Method and system for server to execute electronic commerce in concerted internet site
and off-line store
[Technical Field]
The present invention relates to methods and systems to execute electronic commerce
within concerted websites through a network. More specifically, it relates to on a network,
the methods and systems for server to intermediate all the possible procedures occurring
when executing a series of processes in electronic commerce such as membership
verification, purchase and supply, advertising, payment and shipment.
In other words, the invention relates to the methods and systems to graft electronic
commerce into the existing economic activities by effectively accepting the present-day
commerce while maintaining it or at least not altering too much.
[Background Art]
The existing electronic commerce is now offering various contents and services through
numerous websites that are classified roughly as the Internet. They are providing all
sorts of contents and services and competing fiercely to attract more registered members.
Therefore, they induce people to register by promising better contents and services at
registration. Meanwhile, visitors find it annoying to enter repeatedly their personal
information into numberless websites. Also, very often they have to choose an ID they do
not want because someone else has already taken the one they want.
Up to now, marketing using advertisements has usually been conducted through the
unilateral mass media using cord or cordless communications - TV and the radio. The
functions of advertising are not only to raise awareness of a product but also to provide
information about it. However, because of limited time and cost, advertising through the
mass media had to be focused more on making a product recognizable by the public than
on giving out information about it. It was difficult to measure how well its message has
gotten into viewers, and it was also difficult to provide reasonable basis on which its
costs are decided.
The credit card is a representative tool of payment at purchasing and paying, and a large
variety of multi-functional credit cards are being issued by each and every credit card
companies. If credit card users have a plurality of cards, they have difficulties in using
and managing them. In other words, they should always carry their cards with them and
thus are always exposed to the risks of losing or not carrying the needed ones. The
credit card or prepaid card is often used as the method of payment during online shopping
today. This method, however, where the payment is carried out before the purchaser is
given the product and confirm it, causes resistance and mistrust among consumers
because it reverses the existing practice of purchasing after confirming the product.
When it comes to shipping, the existing electronic commerce depends mostly on physical
distribution companies no matter where the purchaser lives, which costs consumers
additional shipping cost and time.
Therefore, the invention, which is devised to solve all the foregoing problems, is to offer
methods and systems wherein all the economic subjects are naturally absorbed into
electronic commerce without interfering with the existing economic behavior structure.
Also, the invention is to provide a system which relieves consumers of uneasiness about
the security for their personal information, gets rid of the inconvenience of registering
every time they visit websites, and at the same time offers various services and contents.
For website operators, the object of the invention is to eliminate the difficulties of
attracting new members and maintaining the existing ones.
The object of the invention for advertisers and viewers is to provide a system that
produces substantial profits for them through analyses of effective advertisements and
the responses to them.
In terms of payment, the object of the invention is to provide credit card users with a
system that removes the inconveniences of managing, maintaining and carrying more than
one credit card.
Finally, the object of the invention in terms of shipping is to provide a system that
reduces the shipping cost and time by utilizing offline shopping malls in the vicinity of to
shipping addresses.
[Disclosure of the Invention]
In order to accomplish the foregoing objects, when a plurality of websites, linked through
a network, share their members, one feature of the invention relates to the method and
system of verifying membership though an electronic certificate, wherein among said
plurality of websites, said intermediary website verifies the member who contacts said
intermediary website, receives a request for verification from the concerted website that
said member contacts, and issues an electronic certificate of verification real-time at
each request for verification, and which is characterized in that said member is verified
through said electronic certificate issued said the intermediary website. According an
embodiment of the invention, said electronic certificate of verification can include general
personal information.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said member can protect his/her
personal information, which is attached to said electronic certificate, by selecting the
extent to which it is revealed.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said member can be a group that has a
plurality of constituents, and when said group is registered as member, the constituents
of said group can also be verified through the electronic certificate.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when verifying a constituent of said
group, the issuing of said electronic certificate is determined by the criteria established in
advance by the manager of said group.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said electronic certificate can include
the Trust Level, wherein the Trust Level can be established by said intermediary website
by evaluating the confirmed individual information generated according to said member's
activities within the websites.
According to another embodiment of the invention, whether to issue said electronic
certificate can be determined by the criteria of Trust Level established by the
intermediary website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, verification procedure can be
executed one more time when the member visits the concerted website for first time
after registration.
According to another feature of the invention, when a plurality of websites linked through
a network share their members, the concerted site sends to the intermediary website a
request for verification of the member who contacts the concerted website, and receives
the electronic certificate from the intermediary wherein said electronic certificate is
disposable being issued real-time at each request for verification.
According to one embodiment of the invention, said electronic certificate can include
general personal information.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said member can protect his/her
personal information, which is attached to said electronic certificate, by selecting the
extent to which it is revealed.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said concerted website can verify said
member through said electronic certificate received from said intermediary website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said member can be a group that has a
plurality of constituents, and when said group is registered as member, said plurality of
constituents of said group can also be verified as member.
According to another embodiment of the invention, whether to receive said electronic
certificate sent by said intermediary website can be determined by the criteria of Trust
Level established by said concerted website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when said member is not registered at
said concerted website, said concerted website can register said member through said
electronic certificate received from said intermediary website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said concerted website can register
non-registered member at said concerted website using the personal information
attached to said disposable electronic certificate.
According to the another embodiment of the invention, when a group contacts said
concerted website, said group can be registered as member at said concerted website
only if the constituent who has the authority of manager of said group is contacting said
concerted website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said electronic certificate can include
Trust Level.
According to another embodiment of the invention, whether to receive said electronic
certificate sent by said intermediary website can be determined by the criteria of said
Trust Level established by said concerted website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the verification process at said
intermediary website can be at least one of: (a) verification through ID and password; (b)
verification through fingerprint scan; and (c) verification through a table of random
numbers,
According to another embodiment of the invention, in the verification procedure at said
intermediary website, the security level can be improved by using another ID, beside
fixed one, alterable at any time.
*According to another feature of the invention, when among a plurality websites linked
through a network, the intermediary website provides services determined in advance to
the member who contacts said plurality of websites, said- intermediary website receives
the member identifier and website identifier from the concerted website, extracts the
member information and website information from database using said member identifier
and said website identifier, creates a status bar corresponding to said member, sends said
status bar to the member terminal, and said intermediary website can provide the status
bar which can indicate the presently-contacted website information and basic information
on said member- through the browser of said member terminal.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said intermediary website can provide
advertisements using said status bar, but they are provided depending on said member's
choice.
According to another embodiment of the invention, said status bar provides said member
with advertisements designated in advance according to said member's characteristics
such as gender, age and address.
According to another embodiment of the invention, in providing members with points for
advertisement viewing, the practical effectiveness of advertising can be improved by
using timer and receiving information to confirm viewing for a period of time designated
in advance after the advertisement ends.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a member's choice of advertisements
can be limited by inserting an execution sentence, which is characterized in that it can
limit the extent of a member's choice on advertisements by providing pre-designated
advertisement channel to pre-designated member, within the information provided by the
website which the member contacts.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the intermediary website stores said
member's advertisement viewing details in the form of log files, analyzes said
advertisement receiving details real-time, and provides the advertiser with said analysis
result real-time, wherein the analysis result can be used as marketing information either
through online interfaces or in the form of offline printouts.
According to another feature of the invention, when among a plurality of websites linked
through a network, the intermediary website executes electronic commerce in connection
between the concerted website and offline stores, said intermediary website receives
detailed transaction statement of a consumer's purchased products from the concerted
website and posts a notification about the products which said concerted website
requested for supply within said intermediary website, and offline stores which contacts
said intermediary website apply to supply, and said intermediary website sends a list of
offline stores which applied to supply to said concerted website, and said concerted
website awards a contract to said at least one offline store which applied to supply, and
said intermediary website confirms the completion of delivery of all the products said
consumer purchased by said offline store and said concerted website, and distributes and
pays from the money paid by said purchaser to said concerted website and said awarded
offline store, wherein said concerted website's strong points such as marketing ability
and geographically unlimited nature are integrated into those of said offline store such as
supplying ability and specialty in services, and said online and offline stores' burden of
inventory management can be relieved by the intermediary website's settlement
guarantee and transaction intermediation
According to one embodiment of the invention, in confirming whether all the purchased
products are delivered, said intermediary website receives a receipt code from said
purchaser at purchasing and receives said receipt code from said awarded offline store
and said concerted website as a token of completion of said shipment, wherein said
receipt code is a PIN which said purchaser inputs at purchasing in correspondence to
products, and said purchaser can give it to said awarded offline store or said concerted
website as a token of reception of products.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when the intermediary website
vicariously executes the payment, said concerted website provides said purchaser with a
menu to choose a payment option from by item, and said intermediary website can settle
the payment according to said detailed transaction statement where the payment option is
indicated,
According to another embodiment of the invention, when said intermediary website
distributes the money paid by the purchaser to said concerted website and said awarded
offline store, said intermediary website can first take the commission proportionate to the
amount of money, then pay the offline store the desired supply price by item, and then
pay the rest amount of the money to said online store.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when the consumer chooses a
payment form and executes payment, said consumer registers payment form information,
and inputs only the name of the payment option not all the information about it, wherein
inputting only of the name of payment form provides said purchaser with convenience
when purchasing, prevents the revelation of information and increases the security level
as said intermediary website dose not exchange information with said concerted website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when the intermediary website
intermediates payment, using the proxy card, it can settle the money to be paid by the
purchaser and detailed transaction statement including transaction details together.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the intermediary website when
executing the verification process for proxy card at payment, can use at least one of: (a)
basic verification through ID and password; (b) verification through a PIN designated for
the proxy card; (c) verification through user table of random numbers; and (d) verification
through fingerprint scan.
According to another feature of the invention, when among a plurality of websites linked
through a network, the concerted website executes electronic commerce in connection
with the intermediary website and offline stores, said concerted website receives a
purchasing order from terminal of said purchaser contacting said concerted website,
creates a detailed transaction statement according to said purchasing order, sends said
detailed transaction statement to said intermediary website, contacts said intermediary
website and receives a list of offline stores which applied to supply, awards said at least
one offline store which applied to supply from said list, and notifies the awarding result
and shipment information to said awarded offline store, wherein said concerted website's
strong points such as marketing ability and geographically unlimited nature are integrated
into those of said offline store such as supplying ability and specialty in services, and said
online and offline stores' burden of inventory management can be relieved by
intermediary's settlement guarantee and transaction intermediation.
*According to one of the embodiment of the invention, in settling the payment, said
concerted website provides said purchaser with a menu to choose a payment option from
by item, and said intermediary website can settle the payment according to said detailed
transaction statement where the payment option is indicated.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when the concerted website is given
from the money paid by said purchaser, the intermediary website first takes the
commission proportionate to the amount of money, then pays the offline store the desired
price by item, and then said concerted website is paid the rest amount of the money.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when said purchaser chooses a
payment form and executes payment, said purchaser registers payment form information,
and inputs only the name of the payment option not all the information about it, wherein
inputting only of the name of payment form provides said purchaser with convenience
when purchasing, prevents the revelation of information and increases the security level
as said intermediary website dose not exchange information with said concerted website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, in order to improve the credit level of
all the electronic commerce, credit information by Point Deduction System can be
established when any violence occurs during the procedures of purchasing, selling and
delivery.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the intermediary website can store
said member's purchasing details in the form of log files, analyze said purchasing details
real-time, and provide said analysis result to said seller real-time, wherein said analysis
result can be used as marketing information and credit information reference either
through online interfaces or in the form of offline printouts.
According to another embodiment of the invention, through credit granting, said member
can allow another member who is not registered for a payment form, which said member
uses when purchasing and paying at said concerted website, to use said payment form
within a permitted limit without additional registration procedure at pertinent entity
issuing said payment form. It enables a head of a household and a corporate owner to
allow respectively his/her spouse or children and the constituents of the corporate to use
respectively his/her credit cards or the corporate credit cards within a certain limited
extent.
According to the invention, the intermediary website serves as advertisement provider,
membership verifier, settlement agency, transaction intermediary, online cash register
and customer manager.
With single registration, a member can use all the contents that the concerted websites
offer without any additional registration procedure of inputting information at all the
concerted websites. Also, by analyzing each member's point management and activity
details based on the monitoring on details of each member's advertisement viewing and
purchasing and paying, the intermediary website provides each economic subject with
basic information for operational and marketing activities.
By presenting the exact levels of advertisement conveyance and of advertisement
recipient's actual purchasing pertinent advertised products, the intermediary website
helps the advertisers with the precise data for marketing and production planning for the
future market.
And with each financial institution which deals with all the payment forms, using the
economy of scale generated by processing all the transactions with the concerted selling
websites collectively, the intermediary website returns to each concerted websites and
consumer the profits made through the reduction of commission rates.
Also, by presenting members with concerted website information such as the member's
share at advertisement viewing or the exchange rate on point at each concerted website,
the intermediary website serves as a compass to navigate through the sea of economic
information, and intermediates point transactions among members.
If a member purchases from a store and requests for settlement, the intermediary website
offers a system which executes the settlement according to the form of purchase
regardless of the whereabouts and executes purchasing and supplying according to the
online store's product selling. So, by enabling the existing commerce stores to vicariously
execute supplying or delivery using said system, the intermediary website allows them to
participate as constituents in the age of the electronic commerce.
Also the intermediary website activates online electronic commerce by handling payment
and settlement-related matters, and providing various services related to the credit and
shipping matters basic to transactions among stores. Here, as each store is dealt as a
member like a customer, each of their corporate number or business registration number
can be secured of its singleness though conversion of the numbers. So, by running a
system which consistently tracks and integrally executes the settlement process among
the online store, the offline store in charge of actual supplying and, the consumer, the
intermediary website minimizes the incidental expenses and maintains the flow of money
among the stores unhindered. And by providing the offline stores with the cash register
function through cord or cordless online contacting and various forms of terminals such
as web browser and PDA, and through this by supporting general offline stores to
perform the same economic activities as online stores do in customer & profit
management and in providing services for customer visiting offline stores, the
intermediary website links and integrates online and offline commerce environments.
For the government, the intermediary website provides basic data for management of
taxation sources and the price policies based on the transparent transactions details, and
for the consumer, a variety of product information based on real transaction prices, which
lead to increase of profits for the consumer.
The invention will serve as a support for the development of information society by
establishing a new and effective conveying method for the advertisement that is a
representative marketing tool, a structure to collect the exact advertisement conveying
details to consumers and a effective profit-generating system for IP/CP (Information
Provider/Contents provider, to be referred as to "IP" hereinafter) who are operators of
advertisement conveying media.
In other words, the invention draws up a plan to change the structure of the existing
practice of settlement, without changing too much of it, into a system that can solve the
problems the existing system has shown, and formulates a simple tool, even more
convenient and secured for usage of all forms of cards which are the most popular
payment methods in commerce. The invention, by drawing up a plan to develop the
conventional commerce system centering wholesales and retails together with the new
system of electronic commerce, also achieves the occupational stability of the
conventional commerce community, the customer satisfaction and the effectiveness of
physical distribution system at the same time. The invention is a commerce method and
system which enables the intermediary website to collect, process, store and analyze the
information on each constituent's all the economic activities generated from the above
processes.
[Brief Descriptions of Drawings]
FIG. 1 is a drawing briefly illustrating the organization of the invention according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the membership verification procedure according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3a is a flowchart illustrating the automatic registration procedure through an
electronic certificate when a member contacts a concerted website according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3b is a flowchart illustrating the automatic registration procedure through an
electronic certificate when a member contacts a concerted website according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the automatic verification procedure through an
electronic certificate according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the advertisement transmission and reception between
the intermediary website sever and a member contacting a concerted website according
to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the transmission and reception process between the
advertisement receptor and the intermediary website' advertisement sever according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7a is a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying the
navigation bar by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7b a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying the initial
advertisement screen when a user clicks an advertisement channel by a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7c a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying the list of
the concerted websites out of the navigation bar by a preferred embodiment of the
invention.
FIG. 7d a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying an
advertisement received from an advertisement channel by a preferred embodiment of the
invention.
FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating the table of the credit cards that are represented by the
proxy card according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9a is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the use and verification of the proxy
card at the intermediary website according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9b is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the use and verification of proxy card
• in an offline status according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10a is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of payment settlement by a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10b is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of payment settlement for products
received online by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10c is a drawing illustrating the table of transaction details that the intermediary
website received from an online store by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. lOd is a drawing illustrating the table of verification methods in the process of
membership verification for the transaction details received at the intermediary website
by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 11 a flowchart illustrating the entire procedure through which the intermediary
website purchases and supplies in connection with online and offline stores by a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of purchasing and supplying between
online and offline stores by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure in the event the supplying contract is
cancelled after it was awarded by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 14 is a drawing illustrating the organization of the intermediary website system
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15a is a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the membership database
by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15b is the structure of table established in the advertisement reception log file
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15c a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the concerted website
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15d is a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the advertisement
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15d is a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the advertisement
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15f is a drawing of the table of data established in the product transaction main-log
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15g is a drawing of the table of data established in the product transaction sub-log
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15h is a drawing of the table of data established in the credit card database by a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15i is a drawing of the table of data established in the credit card use, verification &
transaction details database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
< Description of Main Codes in the Drawings>
100 : Member
105 : Network
110 : Concerted Website
120 : Intermediary Website
130 : Payment-related Institution
[Preferred Embodiment of the Invention]
The preferred embodiment of the invention will be concretely described hereinafter with
reference to the drawings.
In the invention, the consumer, the user, the member and the purchaser are used to mean
the same and easily understandable term according to each drawing will be used.
Also, in the invention, it is a matter of course that products include intangible products
such as music, lectures, movies and information as well as tangible products.
FIG. 1 is a drawing briefly illustrating the organization of the invention according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
Although the invention can share members through two-way verification procedure, the
description will be made on the assumption that the intermediary website executes one¬
way verification in order to help understanding of the invention,
The Information Provider (IP, to be referred to as the "Concerted Website"
hereinafterXllO) that purposes to provide information and sell products to the Member
(100) and the Information Provider (to be referred as to the "Intermediary Website"
hereinafter)(120) that provides advertisements, verifies membership, vicariously
executes settlement and intermediates commerce are connected through a Network(105).
The Member(lOO) can contact Intermediary Website(120) and the Concerted
Website(llO) through a Network(lOO).
As in the event the Member(lOO) contacts the Concerted Website(llO), membership
verification is executed by the Intermediary Website(120), the cumbersome process of
entering ID and password whenever the Member(lOO) move among the Concerted
Websites disappears (110).
This member sharing system is not a system of sharing databases, and it is executed
real-time by issuing a disposable electronic certificate that can include personal
information and Trust Level whenever the Member(lOO) visits the Concerted
Website(l lO).
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the services that the Intermediary
Website(120) intermediates includes such things as vicarious execution of membership
verification and payment settlement, advertisement providing, commerce intermediation
connecting online product purchasing to general offline stores.
The Intermediary website(120) consists of the log creation & advertisement distribution
system, the payment settlement & intermediation system, the marketing data mining
system and the database. And the database consists of the advertisement database, the
advertisement reception database, the product database, the payment form database, the
member database, the concerted website database, the payment form use, verification &
transaction details database and the product transaction database. The system of the
Intermediary Website will be described in FIG. 14.
The Intermediary Website(120) provides services of vicariously executing settlement in
connection with the Payment-related Institution 130), and according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention, it handle all the payment settlement by operation a virtual
representative credit card system where all the payment-related cards are represented
by the proxy card.
Here, the Payment-related Institution(130) refers to financial institutions or credit card
companies, The payment like this is executed by using Payment Gateway through the
proxy card. Payment Gateway is the business that intermediates all the payment
settlement occurring in the cyber market. Its major business include payment settlement
& management for medium and large member companies, small-sum settlement &
prepayment account management and fund intermediary service in electronic finance, and
the payment forms include the credit card, the ATM card, the banking account and the
purchasing card. The proxy card will be described in FIG. 8.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the membership verification procedure according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, when the user moves among concerted websites, membership
verification is executed through the electronic certificate issued by the concerted website
the user first contacts (to be referred as to "the first website" hereinafter) without
entering ID and password. In other words, if the verification is executed at the first
website, when the user moves to another concerted website, the membership verification
is executed through the certificate issued by the website that has already verified the
user's membership. In order to help understanding the invention, explanation about the
one-way verification procedure by which the intermediary website issues a certificate
follows.
According to the invention, a plurality of concerted websites concerts with the
intermediary website and they trust each other's membership verification. Therefore,
even if the user is registered at only one of the concerted websites or only at the
intermediary website, the invention provides the method & system which executes
verification (or log-in) at entering any other concerted website. However, in order to
prevent the leakage of personal information, the invention does not use the method of
sharing database, but uses the following procedure.
The member who is registered at the intermediary website or one of the concerted
websites is registered or verified of his/her membership at all the concerted websites
automatically through an electronic certificate. In other words, by eliminating the
cumbersome procedure of registration, the intermediary website helps the concerted
websites to attract members.
Referring to the FIG. 2, membership verification (of log-in) procedure goes through the
following preceding structure and basic establishments. In other words, in order to secure
the mutual trust for the membership verification among the websites, the following
structure should be premised.
At step 200, the Trust Level is defined according to confirmation of the member's
information such as name, resident registration number, address and e-mail address. This
Trust Level can established based on the member's identification and his/her credit level
through various confirmation processes such as the facts whether the member checks e-
mail, whether his/her resident registration number is true when he/she uses credit cards,
whether his/her name is real through a request for account transfer of points and whether
his/her billing address is the same as the shipping address at actual purchasing. This
Trust Level is of course can be established by not only the concerted websites but also
by the intermediary website.
At step 205, the concerted website gets to establish the Trust Level in order to receive
selectively the electronic certificate from the intermediary website. In other words, the
intermediary website verifies only the member who meets certain criteria of Trust Level
that each concerted website has established. And the concerted website requests for the
verification of the membership only for the members who meet its own criteria of Trust
Level.
At step 208, the examination is executed whether the Trust Level of the member meets
the criteria the concerted website has established.
At step 210, whether the member contacts the concerted website for the first time after
registered at the intermediary website is decided.
This process is to exclude disguised members of the intermediary or the concerted
websites.
At step 215, when the member is verified through the electronic certificate at the
concerted website for first time, the member should go through the procedure of
identification by entering ID and password at the concerted website. In other words, at
the first contact after registration, before the verification procedure through the
electronic certificate the member should go through the same verification procedure
through his/her ID and password. The result of the procedure is stored and the invention
treats him/her as the same person at later times through automatic verification through
the electronic certificate.
At step 220, the intermediary website selects parts of all of the member information
according to the extent to which the member allows, attaches it to the electronic
certificate and send it.
In other words, the member can decide the extent to which his/her personal information
can be revealed. And the intermediary website can send the electronic certificate to
which the personal information within permitted limit is attached.
*This personal information can be used valuably when concerted websites update their
member database or at later when each concerted website provides its members with
customers with customized services. In other words, concerted websites can use it when
they update their member information. In other words, the intermediary website and
concerted websites share this latest updated personal information of each member which
is attached to the electronic certificate.
Also, according to an embodiment of the invention, when a concerted website receives an
electronic certificate of an unregistered member, it can process automatically the
registration of the person using the personal information attached to the electronic
certificate.
*At step 230, when the member visits said concerted website after going through the
identification procedure, automatic membership verification is executed without his/her
entering ID and password only through the disposable electronic certificate issued by the
intermediary website.
Based upon this basic processing structure, the member is verified at the concerted
website through the electronic certificate issued by the intermediary website. Verification
through logging-in is executed by the intermediary website. And the result is sent to the
concerted website in the form of electronic certificate issued by the intermediary website,
and each concerted website identifies the member using the electronic certificate and
verifies him/her as if it is through its own ID.
FIG. 3a is a flowchart illustrating the automatic registration procedure through an
electronic certificate when a member contacts a concerted website according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
At step 305, the member visits the homepage of the intermediary website.
Verification procedure when he/she visits the homepage of the concerted website will be
explained at FIG. 3b.
At step 310, the member goes through the user's log-in procedure by entering his/her ID
and password.
At step 315, the intermediary website verifies his/her membership through user
identification process, and when the user is not identified, the intermediary website asks
the user to go through logging-in procedure again at step 310.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, at step 320 after membership
verification, the navigation bar containing concerted website information is loaded and
displayed to the member. The navigation bar reveals a list of the concerted websites, a
list of the member websites, advertisement channels and other information at the
member's clicking. (See FIG. 7a, FIG. 7b, FIG. 7c and FIG. 7d). When the navigation bar is
loaded, the member tries to move to one of the concerted website by clicking the
concerted website name. At FIG. 3a the case where the member tries to move to a non-
concerted website should be considered.
At step 325, when the member moves to one of the concerted websites, the intermediary
website creates an electronic certificate and sends the created electronic certificate to
the concerted website. According to an embodiment of the invention, the intermediary
website also sends the member's personal information and Trust Level by attaching them
to the certificate.
At step 330, the concerted website decides whether said member is its own member
according to the information contained in the certificate. When the member is identified
as its own member, automatic membership registration procedure through the electronic
certificate is executed at step 340.
At step 335, when the visitor is a member of the concerted website, he/she is
automatically registered at the concerted website based on the personal information that
is attached to the electronic certificate.
In this way, the intermediary website collectively manages information on the members,
ridding each store of the burdens of managing the member information and each member
of the troubles of registering every time he/she visits one of the concerted websites for
the first time, which contributes to attracting members.
At step 340 after automatic registration at the concerted website, logging-in process
should be executed, and the verification though logging-in is executed based on the
electronic certificate issued by the intermediary website. Verification through the
electronic certificate will be explained at FIG. 4.
FIG. 3b is a flowchart illustrating the automatic registration procedure through an
electronic certificate when a member contacts a concerted website according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
At step 355, the member visits the homepage of the concerted website.
At step 357, the concerted website asks the intermediary website to verify the member.
At step 360, the member goes through the user log-in procedure by entering his/her ID
and password.
At step 365, the intermediary website verifies the member through user identification
process. When the member is not identified, the intermediary website asks him/her to go
through user log-in procedure again at step 360.
♦According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, at step 360 after the membership
verification, the navigation bar conveying the concerted website information is loaded and
displayed to the member. The navigation bar reveals a list of the concerted websites, a
list of the member websites, advertisement channels and other information at the
member's clicking. (See FIG. 7a, FIG. 7b, FIG. 7c and FIG. 7d). When the navigation bar is
loaded, the member tries to move to one of the concerted website by clicking the
concerted website name. At FIG. 3b the case where the member tries to move to a non-
concerted website should be considered.
At step 370, the intermediary website creates the electronic certificate corresponding to
the user.
At step 375, the intermediary website sends the created electronic certificate to the
concerted website. According to an embodiment of the invention, the intermediary
website also sends the user's personal information and Trust Level by attaching them to
the certificate.
At step 380, the concerted website decides whether the member above is its own
member according to the information contained in the certificate. When the member is
identified as its own member, automatic membership registration procedure through the
electronic certificate is executed at step 390.
At step 385, when the visitor is not a member of the concerted website, he/she is
automatically registered at the concerted website based on the personal information that
is attached to the electronic certificate.
In this way, the intermediary website collectively manages information on the members,
ridding each store of the burdens of managing the member information and each member
of the troubles of registering every time he/she visits one of the concerted websites for
the first time, which contributes to attracting members.
At step 390 after automatic registration at the concerted website, log-in process should
be executed, and the verification through log-in procedure is executed based on the
electronic certificate issued by the intermediary website. Verification through the
electronic certificate will be explained at FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the automatic verification procedure through an
electronic certificate according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Description on step 405 through step 420 shall be omitted because it is the same as the
one on step 305 through step 320 of FIG. 3. At step 420, however, when the member
moves to the concerted website, he/she shall be regarded having been registered at said
concerted website.
At step 430, when the user moves to the concerted website, the intermediary website
examines whether the member meets the Trust Level established by the concerted
website. The Trust Level can be established according to the member's identification and
his/her credit level through various confirmation processes such as the facts whether the
member checks e-mail, whether his/her resident registration number is true when he/she
uses credit cards, whether his/her name is real through a request for account transfer of
points and whether his/her billing address is the same as the shipping address at actual
purchasing. The intermediary website does not issue an electronic certificate for the
member who could not meet the Trust Level at step 453.
When the member meets the Trust Level, the procedure of deciding whether he/she visits
the website for the first website after registration is executed at step 447.
At step 448, the identification procedure for the member is executed at the pertinent
website. This process is to exclude disguised members of the intermediary or the
concerted websites.
In other words, when the member is verified through the electronic certificate at the
concerted website for first time, the step for identification procedure by entering ID and
password at the concerted website can be added. And the result is stored and the
invention treats him/her as the same person at later times through automatic verification
through the electronic certificate.
When the member is verified as the same person by entering his/her ID and password,
the electronic certificate is issued at step 450.
However, when either the ID or password is not correct, issue of the certificate is not
permitted at step 453.
At step 453, the intermediary website sends the electronic certificate to the concerted
website, and the personal information can be attached to the above certificate.
According Lo another embodiment of the invention, when the intermediary website sends
the electronic certificate, it can attach not only the personal information but also the
member's Trust Level and the latest date when the information is updated. And they can
be referred to when the concerted website updates the information about its members.
At step 455, also the concerted website can set up the standards of the Trust Level.
When the Trust Level attached to the electronic certificate meets the standards set up by
the concerted website, the process moves to Step 465.
At step 465, using the personal information and the latest updated date attached to the
certificate, the concerted website can update the information about the members stored
at its database. In other words, the concerted website can update the information of its
members based on the information included in the electronic certificate. As the above
certificate includes the member's personal information, when the concerted website
receives the updated personal information through the electronic certificate, it can
process information updating real-time.
At step 470, the member is automatically logged-in through the electronic certificate
received from the intermediary website.
If the member's Trust Level does not meets the standards set up by the concerted
website at step 455, the process moves to Step 460 where reception of the electronic
certificate is rejected.
The member in this invention can be not only an individual but also a group. As for the
group member, automatic verification for the constituent of the group can be processed
according to the procedure mentioned above. At the automatic registration procedure,
however, according to an embodiment of the invention, if the manager of the group
member is pre-designated, when the group member moves to the concerted website
where the group member is not yet registered, the automatic registration can be executed.
Also when a constituent of the group corresponding to the manager of the group moves to
the concerted website where he/she is not yet registered, he/she can be registered
automatically. And the rest of the constituents can be automatically verified his/her
membership through electronic certificate only at the concerted websites permitted by
the manager of the group among the concerted website he/she has been registered at.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the advertisement transmission and reception between
the intermediary website sever and a member contacting a concerted website according
to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Through the invention, the member is provided with the navigation bar from which he/she
can select and receive the advertisement only he/she wants. The navigation bar here is a
program embodied as if it is software.
According to an embodiment of the invention, at the navigation bar the information about
advertisement channels are included. When the member chooses and clicks the
advertisement he/she wants from the advertisement channel, the advertisement window
is loaded and the chosen advertisement is displayed on the screen.
When the member enters each website and executes activities corresponding to the
visiting purpose, he/she comes to face on the screen the advertisement channel
information included at the navigation bar provided by the intermediary website as well as
the contents of each website. As the member is to click the menu at the navigation bar
and selects from the list of advertisement provided by the intermediary website,
advertisement is provided only when the customer wants.
The advertisement provided here assumes a kind of channel structure classified
according to the character or the target of the business, and it is a targeting
advertisement whose main advertisement channel is decided according to the tendency
and taste of the members.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, two forms of advertisement
channel are provided. One follows the method of flexible advertisement cost distributing,
through which the advertisement cost is fixed per certain time unit and the money for
advertisement viewing is divided by the number of the members who have viewed the
advertisement for the period of time and distributed among them. The other follows the
method of inflexible advertisement cost distributing, through which the fixed
advertisement cost is given as advertisement viewing money at every viewing.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the advertisement viewing money per
certain time unit in case of the flexible distribution method can be decided according to
the total amount of fixed advertisement cost (the number of the time units during the total
advertisement period xthe number of the recipient members per the time unit).
And the viewing money for each of the advertisement changes at certain time intervals.
Each website can adopt different distribution proportion between the website and the
member-viewers according to its marketing purpose, or the method to attract new
members. Therefore, the viewing money for the same advertisement differs at each
website. The member at his/her will selects and views his/her favorite one or ones
among all the advertisement according to the information about the advertisement
viewing money provided by the intermediary website.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the member's advertisement viewing
is verified not when he/she chooses an advertisement but when he/she is confirmed to
have finished viewing it. It is possible by displaying in the advertisement window a timer
that shows the time of progress of the advertisement and a communication mark which
can be confirmed for a certain and short period of time when the timer ends. When an
advertisement ends, the member can choose another one, and the viewing activities
become his/her log information. According to the log information of the member,
advertisement viewing benefits are accumulated in the form of points at the member's
account located in the database of the intermediary website, which in the future can be
used at a website purposing electronic commerce or is paid converted into cash. The
member log information includes the member, the website where the viewing has taken
place, the viewing time, codes of the relevant products, the distribution ratio of the
advertisement viewing money and the advertisement-identifying code. Measures such as
the provision regulating that reiterating viewing of the same advertisement within a
certain time period or simultaneous viewing of the same advertisement at various
websites shall not be accumulated in forms of points can increase the effect of the
advertisement.
At step 503, the member contacts the concerted website.
At step 505, the concerted website asks the intermediary website to verify the member,
and the intermediary website executes membership verification by issuing the electronic
certificate for the concerted website.
At step 510, the intermediary website verifies the member and creates the navigation bar
corresponding to the member.
The navigation bar shall be explained at the descriptions of FIG. 7a, FIG. 7b, FIG. 7c and
FIG. 7d.
At step 515, the intermediary website sends the navigation bar simultaneously with the
issue of the electronic certificate.
As the result, the member is automatically verified as soon as he/she contacts the
concerted website, and the navigation bar corresponding to each member is displayed on
the screen.
The navigation bar carries such items as the advertisement channels and the group
advertisement classified by category are manifested, and it can carry the name of the
member, his/her accumulated points or the list of the concerted websites he/she has
registered at. The navigation bar has own ID corresponding to the member. According to
a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ID at the navigation bar can use the resident
registration number unique to each member.
At step 520, the member can view his/her points accumulated according to his/her
advertisement viewing from the navigation bar, and the points can be manifested for the
member to choose which advertisement channel.
The member chooses the advertisement channel and views the advertisement, and by
clicking within a pre-designated time a bar that supervises and confirms the
advertisement viewing, he/she is verified of the viewing from the intermediary website. In
other words, in order to ensure the advertisement viewing to yield a practical effect, a
timer is inserted in the advertisement window, and the intermediary website
acknowledges the advertisement viewing only if it receives a certain signal input by the
viewer within a certain time period.
At step 525, the member electronically sends the message about which advertisement
channel he/she will view.
At step 526, the intermediary website creates the advertisement window.
At step 527, the intermediary sends the created window to the member.
At step 528, the member can go through the viewing confirming procedure at the
advertisement window after he/she views the advertisement for a designated time period.
According to an embodiment of the invention, in order to raise the effectiveness of the
advertisement, the intermediary website can confirm whether the member has viewed the
advertisement by the member's clicking on the viewing-verifying button within a pre-
designated time period after the advertisement.
At step 529, the intermediary website receives the details about the advertisement
viewing verification.
At step 530, the intermediary website creates the log data about the advertisement
viewing details and stores it in the database. Through this process, based on the
advertisement viewing details stored in the database, the advertiser can execute very
highly effective target marketing. Here, the advertisement viewing details includes the
period of time for which the advertisement has been received, the kind of the media
through which the advertisement was received and the code of the viewed advertisement.
At step 535, based on the advertisement viewing details, the advertisement viewing
money is paid real-time to the advertisement viewer. As for the advertisement with
flexible method, the advertisement viewing money paid to the viewers is adjusted real¬
time according to the number of the viewers of the advertisement.
At step 540, the points for the advertisement viewing and the adjusted advertisement
viewing money for the flexible method advertisement are sent to the advertisement
receptor at the intermediary website.
At step 545, the advertisement receptor shows the member the transmitted information,
enabling the member to benefit from the information later when he/she chooses an
advertisement or purchases products.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the transmission and reception process between the
advertisement receptor and the intermediary website' advertisement sever according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
At step 600, the member logs-in and performs the membership verification process.
The verification process is executed through the electronic certificate issued by the
intermediary website.
At step 605, simultaneously with the verification, the navigation bar corresponding to the
member is loaded and provided to the member.
Each advertisement receptor is given a serial number the member's resident registration
number, and each member has his/her own receptor.
At step 610, the advertisement receptor displays such information as the accumulated
points and the advertisement dial.
It can also display to the member such information as the member information and the list
of the concerted websites by receiving from the intermediary website only when the
member clicks the menu for them.
When the intermediary website is received the request for the list of the concerted
websites at step 615, it sends the list to the advertisement receptor at step 620.
When the intermediary website is received a request for the information about the
advertisement channel at step 625, it sends the information at step 630.
The member draws out the menu from the navigation bar at step 635, and clicks the
advertisement he/she wants at step 640.
At step 645, the navigation bar loads the advertisement window and displays the
advertisement.
At step 650, the timer works and the member's advertisement viewing is verified when
he/she clicks the confirming button within a certain period of time. The process ends if
the member's clicking information within the pre-designated period of time is not
received.
At step 655, if the clicking information is received within the time, the navigation bar asks
the intermediary website to accumulate the points for the advertisement viewing.
At step 660, the intermediary website sends the updated result to the navigation bar.
At step 665, the navigation bar receives the updated result.
At step 670, the updated result is displayed real-time through the navigation bar.
FIG, 7a is a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying the
navigation bar by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The advertisement channel(701) is the item from which the member views the list of the
advertisement.
As the advertisement channel is provided classified by category by the advertisement
group(704), the advertiser can execute the marketing advertisement customized to a
certain customers. Also, the member's advertisement channel(701) is decided according
to each member's characteristics.
FIG. 7b a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying the initial
advertisement screen when a user clicks an advertisement channel by a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
The advertisement by flexible method(713) is the advertisement by the method through
which the advertisement cost is fixed per a certain time unit, and the advertisement
viewing money is distributed among the viewer-members divided by the number of them.
As for the advertisement by flexible method(713), 60 represents the time unit (minutes),
and 125 represents the sum of the points distributed between the viewer-members and
the concerted website.
The advertisement by the inflexible method(715) is the advertisement by the method
through which the pre-designated advertisement cost is paid as the advertisement
viewing money at each viewing. The figure that appears after the advertiser represents
the sum of the points distributed between viewers and the concerted website.
FIG. 7c a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying the list of
the concerted websites out of the navigation bar by a preferred embodiment of the
invention.
At the list of the concerted websites, the distribution ratio between the concerted website
and the viewers of the advertisement and the exchange rate of the point at advertisement
viewing are manifested.
According to FIG. 7c, if the member views an advertisement at one shopping-mall
website among the concerted websites, 20% of the total points for advertisement viewing
are distributed to the member. Also, if he/she purchases products from the shopping-mall
website, he/she can use the points on 1:1 exchange rate base.
The concerted websites related to electronic commerce accepts as a form of payment
points which the member has accumulated by viewing advertisement as well as money
and token money which are the general forms of payment for purchasing. And each
concerted website for selling applies 1:1 exchange rate of the point or even higher rates
according to its own selling strategy. This can be an effective strategy to attract
members.
FIG. 7d a schematic illustration of a computer monitor screen that is displaying an
advertisement received from an advertisement channel by a preferred embodiment of the
invention.
The advertisement cost is distributed not when the member clicks the advertisement at
the advertisement channel, but when he/she clicks within a certain time period the bar
that confirms the advertisement viewing.
With this advertisement-viewing confirming method included, the practical effect of
advertising can be increased.
The concerted websites can lay stress on the contents as the intermediary website
executes advertisement-related activities such as attracting and managing various
advertisements. The advertisement cost provided by the intermediary website is
distributed on a certain ratio between the members who have viewed the advertisement
and the concerted website where the members have contacted while viewing the
advertisement. Therefore, by adjusting the ratio, the concerted website can establish a
more effective marketing strategy.
Also, according to another embodiment of the invention, substantial advertising effect can
be expected by executing targeting advertisement customized to meet the tastes of the
members.
Also, according to another embodiment of the invention, the information about the
advertisement viewing of the customer is recorded in log-files real-time and provided to
the advertiser and the member. Using these log-files, the advertiser can utilize the
responses provided real-time from the members to set up various marketing strategies.
FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating the table of the credit cards that are represented by the
proxy card according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Unlike the general procedure of credit card issue, all the procedure is completed with
assigning a card number at the member's request. The difference is that the member is
required to register his/her cards including credit card.
When the member uses proxy card, he/she is demanded to register such cards as his/her
general credit cards.
Although the card is not issued in the form of an actual object, it is given to the member
as occasions demands, and similar to the resident card which is the most general ID card,
the member's photo, resident registration number, the identifying number and his/her
physical features such as the finger prints and glottis are recorded on the card. In order
to ensure an easy identification, the identifying number can be made using the
arrangement of the member's resident registration number. According to an embodiment
of the invention, if the resident registration number of a member is 631214-1559716,
his/her identifying number (the member number) can be 1559716-631214, 6179551-
412136 or 412136-6179551. In other countries than Korea, the identifying number
corresponding to Korea's resident registration number can use according to the method
mentioned above.
In the database which manages the member information, general member information,
passwords for membership verification, member numbers issued by entities and groups
which said member has been registered at, and their passwords for verification are
stored. All the contents in the database except requisite items unalterable by the member,
such as card numbers and their passwords can be added, deleted or altered by the
member through the network like the Internet at any time.
FIG. 9a is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the use and verification of the proxy
card at the intermediary website according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
It is a matter of course that the member can use proxy card not only by visiting one of
the concerted website on the web, but also through the terminal at an offline store by
visiting the store. The procedure of use and verification of proxy card at offline stores
shall be explained at the description on FIG. 9a.
The following shall be explained with reference to FIG. 9a.
At step 905, the member visits a concerted Internet shopping mall.
At step 910, the membership is automatically verified through the electronic certificate
issued by the intermediary website.
At step 925, the member purchase products at the shopping mall.
At step 930, the shopping mall requests the intermediary website to settle for the
purchase. While doing this, the shopping mall can send the transaction details including
the amount of money.
The transaction details refer to product prices and information related to the purchasing,
and shall be explained in full at the description of FIG. 10b.
At step 932, the intermediary website executes the verification about proxy card usage,
and can perform the membership verification procedure one more time for the sake of
security.
At step 935, the intermediary website server calculates the information on the card which
the user will pay with, using the information on the user's card, the interest rates and the
commission rates that have already been input. In other words, the intermediary website
server considers and compares the member's accumulated points and the payment form
registered for proxy card and advises the most advantageous settlement option to the
member,
A Step 940, based on the result, the intermediary website server presents the member
with the advantageous payment options in order.
At step 945, the user chooses his/her payment option (points or cards) based on the
payment options recommended by the card server. It is a matter of course that the user
can settle all the payment with the card, partial payment with points or all the payment
with points.
Also, the user input the receipt code at settlement. The receipt code is a PIN that the
member designates at settlement, and the intermediary website manages it. Later when
the concerted website requests the intermediary website to pay for the settlement, the
receipt code works as a token to confirm whether the member actually receives the
purchased product. In other words, the receipt code is prerequisite website when the
concerted website or the offline store asks the intermediary website to settle for the
purchase, as the member is required to send the receipt code to the concerted website or
the offline store after receiving the purchased product
At step 950, the member sends the payment option he/she has chosen and the receipt
code. Here, the payment option means the payment form and the option between lump
sum and allotment payments.
At step 952, the intermediary website requests the payment institution including credit
card companies to verify the settlement according to the member's payment option.
At step 955, the intermediary website creates the transaction details and stores them in
the database after it receives the verification from the payment institution.
At step 957, the intermediary website sends the concerted website the message about
the transaction details and the payment option in the form of a purchasing order.
At step 960, the intermediary website sends the member the confirming message about
the transaction details.
At step 962, the concerted website stores the transaction details.
At step 963, the concerted website ships the ordered product to the member.
At step 965, the member receives the purchased product.
At step 967, the member sends the receipt code for the product to the concerted website.
At step 970, the concerted website sends the receipt code to the intermediary website,
and requests the intermediary website to settle the payment.
At step 975, the intermediary website requests the payment institution including credit
card companies to settle the payment and receives the settlement money.
At step 980, the intermediary website remits the received money to the concerted
website.
At step 985, the concerted website confirms the settlement and the purchasing
transaction using proxy card are completed.
Of course, the above procedure is also possible for the offline stores through the cord or
cordless network. The procedure of proxy card usage and its verification at the offline
stores shall be explained at the description of FIG. 9b,
FIG. 9b is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the use and verification of proxy card
in an offline status according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Proxy card based on the invention can be used any place equipped with the credit inquiry
terminals able to read it. As proxy card has the same physical form as other conventional
cards and can be read by the existing terminals, its use largely conforms to the existing
conditions. However, it differs in terms of its use and verification procedure, and it is as
follows.
First, the offline store requests the issuing company of proxy card to verify the user's
identification using the inquiry terminal equipped at the store. The verification procedure
demands reading of the proxy card, or inputting of the membership number of the proxy
card. And then the procedure continues and completes using the password consisting of
general numerical figures or letters, the fingerprints or the glottis, or other physical
features.
If the verification is refused, the verification system records the number of refusal in
order to prevent wrongful use of the card. The number of refusal is recorded as data for
forbiddance on its use.
The verification is executed in two ways. One, if it is for the simple recognition of the
member, place of use information previously input in the terminal which executed the
recognition of the member is also sent at the verification of proxy card, and reported to
the verification system of the card's managing agency or institution at once. And the
verification is executed.
Or, if the place is where he/she can choose the card he/she wants, he/she is asked to
choose which card to use. Here, the verification system presents the list of cards in order
of the most advantageous to the user according to the pre-designated logic. The list of
cards is presented according to the card information the user has previously input using
the network. After a card is chosen, proxy card verification system requests the chosen
card's issuing and managing institution to verify its use, receives the verification details
and sends them to the terminal.
Additional details shall be explained with reference to FIG. 9b as follows.
At step 810, the offline store contacts the intermediary website through the terminal
equipped in the store.
At step 815, the intermediary website verifies the offline store through the verification
procedure and creates the cash register on the screen.
At step 820, the intermediary website sends the created cash register screen to the
terminal of the offline store.
At step 825, the information on the offline store's list of products and their price is drawn
from the storage medium.
At step 830, the offline store sends the above information to the intermediary website.
At step 840, the customer visits the offline store.
At step 845, the customer purchases products at the store and tries to settle the
purchase.
At step 848, the customer enters his/her ID and password at the store's terminal.
The above entering procedure is for the verification of proxy card. The input ID and
password are sent to the intermediary website and used for the verification of the
customer and proxy card.
Of course, the above verification procedure is also possible by using the proxy card in
the same way as with the general credit card, without the purchaser's inputting his/her ID
and password.
At step 850, the offline store sends the ID and password or the card number of the proxy
card and requests the intermediary website to verify the customer.
When the store's terminal requests the intermediary websites to settle the purchase, it
can send the transaction details including the amount of money.
The transaction details refer to product price and information related to the purchasing,
and shall be explained in full at the description of FIG, 10b.
At step 853, the intermediary website executes the membership verification and proxy
card use verification procedure.
At step 855 the intermediary website server calculates the information on card that the
user will pay with, the using the information on the user's card, the interest rates and the
commission rates that have already been input. In other words, the intermediary website
server considers and compares the customer's accumulated points and the payment form
registered for proxy card, and advises the most advantageous settlement option to the
customer.
At step 860, based on the result, the intermediary website server presents the customer
with the advantageous payment options in order.
At step 865, the customer chooses his/her payment option (points or cards) based on the
payment options recommended by the card server. It is a matter of course that the user
can settle all the payment with the card, partial payment with points or all the payment
with points.
At step 870, the customer sends the payment option he/she has chosen and the receipt
code. Here, the payment option means the payment form and the option between lump
sum and allotment payments.
At step 875, the intermediary website requests the payment institution including credit
card companies to verify the settlement according to the member's payment option.
At step 880, the intermediary website completes the settlement, and sends the completed
settlement details to the store's terminal.
At step 887, the customer receives the products and the receipt for the settlement.
At step 885, the intermediary website can create the transaction details after achieving
authorization for the use and store them in the database.
At step 890, the intermediary website can send the purchaser the purchasing details for
the sake of confirmation.
At step 892, the offline store requests the intermediary website to settle the payment
through the store's terminal.
At step 893, the intermediary website requests the payment institution including credit
card companies to settle the payment and receives the settlement money.
*At step 895, the intermediary website remits the received the money to the offline store.
At step 897, the offline store receives the money and the purchase of the products using
the card is completed.
FIG. 10a is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of payment settlement by a preferred
embodiment of the invention,
The member gets verified his/her membership by logging-on, purchases the products
he/she wants. Then if he/she requests for the settlement, and the concerted commerce
website requests for the settlement and the transaction details from the intermediary
website.
Through the financial advisory system based on the member's points, interest rates and
other factors, and according to the information on every payment forms (i.e. the credit
card, the debit card and account transfer) that the member has put in the personal
information section in the database of the intermediary website, the intermediary website
presents the member the list of available payment options in the order of
advantageousness, and the member chooses the best settlement option. This is done in
the following three ways.
According to an embodiment of the invention, if the information on the payment forms is
put in the intermediary website once, there is no need to put in the information at every
transaction at every website. Beside, as the transaction is executed only with simple
mark or name for each payment form not with their detailed information, the leak of
information can be prohibited.
According to another embodiment of the invention, credit granting is possible among the
members of the intermediary website. For example, member A can allow member B to
use a certain payment form of member A's, and within a permitted limit member B can
use it as if it is the payment form that member B has registered.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the electronic certificate for the
verification of the electronic commerce, after it is encoded in the form of electronic purse,
can be stored in the member's personal information section in the database of the
intermediary website, available at any time. This enables the member, without recording
it in his/her own storing instrument, to execute any transaction at the concerted website
that requires the electronic certificate just by choosing a payment form in the payment
window.
According to the transaction pattern and the commerce website's own policy, the
settlement can be done in three ways: advance, simultaneous -that is at receipt of the
product - and future payments. In case of advance payment, if the member requests for
settlement after purchasing, the intermediary website requests the card company to
verify the purchase and, according to the result, it pays the concerted selling website the
money. In case of simultaneous payment, the member puts in the receipt code for the
confirmation of transaction at purchasing, receives the product and informs either the
concerted website or the delivery agency of the receipt code, enabling the settlement
procedure to start with the code put in the settlement system. In case of future payment,
the process is the same with the case of simultaneous payment except after the receipt
code is put in the settlement system, only if the customer expresses his/her satisfaction
with the product within a certain time period the settlement procedure can start. And if
the customer is not satisfied with the product, he/she can express his/her dissatisfaction
about the transaction to the intermediary website within a certain time period. The
transaction details and the settlement details are stored in the database for them and can
be used as basic date of marketing and the prices information.
Additional details shall be explained with reference to FIG, 10a as follows.
At step 1010, the intermediary website receives from the concerted shopping mall
website the transaction details about the product that the user has decided to purchase.
Here, the transaction details that the intermediary website receives can include either
only the amount to settle or the product information as well.
At step 1015, the membership verification procedure follows about the transaction
detailed received by the intermediary website.
The intermediary website verifies the membership of the user of the transaction, and then
the intermediary website's payment system intermediates the settlement for the purchase.
Here, the verification can be done in through basic verification method, proxy card
password verification method, the user's random numbers verification method, the
fingerprints verification method or through a combination of the above methods. And the
user can choose one or a combination of more than one of the methods mentioned above.
Also, the verification procedure permits up to three trials in order to raise the security
rate of the electronic commerce. If the number of trials exceeds the permitted limit, the
settlement for the transaction is refused.
At step 1020, the procedure to put in the information about the orderer and the recipient
of the product follows.
The orderer should be the concerted website, and the recipient of the product may or
may not be the member the concerted website. In the process of the information inputting,
the intermediary website checks the information about the orderer-member and the
recipient, decides whether the information matches the existing member information in
the database, and updates the member information.
The intermediary website's payment advisory system recommends the member the best
payment form, after considering such things as registered cards, granted cards by other
members, interest rates, preferential cards at the concerted shopping mall website, the
member's accumulated points, the exchange rate of the point at the shopping mall website
and the settlement day of each payment form,
At step 1030, the customer chooses the settlement option and payment form based on the
information provided by the payment advisory system.
There are three settlement methods: single settlement, combined settlement and small
amount settlement.
The single settlement is to settle using only one of the registered cards. The combined
settlement is to settle using more than two registered cards. And the small amount
settlement is to settle using the points accumulated through such activities as
advertisement viewing or using the balance of the account at the intermediary website.
At step 1035, the final verification procedure is executed.
The final verification for the card to settle is executed by putting in the receipt code. Or,
if the cardholder is not verified at step 1030, the final verification for the card to settle
can be executed through inputting of the verification password.
The secret number is the random numbers that the user is given by the intermediary
website, and according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and is a combination
of 35 4-digit numbers.
Depending on the shopping mall website's settlement policy, the member can choose not
the advance payment option but either the future or the simultaneous (or after receipt)
payment option. The receipt code is the tool to confirm whether the shipment is executed
properly in case of future or simultaneous payment, and the recipient of the product
informs the delivery agency or the shopping mall of this confirmation number. When the
shopping mall or the supplier presents this receipt code, the recipient is considered to
have received the product. The purchaser previously puts in the receipt code when
he/she requests the intermediary website to execute the settlement procedure.
At step 1040, the intermediary website executes the settlement and distributes the
settled money.
In other words, the intermediary website requests verification from the pertinent credit
card company. Depending on the verification result and the fact whether the customer
receives the product, the intermediary website receives the settled money from the
pertinent financial institute and distributes it among the online store, the supplier and the
intermediary website according to the pre-designated distribution ratio. Through this
process, a revenue model is created.
According to an embodiment of the invention, small amount settlement can be also applied
to the above case. The small amount settlement means the settlement, without additional
settlement confirmation procedure, through a certain amount of money previously in an
account with the intermediary website.
When the member uses the small amount settlement option, certain amount of money to
settle is immediately transferred from the member's account to the concerted website's
account. Through this process, immediate settlement is executed without additional
procedures with the member,
FIG. 10b is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of payment settlement for products
received online by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
At step 1050, the intermediary website establishes the basic distribution ratio for the
profit created when the contents provider's or the copyright holder's contents within the
concerted website -are sold or used.
Description on Step 1055, Step 1057 and Step 1060 shall be omitted because it is similar
to the description of FIG. 3, the verification procedure through electronic certificate.
At step 1070, the member chooses to purchase the product receivable online such as
movies, and decides the payment method.
At step 1071, whether the concerted website holds the copyright for the ordered product
is judged.
If anther concerted website holds the copyright for the ordered, the website sends the
information on the copyright for the product to the intermediary website.
Here, the information on the copyright includes the product code, the concerted website
code, the price, the member code, the copyright holder or the contents provider code and
the profit distribution ratio.
At step 1072, the concerted website sends the intermediary website the information such
as the product code, the concerted website code, the member code, the copyright holder
or the contents provider code and the profit distribution ratio, and requests for settlement.
At step 1073, the concerted website sends the intermediary website the information on
the product and requests for settlement.
At step 1074, the intermediary website checks whether it has received the profit
distribution ratio agreed specifically for product for whose copyright the settlement is
now requested. If not, the intermediary website applies the ratio established at step 1050.
At step 1076, the intermediary website sets up the received profit distribution ratio.
At step 1075, the intermediary website has already verified the membership at the
pertinent concerted website, at the pertinent concerted website's request for settlement.
So, according to the distribution ratio, the intermediary website executes the settlement
by paying the selling price, the loyalty, the information-providing fee and the
intermediary commission respectively to the concerted website, the copyright holder, the
contents provider and the intermediary website.
At step 1077, the intermediary website sends the settlement result to the concerted
website.
At step 1080, the concerted website verifies the member to use the online product
depending on the settlement result.
FIG. 10c is a drawing illustrating the table of transaction details that the intermediary
website received from an online store by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The online store sends to the intermediary website the transaction details on the product
that the user has decided to purchase. The intermediary website executes the settlement
for the transaction details with the pertinent financial institution including credit card
companies.
Here, the transaction details that the intermediary website receives can include either
only the amount to settle or the product information as well.
If only the information on the amount to settle is sent, the information includes the sum to
pay, the business registration number and the ordering code, and here the business
registration number means that of the online store.
If all the transaction details are sent, they may include the product code, the product unit
price, the number to order, the settlement option (advance, future or simultaneous
payment), whether to get supplies, and the supply price as well as the sum to pay, the
business registration number and the ordering code.
FIG. lOd is a drawing illustrating the table of verification methods in the process of
membership verification for the transaction details received at the intermediary website
by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Only if the user verifies the purchase of the product by putting in the user information,
the intermediary website's payment system intermediates the settlement for the
purchasing. Here, the verification can be done in through basic verification method, proxy
card password verification method, the user's random numbers verification method, the
fingerprints verification method or through a combination of the above methods. And the
user can choose more than one of the methods mentioned above.
The basic verification means to verify through the user's ID and password.
The card password means the number for verification of the card.
The user's random number means a combination of 4-digit numbers, called as the secret
number.
Verification through fingerprints scan is possible, and verification through scan of other
bodily features such as the pupil and glottis is also possible.
The user can choose more than one of the verification methods, and after the user
chooses the method, the verification procedure follows according to the chosen method.
FIG. 11 a flowchart illustrating the entire procedure . through which the intermediary
website purchases and supplies in connection with online and offline stores by a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
The online store focusing on the electronic commerce sells products to the purchaser and
them sends the transaction details to the intermediary website for settlement. The online
store has to have the ordered products in possession by purchasing them previously and
ship them through the delivery agency or it has to purchase and get supplied once the
ordering for the products takes place. These circumstances put a limit on the kinds of
products that can be transacted through the electronic commerce. In other words, the
kinds of the products have to be restricted by the factors like the shipping condition and
the limitations of time and location. And if the sum of prices at a single purchase is small,
the shipping cost takes up too much of the total amount to pay, leading to no transaction
at all or purchasing of unnecessary products.
These problems can be solved through the purchase and supply system according to an
embodiment of the invention.
According to the system, first the transaction details that are sent by the online store to
the intermediary website include the product item, the shipping address, the desired
supply price, the shipping time limit and the shipping conditions. Now, these are posted in
the intermediary website's purchase and supply intermediation system, and the existing
offline store decides whether to accept the conditions of supply and shipping.
The minimization of the product's moving distance du to the system reduces the physical
distribution cost and also overcomes the restricting factors on the electronic commerce
such as small transactions and the product characteristics. Also, various customized
services, for example the delivery within one hour, can be available.
By solving the problems of purchase and supply in the electronic commerce using the
invention, the new business entering the electronic commerce industry can enjoy the
effect of eliminating the entry barrier, resulting in the improvement of service qualities
due to competition. Also, the existing offline stores can establish the enduring
relationship with the customers in vicinities, and the satisfaction with the service
increases. As a result, a business structure is created which combines the strong points
of the conventional commerce structure and those of the electronic commerce.
Under the existing electronic commerce structure, if an online bookstore takes an order
of a book priced at 10 thousand won, the transaction is hard to be concluded because the
shipping costs too much compared to the book price. Under the new electronic commerce
structure provided by the invention, however, this order can be supplied by the
conventional bookstores, and the store the closest to the shipping address delivers the
book directly from its selves and receives the receipt code from the purchaser. And if the
bookstore which has executed the delivery contacts the intermediary website through the
network and gets verified of the delivery from the intermediary website, the intermediary
website completes the transaction finally. The final settlement is executed by distributing
the money the customer has paid among the offline bookstore and the online bookstore.
At step 1100, the member logs-in, goes through the verification procedure and then
orders a product from the online bookstore.
Of course, the verification is automatically executed through the concerted website's own
verification procedure or through the electronic certificate issued by the intermediary
website.
At step 1105, the purchaser purchases the product that meets the conditions he/she
presents.
At step 1110, the online store sends the transaction details on the purchased product to
the intermediary website, and on the details the product item that needs to be supplied
can be indicated.
At step 1111, the purchaser goes through the settlement procedure at the intermediary
■ website.
At step 1112, the purchaser puts in the receipt during settlement procedure.
At step 1113, the intermediary website posts the list of the ordered products on the
bulletin board for product supply.
At step 1115, offline stores contacts the intermediary website and views the list.
At step 1120, the offline store able to meet the conditions that the customer has
demanded such as the product itself and other services applies the intermediary website
for the supply.
At step 1123, the intermediary website posts the list of the applying offline stores.
At step 1130, the online store contacts the intermediary website and chooses the supply
offline store from the list.
At step 1135, the online store sends the result of choice to the intermediary website.
At step 1137, the intermediary website sends the result to the offline stores.
At step 1140, the chosen offline store delivers the product satisfying the needs of the
customer thanks to the advantage of geographical vicinity.
At step 1145, the offline store receives the receipt code as a token of completion of
delivery.
The receipt code is a PIN that the member designates at settlement. With this code the
purchaser confirms whether the delivery is completed without any trouble, and only with
this code input the settlement for the product follows,
At step 1150, the offline store sends the received receipt code to the intermediary
website.
At step 1155, the intermediary website compares the code received by the offline store
with the one input by the purchaser at the moment of purchasing, and confirms whether
the purchaser has received the product.
At step 1160, if the two codes are the same, the intermediary website requests the credit
card company to pay for the purchase.
At step 1165, the credit card company executes the settlement and the intermediary
website receives the money.
At step 1170, the intermediary website distributes the received money to the online and
the offline stores.
According to another embodiment of the invention, when the intermediary website
distributes the money settled by the purchaser to the concerted website and the offline
store chosen to supply, first, it takes the commission proportionate to the total amount of
money. Then it pays the offline store the desired price for each item, and finally pays the
concerted website the rest of the money, which is the amount of money left after
deduction the commission and the price desired by the offline store.
At step 1175, the intermediary website remits the sale margin to the online store.
At step 1180, the intermediary website remits the supply price to the offline store.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of purchasing and supplying between
online and offline stores by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
At step 1205, the intermediary website receives the purchase information and the receipt
code for each product.
Here, the receipt code is a token to confirm whether the shipment has been completed. It
is a PIN that the member designates at settlement. With this code the purchaser confirms
whether the delivery is completed without any trouble, and only with this code input the
settlement for the product follows.
The intermediary website stores the receipt code and uses it for settlement procedure
later when the offline store completes shipping,
At step 1210, the intermediary website posts the information on the products to be
supplied according to the transaction details.
At step 1215, after waiting for offline store and other businesses to apply for the supply
for a pre-designated time, the intermediary website moves to the next step if more than
one of the stores applies.
At step 1220, the intermediary website posts the list of applying stores for the online
store to choose a store, and the online store views the list through the network.
It is the online store that chooses the store to supply because as the user has purchased
the product from the online store, all the rights and responsibilities belong to the online
store. The intermediary website only supports to choose the offline store to supply,
confirms the completion of delivery and intermediates the settlement.
The offline stores able to meet the supplying conditions presented by the online store
apply for supply to the intermediary website.
At step 1225, the online store chooses the offline store to supply. At step 1230, the
intermediary store notifies the chosen offline store of the fact.
At step 1235, the offline store delivers the product, receives the receipt code, sends it to
the intermediary website, and request for settlement.
At step 1240, the intermediary website judges the purchaser's settlement option.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there are two settlement options: the
simultaneous -that is, payment at receipt of the product- and the future payment.
At step 1245, in case of the simultaneous payment, the receipt code is used only to judge
whether the member has received the product.
If the receipt code presented by the offline store does not accord with the one input by
the purchaser at the moment of purchasing, the intermediary website does not execute
the settlement procedure until the correct code is put in.
At step 1250, the two receipt codes accord with each other, the intermediary website
executes the settlement procedure. As after all the products purchased by the first
purchaser are confirmed to be received by him/she, the settlement can be executed
among the online store, the offline store and the intermediary, the settlement for the
early delivered product is deterred until the last product is delivered. When all the
products are confirm to be received, and then the money is settled among the online
store, the offline store and the intermediary website.
In case of future payment, the receipt code is verified at step 1250.
At step 1260, the customer is asked if he/she is satisfied with the product.
The receipt code in case of future payment works as not only a token to confirm the
completion of delivery but also a tool to judge the degree of the customer's satisfaction
with the product.
If the customer is satisfied, he/she pays for the product at t Step 1255, and if not, the
intermediary website deletes of the transaction details at step 1265. And it notifies the
online shopping mall of the fact and finishes the procedure. The online store is
responsible for any further dealings with the transaction.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure in the event the supplying contract is
cancelled after it was awarded by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Explanation on the procedure from Step 1305 to Step 1330 shall be omitted because it is
the same as for the procedure from Step 1205 to Step 1230 in FIG. 12.
At step 1335, the intermediary website judges whether the contract is cancelled.
If not, the offline store delivers the product at step 1340, and the transaction is completed
with the settlement at step 1350.
If the contract is cancelled, at step 1341 the intermediary website judges who cancelled it
- that is, the online store or the chosen offline store.
At step 1343, if the chosen offline store cancelled the contract, it puts in the fact in the
intermediary website, and the intermediary website notifies the online store.
At step 1345, re-selection method is decided.
If the online store cancelled the contract, it chooses one among other applying store. Or,
it posts the lists of products again and invites offline stores to apply.
In other words, if no store can satisfy the needs of the customer, again the list of product
is posted and another offline store is chosen. But if the previously chosen offline store
cannot meet the customer's demands and one of the let-out offline stores can, the online
store can choose the one left-out store as the supply store.
As a result, if the supplying contract is cancelled, a newly chosen offline store gets to
deliver the product. The invention enables the electronic commerce to absorb the
conventional practices of commerce, contributing to the creation of a new structure of
commerce that leads to optimization of the physical distribution.
FIG. 14 is a drawing illustrating the organization of the intermediary website system
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The intermediary website is made up of log creation & advertisement distribution
system(1410), payment settlement & intermediation system(1420), marketing data mining
system(1430) and the database(l440).
Log-creation & advertisement distribution system(1410) creates log-files about the
user's advertisement viewing details, product purchasing details and his/her activity
details at the intermediary website or at the concerted websites.
The created log-files are stored in the database and later used as basic data for
providing services of advertisement customized for each customer.
Payment settlement & intermediation system(1420) executes the settlement in
cooperation with financial institutions including the existing credit card companies.
Originally, data mining refers to the process to extract information in order to find the
pattern and tendency inside the oversized date and to use them for a more advanced
decision-making. It is an interactive tool for the user to access the database management
system (DBMS) and to search for data easily and correctly.
As the data in e-business section is based mostly on the time concepts such as time
series, sequence and cycle, when processing this kind of data, the data mining method
based on the concept of time is the essential for providing the customized services.
The log-files created by log-file creation & advertisement distribution system (1410) and
stored in the database can be utilized for Customer Relation Management (CRMO and
Supply Chain Management (CRM) through the marketing data mining system (1430).
In the database (1440), data that is needed to or created from the services provided by
the intermediary website such as membership verification, proxy card λ}- -, purchase and
supply, advertisement sending.
Each of the sub-databases shall be explained with reference to FIG. 15a through FIG.lδi
as follows.
FIG. 15a is a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the membership database
by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The membership database stores the basic information the user has entered during
membership registration and the newly created information in the Internet websites by
the invention.
FIG. 15b is the structure of table established in the advertisement reception log file
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The advertisement reception log database records the member's advertisement viewing
details, and the member's accumulated points and tastes identified based on this database
can be utilized to provide customized services.
FIG. 15c a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the concerted website
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
In these databases, information about the Internet websites in concert with the
intermediary website is stored.
FIG. 15d is a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the advertisement
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The advertisement database is helpful to the advertiser as it stores information necessary
for each advertisement. By analyzing this database, the advertiser can execute the
efficient targeting advertisement to yield practical effects.
FIG. 15d is a drawing illustrating the table of data established in the advertisement
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
This is used to display the descriptions on each product when the purchaser searches for
products.
FIG. 15f is a drawing of the table of data established in the product transaction main-log
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 15g is a drawing of the table of data established in the product transaction sub-log
database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The product transaction log database records the transaction details on the products the
customer purchases directly from the Internet shopping mall or indirectly through the
mall. The user's payment pattern and tastes identified based on this database can be
utilized to provide the customized services.
The product transaction log database is divided into the main-log and the sub-log
database. The main-log database stores the information about the purchasers, and on the
other hand, the sub-log database stores the purchasing conditions and information on
each product.
FIG. 15h is a drawing of the table of data established in the credit card database by a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
The proxy card can represent all the cards that the user has in possession, and this
database is used when the information on each card is demanded through the use of the
proxy card.
FIG. 15i is a drawing of the table of data established in the credit card use, verification &
transaction details database by a preferred embodiment of the invention.
As although the proxy card is used in the transaction, ultimately the settlement is
executed through the actual card such as the credit card, this database stores the
verification and transaction details of each card.
It is anticipated that other embodiments of the present invention will be readily apparent
to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to
the specific details, representations, schematic drawings or examples and embodiments
shown and described herein. Accordingly, departures may be made from the details
without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed general inventive concept.
[Industrial Applicability]
As stated above, the invention provides a system of integrating member management,
ridding each store or website of the burdens of managing its own data on all the members
and each member of the troubles of registering at every website, which leads to increase
in the number of members.
On the informational contents provider's part, the invention eases the burden to keep the
website's specialty while depending on earnings from advertisement providing, the
customer, and on the customer's part, it returns the advertising costs usually included in
the product price to them. Also, it induces the member to visit less-known Internet
websites for the purpose of earning more advertisement viewing money, which proves
the effectiveness of advertising at the Internet websites which focus on new or small
number of specific members.
The advertiser, now informed of the exact number of advertisement viewers, can control
the effect of advertising by adjusting the advertisement viewing money paid to the
members using the method of adjusting the advertising period with the total costs firmly
set. He/she also can utilize the information about the viewer's response to the
advertisement - that is, whether the advertisement induces the viewer to purchase,
execute the optimal marketing in the market, and reduce the advertising costs.
The shopping website, without advertisement campaign, can attract new members by
granting the right to use the accumulated points to purchase. Also, it can apply a more
active method to attract members such as floating exchange rate system. The floating
exchange rate on the point has the effect of returning the advertising costs to the
customer more actively, and incidentally of more active transaction among members that
leads to purchasing of more expensive products.
The number given to each member enables the member to store the information on
various kinds of cards he/she has in the related database, solving the security problem of
using the actual credit card at transactions and eliminating the inconvenience of carrying
all of the cards,
Credit granting among the intermediary website members relieves the difficulties for all
the family members or all the constituents of a company to register and manage all the
cards individually, which improves the convenience and reduces the incidental expenses.
And the individual electronic certificate, if stored in the form of electronic purse in the
member's personal information section, is free of the inconvenience to use due to the
change of location of the user. It is safe and convenient to use.
Large-scale transactions, due to collective settlement between the credit card companies
and all the concerted websites, reduce the commission rate, and the resulted profits are
returned to each concerted website and customers.
The invention provides convenience for new credit card companies to attract their
members and enter the market more easily, leading to reduction in all the incidental
expenses. And the reduced amount can be used for customer services, which naturally
gives rise to competitions among the credit card companies. The reduction in the
incidental expenses, which was difficult under the existing system, also reduces the
commission rate of credit card transactions, and the profits are returned to not only
concerted websites but also the customers.
Online stores undertake information providing for the customer and online sales, and
conventional stores do the actual selling. This specialization reduces the physical
distribution costs due to the minimization of the product's moving distance. The
specialization also activates small online business transactions and broadens the scope of
items sold online, resulting in providing products and services satisfactory to the
customer. Moreover, the invention solves the problem of purchase and supply that new
businesses used to face enter the electronic commerce market. Thus, the entry barrier is
eliminated, and improvement in service qualities due to competitions is expected. And the
operation based on long-standing relationship with customers in vicinity of the
conventional stores increases the customer satisfaction.
Business structure like this has positive effects on all the sectors in the information
communications market. It eliminates the initial entry barrier for each business and
provides them with the opportunity to create another market.
Each member's advertisement viewing and purchase & payment details can be monitored
and used as basic data by all the economic subjects. First of all, these details help the
advertiser to set up future marketing policy by presenting the advertiser with the
information on the effectiveness of advertising and the viewer responses to the
advertisement. By providing the government with transparent transaction details, these
details can be used as the basic data for taxation source management and the price
policy-making. And by providing the consumer with product information based on real
market price, these details increase the consumer's profits.