to be chosen for purchase is that the advertisements are tailored to the individual shoppers 7 by basing the content of the advertisement upon (1) the shopper's past preferences, (2) previously purchased products, or (3) the recently scanned readable media, or some combination of the three factors.
- a store encourages shopper 7 to repurchase the same product from the store.
- commerce server 94 suggests a similar product which would increase the profit margin of the store.
- the shopper 7 adds the advertised item to the shopping list or wish list.
- store and/or its partners influences shopper 7 at the second moment of truth by transmitting from commerce server 94 an influential message, in the form of an advertisement, an e-coupon, a consumer report that favors the store over the competing stores, or some similar suggestive message, to the wireless end device 40.
- an influential message herein encourages the shopper to buy the replacement of an expended product from a particular store rather than the competing stores.
- a store and/or its partners influences shopper 7 at the second moment of truth by suggesting complementary additional products to add to the shopping list.
- a store and/or its partners influences shopper 7 at the second moment of truth by sending one or more e-coupons to wireless end device 40 used by the shopper.
- This method of influencing shopper 7 at the second moment of truth is particularly effective, because the store has targeted individual items for shopper 7 based on the shopper preference data.
- shopper 7 is likely to follow a store's suggestions because shopper 7 has already expressed an interest in purchasing a replacement for expended products according to, for example, a shopper profile or electronic shopping list.
- commerce server 94 has retained shopper 7's shopping list, a store and/or its partners can provide targeted discounts on specific items, quantities and/or brands for products having higher profit margins when compared with other products.
- the shopper benefits because wireless end device 40 offers the shopper a convenient mechanism to organize the e-coupons, and the knowledge of all of the e- coupons' expiration dates. What's more, the shopper benefits because he can easily access the e-coupons in the store while shopping, since the wireless end device is transportable and has the ability to access the store communication network.
- the media of the influential messages can also be varied.
- the influential message can be selected from at least the following forms: a text message, an illustration, a photograph, a video, an audio file, and an interactive message.
- At least one commerce server transmits the influential messages to his wireless end device.
- the commerce server 94 not only transmits a wide variety of influential message types, it also tailors influential messages to an individual shopper's preference data which includes but is not limited to the following: (1) the dates and times the shopper has shopped in the past; (2) the date and time a shopper experienced a second moment of truth; (3) a shopper's general preferences already known to the store; (4) a shopper's personal preferences already known to the store; (5) a shopper's previous purchases; (6) a shopper's real time intended purchases as made known to the store by the scanning of product bar codes; (7) a shopper's shopping list; (8) a shopper's home inventory list; (9) the actual time period a shopper spends considering purchasing a particular product or class of products;
- Examples of a shopper's personal preferences include the shopper's requests for "health alerts" (ex: allergens) in his shopper profile, and the shopper's request for alerts to marked down individual packages due to close expiration dates for categories that they intend to purchase.
- health alerts ex: allergens
- Exemplary embodiments benefit the shopper, the store and the supplier. Exemplary embodiments benefit the shopper by providing a more convenient shopping experience and an opportunity for the shopper to become better informed about the store and about the products that have a high probability of likelihood to be of interest to the shopper.
- the shopper is benefited by the convenience and organization of the at least one method of delivering influential messages, such as e-coupons, to the shopper in a way that is directed to the specific shopper's experience with products.
- the exemplary method of delivery of the influential messages ensures that the shopper is not bombarded with a multitude of irrelevant electronic content, but instead, influential messages are targeted to products that a shopper has either already considered purchasing or, with some probability, is likely to consider purchasing.
- a shopper is further benefited by the capabilities of the present invention, because the invention allows for a simplified method of creating organized shopping lists and wish lists.
- the systems herein also benefit the store and the supplier by encouraging store and brand loyalty. Also, systems herein provide a store and/or a supplier with useful shopper preference data. Among other things, each purchase, each response, and each lack of response to each influential message contributes to the shopper preference data collected by the commerce server.
- the store and the supplier have an improved means to influence the shopper. It is important that such systems enhance, simplify and expedite a shopper's experience with very little, if any, cost pass-through, resulting in higher store prices due to expensive end-user components and very little, if any, negative impact to a store's profit margin.
- FIG. 4 provides a schematic of the exemplary embodiment of the wireless end device 40.
- the wireless end device is an electronic device, which operates wirelessly through a communication network.
- wireless end device 40 is a transportable handheld electronic device and is useful in a store for scanning and shopping and also use outside of a store, for example, in a shopper's home.
- the wireless end device is an advanced cell phone with a capacity for connecting to the Internet or a similar global communication link for data streaming.
- the systems described herein rely upon influential messages being provided to a shopper on the wireless end device.
- wireless end device 40 is configured to communicate through the out-of-store communication network through the Internet and to one or more commerce servers 94.
- wireless end device 40 is configured to communicate through the store communication network.
- wireless end device 40 is configured to communicate with the commerce server through a global communication link when the wireless end device is at home or non-store location.
- wireless end device 40 operates as a blind node within the store communication network.
- Wireless end device 40 is also an end node within the store communication network.
- the exemplary wireless end device can operate not only as a means to collect and organize the e-coupons, but also as a portable, virtual terminal for checkout from the store.
- An exemplary wireless end device is of the type described in US 11/859,703 filed on September 21, 2007, US12/058,705 filed on March 29, 2008, and US12/172,326 filed on July 14, 2008, the substance of each patent application being included by reference in full herein.
- Exemplary embodiments of the wireless end device 40 house a display for reading or viewing influential messages received from an external server, such as the commerce server 94.
- Exemplary wireless end devices are equipped with a location tracking device and a product scanning device.
- the "product scanning device” as used herein means a device with the means of scanning or creating an image of a readable medium.
- An example of a product scanning device is an imager capable of both taking photographs and reading readable media.
- the wireless end device 40 includes software for identifying and managing scanned data from each scanned readable medium of a product.
- the wireless end device 40 identifies each readable medium scanned with the product scanning device and stores each identity on the computer readable memory.
- the wireless end device 40 herein scans readable media on a product label and then transmits information from the scanned readable media as scanned product data to one or more commerce servers described hereinabove.
- the wireless end device is suitable for use by the shopper in the store and in the home.
- the exemplary wireless end device 40 is configured to scan product readable media and to generate scanned data.
- the shopper creates shopper preference data on the wireless end device and/or a home computer.
- the shopper preference data includes the scanned data as well as voluntarily entered responses to questions presented to shoppers and other voluntarily provided information.
- the wireless end devices 40 are fully functional devices.
- the shopper preference data is recorded and stored onto the computer readable memory of the wireless end device.
- the wireless end devices are reduced function devices.
- a "reduced function device” is a device comprising multiple interface keys, wherein the majority of the interface keys provide a requested transmission to or from the out-of-store communication network or store communication network instead of performing computational work within the housing of the wireless end device.
- the system provides for at least two configurations of the wireless end device: (1) wherein the wireless end device is a fully functional device and stores the influential messages in a computer readable memory housed within the wireless end device, and (2) wherein the wireless end device, as a reduced function device, operates as a portal to the electronic files saved in a computer readable memory housed within a commerce server or other data management device.
- the wireless end device 40 herein houses a transmission device for transmitting the scanned product data and the shopper preference data to external generic network devices, such as the commerce server 94, and the data management device.
- the store communication network is a communication multi-network.
- the exemplary communication multi-network includes at least one mesh communication network and at least one star communication network. Working together, though not necessarily dependently, the mesh communication network and the star communication network enable a shopper to electronically communicate with the store.
- the communication multi-network includes two or more star communication networks positioned about the store to enable electronic communication between shoppers and the store.
- the communication multi-network includes two or more mesh communication networks positioned about the store to enable electronic communication between the shoppers and the store.
- the store communication network comprises at least one data management device that collects the shopper preference data from the store communication network or the commerce server or both.
- the data management device organizes each shopper preference data received from each shopper transmitting such information from each separate wireless end device from home so that each shopper's shopper preference data is separately filed and identified.
- the data management device comprises software that manages all of the scanned data and the shopper preference data received from the wireless end device.
- the data management device builds a shopping list for future purchases that is unique to the shopper and is created from the scanned data received from the wireless end device that is associated with the individual shopper.
- the term "shopping list” as used herein refers to any list which includes the shopper's plans or intentions to purchase a product in the future.
- one or more shopping lists are created and edited either manually or by scanning the readable media of purchased products and expended products. At home, such scanning often occurs prior to the discarding of the expended products that have been fully used. Alternatively, such scanning occurs when the shopper stores recently purchased products at home in cabinets, a refrigerator, etc.
- the wireless end device 40 comprises software configured to populate the shopping list from the scanned data whereby said software directs the wireless end device to store the shopping list onto the memory of the wireless end device.
- the shopping list is created and edited by the shopper using a home computer and the wireless end device 40 in a variety of methods, including but not limited to the following: manually using a keyboard or touchpad; scanning the readable media of products; and by accepting suggestions from the store regarding products to place on the shopping list.
- the shopping list on the wireless end device 40 or on a home computer automatically accesses additional shopper preference data pertaining to the shopper which is stored in the computer readable memory of the shopper's wireless end device, the home computer, the commerce server, the data management device, or some combination thereof.
- the software on the commerce server triggers the appropriate time for transmission of information to the wireless end device. For instance, when the commerce server receives scanned data, the software on the commerce server is aware that there is a high probability that the shopper is experiencing or has experienced a second moment of truth. At such receipt, the commerce server transmits an influential message to the appropriate wireless end device.
Abstract
Description
Claims
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US12/481,816 US9773268B2 (en) | 2008-06-16 | 2009-06-10 | System of acquiring shopper insights and influencing shopper purchase decisions |
PCT/US2009/003540 WO2009154708A1 (en) | 2008-06-16 | 2009-06-11 | System of acquiring shopper insights and influencing shopper purchase decisions |
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US8600899B1 (en) * | 2011-10-11 | 2013-12-03 | Videx, Inc. | Vending data communications systems |
WO2017048153A1 (en) * | 2015-09-14 | 2017-03-23 | Михаил Сергеевич ЛИТОВЧЕНКО | Device for communication between sellers and buyers |
WO2017052412A1 (en) * | 2015-09-21 | 2017-03-30 | Михаил Сергеевич ЛИТОВЧЕНКО | Electronic device for communication between sellers and buyers |
WO2017052413A1 (en) * | 2015-09-23 | 2017-03-30 | Михаил Сергеевич ЛИТОВЧЕНКО | Electronic device for communication between sellers and buyers |
WO2017058051A1 (en) * | 2015-10-02 | 2017-04-06 | Михаил Сергеевич ЛИТОВЧЕНКО | Electronic device for communication between sellers and buyers |
WO2017111653A1 (en) * | 2015-12-23 | 2017-06-29 | Михаил Сергеевич ЛИТОВЧЕНКО | Electronic device for communication between sellers and buyers |
WO2017111654A1 (en) * | 2015-12-24 | 2017-06-29 | Михаил Сергеевич ЛИТОВЧЕНКО | Electronic device for communication between sellers and buyers |
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KR0158123B1 (en) | 1995-09-26 | 1998-12-15 | 김광호 | Image data arranging method for a facsimile |
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US7526440B2 (en) * | 2000-06-12 | 2009-04-28 | Walker Digital, Llc | Method, computer product, and apparatus for facilitating the provision of opinions to a shopper from a panel of peers |
US20020095343A1 (en) * | 2001-01-12 | 2002-07-18 | Barton Steven P. | Apparatus and method for providing point of purchase products |
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- 2009-06-11 RU RU2010142931/08A patent/RU2544736C2/en active
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2010
- 2010-10-19 ZA ZA2010/07448A patent/ZA201007448B/en unknown
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US6014638A (en) * | 1996-05-29 | 2000-01-11 | America Online, Inc. | System for customizing computer displays in accordance with user preferences |
US6314406B1 (en) * | 1996-06-26 | 2001-11-06 | Telxon Corporation | Customer information network |
US6587835B1 (en) * | 2000-02-09 | 2003-07-01 | G. Victor Treyz | Shopping assistance with handheld computing device |
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ZA201007448B (en) | 2011-06-29 |
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