MXPA00000187A - Method and system for compiling demographic data - Google Patents

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system for compiling demographic data is provided. This comprises maintaining in a computer, having a memory, a database of demographic data about existing and/or prospective customers, and interactions between customers and merchants;updating the database with data about new interactions between customers and merchants;retrieving from the database demographic data about existing and/or prospective customers;and generating a report on demographic data about existing and/or prospective customers.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR COMPILING DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and a system for compiling demographic information. The merchants currently have been left in the difficult situation of having a scant idea or any idea of the characteristics of the clients. Their promotions and advertising are, mostly, driven by a hunch about what will attract existing customers and future customers to buy with them. The merchants do not have details of the demographic characteristics of their clients, for example: geographic location, professional level, family size, etc. They do not know what other merchants buy their customers' products and traders do not know what prices to offer to individual customers. The same problem can also be experienced in other forms of interactions between merchants and customers, including, for example, telephone call centers, attention and help stations and other similar forms. Normally, this information is collected only by large merchants either through its own customer database or through market research.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Methods and systems for building databases for marketing purposes are known in the field. One form of system is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,636,346. A method for creating a database or profile modeled information for clients of an advertiser is described. This database consists of information on subscriber names and addresses and is compiled from the billing records of the telephone company and the current cable system. The data processing companies or their clients are then authorized to cross the database with their own customer databases. A list of target subscribers is produced from the subscribers in the modeled profile who are no longer in the customer database, and these subscribers are addressed directly. Another system is described in the Patent of the United States No. 5,305,196. A method for constructing a database for use in a retail store marketing program is described wherein a customer's check is passed through a reader to detect an account identification number. This identification number 52/75 sf * only is then compared against a stored database of customer identification numbers maintained in that store. The database is then updated, if necessary, with additional identification criteria. A list of prospective customers of the retail store is obtained in a predetermined geographical area, through conventional sources. The list of future clients is then compared to the list of regular clients and the clients that appear in both lists are removed from the list of future clients. It can then be sent by mail, advertising material to the remaining customers in the list of future clients. In the aforementioned list, the merchant is provided with more than just a list of clients that marketing can focus on. It would be particularly advantageous to provide the trader with the characteristics and other information about current and future customers.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and system for compiling demographic information about customers. 52/75 afe ».

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention, it can be said that it consists of a method implemented on a computer to compile demographic information comprising the steps of keeping a computer that has a memory, a database of demographic information about customers. existing and / or future and the interactions between customers and merchants; update the database with information about new interactions between customers and merchants; retrieve from the database, demographic information about existing clients and / or prospects, and generate a report on demographic information about existing clients and / or prospects. In a further aspect, it can be said that the invention consists of a system for compiling demographic information, the system comprises a computer that has a memory where a database of demographic information about existing and / or future clients is stored, and interactions between customers and merchants; arranged means to update the database with information about new interactions between customers and merchants; arranged means to retrieve from the database demographic information about existing clients and / or prospects; and means to generate reports to generate a report on demographic information about existing and / or future clients. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the method and system will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the system of the invention; Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the system in a commercial transaction between a customer and a merchant; Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the system in a communication between a customer and the merchant; Figure 4 shows the database schema of the invention; Figure 5 illustrates a typical database entry; Figure 6 illustrates a map of the geographical density; Figure 7 shows a graph of typical customer value; Figure 11 shows the merchants with whom a typical merchant shares their customers; and Figure 12 illustrates a table of repeat customers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES In the preferred form of the invention, as shown in Figure 1, the system 2 comprises a computer 3 having a processor and information memory, operating under the control of the software application. The computer 2 communicates with at least one stored database 4. Database 4 may include an interaction database 6 and customer demographic database 8. It will be appreciated that the interaction database 6 and the demographic database can be implemented as separate databases or as a single database. For simplicity, the invention will be described with reference to the database 4. The customer demographic database 8 can store information of existing customers and / or prospective customers. It will be appreciated that the reference to customers in the specification and the claims may additionally include future customers. The demographic characteristics of clients, as used in the specification and in the appended claims may include: geographical location, professional level, family size, age, sex, marital status, ethnic group, education and vocation. Also included within the scope of the demographic characteristics may be psychodynamic or psychographic characteristics; When the customer is a commercial company, the demographic information may include the number of employees and the industrial code of the business. The database 4 can be stored in the memory of the computer 3. Alternatively, the database 4 can be stored externally on one or more separate servers and can be accessed by dedicated and marked telecommunications facilities using email , electronic data interchange (EDI - electronic data interchange) and / or communications via Internet network sites, or stored on CD-ROMS, floppy disks, tape drives or other storage media. Alternatively, the database 4 can be accessed with terminal emulation or Telnet facilities. The information in the database 4 can be provided by a bank, financial institutions, internet or telecommunications service provider, or by a third party, for example by an entity that operates a loyalty program. As shown in Figure 1, a customer 12 52/75 : z. It interacts with a trader 16 as shown in Figure 1. Typically, the trader 16 operates in a commercial facility or warehouse from which the customer 12 acquires goods or services. Alternatively, the merchant 16 can operate from strategically placed machines, for example: automatic vending machines, parking meters, laundry machines and ticket vending machines. The merchant 16 can also operate a catalog service to order by mail, services or merchandise in the direct market, or market by network through a hierarchy of distributors and resellers. As it has become increasingly common, the merchant 16 can operate alternatively from a network site or from another electronic medium. As a further alternative, the merchant 16 may operate a helpline, a call center or some other business where the customer 12 interacts with the merchant 16, by telephone, facsimile, email, web browsing or other form of communication. communication. It will be appreciated that the nature of the merchant's business 16 includes a wide range of commercial activities. The customer 12 can be a buyer of goods or services of a merchant 16. If the 52/75 .. «_-dealer 16 operates a helpline or a telephone call center, customer 12 can be a user of this service. The customer 12 can be a commercial or residential entity. It will be appreciated that an interaction between the client 12 and the merchant 16 can be initiated either by the client 12 or by the merchant 16. While the client 16 interacts with the merchant 16, the interaction generates interaction information 18 that can be stored in the interaction database 6, as will be described in more detail. The invention will be described first with reference to Figure 2, wherein the interaction comprises a retail transaction. For security and convenience, it has become increasingly common for a customer 12 to use a different payment method than cash. An example is a credit card in which a sales person either reads or makes an impression of the card, calls a processing center via an automatic line modem to obtain authorization and verifies the cardholder's signature to avoid an fraud. Alternatively, the customer 12 can provide the account number and the expiration date of the credit card to a merchant 16, who is geographically separated from the customer 12. Other 52/75 A8 * ü »» "-__-. < _ - _fe * = - _A¿ .. _S. ~ L, ViV__ja ____ a_to_t___ payment alternatives include checks, electronic funds transfer cards (EFT-POS), pre-paid cards, credit, debit or charge cards, smart cards or integrated circuit cards If a non-cash payment method is used, then the information of certain customers is transferred from the customer 12 to the merchant 16 For example, the customer's information would include details of the financial account of the customer to whom the debit is going to be made, the merchant 16 transfers the payment to the financial institution 24 of the merchant or another financial institution. financial institution 24 the transaction information that includes at least one merchant identifier, a customer identifier, a transaction amount and the date and time of the transaction The transaction between the customer 12 and the merchant 16 g It will have 18A interaction information. the interaction information 18A includes a merchant identifier. This merchant identifier may comprise the merchant bank account number 16, or some other identifier. It will be appreciated that the interaction information 18A could include additional information about the merchant, for example geographic location. This information could be provided by the 52/75 trader 16 or by the financial institution 24, and could be stored with the interaction information 18A or in the database 4. The interaction information 18A also includes a customer identifier. This customer identifier may comprise the bank account number of customer 16, or some other identifier. Again, the 18A interaction information could include demographic information about the customer, for example geographical location, professional level, family size, etc. It could also include, for example, psychodynamic or psychogeographic information. When the customer is a commercial business, the 18A interaction information could include the number of employees and the industrial code of the business. Information about the customer could be provided by the customer 12, the merchant 16, the financial institution 24 and could be stored with the interaction information 18A or in the database 4. The interaction information 18A could also include, for example, the monetary value of the interaction, a goods / services identifier and / or the date and time of the interaction. As shown in Figure 3, the interaction can be in the form of a communication between a client 12 and a merchant 16. The merchant 16 can operate a 52/75 »Ttí? * _ -«. »« A -e > • * > _ t ** help line, a telephone call center or some other business where the customer 12 interacts with the merchant 16. If the customer 12 interacts with the merchant 16 by telephone or fax, the identities of both the customer 12 and the customer trader 16 are known to the telecommunication service provider (telco) 20 used to make the communication. A customer identifier and a merchant identifier could be generated or at least known for the telco 20 and could be supplied by the telco 20. Alternatively, the customer identifier and the merchant identifier could be provided by the merchant 16 or by the customer 12. The merchant identifier and the customer identifier could be the telephone / facsimile number of the merchant 16 and the customer 12, respectively, or it could be some other identifier. Additional information about the merchant 16 and the client 12 could be included, as set forth above when referring to Figure 2. For example, the interaction information 18B could include geographic information of the merchant 16, demographic, psychodynamic or psychographic information of the customer 12 and when customer 12 is a business, details of the number of employees and industry code. As stated above, with respect to the Figure 52/75 2, the interaction information 18B could also include, for example, the monetary value of the interaction (if any), a merchandise / service identifier (if applicable), and / or the date and time of the transaction. interaction. The interaction information 18B could also influence the duration of the communication. The client 12 can also interact with the merchant 16 by electronic means. For example, the client 12 can send a message by email to the merchant 16. Alternatively, the merchant 16 can operate a network site that the client 12 can visit with a network browser. In this situation, the identities of the client 12 and of the merchant 16 to effect the communication are known by the internet service provider (ISP) 20. A customer identifier and a merchant identifier could be either generated or at least known by the ISP 20 and could be supplied by the ISP 20. Alternatively, the customer identifier and the merchant identifier could be supplied by the merchant 16 or the customer 12. The merchant identifier and the identifier of customer could be the internet address of the merchant 16 and the customer 12, respectively, or it could be some other identifier. 52/75 As set forth in the foregoing, additional information about the merchant 16 and the customer 12 may be included in the interaction information 18B. The trader 16 can operate a loyalty program, by means of which a selected customer 12 is distinguished from other customers. Those customers who are members of the loyalty program are often issued ID cards. Interaction information 18, 18A or 18B could include the fact that customer 12 is a member of the loyalty program. The invention will now be described in the context of a retail transaction. It will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to retail transactions and that it includes other forms of interaction, as discussed above, with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Computer 3 may have in its database 4, information about particular traders, for example those traders in a common industry. This information may include the name and address of the merchant 16 and the nature of the merchant's business. The information contained by computer 3 about a merchant 16 is shown in Figure 4 as merchant information 22. While not required, merchant information 22 may be indexed by merchant identifier 24 to assist in the 52/75 prosecution. Computer 3 also has information about the individuals who can use the merchant 16. For example, computer 3 may have a report of income, age, sex, marital status, ethnic group, education, telephone numbers, home address and vocation of the individuals. The home address can be specifically defined or it can be an arbitrarily defined geographical area, colony, geocode or census area unit. Each individual may be a customer 12 or a merchant 16. This information is shown in Figure 4 as customer information 26. The customer information 26 may be indexed by the customer identifier 28. While a customer 12 interacts with a merchant 16 , the interaction information is stored as transaction information 30. An example is shown in Figure 4. Each transaction can only have one merchant, while individual merchants can have more than one transaction. The relationship of the transaction information 30 with the merchant information 22 is, therefore, many to one. Similarly, each transaction may have only one customer, while individual customers may have 52/75 more than one transaction. The relationship of the transaction information 30 with the customer information 26 is, therefore, also many to one. The computer 3 can have access to all the information contained in the merchant information 22, the customer information 26 and the transaction information 30. From this information it is possible to produce reports for a merchant 16 giving the merchant 16 detailed information about of their clients 12. For example, it is possible to estimate the average annual salary of the national population. It is also possible to identify the clients 12 of the merchant 16 based on the accumulated transaction information 30 and, therefore, estimate the average income of the customers 12 of a particular merchant 16. The information of this type is very valuable for the merchant 16 since he knows then where to focus the marketing efforts. It is also possible to provide the merchant 16 with other demographic characteristics of its customers 12, as set forth above. In some circumstances, several third parties may transmit, each, certain information to the computer 3, so that the merchant 16 may obtain additional information about their customers 12. Based on the characteristics of the clients 52/75 12 it is possible to provide the merchant 16 with customer segmentation information. For example, the trader 16 can provide the proportion of his clients that are in a particular income range to assist in the development of marketing strategies. It is also possible to provide customer details 12 that a particular 16 merchant shares with other merchants. The transaction information 30 includes a merchant identifier and a customer identifier. Based on this information, the proportion and characteristics of the clients 12 that a trader 16 shares with other traders can be determined. A trader 16 can then have an idea of their market, share and know the types of customers 12 on which to focus marketing initiatives. It is also possible to provide the merchant 16 with information about the customers 12 that the merchant 16 shares with merchants in other markets. This would allow, for example, that a fast food retailer value the merits of linking advertising with a gas station if the merchants share a large proportion of customers. The transaction information 30 may also include temporary information, for example, the date and time at which it is possible for various types of customers to acquire 52/75 merchant goods or services 16. In a preferred form of the invention, computer 3 includes a stored database of customer locations, which includes: private addresses, postal codes and telephone numbers. From this information it is possible to produce density maps of customer types of the merchant 16 based on geographical locations, postal codes and / or telephone numbers of customers 12. The scale of these density maps can be local, regional, national or global. Although not strictly necessary, in a further preferred form of the invention, the computer 3 includes a stored database of the transaction amounts between the clients 12 and the merchants 16, as shown in Figure 4. From In this information, the characteristics of a merchant's customers can be determined, from which the merchant obtains the customers with the highest income or the most valuable customers. When appropriate, the details of the transaction may also include a product identification code. This allows the quantity and characteristics of the products purchased by customers to be determined 12. For example, a trader 16 who does not 52/75 If you sell a particular product, you may be interested in knowing that a competitor is selling large quantities of the product. If the merchant 16 offered the same product for sale, then customers can purchase the merchant's products 16 instead of purchasing them from the competitor. The product identification code is also useful for evaluating the response to the use of coupons. In general, coupons are issued to existing customers or distributed in a particular geographic region. The coupons offer, in general, a discount on subsequent purchases or additional goods or services of gift with subsequent acquisitions. Using the product identification code, it is possible to determine the characteristics of the customers that present coupons and the characteristics of the clients that do not present them. In addition to the above information, it is possible to obtain specific information about companies or industries. From the information on the computer 3, comparisons of the characteristics of the clients 12 of a merchant 16 in a population with those of another population can be made. This information would be valuable to a trader 16 who introduces a product into a new market and needs to know how well the product has been received. 52/75 Efe 'j »* á¡ß & ~,, -j¿a? A«. .- «_..., _ _ _ _ _ A__ product in other countries. As stated above, the transaction information 30 may include temporary information. Reports can be generated periodically and changes can be identified and reported at the same time, in a merchant's customer base. This use of temporary information is particularly useful to evaluate the success or general promotional activity, for example the sale of products or services at reduced prices. The reports can be presented to the trader 16 on paper, by oral / visual presentation or electronically, for example email or secured access to the network. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the merchant 16 can select what information he requires about his client's base. In the preferred form of the invention, demographic information 32 is produced from the information contained in the computer 3. However, other sources of information may also be used, for example, census reports, customer databases, demographic information contained elsewhere, other customer transactions, product descriptions and merchant databases. The system 2 can be made to 52/75 satisfy confidentiality or privacy requirements. For example, details of individual customers may be omitted in merchant reports. Additionally, details of individual merchants may be omitted for commercial confidentiality reasons. As shown in Figure 5, a customer has purchased goods from the fictional company Flowers R Us. The appropriate income has been made in the merchant information 22, the customer information 26 and the transaction information 30. A customer who has the unique identifier CUST1, who resides in Roseneath, Wellington, New Zealand, has purchased flowers with a value of NZ $ 35 from Flowers R Us, a merchant that has the unique identifier MERC1. Based on a number of these transactions, it is possible to produce detailed and commercially useful reports for the merchant 16. Figure 5 shows an example of a report that can be produced for the merchant 16 and that illustrates general characteristics of Flowers R Us customers . For example, clients are likely to be prepared and not likely to be unemployed. Features like these are available on computer 3 from database 4 or from other sources and it is thus possible to determine that Flowers R Us customers have these characteristics. 52/75 ______ The typical characteristics of a group of Flowers R Us customers are listed below.

General Demographics Flowers R Us clients are, in general: Low number of Maori and Pacific Islanders Probably have academic preparation Unlikely to be unemployed Unlikely to have income support Probably have access to a motor vehicle More They probably have access to two or more motor vehicles. They probably own their homes. They are not likely to receive $ 15,000 or less. They are likely to receive $ 40,000 or more. Average personal income of $ 22,000. Average household income $ 15,000. Predominantly between 25 to 45 years of age. The minority probably has incomes between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000 Most probably have incomes of around $ 30,000 Most likely are independent workers or employers of others. 2/75 More likely to have administrative type jobs Most probably have a "White Collar" job (administrative type).

As seen from the previous list, the majority of Flowers R Us customers, mainly 87.2%, live in New Zealand. This gives the merchant 16 an idea of where to focus his advertising. The nature of these businesses means that the smaller proportions of customers are residents of other countries, although this will not necessarily be the case for other types of businesses, for example in the reservation and ticket sales industry. The following tables show an additional example of the characteristics of the clients. Below is a typical customer analysis by country. Countries Customers of Flowers R Us. 52/75 __________ ___________i____ g ^^^^^ ^^^ A ^^^^^ j Types of Customers of Flowers R Us Type of Client% New% its% its% Your Zealand Region Clients Customers in Region With Income and with 8.25 11.53 14.63 126.89 Preparation Professionals Within 3.24 8.02 12.28 153.12 High Income City with 5.14 11.01 19.09 173.39 Tendency to Ascend Administrative 9.19 12.35 14.26 115.47 Young Families in 6.31 5.54 2.46 44.40 New Homes Suburban Families 9.27 4.70 2.18 46.38 Urban Singles 5.94 6.90 9.24 133.91 Families of the Province 6.95 0.03 0.00 0.00 Average of Rural NZ 7.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 Withdrawal on the Coast and 4.78 0.04 0.00 0.00 Lake Elderly Retired 8.13 7.92 2.68 33.84 Living Single Workers of the Suburbs 14.69 15.32 6.02 39.30 Singles and Divorced 5.51 7.91 15.91 201.14 Maori families and from 5.59 8.73 1.25 14.32 the Pacific Islands 52/75 Total 100.00 100.00 100.00 For simplicity, customers are placed in one of 14 types of clients, for example: "with income and preparation", or "single or divorced". It is possible to estimate from the information in computer 3 that 8.25% of New Zealanders are of the "with income and preparation" type and that 5.51% are of the "single or divorced" type. Based on the geographic information of its clients, it can be determined that 11.53% of the population living in the same region of the trader 16 are of the "high income and preparation" type and that 7.91% are of the "single or divorced" type " Based on the transaction information, it is possible to know that 14.63% of Flowers R Us customers are of the "high income and preparation" type. In addition, it is also possible to estimate the proportion between the "high income and preparation" clients of Flowers R Us and those of "high income and preparation" living in the same region. For example, 14.63% of Flowers R Us customers are of the "high income and preparation" type and 11.53% of the "high income and preparation" type live in the same region. The ratio is 126.89%. The invention allows the production of detailed geographical density maps, as shown in Figure 6. In the example shown, all the customers of the 52/75 -, ** ^? 16 merchant have been identified. Computer 3 has geographic information about these clients and this information can be presented as a density map. This map shows the areas of the country where Flowers R Us customers live, and would provide an approach to localized or regional advertising. Figure 7 shows a graph of customer value produced with the invention. As shown in the graph, 17% of Flowers R Us customers represent 48% of traders' transactions. It is also possible to know from this information the value of this 17% of the clients based on the value of the transactions. As shown in the following chart, it is possible to provide Flowers R Us, the proportion of customers 12 that it shares with other merchants. For example, 35.9% of Flowers R Us customers are also customers of Peter 's Petrol Limited. Trader 16 may consider linking advertising with Peter 's Petrol Limited to reduce advertising expenses, since the two merchants share a large customer base that would be achieved by advertising. It is also possible to provide Flowers R Us with the proportion of customers it shares with competitors. Customers of Flowers R Us who are also customers of the following merchants An additional report is shown below: Repeated purchases This last table shows the information of repeated purchases by customers. Of Flowers R Us customers, 34% have purchased products or services once from 52/75 «Sa s * fefefc .. g. . - ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Flowers R Us, have acquired twice 26%, and so on. This information can also be combined with information about products and other information. In accordance with this invention, a method and system for compiling demographic information is provided. The method used allows a financial institution, a third party or a merchant to compile demographic information easily, allowing merchants to better understand their existing customers and attract potential customers. 52/75! _t _____ M _______ ÍIÉ

Claims (13)

1. CLAIMS t 1. A method implemented for computer, to compile demographic information, which includes the steps of: keeping a computer that has a memory, a database of demographic information about existing and / or future clients, and the interactions between customers and merchants; update the database with information on new interactions between customers and merchants; recover from the database, demographic information of existing and / or future clients; and generate a report on demographic information about existing and / or future clients.
2. 2. An implemented computer method, according to claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining geographic locations of existing and / or future clients in the database.
3. 3. An implemented computer method, according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the interaction between a merchant and a customer comprises a business transaction and the interaction information further comprises a transaction value.
4. 4. An implemented computer method, according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the 52/75 ^^ • - - '"** - -" interaction information also comprises a product / service identification code.
5. 5. An implemented computer method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of maintaining census information in the database.
6. 6. An implemented computer method, according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the interaction information also comprises temporal information, the method further comprising the step of recovering the temporary information to identify and display changes in the demographic information.
7. 7. A computer, when operated by a method according to any of claims 1 to 6.
8. 8. A system for compiling demographic information, the system comprises: a computer that has a memory where a database of demographic information is stored of existing and / or future clients and interactions between customers and merchants; arranged means to update the database with information on new interactions between customers and merchants; arranged means to retrieve from the database demographic information of existing clients and / or 52/75 futures; and inform the generating medium to generate a report on demographic information of existing and / or future customers.
9. 9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the stored database further comprises geographical locations of existing and / or future clients.
10. A system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the interaction between a merchant and a customer comprises a business transaction and the interaction information further comprises a transaction value.
11. 11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the interaction information further comprises a product / service identification code.
12. 12. A system according to any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the stored database includes census data. A system according to any of claims 8 to 12, wherein the interaction information also comprises temporal information and the medium generating the report is arranged to identify and display the changes in the demographic information. 52/75