WO2001045011A1

WO2001045011A1 - A method and system for conducting electronic commerce by using an intelligent direct marketing engine

Info

Publication number: WO2001045011A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/034031
Authority: WO
Inventors: Damon Bryan Edwards; Roy P. Kim; Gigi Fernandez
Original assignee: Planesia, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-12-16
Filing date: 2000-12-15
Publication date: 2001-06-21
Also published as: AU2265601A

Abstract

A system and method to allow a third party intermediary (110) to build a database and direct marketing engine by storing and analyzing data information of its users (125). The system of this invention allows users (125) to browse and/or purchase items from affiliated merchant web sites (120) while keeping the user's (125) identity concealed from the affiliated merchants (120). Users (125) can designate any delivery date in the future, access a master shopping cart which will display items ordered from multiple merchants (120), gain access to a calendar and store significant date information, create an address book and link the addresses to shipping address when ordering items, and establish a personal account containing private information to be used in simplifying the user's (125) shopping experience.

Description

A METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONDUCTING ELECTRONIC COMMERCE BY USING AN INTELLIGENT DIRECT MARKETING ENGINE

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a method and sv stem lor facilitating shopping, and more particulai ly to a shopping tool that maintains user piivacv while allowing users to browse associated merchants on the Internet and make direct marketing connections between the user and a merchant

BACKGROUND

Millions ot users log onto the Internet

day and visit many different sites Internet marketers often target users based on the t\ pe of web sites that the users ha\e accessed and the type of products that the users hav e ordered Marketei s aie aware of useis that have accessed their sites b\ tracking users thiough the use of cookies ^" \ cookie is alphanumeric information that is placed on the user^"s computer by a web site visited by the user The cookie stores the user^'s preferences while \ιsιtιng the web site and may store the addiesses to pages that were previously visited while at the web site

With the ease of access to usei infoimation. the issue of privacy on the Internet has become a hea\ ilv debated issue Users would prefer not to be inundated with marketing messages fiom the sites the\ ha\ e visited in the past oi from sites the users have no interest in, while at the same time merchants need to generate

being able to target specific users and establish a user base There are some web sites that exist solely to gather information on Internet users. There are other web sites that may offer privacy to users while browsing the web or while making purchases and other web sites, which offer gift certificates that can be used anywhere on the Internet. Many sites have their own version of the electronic check-out or shopping cart mechanism but few web sites offer one master shopping cart for purchases from multiple merchants and allow access to personalized tools to simplify shopping on the Internet.

There is a need for users to bro se merchant w eb sites while being able to maintain user privacy. There is a further need for merchants to effectively target the users the merchant wants to reach. Additionally, there is a need for a system that will simplify the shopping process on the Internet and offer the users of the system a web site that can "do it all^" when it comes to shopping on the Internet. Furthermore, there is a need to offer users the ability to shop on the Internet and be able to order items for an}- particular date in the future. Finally, there is a need to assist merchants in marketing products to appropriate targeted groups of consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention facilitates computerized shopping through an intermediary acting as a portal web site, w hich keeps a user^'s shopping habits pnvate from affiliated merchants while the user is browsing 01 shopping horn a choice of diffei ent affiliated merchant web sites The portal enables the selection of products tiom a v ariety of meichants w eb sites and places the selected products for purchase into a master shopping cart w here the user can charge different credit card accounts and ship to diffeient addresses toi each item oidered The user confirms the purchases and the portal w eb site transmits the oidei s foi the usei ^'s items for purchase to each selected merchant web site According to the inv ention, usei s mav be offered promotions from meichants without the merchant^'s knowledge of the user^'s ldentitv This invention allows the merchant to directh target the type of customer that the merchant w ants to reach The merchant can narrow the amount of customers that receive a promotional offer by contacting the intermediar} with a specific a set of criteria that the targeted users should match The system of the present invention data mines the information that has been collected on its users to determine whether or not any users match the merchant^'s criteria The piomotional offers can be improved to encourage more spending b} the customer and the mei chant mav be able to increase profits

The user allows the intermediary to gather and access the user^'s data information, such as credit card numbers, shipping addresses, bnthday. anniversary and other significant dates. shopping preferences, tracking of sites visited and/or shopping habits The intermediarv may coordinate a comprehensive correspondence program with its users to establish communication by various methods, such as by e-mail, facsimiles, or an} other manner that it arranged between the user and the intermediarv The intermediarv mav set up a frequent user program to create loyalty and repeated use of the intermediaiv s web site and/oi the associated merchants^' web sites Users have access to several shopping tools, such as a personal address book, a calendar to keep tiack of significant dates and the usei mav leceiv e reminders w ith gift suggestions prior to a holidav or occasion On-line gieeting caids and gift ceitificates aie available to users to send to third parties The user has the option to pre-ordei products and select future delivery dates through a timed oidei management system (TOMS), which is referenced in a provisional patent application Senal No 60/1 71 .057 Useis aie able to seaich an interactive product catalogue, which contains inv entory from multiple merchants, and can purchase brand name gifts

This inv ention creates compelling leasons toi the user to return to the intermediary s portal web site bv offering a v aπetv of associated shopping tools and user privacy while browsing associated merchant w eb sites Affiliated meichants gain a new marketing tool to assist in determining which users should be targeted for promotional offers This is a considerable benefit to the affiliated merchants because it assists the merchants in using their marketing dollars wisely

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the system of the present invention; FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of the routine that illustrates interactions that take place between the users and affiliated merchants of thi^c system;

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of the routine that provides options to the user upon logging onto the system of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of the private promotion engine within the shopping web site; and

FIG. 5 provides an illustration of the commercialization of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The method and system of one embodiment of the present invention matches promotions and advertisements from a varietv of affiliated merchants to users of this system. The merchants define a set of criteria for the type of user that they wish to target. The system of this invention determines the number of users who match the merchant^'s criteria by analyzing the information regarding user shopping habits that has been stored and then providing the merchant w ith statistical reports without disclosing the user^' s idemttv The user remains anonymous to the merchants until a transaction takes place between the merchant and the user. Users will have the option to participate in various types of promotions from the affiliated merchants. fhus. one embodiment o the present invention creates a data clearinghouse of information. I sers of this sv stem allow their information, such as their shopping habits, billing and shipping information and other shopping related information, to be collected and analyzed by the shopping web site. I 'sers can purchase products from multiple merchants, ho are part of the network of merchants hosted by this invention, and the invention places the user^'s purchases into a master shopping cart, which is a single location where the user^'s purchases from all merchants are placed. The user selects the type of payment and the shipping address to apply to each item in the master shopping cart. This inv ention offers a v ariety of shopping tools that will entice the user to return to the third party intermediarv ^"s site to browse and/or shop on the affiliated merchant web sites. The intermediary ^'s site receives a percentage of the transactions that occur through the use of the system of this invention. This creates a continuous revenue flow tor the intermediary, enables the intermediary^'s web site to gain access to valuable shopping habit information and provides a reliable source of marketing information to the affiliated merchants. This invention provides affiliated merchants with a reliable and potentially more profitable marketing process on the Internet.

With reference to the figures, v arious embodiments of the present invention will no w be described in greater detail. FIG. 1 is a block diagram if αstrating one embodiment of the sv stem o! the present invention. The shopping w eb site sv stem 110 is the central point of communication between the affiliated merchants and users of this invention. Transactions are processed within the central processing unit (CPU), which processes requests for information. Information is stored in databases 1 15 within the shopping eb site. The databases contain information pertaining to the users of the system of this invention and the affiliated merchants. This data is a valuable source of information for the affiliated merchants 120. and may be used to determine marketing trends, demographics, and assist merchants in determining wnere 10 place appropriate local advertising. The intermediarv ^'s dataυases are the keeper and guardian of the user information that is obtained while the user 125 is browsing or shopping when logged into the intermediary^'s portal web site. The user is aware that the portal web site is gathering and storing personal information and agrees to the arrangement in exchange for having the portal web site keep the user^'s identity concealed from the affiliated merchants and at the same time receiv e promotions from the merchants. The user has the option to disclose identifying information during the transactions that take place between the user and the merchant, if the user so desires. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the routine that illustrates interactions that take place between the users and merchants of this system. Users 125 gain access to this shopping system through public web servers 205. Users mav¹ then access the web servers 208 of the affiliated merchants through this system. Users may then shop on or browse the merchant^'s web site for products to purchase. Information regarding the shopping habits of the users is stored by the shopping web site and analyzed for data mining 210 purposes. The results of the data mining are valuable for merchants to determine user shopping habits. The merchants receive the data mining information but the identitv of the users of these shopping habits is concealed. Data mining information enables the merchants to target certain users for particular products and promotional offers from the merchant. Marketing trends and patterns can be determined and used by the merchant to target specific users by analyzing the shopping habit information of the users of the shopping web site. The intermediary keeps track of all of the user^'s shopping choices. This includes tracking items that are placed into the master shopping cart, items that are removed Irom the master shopping cart and the items that are ev entually purchased. This is valuable information because the intermediary tracks the items the user selects from all of the affiliated merchant eb sites. By tracking information between the user and all affiliated merchants the intermediary is able to put together a total snapshot of the user^'s shopping habits, tastes and interests. This information is of great interest to a marketer because the data contains a trail of user information from across multiple transaction systems and gives the marketer a larger base of information from which to base promotional offers. The shopping web site can supply a merchant with shopping reports, performance information, user traffic statistics and user trends and activity reports, all while keeping the user^'s identity private. Merchants may contact users through the intermediary to offer promotions to specific targeted users. This method of targeting users or e-merchandising 212 increases the merchant^'s marketing opportunities and possibly the merchant^'s profits.

Databases 215 within the system store information relating to merchants, customers, transactions and inventory. Users have access to information regarding the inventory of merchant products within the system. Each of the affiliated merchants^' 220 products are aggregated into one inventory location 225 and users can search this aggregation of products to find the particular item they are interested in. The shopping web site communicates with the merchants by way of drivers 227 that convert instructions from the shopping web site system to the merchants^' web site systems into messages that the merchant^'s web site can understand for the creation of integrated interactive product catalogs. The users are provided links to access multiple merchant eb sites and users can access interactive product catalogs, which combine products from various brand names and from the affiliated merchants. The products are gathered by the intermediary through data feeds received from the merchant^'s web site or from within the intermediary^'s own proxy server if the item has already been stored there. This enables the shopping web site to implement one click buying and provides shopping convenience and cross merchandising to the user. If the user decides to purchase an item, one of the options available to the user is the option to advance order an item, which means that the user can select any date in the future to order the product and the user can shop for all current and future needs simultaneously. The present invention uses a Timed Order Management System (TOMS) 230 to integrate the user^'s order with the merchant^'s order system 235. This enables the shopping web site to place orders with the merchant at the appropriate time and meet the customers^" required delivery date.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the routine that provides options to the user upon logging into the shopping web site. The first time a user logs into the shopping web site, it is noted that the user is a new user and a welcoming kit is sent to the user. This kit may contain coupons, promotions, and gift suggestions for the user to use while shopping on the portal web site. To attract users, some gift suggestions may be compliments of a celebrity figure. The celebrity figure may advise the user of new gift trends and hot ltei is. which may be selected while shopping via the portal web site When the user successfully gains access into the system 300 there are several options to choose fiom The "My Cait option 305 allows the user to view the items that are currently selected tor purchase Puichase information such as item name and description, quantitv price, subtotal, and the merchant fiom where the item was ordered are displav ed The usei s orders lrom any of the af filiated merchant web sites are placed into a master shopping cait The oidered items aie listed indiv lduallv with the associated merchant's name which allo s the user to iew all purchases from different merchants in one location The subtotal is displav ed for all items listed The 'Go Shop' option 310 displav s a plurahtv of affiliated merchant web sites B\ clicking on the links to the merchant web sites, the usei gains access into the appropriate eb site The shopping web site uses a prox} server to determine if the page that the user is requesting lrom a merchant s web site is already sav ed w ithin the cache director} The cache directorv is a tempoiary storage for web pages that vveie previously requested by the shopping web site tor a user If the web page that the user is currently requesting is already stored in the cache the shopping web site s brow ser can get the page from the cache rathei than from the merchant s web browser This will save time for the user and save the shopping web site the burden of handling additional traffic internally and through the Internet in seeking the page from the merchant s web site The exchange of information between the user and the merchant is handled by the intermediary s browser rather than the user s browser This enables the intermediary to track every request and ke} stroke of the user and creates the valuable database of user information in the process The intermediarv s browser / proxy server is able to provide more functionahtv to the user s browser dunniz the exchange of information between the user and the merchant The merchant s brand name and experience is not diluted by the intermediary s intervention in the exchange of infoimation betw een the user and the merchant The use of the shopping web site s browsei / proxv serv ei is inv lsible to the user The intermediary passively and efficiently exchanges ti attic between both the user and the merchant This in ention allows the user to access and browse a merchant's web site through the portal web site and continue to be able to access the options within the portal web site T his is accomplished bv using a programming method of setting up invisible frames within a screen Frames allow diffeient sections of the scieen to displav information from different sources on the Internet For example the user mav click on a merchant s icon in one section ol the screen have the mei chant s eb site displav on another section ot fl e scieen and the user remains able to access the shopping options on the portal s web site The process of using frames keeps the user linked to the portal web site and the portal is able to continue gathering data on its users One of the advantages of this invention tor both the merchant and the portal web site is that the portal web site keeps the user on its site and provides access to the av ailable portal shopping options and at the same time allows access to a v arietv of diffeient associated merchants Bv keeping the user on the portal web site the portal can continue to collect information regarding the user s shopping habits and use the information to compile and supply statistical reports to affiliated merchants A user s shopping habits aie v aluable information for a merchant who can then tailor advertising toward the indiv ldual user It is to the portal s advantage to keep the user on the portal web site because it allows the portal to continue to tiack the user s shopping and browsing habits Users may be offered shopping incentives to encourage a greater frequency of usage of the portal web site referrals and/oi a loyaltv to the pottal web site These incentives may include, but are not limited to. advantage miles rebates coupons, discounts and other point type s tems Thiough the use of this inv ention meichants and adv ertisers can contact the portal web site to deteimine if theie is a maiket loi paiticului meichandise The portal web site is able to ascertain which users the affiliated meichants should target By maiketing to a targeted audience, merchants increase the likelihood ol a p u chase fiom a user The process of targeting known users is moie appealing to merchants and adv eitisei s rather than spending money to advertise to an unknown maiket, w hich ma} yield unknown lesults

The "M} Stuff option 315 allows the user to personalize the portal web site to the user's personal, specific information relating to shopping The usei can cieate new addiesses 340 and add ciedit card account information 350 \ calendai 360 can be accessed which displays prior and futuie vears The user can add significant ev ents to the calendar such as birthdays, anniv ersaries etc A reminder alert can be set up to remind the user of upcoming events/occasions, which can be in the foim of appropriate gift suggestions that the user may purchase thiough the portal web site If a name is associated with the significant event/occasion that name may be linked to a name in the addiess book It, at a future time, an item is purchased for the person listed at that address the usei mav select that person^'s address from a list of shipping address choices which sav es the usei the time and effort of having to re-enter this information at a later date

The usei can access a personal piolile 370 w hich lists the user s address phone number and other personal information The usei can change the password that is used to access the portal web site in this option In another option, the user can access an order history 380 to view the current and past purchases and pending oidei s in their account The user also has the option to create merchant accounts 390 Merchant accounts allow the user to input the logon and password which the user mav hav e aheadv established with a particular merchant web site when logging into the merchant s web site outside of the s} stem of this invention The portal web site stores the user^'s logon and password information and uses the information to access the merchant's web site for the user when that particular merchant is selected The user is saved the time and effort of re-inputting this information each time that the user accesses that merchant's

The "My Stuff option is a valuable tool for the user because it allows the user to set up all shopping options pnoi to actually completing a purchase When the user is ready to purchase an item, the user needs only to select which credit caid. address, and type of delivery service, etc to apply to a particular purchase This sa es time foi the usei. especially if the user is processing the shopping order via a communication device other than a computer, such as a peisonal digital assistant (PDA), or a cell phone an} other tv pe of communication device

The user has the option to access a help screen that contains frequently asked questions and answers 320 and can log off the system b} selecting the appropriate option 325

When the user has completed making pui chases the user can choose to proceed to the checkout option, as shown in 330 This option dιspla} s a screen that details the information regarding the user s purchases from any and all of the various merchant web sites Information such as item description, quantit} . puce, and order piocessing date is dιspla}ed The user has the option to either hold or delete each item in the purchase oidei The user also has options, which can be selected from a menu, in determining the delivery method, the credit card to be used for each item and the shipping address for sending each item This invention links the information that the user has entered in the personal addiess book with the shipping information and links previously entered credit card numbers to the checkout option This permits the user to select from a list of choices in appropriate menus and proceed w ith the order, which bypasses the step of re-inputting data that has already been entered into the system.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of the private promotion engine within the shopping web site. Affiliated merchants 410 contact the portal web site w ith the parameters of a promotional offer to be communicated to specific targeted users of the shopping web site. The merchant may send information via a data feed to the portal web site. The portal web site examines the data information that has been gathered and stored in the portal web site^'s appropriate databases. The private promotion engine 420 enables the users of the shopping web site to receive promotions from the affiliated merchants and keep the users^" identity concealed from the merchants. The data w ithin the shopping web site is analyzed to identify users that match the merchant^'s parameters for a promotional offer. Those parameters specify the criteria that the merchant would like the users 430 of the system of this invention to possess in order to receive the promotional offer. For example, the merchant may only want to contact users that hav e spent over 5300 in the past month while shopping on the merchant^'s web site. Currently, Internet merchants have limited knowledge of the members of the market group they would like to reach and therefore promotional offers, such as coupons and other offers are sent to a larger group of Internet users than is necessary. This group mav contain people who have never accessed the marketer^'s web site or who may never be interested in the marketer^'s products. For example, if the promotional offer is a $ 10.00 coupon towards a purchase from the merchant's web site, the receiver of this offer may purchase one item in order to use the coupon and may not visit the merchant^'s web site again. The merchant loses money on this type of offer because the coupon did not entice the customer to purchase more items and ^fhe customer will not be returning to the web site in the future. The merchant is aware of the potential for losses when using this type of promotional marketing but still hopes that the customer will come back to the web site and make purchases in the future On the other hand, a person who visits a merchant^'s web site often and makes frequent puichases will have a greatei appieuation ioi a coupon or a discount and it is more likely that the person w ill v isit the site again in the future An Internet merchant is more inclined to give better promotions to a loyal customer

The merchant may use any type of a prerequisite as quahfv ing criteria for users to receive a promotional offer The intermediary anahzes the information that has been compiled and stored in its databases regarding the user^'s shopping hab'ts and determines which users match the merchant^'s ciitena Once the appropriate useis aie identified the portal web site communicates the promotional offer to the useis This mav be done v lα e-mαil or notification to the user upon log-in to the portal web site or bv any other method of communication that is arranged between the portal web site and the user At this point the user is aware of the merchant s offer but the merchant is not aware of the identity of the usei The user may then decide whethei or not to accept a merchant's offer The user^'s data information is kept priv ate until the user decides to accept the merchant^'s otter If the user accepts the promotional offer, some of the user s information becomes available to the merchant such as e user s name and address ciedit card number and/or form of payment and shipping address information

Users of the system of this invention allow their profile attributes or personal information and shopping habits to be gathered and stored bv the portal web site for use in the private promotion engine As previousK stated, the user s attributes are then analyzed by the portal web site to determine if the user is eligible to receiv e any current promotional offers from the affiliated merchants If the user s attributes match the criteria from any of the merchants, the user is eligible to receive the promotional offer from that meichant If the user s attributes do not match the merchant^'s criteria, the user w ill not receive the merchant^'s current promotion. However, that user^'s profile attributes w ill continue to be gathered and stored for a possible match with a merchant for another promotional offer in the future.

The user can "opt-in^" to as man}' promotions as the user would like to be offered. This means that if the user wants to maintain a high level of privacy from the affiliated merchants, the user does not have to accept or even receive any promotional offers. The number of promotional offers that the user receives depends on how much privacy the user wants to maintain. This system may enable the user to receive promotional offers that can be used both at the merchant's online site and at the merchant brick and mortar location. The merchant is attempting to obtain a valuable customer and a promotional offer, which can be used either on-line or off-line, will provide a strong incentive to a customer to continue shopping for the merchant^'s products.

The intermediary can sell to a merchant the opportunity to offer promotions to users of the intermediary^'s shopping web site. The intermediarv' can advise the merchant of the types of users that are available to receive promotions. The shopping habits and interests of the users are used to market the intermediary^'s promotion engine to merchants without revealing the user's identity. The advantages and uses of the private promotional engine are not limited to those discussed above and parties other than merchants, such as manufacturers or service type companies, can make promotional offers through the use of this system.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of the commercialization of the present invention. The shopping web site supports a plurality of affiliate programs 505 to extend the brand name of the merchants and to extend the shopping web site^'s online reach 510. The affiliate programs will work to increase the awareness of the merchant^'s brand name and products and to increase the revenue of the shopping web site and that of the affiliated merchants. Affinity partners 515 are one of the advantages of the shopping web site for usei s 1 he ai iinitv partners may provide airline miles, rebates and other point of sale t\ pe incentiv es lor the user Primary portals 520 are used to provide incentives to the user for frequent use and for user loyalty. Traditional marketing 525 and targeted niche portals 530 are used to entice the user to return to the shopping web site The aim of these programs is to increase sales i ev enue 535. increase customer referrals 540 and increase brand name recognition 545 of the affiliated merchants Currently, the shopping web site uses the above stated steps as part of the marketing program. The marketing program may be changed at an} time in the future to increase the profits and awareness of the shopping web site to other users The functionality of this s} stem enables it to be used in a business to customer platform as well as a business to business platform The tools and information that are provided thiough the use of this shopping web site are easily adaptable to both platforms It will be understood that the method and system of the present inv ention has many applications, and that the present invention is not limited to the representativ e examples disclosed herein. Moreover, the scope of the present invention covers conv entionallv known ai iations and modifications to the system components and the method steps described herein

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of facilitating computerized shopping on a shopping web site, said shopping web site comprising multiple links to merchant web sites thereon. comprising; a) transmitting to a user a choice of said links to merchant web sites; b) receiving from said user a selected link to a merchant web site; c) providing said user access to the selected merchant web site, wherein identity information of said user is concealed from said merchant web site; d) receiving from said user a selection of products from said merchant^'s web site; e) placing said selection of products into a master shopping cart; f) receiving a confirmation from said user for said selection of products; and g) transmitting an order for the user^'s purchases to said selected merchant web site.

2. The method of claim 1. wherein said user is allowed access to each of said merchant web sites to shop therefrom and place said selection of products from any of said merchant web sites into said master shopping cart.

3. The method of claim 1. wherein said merchant web sites are displayed to said user from within said shopping web site.

The method ol claim 3. wherein said shopping web site comprises a plurality of frames, said selected merchant web site hosted in one of said plurality of frames

The method of claim 1 wheiein said shopping web site stores log-on information

The method claim 5, wherein said storing of log-on information for particular merchant web sites comprises a) receiving a logon code to be stored in a plurality of shopping web site databases, and b) leceiΛ'ing a password code to be stored in said shopping web site databases

The method of claim 6. wherein access to said merchant web site is accomplished with said log-on information for said user

The method of claim 1 . wherein products from said merchant web sites are combined into a single catalog containing all pioducts from all merchant web sites

The method of claim 8 wheiein said user s selection of products from said merchant^'s web site is obtained by a prox} server

10. The method of claim 9. wherein said proxy server handles the requests between said user and said merchant^'s web site.

11. The method of claim 8. wherein said user is offered the option of searching said single catalog for items to purchase.

12. The method of claim 1. wherein said user is offered a choice of at least one credit card number belonging to said user for purchasing products on the shopping web site.

13. The method of claim 1. wherein said user is offered a choice of a delivery method for shipping of said selection of products.

14. The method of claim 1. wherein said user is offered a choice of a shipping address for said selection of products when confirming purchase orders.

15. The method of claim 1. wherein said user is provided an incentive award for using said shopping web site.

16. A method of claim 1, wherein data information from said merchant web sites is stored within a database of said shopping web site.

7. A method of facilitating computerized direct marketing by a merchant, comprising: a) receiving a set of criteria from said merchant, said set of criteria used to determine users that said merchant wishes to target; b) receiving a promotional offer from said merchant to be communicated to said users; c) analyzing user profile attributes to compile a list of targeted users, said targeted users matching said set of criteria; d) transmitting said promotional offer to targeted users that match said set of criteria; and e) providing statistical information to said merchant, wherein identity information of each of said users is concealed from said merchant.

18. A method of shopping on a shopping web site, comprising: a) logging into said shopping web site: b) selecting a merchant web site on said shopping web site; c) shopping on said merchant web site; d) selecting an item for purchase from said merchant web site; and e) confirming said item for purchase.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said user receives a welcoming kit upon first logon to said shopping web site.

0. The method of claim 18. wherein said confirming said item for purchase by a user, comprises: a) viewing a master shopping cart belonging to said user; b) transmitting a shipping address; c) transmitting a credit card number to be applied to said item for purchase; d) transmitting a delivery date to be applied to said item for purchase; e) transmitting a delivery method to be applied to said item for purchase: and f) selecting an option to hold or delete said item for purchase.

21. The method of claim 20. wherein said user provides any date in the future for said delivery date for said item for purchase.

22. The method of claim 18. wherein personal information of said user is concealed from said merchant.

23. The method of claim 20. further comprising selecting a gift certificate for purchase.

24. The method of claim 20. wherein said shopping web site comprises of a plurality of virtual greeting cards.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said user selects one of said a plurality of virtual greeting cards to send to a third party.

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26. The method of claim 18. wherein said user receives gift suggestions from said shopping web site.

27. The method of claim 18. wherein said user personalizes said shopping web site. comprising: a) entering personal profile information: b) entering personal credit card information; c) entering personal address information: d) accessing a calendar: and e) entering significant date information.

28. The method of claim 27. wherein said shopping web site transmits a reminder to said user regarding an upcoming significant date.

29. The method of claim 28. wherein said personal address information is linked to a calendar belonging to said user and is used to confirm shipping addresses.

30. A system for using a computer to facilitate computerized shopping on a shopping web site, said shopping web site comprising multiple links to merchant web sites thereon, comprising: a) a memory unit. b) a processing unit disposed in communication with said memory unit, said processing unit configured to: - transmit to a user a choice of said links to merchant web sites; - receive from said user a selection of a link to a merchant web site: - provide said user access to the selected merchant web site, wherein identity information of said user is concealed from said merchant web site; - receive from said user a selection of products from said merchant^'s web site: - place said selection of products into a master shopping cart; - receive a confirmation from said user for said selection of products; and - transmit an order for the user's purchases to said selected merchant web site.

31. A system for using a computer to facilitate computerized direct marketing by a merchant, comprising: a) a memory unit. b) a processing unit disposed in communication with said memory unit, said processing unit configured to: - receive a set of criteria from said merchant, said set of criteria used to determine users that said merchant wishes to target; - receive a promotional offer from said merchant to be communicated to said users: - analyze user profile attributes to compile a list of targeted users, said targeted users matching said set of criteria; - transmit said promotional offer to targeted users that match said set of criteria; and - provide statistical information to said merchant, wherein identity information of each of said users is concealed from said merchant.

32. A system for using a computer to shop on a shopping web site, comprising: a) a memory unit. b) a processing unit disposed in communication with said memory unit, said processing unit configured to: - log into said shopping web site; - select a merchant web site on said shopping web site; - shop on said merchant web site; - select an item for purchase from said merchant web site; and - confirming said item for purchase.

33. A system for using a computer to facilitate computerized shopping on a shopping web site, said shopping web site comprising links to merchant web sites thereon, comprising: a) means for transmitting to a user a choice of said links to merchant web sites; b) means for receiving from said user a selected link to a merchant web site;

"> c) means for providing said user access tc the selected merchant web site, wherein identity information of^" said user is concealed from said merchant web site: d) means for receiving from said user a selection of products from said merchant^'s web site; e) means for placing said selection of products into a master shopping cart; f) means for receiving a confirmation from said user for said selection of products; and g) means for transmitting an order for the user's purchases to said selected merchant web site.

34. A system for using a computer to facilitate computerized direct marketing by a merchant, comprising: a) means for receiving a set of criteria from said merchant, said set of criteria used to determine users that said merchant wishes to target; b) means for receiving a promotional offer from said merchant to be communicated to said users; c) means for analyzing user profile attributes to compile a list of targeted users, said targeted users matching said set of criteria; d) means for transmitting said promotional offer to targeted users that match said set of criteria; and e) means for providing statistical information to said merchant, wherein identity information of each of said users is concealed from said merchant.

5. A system for using a computer to shop on a shopping web site, comprising: a) means for logging into said shopping web site; b) means for selecting a merchant web site on said shopping web site; c) means for shopping on said merchant web site: d) means for selecting an item for purchase from said merchant web site; and e) means for confirming said item for purchase.

36. A computer device comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied therein for using a computer to facilitate computerized shopping on a shopping web site, said shopping web site comprising multiple links to merchant web sites thereon, comprising: a) means for transmitting to a user a choice of said links to merchant web sites; b) means for receiving from said user a selected link to a merchant web site; c) means for providing said user access to the selected merchant eb site, wherein identity information of said user is concealed from said merchant web site; d) means for receiving from said user a selection of products from said merchant^'s web site; e) means for placing said selection of products into a master shopping cart; 0 means for receiving a confirmation from said user for said selection of products; and g) means for transmitting an order for the user's purchases to said selected merchant web site.

7. A computer device comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied therein for using a computer to facilitate computerized direct marketing by a merchant, comprising: a) means for receiving a set of criteria frcm said merchant, said set of criteria used to determine users that said merchant wishes to target; b) means for receiving a promotional offer from said merchant to be communicated to said users; c) means for analyzing user profile attributes to compile a list of targeted users, said targeted users matching said set of criteria; d) means for transmitting said promotional offer to targeted users that match said set of criteria: and e) means for providing statistical information to said merchant, wherein the identity information of each of said users is concealed from said merchant.

38. A computer device comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied therein for using a computer to shop on a shopping web site, comprising: a) means for logging into said shopping web site; b) means for selecting a merchant web site on said shopping web site; c) means for shopping on said merchant web site; d) means for selecting an item for purchase from said merchant web site; and e) means for confirming said item for purchase.