WO2015186116A1

WO2015186116A1 - A computer implemented digital engagement platform

Info

Publication number: WO2015186116A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/054310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Girish PANDIT
Original assignee: Pandit Girish
Priority date: 2014-06-07
Filing date: 2015-06-08
Publication date: 2015-12-10

Abstract

The present disclosure envisages a computer implemented a computer implemented digital engagement platform. The platform includes a merchant interface and a customer interface communicating with a server via a network. A merchant can register with the server and can download the merchant interface on a plurality of merchant devices. The customer can register with the server and can also be introduced to the platform by any of the registered merchants. The digital engagement platform provides a means for the merchant to directly connect with their customers. Merchants can create a plurality of engagement policies related to reward points, gift-cards, vouchers, redemption policies which are channelized by the server to their customers directly via the network. The platform consolidates all the point of interest information at one place and provides a simple computer implemented solution to make a hassle free environment both for merchants and customers.

Description

A COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of computer implemented system and method for connecting merchants with their customers. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to digital commerce.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN THE SPECIFICATION

The expression 'device' used hereinafter in the specification refers to but is not limited to a mobile phone, a cell phone, a cellular phone, an iPad, a PDA, a digital phone, a radio telephone, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, including a wired or a wireless communication device.

The expression 'network' used hereinafter in the specification refers to a computer network, Internet, Intranet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, online network, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Near Field Communication (NFC), a Bluetooth network, a Bling network, a cellular network including a wired and a wireless network, and a combination thereof.

These definitions are in addition to those expressed in the art. BACKGROUND

In a given scenario of commerce or trade where a customer is the person who avails products or services offered by a merchant, customers tend to patronize the merchant who provides the customer, more value for the same price, or the same value at a lower price. To influence a consumer's choice of products, merchants often provide promotions or vouchers related to their products/ services to attract more customers. In the internet world information accessing has enhanced tremendously. Customers can access the information from anywhere at any given time. This has made a great impact in the lives of customers as well as merchants. Customers can look for promotions or vouchers or deals corresponding to any merchant before making a purchase on the internet or in the real world. On the other hand, the merchants can create thousands of customer specific policies related to promotions or vouchers or deals to be provided to customers and upload them online.

However, it has been observed that merchants are not able to target their customers directly or able to make their promotions/ vouchers available to customers in a straight forward manner. On the other hand on the customer side, customers require access to third party websites or applications or visit the merchant's web pages personally. This becomes a tedious task for the customer, since, customers visit and compares the desired product/service that they wish to avail provided by one or more merchants. This impacts the business of merchants. Additionally, merchants coming from various business sectors try to attract customers by providing promotional or voucher based information via email which is generally known as email marketing. However, such emails are treated as spam and the information provided in the emails are hardly used at the time when the customer is about to make a decision of the purchase.

Further, it has been observed that merchants offer loyalty cards to their customer and provide reward points based on the purchase made by customers. Customers can redeem these reward points in their next purchase. However, it becomes very difficult for customers to carry all the loyalty cards of merchants with them every time. Additionally, the redemption policies adopted by merchants are not accessible to customers easily. Thus, customers cannot avail the benefits of loyalty cards in real time.

Therefore, there is a long felt need for a computerized solution that will aim at providing a digital engagement platform which will provide a consolidated view of information related to merchants and various customer engagements polices of merchants. In addition, the aforementioned platform will enable customers to avail the engagement policies of a merchant in real time. Further, there is a need for a generalized platform that obviates the need for carrying a bunch of loyalty cards issued by merchants each time a customer visits merchant(s).

OBJECTS

Some of the objects of the present disclosure aimed to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative are described herein below: An object of the present disclosure is to provide a computer implemented digital engagement platform.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a mobile based digital engagement platform.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a platform that enables a merchant to connect directly with their customers.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a platform that enables merchants to send point of interest information directly to customers.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a platform that provides consolidated access to the commercial initiatives such as rewards, reviews, vouchers/ coupons, gift cards.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a platform that enables customers to transmit booking requests or reservation requests for the products or services offered by merchants, and also to buy these products or services.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a platform that can be integrated with existing Point of Sale (POS) database of merchants.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure envisages a computer implemented digital engagement platform which comprises: a merchant interface installed and executed on a merchant device and a customer interface installed and executed on a customer device. There is provided a server which communicates with the merchant interface and the customer interface via a network. The digital engagement platform is introduced to engage customers with point of interest information directly from merchants. The platform consolidates important business initiatives such as reviews, reward points, vouchers, gift-cards, and electronic commerce within a single platform. The digital engagement platform of the present disclosure, receives a plurality of engagement policies created by merchants from the merchant interfaces. Further, the server pushes the engagement policies of merchants to customers or potential customers related to reward points, vouchers, gift-cards, and redemption policies. Additionally, the platform enables customer to make purchases and reservations with a desired merchant facilitating the completion of a transaction. Customers can purchase and share gift-cards with their friends or with any other contact through email, short messages service (SMS), and instant messages, and post reviews/ complaints. Further, the customer interface receives instant information of any schemes, rewards points from one or more merchants in real time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The computer implemented digital engagement platform of the present disclosure will now be explained in relation to the non-limiting accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1(a) and 1(b) illustrates an architectural block diagram of a computer implemented digital engagement platform, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGURE 1(c) illustrates a system-level block diagram of the components of a computer implemented digital engagement platform 100, in accordance with the present disclosure; and FIGURE 2 illustrates a process flow diagram of the system 100 illustrated in FIGURE 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c), in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The computer implemented digital engagement platform will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which do not restrict the scope and ambit of the present disclosure. The description is provided purely by the way of illustration.

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein. The description hereinafter, of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

The present disclosure envisages a computer implemented digital engagement platform. This platform is accessible via a network. The platform includes two types of interfaces, namely, merchant interfaces and a customer interfaces. A merchant can register with the platform by accessing a web application of the platform and can install the merchant interface on a merchant device. Once the merchant becomes a registered member of the platform, the merchant is provided with options to install the merchant interface either on a merchant's Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal or on a device accessible to the merchant other than the POS terminal. Additionally, the merchant is provided with the option to install the merchant interface on a plurality of devices based on the merchant's requirement. If the merchant interface is installed and executed on an existing POS terminal, the platform is either automatically or manually integrated with a POS application of the merchant. Thereby, the POS application enables the merchant interface of the platform to access a POS repository and transmit the desired data to the server in a periodic fashion. Further, a customer can register with the platform by accessing a web application of the platform and can install the customer interface on a customer device. On completion of the registration process the web application of the platform transmits a verification message to the registered user's contact details in a format such as an email, an instant message, and a short messages service (SMS) or a text message. The verification message is sent to confirm the authenticity of the registered user either as a merchant or as a customer._In accordance with the present disclosure, the merchant interface automatically updates the server of the platform with the new entries or new customers performing transactions with merchant. As soon as the server becomes aware of a new customer or new entry, the server transmits welcome note with a link to download the customer interface to the customer contact details. In addition, before transmitting the aforementioned welcome note, the server checks whether the customer with the associated contact details has already subscribed or registered with the server or not.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the merchant can receive the contact details of the customers on his/her merchant interface and further the merchant can transmit the contact details of the customers to a server of the platform. On receiving the contact details of the customers from the merchant interface, the server transmits a message to the customers along with the link to download the customer interface. If the customer is already a registered user of the platform, the server identifies the customer and pushes the merchant into the customer interface via the network. The customer interface entails a merchant-list which lists a plurality of merchants, who are registered with the platform and from whom the customer has either purchased any product or availed any service, or can do so in the future.

The platform provides a mechanism to merchants to connect with the customers by providing a point of interest information to customers without populating a customer mail box by sending messages in bulk. In addition, the platform provides a mechanism to customers for viewing point of interest information issued by a plurality of merchants related to reward points, gift-cards, vouchers/ deals, merchant redemption policies, loyalty programs, promotions/ advertisements and making a reservation with the merchant, all consolidated at one place. The customer does not have to visit a third party web applications to view deals/coupons offered by merchants or carry loyalty cards or visit different websites or stores to check rewards points.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the digital engagement platform connects a plurality of merchants with a plurality of customers by providing point of interest information to customers directly from merchants. This prevents customers from having hassles of visiting different business entities looking for vouchers or deals of the desired merchants, or redemptions of the vouchers or for performing transactions. The digital engagement platform consolidates all the point of interest information at one place and provides a simple computer implemented solution to make a hassle free environment both for merchants and customers.

Referring to FIGURE 1(a), 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d), illustrates architectural block diagrams and a system-level block diagram of the components of a computer implemented digital engagement platform 100. In accordance with FIGURE 1(a), the digital engagement platform 100 includes a merchant interface 10, a customer interface 20, and a server 30. The merchant interface 10 can be installed on a merchant device 110 accessible to a merchant. The merchant device 110 includes a first memory 112 to store the merchant interface 10 and a first processor 114 to access and execute the merchant interface 10 on the merchant device 110. The first memory 112 further stores a first set of computer commands to enable the first processor 114 to execute the merchant interface 10. The customer interface 20 can be installed on a customer device 120 accessible to the customer. The customer device 120 includes a second memory 122 to store the customer interface 20 and a second processor 124 to access and execute the customer interface 20 on the customer device 120. The second memory 122 further stores a second set of computer commands to enable the second processor 124 to execute the customer interface 20. The server 30 of the platform 100 communicates with the merchant interface 10 and the customer interface 30 via the network.

In accordance with FIGURE 1(b), the digital engagement platform 100 includes a plurality of merchant devices (110A, HOB, HOC, HOD, HOE,...) and a plurality of customer devices (120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E,...) installed with merchant interface 10 and customer interface 20 respectively and communicates with the server 30 via the network. An administrator is the authorized user to access the digital engagement platform 100. The administrator supports administration functions and ensures proper implementation of the platform 100. The administrator also ensures appropriate data gathering, data sharing, and maintenance policies are implemented on the digital engagement platform 100. The administrator is eligible to access the server 30 through the web application of the device application of the platform 100.

In accordance with the present disclosure, FIGURE 1(c) there is shown a system-level block diagram of the components of the digital engagement platform 100. The figure illustrates the components of the merchant interface 10, customer interface 20 and the server 30 communicating via the network. The merchant interface 10 includes an engagement module 10A, a second reservation module 10B, a first advertisement module IOC, and a first authentication module 10D. The customer interface 20 includes a Unique Digital Identity (UDI) 21, profile module 22 and a second authentication module 23. The UDI 21 includes at least one of a reward module 21 A, a first review module 21B, a voucher module 21 C, a first redemption module 21D, a first reservation module 21E, a first gift-card module 21F, a first e-wallet 21G, an ads-on-tap module 21H, and an unsubscribe option 211. The server 30 includes a first repository 30A, a second repository 30B, a third repository 30C, an extractor module 30D, a second review module 30E, a second redemption module 30F, a second gift- card module 30G, a second e-wallet 30H, a third reservation module 301, a second advertisement module 30J, a calculation module 30K, a category management module 30L, and a product-service module 30M.

The first repository 30A of the server 30 stores the customer registration information, customer preferences, customer privacy settings and corresponding access privileges, redeemable rewards points received by the customer corresponding to each of the merchants. The second repository 30B of the server 30 stores the merchant registration information, merchant financial account information, products and services offered by the merchant, reviews, rating, and popularity score of the merchant. The merchant can access the merchant interface 10 to upload and store catalogues of the products or services offered by him/her in the second repository 30B. The third repository 30C of the server 30 stores the engagement policies of the merchant, the third repository is further configured to store at least a merchant preference set by the merchant corresponding to each of the engagement policies.

The engagement module 10A of the merchant interface 10 enables the merchant to create a plurality of engagement policies corresponding to the available policy-categories. These policy-categories include reward point policy, a redemption policy, a voucher policy, a promotion policy, a gift-card policy, and an advertisement policy. The reward point policy defines the reward points to be given to the customer based on his/her purchase made with the merchant. The redemption policy defines the redemption strategies of the merchant related to reward point redemption, voucher redemption, and gift-card redemption. The voucher policy defines the vouchers or coupons or deals to be given to the customers. The promotions or advertisement policy defines the promotions to attract a larger customer base. The gift-card policy defines the gift-cards to be issued to the customer along with terms and conditions of the gift-cards. The engagement policies created by the merchant are stored into the third repository 30C of the server 30. The merchant is enabled to manage the engagement policies stored into the first repository 30C by editing the existing engagement policies, coupling two or more engagement policies, activating or deactivating the existing policies. In accordance with the present disclosure, the extractor module 30D of the server 30 extracts the engagement policies from the third repository 30C and pushes the extracted engagement policies to the customer interface 20 related to reward points, gift-cards, redemption, promotions/ advertisement and vouchers. In one embodiment, the extractor module 30D selectively pushes the extracted engagement policies to the customer interface 20 based on the customer preferences, customer profile information and/or as defined by the merchant.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the UDI 21 is automatically created corresponding to each merchant listed in the customer interface 20. The reward module 21A configured in the Unique Digital Identity (UDI) 21 of the customer interface 20 receives the engagement policies related to the reward points from the server 30. The reward module 21A is capable of updating a reward point count related to customer based on the received reward points and after each reward points redemption activity performed by the customer utilizing the customer interface.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the first review module 21B enables the customer to post reviews in relation to merchants by accessing the customer interface 20 on his/her customer device 120. The customer is enabled to post reviews in a text format, an image format, a numeric rating-feedback format and a combination of the text format and image format. Further, the customer is enabled to provide reviews in the form of ratings corresponding to at least one predetermined parameter asked to the customer related to the merchant. The second review module 30E configured in the server 30 receives the customer posted reviews for the corresponding merchant from the customer interface 20. The second review module 30E stores the received reviews for the corresponding merchant in the second repository 30B. The second review module 30E publishes the reviews received from the customer interface 20 on a web application of the platform 100. The calculation module 30K of the server 30 is operatively connected with the second review module 30E. The calculation module 30K extracts the ratings received from the customer posted reviews related to the merchant. Further, the calculation module 30K calculates an overall popularity score of the merchant based on the ratings received and updates overall popularity score of the merchant in the second repository 30B. In addition, the calculation module 30K publishes the calculated overall popularity score of the merchant on the web application of the platform 100 which is accessible through any web browser.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the voucher module 21C configured in the UDI 21 of the customer interface 20 receives the engagement policies of the merchant related to the vouchers or coupons or deals from the server 30. The customer can access the vouchers for the purpose of making a transaction with the merchant by pushing the selected vouchers to the first redemption module 21D. In accordance with the present disclosure, the first redemption module 21D generates redemption request and pushes the engagement policies of the merchant related to the vouchers and/or rewards points to the server 30. The redemption request entails the engagement policies related to the vouchers and/or rewards points selected by the customer. In accordance with the present disclosure, the platform enables the customer to avail of the redemption policy of one or more merchants by accessing the redemption module 21D. For example, in scenario where the customer falls short of the number of reward points required to make a purchase from a first merchant. The customer can check for rewards points available on his/her customer interface 20 corresponding to other merchant- lists listed on his/her customer interface 20. Supposedly, the customer checks for the reward points available to him/her from a second merchant and a third merchant. If the customer finds after clubbing the reward points provided by the first merchant and the reward points provided by the second merchant is sufficient to make the desired purchase with the first merchant. The redemption module 21D of the customer interface 20 enables the customer to generate a redemption request by clubbing the redemption policy of the first merchant and the redemption policy of the second merchant to facilitate the customer to make the desired purchase with the first merchant.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the second redemption module 30F of the server 30 receives the redemption request from the customer interface 20. The second redemption module 30F identifies the customer interface 20 from whom the redemption request was received and further extracts the engagement policies from the redemption request. This is also done by identifying the customer contact detail device registered with the server 30. The second redemption module 30F communicates with the third repository 30C and validates the merchant engagement policies present in the redemption request with the engagement policies stored in the third repository 30C. Subsequent to the validation, the second redemption module 30F proceeds with the execution of the redemption request for the purpose of conducting the transaction. The transactions are performed on third party sites or third party transactions institutions. The second redemption module 30F proceeds with the execution of the redemption request based on the positive validation result. In case, the validation result appears to be negative then the second redemption module 30F transmit a notification to the customer interface 20 describing that the redemption request is invalid or transaction failure. In accordance to the present disclosure, the second redemption module 30F is capable of handling cross-branded or multi-branded redemption request(s) received from the customer interface 20, based on the engagement policies of the merchant facilitating cross-branded or multi-branded redemption. The merchant can store engagement policies related to cross-branded or multi-branded redemption in the third repository 30C.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the first gift-card module 21F configured in the UDI 21 of the customer interface 20 receives the engagement policies related to a gift-card issued by the merchant. The customers can purchase the gift-cards and can also share the purchased gift-cards with the other users in the contact list or can email to a friend. Further, once the customer selects and submits on the customer interface 20, this generates a gift-card request and transmitted to the server 30. The second gift-card module 30G of the server 30 receives the gift-card request from the customer interface 20 for purchasing and sharing the selected gift card. The second gift-card module 30G communicates with the third repository 30C and validates the merchant engagement policies present in the gift-card request with the engagement policies stored in the third repository 30C. The second gift-card module 30G proceeds with the execution of the gift-card request based on the positive result of the validation. Further, the purchase of the gift-card request is transferred to the third party site for carrying out the transaction. The customer can perform the purchase of the gift-card on the third party site. In case, the validation result appears to be negative, the second gift-card module 30G transmits a notification to the customer interface 20 describing that the gift-card request is invalid or transaction failure. Once the payment for the gift-card is made by the customer, the gift-card is sent to the customer interface 20 having a serial number and unique code to identify the gift-card. This unique code of the gift-card is used at the time of redemption while making a purchase payment using the gift-card. As soon as a gift-card is used by the customer, the used gift-card is removed from a gift-card listing present in the customer interface 20. The customer is authorized to share the unused gift-cards with his/her friends or contacts. In accordance with the present disclosure, the engagement module 10A of the merchant interface 10 enables the merchant to create engagement policies related to the gift-cards to be issued to the customers. Further, the merchant can also specify the quantity of the gift-cards to be produced along with the serial number and the unique code.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the first reservation module 21E configured in the UDI 21 of the customer interface 20 enables the customer to generate a reservation request to the merchant by transmitting the reservation request to the server 30. This reservation request generated relates to the customer desired or selected products and/or services offered by the merchant. The third reservation module 301 of the server 30, receives the reservation request generated by the customer interface 20. The reservation request includes information related date, time, other customer specified reservation information. The third reservation module 301 identifies the merchant for whom the customer has generated the reservation request and further pushes the reservation request merchant interface 10. The second reservation module 10B configured in the merchant interface 10 receives the customer reservation request from the server 30 and enables the merchant to respond to the customer reservations by transmitting a reservation response to each customer reservations to the server 30. The reservation response of the merchant includes information related to confirmed reservation, non-confirmed reservation and/or suggestion submitted by the merchant. The third reservation module 301 of the server 30 receives the reservation response from the merchant interface 10 and transmits the reservation response of the merchant to the corresponding customer.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the first e-wallet 21G configured in the UDI 21 of the customer interface 20 enables the customer to load electronic money on the platform 100. The first e-wallet 21G updates the count of the electronic money corresponding to the customer from time to time. The second e-wallet 30H of the server 30 communicates with the first e-wallet 21G of the customer interface 20. The second e-wallet 30H updates the e-wallet of the customer after loading of the electronic money by the customer and completion of every transaction on the platform 100. In addition the second e-wallet 30H transmits a notification to the merchant on completion of the transaction.

In accordance with present disclosure, the ads-on-tap module 21H configured in the UDI 21 of the customer interface 20 displays the advertisements and promotions of the merchant received from the server 30. The second advertisement module 30J selectively pushes the advertisements and promotions to the customer interface 20 based on the customer preferences stored in the first repository 30A._The first advertisement module IOC configured in the merchant interface 10 enables the merchant to upload advertisements and promotions related to products and services offered. The advertisements and promotions of the merchant are uploaded and stored into the second repository 30B of the server 30. The promotions of the merchant include voucher codes, image files, text files, and media files. The advertisements uploaded by the merchant can include audio-video of the products or services offered by the merchant. The customers can view the advertisements of the merchant before making the final purchase decision.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the unsubscribe option 211 configured in the UDI 21 of the customer interface 20 enables the customer to unsubscribe the merchant. Further, on availing the unsubscribe option 211 the merchant is either removed from the merchant-list present in the customer interface 20 or the customer interface 20 stops receiving engagement policies of the merchant from the server 30 as desired by the customer. By availing the unsubscribe option 211 a unsubscribing notification is transmitted to the server 30 from the customer interface 20 to inform the server 30 that the customer is reluctant to receive any updates or receive any engagement policy from the merchant.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the profile module 22 configured in the customer interface 20 enables the customer to create a customer-profile and manage the customer profile information including customer name, customer preferences, customer like/dislike, customer photograph, customer contact details, customer's financial account related information, customer security and privacy settings information. The customer final account relation information includes financial institution such as bank account details, debit card detail, credit card details, net banking details and mobile banking details.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a group of customers visiting the merchant can split the bill to be paid to the merchant. The merchant interface further enables the merchant to record the bill payment from the individual customers. The merchant can receive the bill spitting ratio from the group of the customers on the merchant interface 10 and further transmits the received bill payment to the server 30. The server 30 identifies the customers in list bill payment records and the amount each customer has contributed. Based on the amount spent by each customer, the server pushes the engagement policies of the merchant to each of the customers related to reward points, vouchers, redemptions, gift- cards, promotions and advertisements.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the server 30 of the digital engagement platform 100 has the provision to push alerts or notifications to the customer interface 20 regarding the promotions or vouchers which are about to expire. Further, the customer interface 20 enables the customer to add the vouchers or promotions or gift-cards to a registered calendar of the customer device 120. The notifications received by the customer interface 20 can include an add-to-calendar option that enables customer to add the information carried by the notification to a calendar just by a single tap on the customer device 120.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the customer can share the vouchers and the purchased gift-cards with other third party networking platforms using popular network tools. Further, the platform 100 includes an in-built mechanism configured in the server 30 to send an appreciation response to the customer received on the customer interface 20 for the reviews posted by the customer and other active participation of the customer.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the category management module 30L of the server 30 that can be provided to the merchant interface 10 based on the merchant requirement. The administrator of the platform 100 manages the category management module 30L. The category management module 30L enables the administrator to create new categories related to the products and/or services offered by the merchants. Further, by providing access to the merchant required categories, the category management module 30L enables the merchant to manage and organize their products and/or services accordingly on the platform 100. The administrator can modify the categories based on parent category or associating with a parent category, category name, uploading image relevant to the category, providing a sequence number to the category and updating the status of the category such as active or inactive.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is a provision of product- service module 30M of the server 30 that can be provided to the merchant interface 10 based on the merchant requirement. The administrator of the platform 100 manages the product- service module 30M. The product-service module 30M enables the administrator to create a new product or service modification criteria's specific to the merchant. The merchant can modify the products or service offered by him/her corresponding to a criteria's available based on his/her requirement. The general product or service criteria includes but is not limited to a category, a product/service code, a product/service name, a description of the product or service offered, a media file related to the product or service offered, a pricing of the product or service, a locational availability of the product or service, and a status of the product or service such as active or inactive. The administrator is enabled to create other modification criteria's related to the products or services offered by merchant and also based on the type the business the merchant is handling. Further, based on the requirement of the merchant, the administrator can define the applicable taxes for the merchants. The merchant can specify a discount percentage and/or a discount amount.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the first authentication module 10D of the merchant interface 10 authenticates the accessing attempt(s) of the merchant. Each time the merchant tries to access the merchant interface 10, the first authentication module 10D requests for authentication information. The authentication information can be set/reset by the merchant. The authentication information can include biometric information, a password, a secure pattern, a contact detail and a combination thereof of the merchant.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the second authentication module 23 of the customer interface 20 authenticates the accessing attempt(s) of the customer. Each time the customer tries to access the customer interface 20, the second authentication module 23 requests for authentication information. The authentication information can be set/reset by the customer. The authentication information can include biometric information, a password, a secure pattern, a contact detail and a combination thereof of the customer.

In accordance with FIGURE 1(d), the merchant at the time of registering with the server 30 of the platform 100 can choose whether he/she wishes to install the merchant interface 10 on a Post of Sale (POS) terminal 115, wherein the POS terminal 115 is considered as the merchant device 110 as illustrated in Figure 1(a). Based on the choice provided by the merchant, the server 30 of the platform 100 transmits the appropriate link to download the merchant interface 10. The POS terminal 110 includes a POS database 115A and a first synchronization module 115B. The merchant interface 10 includes a second synchronization module 10E. Once, the merchant interface 10 is installed on the POS terminal 115 having an additional feature that it can be either automatically or manually integrated with the existing POS database 115A. The first synchronization module 115B of the POS terminal 115 syncs the POS data with the second synchronization module 10E of the merchant interface 10. The second synchronization module 10E is adapted to directly sync the POS data to the server 30. The server 30 further connected with the customer interface 20 via the network. The POS database includes informational data related to a redemption confirmation, a reservation confirmation, a gift-card redemption and a combination thereof on the POS terminal of the merchant. The aforementioned merchant interface 10 provides options for automatic sync or periodic sync of data from the POS terminal. If the merchant selected the option periodic data sync, the merchant can further specify (i.e. set/ reset) the time interval of data sync.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a method for installing and accessing a merchant interface 10 and a customer interface 20 connected with a server 30 of a computer implemented digital engagement platform 100 of FIGURE 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c), in accordance with the present disclosure. The method for installing and accessing the merchant interface 10 on a merchant device 110 includes the following steps:

• accessing a web application of the computer implemented digital engagement platform 100 via the network;

• registering with the platform as a merchant;

• acquiring merchant registration credentials and contact details;

• receiving and storing, at the server 30, the merchant registration information;

• transmitting, from the server 30, an email to the merchant contact detail entailing a link to download the merchant interface 10 and login information for the registered merchant;

• downloading and installing, at a merchant device 110, the merchant interface 10, wherein the merchant interface 10 is customizable as per the requirement of the merchant;

• accessing the merchant interface 10 and creating a merchant profile; and

• creating and managing a plurality of engagement policies related to rewards points, gift-cards, vouchers, promotions, advertisements and redemption.

The method for installing and accessing the customer interface 20 on a customer device 120 which includes the following steps:

• accessing a merchant interface 10, installed and executed on a merchant device 110;

• receiving and transmitting, from the merchant device 110, at least a customer contact details such as an email id and communication number;

• receiving and storing, at the server 30, the customer contact details and related login information;

• transmitting message to the customer contact detail entailing a link to download the customer interface 20 and login information for the registered customer; • downloading and installing, the customer interface 20 on a customer device, wherein the customer interface 20 can be customized; and

• enabling the customer to access the features and functionalities of the customer interface 20; and

• receiving point of interests from the merchant in the form of engagement policies of the merchant related to rewards points, gift-cards, vouchers, promotions, advertisements and redemption.

Referring to FIGURE 2, a method for implementing a computer implemented digital engagement platform 100 illustrated in FIGURE 1. The method envisaged by the present disclosure includes the following steps:

• storing, in a first repository of a server, a customer registration information, customer preferences, customer privacy settings, corresponding access privileges redeemable rewards points received by the customer corresponding to each of the merchant, and customer profile information 202;

• storing in a second repository of the server, a merchant registration information, merchant financial account information, products and services offered by the merchant, and reviews, rating, and popularity score of the merchant 204;

• storing in a third repository of the server, a plurality of engagement policies corresponding to the merchant, merchant preferences set by the merchant corresponding to each of the engagement policies 206;

• installing a merchant interface on a merchant device 208;

• creating and managing the plurality of engagement policies by accessing the merchant interface 210;

• installing a customer interface on a customer device 212; and

• receiving and updating an Unique Digital Identity (UDI) corresponding to each merchant listed in the customer interface, the UDI includes at least one of rewards points, posting reviews, receiving vouchers, generating redemption requests and reservations requests by accessing the customer interface 214.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the method includes a step of profiling, at the customer interface, to enable the customer to create a customer-profile and manage customer profile information including customer name, customer preferences, customer like/dislike, customer photograph, and customer contact details.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the step of receiving rewards points at the customer interface includes the following steps:

• extracting, from the third repository of the server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the reward points to be given to the customer;

• pushing and updating the reward points to the customer interface in real time; and

• displaying the reward points on the customer interface corresponding to each merchant listed.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the step of posting reviews accessing the customer interface includes the following steps:

• enabling customers to post a review in relation to the merchant and transmitting the reviews to the server;

• receiving and publishing, at the server, the reviews posted by customers;

• calculating, updating and publishing, at the server, an overall popularity score of the merchant based on the reviews.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the step of receiving vouchers at the customer interface includes the following steps:

• extracting, from the third repository of the server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the vouchers to be provided to the customer; and

• pushing the vouchers to the customer interface related to the merchant in real time.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the step of generating the redemption request at the customer interface includes the following steps:

• extracting, from the third repository of the server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the redemption;

• pushing the extracted redemption engagement policies related to redemption to the customer interface in real time;

• selecting, at the customer interface, at least one of vouchers and reward points for redemption; • generating and transmitting a first redemption request to the server;

• receiving, at the server, the first redemption request generated by the customer corresponding to the merchant engagement policy;

• validating the engagement policy of the first redemption request with the corresponding engagement policies stored in the third repository; and

• subsequently, proceeding with the execution of the first redemption request based on the result of the validation.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the step of generating the reservation request at the customer interface includes the following steps:

• enabling the customer, at the customer interface, to generate a first reservation request related to at least one of the products and services offered by the merchant;

• generating a second redemption request, by selecting at least one of reward points or vouchers provided by the merchant;

• associating the second redemption request with the first reservation request;

• transmitting the first reservation request associated with the second redemption request to the server;

• receiving, at the server, the first reservation request associated with the second redemption request from the customer interface, and identifying the merchant related with the first reservation request;

• validating the engagement policy of the second redemption request with the corresponding engagement policies stored in the third repository of the server;

• pushing the first reservation request to the corresponding merchant interface;

• receiving, at the merchant interface, the first reservation request and enabling the merchant to submit a response related to the first reservation request;

• receiving, at the server, the response submitted by the merchant and further pushing to the customer interface; and

• proceeding with the execution of the second redemption request based on at least one of the result of validation and the response of the merchant related to the first reservation request. In accordance with the present disclosure, the method includes a step of enabling the customer to access gift-cards issued by the merchant by accessing the customer interface, the method further includes:

• extracting, from the third repository at the server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the gift-cards to be issued to the customer; and

• pushing the gift-cards to the customer interface;

• receiving, at the customer interface, the gift-cards issued by the merchant;

• purchasing at least a gift-card issued by the merchant and transmitting a gift-card purchase request to the server;

• receiving and validating, at the server, the engagement policies associated with the gift-card purchase request with the engagement policies stored into the third repository of the server;

• proceeding the gift-card request based on the result of validation;

• sharing the purchased gift-card in a message format selected from the group consisting of an email format, a short message service format, an instant message format, an image format, a multi-media format and a combination thereof;

• associating either the purchased or the shared gift-card with a second reservation request generated by the customer, wherein the second reservation request related to at least one of products and services offered by the merchant.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the method further includes the following steps:

• uploading, at the customer interface, electronic money to an e-wallet related to the customer stored in the first repository of the server;

• receiving, at the server, the electronic money uploaded by the customer into his/her e- wallet and updating the e-wallet of the customer with an electronic money count in real time;

• transmitting, to the server from the customer device, a purchase request related to at least one of gift-card, reservation and bill payment using the electronic money present in the e-wallet of the customer;

• receiving, at the server, the purchase request related to the customer and validating the electronic money count required for the purchase request;

• proceeding with the purchase request based on the result of the validation of the electronic money count; and • updating the e-wallet of the customer with the electronic money count after the completion of the purchase request in real time.

• extracting, from the third repository at the server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the advertisements and promotions related to at least one of products and services offered by the merchant;

• selectively pushing the extracted advertisements and promotions of the merchant to the customer interface in real time, based on the customer preferences and customer profile information; and

• displaying in the UDI of the merchant listed in the customer interface, the advertisements and promotions received from the server.

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS

The technical advancements of the computer implemented digital engagement platform as envisaged by the present disclosure include the realization of:

• a computer implemented digital engagement platform;

• a mobile based digital engagement platform;

• a platform that enables the merchant to connect and communicate with their customers directly;

• a platform that provides a customer a consolidated access to a Unique Digital Identity (UDI) from numerous merchants in a single location/place;

• a platform that provides consolidated access to the commercial initiatives such as rewards, reviews, vouchers/ coupons, gift cards;

• a platform that enables the merchant to send point of interests to the customers;

• a platform that enables the customer to transmit a book or reservation request for the products or services offered by the merchant;

• a platform that can be integrated with the existing Point of Sale (POS) database of the merchant; and

• a system that is user friendly.

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Claims

1) A computer implemented digital engagement platform for enabling a plurality of customers to receive point of interests information from a plurality of merchants, said platform accessible via a network, said platform comprising:

merchant devices, each merchant device comprising a first processor configured to execute a first set of commands stored in a first memory of said merchant device for accessing a merchant interface of said platform, said merchant interface configured to enable a merchant to create and manage a plurality of engagement policies;

customer devices, each customer device comprising a second processor configured to execute a second set of commands stored in a second memory of said customer device for accessing a customer interface of said platform, said customer interface comprising an Unique Digital Identity (UDI) configured to represent each merchant listed in said customer interface, said UDI includes at least one of;

a reward module configured to receive and update reward points corresponding to at least one engagement policy created by a merchant; a first review module configured to enable the customer to post a review in relation to a merchant;

a voucher module configured to receive a voucher corresponding to at least one engagement policy of a merchant;

a first redemption module configured to push engagement policies selected by the customer related to at least one of reward points and vouchers, said first redemption module configured to generate a redemption request for at least one of reward points and vouchers;

a first reservation module configured to generate a reservation request for at least one of product and service offered by the merchant;

a server communicating with the merchant device and the customer device, said server comprising:

a first repository configured to store a customer registration information, customer preferences, customer privacy settings, corresponding access privileges, redeemable rewards points received by the customer corresponding to each of the merchants, and customer profile information; a second repository configured to store a merchant registration information, merchant financial account information, products and services offered by the merchant, reviews, rating, and popularity score of the merchant;

a third repository configured to store the engagement policies of the merchant, said third repository further configured to store at least a merchant preference set by the merchant corresponding to each of the engagement policies;

a second review module configured to receive and publish the reviews corresponding to the merchant posted by at least one customer in real time, said second review module further operatively connected with a calculation module configured to calculate, update and publish an overall popularity score of the merchant based on the reviews; and a second redemption module configured to receive the redemption request generated by said customer device corresponding to the merchant engagement policy, said second redemption module configured to validate the merchant engagement policies of the redemption request with the engagement policies stored into said third repository, said second redemption module configured to proceed with the execution of the redemption request.

2) The platform as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:

said merchant interface further comprises:

a second reservation module configured to receive customer reservations, said second reservation module configured to enable the merchant to respond to the corresponding customer reservation received;

a first advertisement module configured to enable the merchant to upload and manage advertisements and promotions related to at least one of products and services offered by the merchant, wherein the advertisement and promotions are uploaded in a format selected from a group consisting of a video format, an audio format, image format and a text format;

said customer interface further comprising:

a profile module configured to enable the customer to create a customer- profile and manage the customer profile information including customer name, customer preferences, customer like/dislike, customer photograph, customer contact details, and customer financial account details;

said UDI further configured to optionally include:

a first gift-card module configured to facilitate purchasing and sharing of gift-cards issued by the merchant, said first gift-card module generates a gift-card request;

a first e-wallet configured to enable the customer to load electronic money on said platform and update the first e-wallet if a purchase is performed related to at least one of product and service offered by the merchant; and

an ads-on-tap module configured to display at least one of advertisements and promotions of the merchant in a format selected from the group of an image format, a video format, an audio format, a text format and a combination thereof; said server further comprising:

a second gift-card module configured to receive the gift-card request from said customer device for purchasing and sharing a gift card, said second gift-card module configured to validate the gift-card and the associated engagement policy with the engagement policies stored into said third repository corresponding to the merchant and proceed with the execution of the gift-card request based on the result of the validation;

a second e-wallet configured to update the e-wallet of the customer after loading of the electronic money by the customer and completion of every transaction on said platform, said second e-wallet configured to transmit a transaction notification to the corresponding merchant on completion of the transaction;

a third reservation module configured to receive the customer reservation request from said customer device and push the reservation request to said corresponding merchant device; said third reservation module configured to receive merchant response corresponding to the customer reservation request and push the merchant response to said corresponding customer device; and

a second advertisement module configured to receive and store advertisements and promotions uploaded by the merchant into said second repository, said second advertisement module configured to publish the advertisements and promotions related to the merchant.

3) The platform as claimed in claim 1, wherein said merchant interface and said customer interface further includes a logging module for a merchant registration and a customer registration, said logging module configured to enable a user to register with said platform, said logging module further configured to generate a unique device identification number corresponding to each registered customer and each registered merchant.

4) The platform as claimed in claim 1, wherein said merchant interface is configured to enable the merchant to create and manage said merchant engagement policy selected from a group consisting of a rewards point policy, a redemption policy, a voucher policy, a promotion policy, a gift-card policy, an advertisement policy and a combination thereof.

5) The platform as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server comprises an extractor module configured to communicate with said third repository to extract engagement policies corresponding to the merchant, said extractor module further configured to selectively push the extracted merchant engagement policies to said customer device based on the customer preferences and customer profile information.

6) The platform as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first reservation module of said customer interface is further configured to enable a customer to associate the redemption request with reservation request.

7) A computer implemented method for implementing a digital engagement platform for enabling a plurality of customers to receive point of interests information from a plurality of merchants, said method comprising:

storing, in a first repository of a server, a customer registration information, customer preferences, customer privacy settings, corresponding access privileges redeemable rewards points received by the customer corresponding to each of the merchant, and customer profile information; storing in a second repository of said server, a merchant registration information, merchant financial account information, products and services offered by the merchant, and reviews, rating, and popularity score of the merchant;

storing in a third repository of said server, a plurality of engagement policies corresponding to the merchant, merchant preferences set by the merchant corresponding to each of the engagement policies;

installing a merchant interface on a merchant device;

creating and managing said plurality of engagement policies by accessing said merchant interface;

installing a customer interface on a customer device; and

receiving and updating an Unique Digital Identity (UDI) corresponding to each merchant list in said customer interface, said UDI includes at least one of reward points, posting reviews, receiving vouchers, generating redemption requests and reservations requests by accessing said customer interface.

8) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said method includes a step of profiling, at said customer interface, to enable the customer to create a customer-profile and manage customer profile information including customer name, customer preferences, customer like/dislike, customer photograph, customer contact details, and customer financial account details.

9) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of receiving rewards points at said customer interface includes the following steps:

extracting, from said third repository of said server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the reward points to be given to the customer; pushing and updating the reward points to said customer interface in real time; and

displaying the reward points on the customer interface corresponding to each merchant listed.

10) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of posting reviews accessing said customer interface includes the following steps:

enabling the customer to post a review in relation to the merchant and transmitting the reviews to said server; receiving and publishing, at said server, the reviews posted by the customer; calculating, updating and publishing, at said server, an overall popularity score of the merchant based on the reviews.

11) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of receiving vouchers at said customer interface includes the following steps:

extracting, from said third repository of said server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the vouchers to be provided to the customer; and pushing the vouchers to said customer interface related to the merchant in real time.

12) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of generating the redemption request at said customer interface includes the following steps:

extracting, from said third repository of said server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the redemption;

pushing the extracted redemption engagement policies related to redemption to said customer interface in real time;

selecting, at said customer interface, at least one of vouchers and reward points for redemption;

generating and transmitting a first redemption request to said server;

receiving, at said server, the first redemption request generated by the customer corresponding to the merchant engagement policy;

validating the engagement policy of the first redemption request with the corresponding engagement policies stored in said third repository; and subsequently, proceeding with the execution of the first redemption request based on the result of the validation.

13) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of generating the reservation request at said customer interface includes the following steps:

enabling the customer, at said customer interface, to generate a first reservation request related to at least one of the products and services offered by the merchant;

generating a second redemption request, by selecting at least one of rewards points or vouchers provided by the merchant; associating the second redemption request with the first reservation request;

transmitting the first reservation request associated with the second redemption request to said server;

receiving, at said server, the first reservation request associated with the second redemption request from said customer interface, and identifying the merchant related with the first reservation request;

validating the engagement policy of the second redemption request with the corresponding engagement policies stored in said third repository of said server; pushing the first reservation request to the corresponding merchant interface; receiving, at said merchant interface, the first reservation request and enabling the merchant to submit a response related to the first reservation request; receiving, at said server, the response submitted by the merchant and further pushing to said customer interface; and

proceeding with the execution of the second redemption request based on at least one of the result of validation and the response of the merchant related to the first reservation request.

14) The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said method includes a step of enabling the customer to access gift-cards issued by the merchant by accessing said customer interface, said method further includes:

extracting, from said third repository at said server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the gift-cards to be issued to the customer; and pushing the gift-cards to the customer interface;

receiving, at said customer interface, the gift-cards issued by the merchant;

purchasing at least a gift-card issued by the merchant and transmitting a gift-card purchase request to said server;

receiving and validating, at said server, the engagement policies associated with the gift-card purchase request with the engagement policies stored into the third repository of said server;

proceeding the gift-card request based on the result of validation;

sharing the purchased gift-card in a message format selected from the group consisting of an email format, a short message service format, an instant message format, an image format, a multi-media format and a combination thereof; associating either the purchased or the shared gift-card with a second reservation request generated by the customer, wherein the second reservation request related to at least one of products and services offered by the merchant.

The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said method further includes the following steps:

uploading, at said customer interface, electronic money to an e-wallet related to the customer stored in said first repository of the said server;

receiving, at said server, the electronic money uploaded by the customer into his/her e-wallet and updating the e-wallet of the customer with an electronic money count in real time;

transmitting, to said server from said customer device, a purchase request related to at least one of gift-card, reservation and bill payment using the electronic money present in said e-wallet of the customer;

receiving, at said server, the purchase request related to the customer and validating the electronic money count required for the purchase request;

proceeding with the purchase request based on the result of the validation of the electronic money count; and

updating the e-wallet of the customer with the electronic money count after the completion of the purchase request in real time.

extracting, from said third repository at said server, engagement policies of the merchant corresponding to the advertisements and promotions related at least one of products and services offered by the merchant;

selectively pushing the extracted advertisements and promotions of the merchant to said customer interface in real time, based on the customer preferences and customer profile information; and

displaying, in said UDI of the merchant listed in said customer interface, the advertisements and promotions received from said server.