Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Discount or incentive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-11
2001-09-18
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2161)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Discount or incentive
C705S021000, C705S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06292786
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to marketing and more particularly to a method and system for generating incentives in response to substantially real-time product purchase information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Market surveys and research provide a manufacturer with information that it may use to respond to changing market conditions. For example, surveys may be conducted which ask consumers whether they favor a particular product over another. In addition, the actual past sales of a manufacturer's product may be compiled and analyzed.
Although some product information is available from these techniques, relying on conventional techniques for assessing one's place in the market may provide less than satisfactory results. For example, by the time market research informs a manufacturer that his product is under performing in a particular market, the manufacturer may not have time to appropriately respond. Furthermore, temporary market conditions may affect the purchase of a particular manufacturer's product or its competitor's products, and these temporary conditions may no longer be applicable by the time conventional market research analysis is completed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,504, entitled “Marketing Research System and Method for Obtaining Retail Data on a Real-Time Basis” to James N. Darrel, Jr., is exemplary of prior retail store marketing systems. The patent describes a system that stores retail data on a real-time basis and subsequently provides information remotely. The described system does not, however, communicate the data to a remote location, on a substantially real-time basis, allowing manufacturers or other clients to respond to market conditions rapidly; nor does the described system enable rapid response back to the point-of-sale to vary marketing parameters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a need has arisen for an method and system for generating incentives in response to substantially real-time product purchase information that addresses shortcomings of prior methods and systems.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for use in marketing includes receiving at a remote location through the Internet, substantially real-time a product purchase information from a retail store in conjunction with an identification code of a customer purchasing the products at a point-of-sale. The method also includes generating at the remote location an incentive to be communicated to the identified customer and initiating communication or data relative to the incentive to the identified customer at the point-of-sale.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a method includes receiving at a remote computer substantially real-time product purchase information from a retail store in conjunction with an identification code of a customer purchasing the products in a current transaction. The remote computer is located remote from the retail store. The method also includes generating by the remote computer an incentive to be communicated to the identified customer and initiating communication of the generated incentive from the remote computer to the retail store in a time period such that the customer receives the incentive prior to leaving the retail store.
Embodiments of the invention provide numerous technical advantages. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, access is provided to real-time product purchase information. This real-time access allows a party, such as a manufacturer, to respond appropriately to market condition. For example, a manufacturer may provide an incentive to customers, such as redeemable coupons, on a real-time basis. Such an ability to receive substantially real-time data also allows a manufacturer to market its products to purchasers of competing products.
Other technical advantages are readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions and claims.
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Deaton David W.
Gabriel Rodney G.
Baker & Botts L.L.P.
Booker Kelvin
Incentech, Inc.
Powell Mark R.
LandOfFree
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