AU2007100874A4

AU2007100874A4 - Postal Code Shopping Promotional System

Info

Publication number: AU2007100874A4
Application number: AU2007100874A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peng Choon Ow
Original assignee: PENG OW
Current assignee: PENG OW
Priority date: 2007-09-11
Filing date: 2007-09-11
Publication date: 2007-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 2015-09-11

Description

Title Postal Code Shopping Promotional System Description of the Invention This invention concerns a remote postal code shopping system and method that OO matches the remote customer's preferred postal code shopping location as

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denoted primarily by unique postal code numbers with the retailer's storefront's postal code within a given country. Registered retailers can interact directly with remotely registered customers that have distinct shopping preferences for specific

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(Ki retailers' promotional campaign within a defined postal code location, whereby both the retailer's storefront and the remote customer are physically located within the common but unique postal code location. More particularly, it is a system for filtering and electronically delivering specific and targeted information about retailer's promotional campaign as defined by the customer's preferred postal code shopping location and their shopping preference through electronic networks to the registered customer's preferred electronic presentation device like computer/notebook monitors, TV screens, PDAs, and mobile phones.

The remote customers will register their customer profile and customer shopping preferences within the remote postal code shopping system, indicating clearly their preferred postal code shopping location where the retailer's storefront has to be physically located. The postal code will be unique and is considered the primary or key field in the system.

Retailers (including restaurant owners, groceries, supermarkets, hotels, wholesalers, sporting shops, and fast food outlets) would likewise register retailer's profile and storefront's promotional campaign based primarily on the retailer's storefront's postal code. Other registered customers who have come across the retailer's storefront promotional campaign can also register that storefront's promotional campaign into the remote postal code shopping system, thereby invoking a "customer-tell-customer" concept. Therefore, the unique postal code number (and country) must be common to both the customer's preferred shopping location and the retailer's storefront location.

Postal codes are also commonly known as postcodes, post codes or zip codes and may be in numeric or alpha/numeric format.

_The customer's preferred postal code shopping location must match exactly with the unique postal code of the retailer's storefront location. Usually, the customer's preferred postal code shopping location could be their place of residence. They would most likely visit a storefront nearest to their place of residence and take OO advantage of the retailer's storefront promotional offer, thereby increasing a chance

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of a sale for the registered retailer.

There must be two matches for an electronic notification to be immediately sent 0 cNl from the remote postal code shopping system through electronic networks to the remote customer's preferred electronic presentation device like computer/notebook monitors, TV screens, PDAs, and mobile phones, informing the customer of a retailer's storefront promotional offer currently available in the customer's preferred postal code shopping location.

Firstly, there must be a match of the remote customer's preferred postal code shopping location as denoted primarily by unique postal code numbers with the registered retailer's storefront's postal code within a given country. This indicates that there is a retailer's storefront located within the customer's preferred shopping location that is providing specific promotional offers.

Secondly, there must be a match of a customer's shopping preference with the retailer's promotional campaign, indicating the category of products and/or services the remote customer is looking for clothing, groceries, and cars).

Once matched, the remote postal code shopping system initiates and transmits electronic notifications through electronic networks to the registered customer's preferred electronic presentation device (computer/notebook monitors, TV screen, PDAs, and mobile phones) comprising of information and/or marketing messages about the registered retailer's profile, storefront location offering the matched promotional offer (which coincides with the customer's preferred postal code shopping location) and the retailer's promotional campaign.

Upon receiving the electronic notification from the system, the remotely registered customer will either make a purchase and leave their comments about the retailer, retailer's storefront and/or retailer's promotional campaign itself or delete/ignore the electronic notification altogether.

_The customer could also be directed back to the remote postal code shopping system and/or the retailer's website for more information about the retailer's profile, retailer's promotional campaign and/or the storefront's location and contact number.

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Claims

1. In a first preferred aspect, a method for a registered customer to 00 perform postal code shopping through electronic networks that interacts electronically with a remote communication device at a customer's remote location comprising the following steps: logging in and registering the customer's profile at a remote location based O N on their preferred shopping location(s) as denoted primarily by unique postal code numbers; with the creation of the customer's profile, the customer's shopping preferences is subsequently registered within the remote postal code shopping system, comprising details of promotional campaigns they are interested in; with the creation of customer's profile and shopping preferences, the customer will nominate their preferred electronic presentation device for electronic notification; logging in and registering the retailer's profile of a remotely located storefront managed by the retailer that is giving promotional campaigns to remotely located customers; with the creation of the retailer's profile, the retailer's promotional campaigns are subsequently registered within the remote postal code shopping system, comprising details of the promotional campaigns itself like the description of the promotional item (either products or services) on offer, the percentage or amount discounts being offered on the promotional item, the start and end date of the duration of the promotional offer and other terms and conditions associated with the promotional offer; remotely located registered customers in any geographical location can then search for specific promotional campaigns by indicating their country of residence, their preferred shopping location(s) as denoted primarily by unique postal code numbers and the required retailer's promotional campaign profiles that is being offered to remote customers by retailers within the same unique postal code; electronically matching of the customer's preferred postal code shopping location with the retailer's storefront's postal code within a given country, indicating that there is a storefront located in the customer's preferred shopping location (referred to as the primary match); if both postal code numbers match, then the remote postal code shopping system would electronically match the customers' shopping preference with the retailer's promotional campaign profiles (referred to as the secondary match); upon both primary and secondary matches, the remote postal code shopping system initiates and/or transmits electronic notifications through OO electronic networks to the remotely located registered customer's preferred O electronic presentation device, containing information and/or marketing messages about the retailer's profile, retailer's promotional campaign profiles, and the retailer's storefront location offering the matched promotional offer; O rNl from the electronic notifications, the remotely located customer could be directed back to the remote postal code shopping system and/or the retailer's website for more information about the retailer's profile, retailer's promotional campaign and/or the retailers storefront's location; the remotely located customer may then respond to the retailer's promotional campaign profile by physically visiting the retailer's storefront offering the promotional items, view the item on offer and/or make a purchase; the retailer may entice the customer to make the purchase by giving the remote customer the option to print promotional vouchers directly from the remote postal code system using a printer; and upon experiencing the retailer's promotional campaign, the remotely located customer may leave their feedback and/or comments and/or ratings in the remote postal code shopping system about the retailer, the retailer's storefront and/or retailer's promotional campaign itself.

2. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the matching of the unique postal code number(s) of both the customer's preferred shopping location and the retailer's storefront location is the primary means by which the remotely located registered customer can match their shopping preference against the retailers' promotional campaign.

3. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the customer's profiles may include customer's e-mail address, country, mobile phone number, age group and/or gender.

4. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the customer's shopping preference may include: retailer's promotional campaign profile and product and/or service categories _like restaurant, cars or groceries, supermarkets, hotels, wholesalers, sporting shops, and fast food outlets; percentage or amount of promotional discounts the customer is willing to pay for a promotional product or service; and/or OO product's Universal Product Code (UPC).

5. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the registered retailer may be a provider of products and/or services, either wholesale or retail.

6. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the retailer's profile may include information about the type of products and/or services offered by the retailer at their specific storefront location(s), the specific postal code of retailer's storefront, the retailer's trade name, location map of the retailer's storefront, country of operation, address of retailer's outlet, contact details and/or store manager's name.

7. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the retailers' storefront location and promotional campaigns can be created or entered into the remote postal code shopping system by other remotely located customers who have come across and/or experienced the retailer's promotional campaign, which is also commonly referred to "customer-tell-customer" scheme.

8. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the remotely located customer may log in and register a retailer, their storefront location and/or promotional campaign under their own unique customer number so as to identify who recruited or introduce the retailer into the remote postal code shopping system to provide promotional campaigns to registered remotely located customers, and may be referred to as "introducers".

9. A method as defined in Claim 8, wherein the Introducers may be financially rewarded from the percentage of advertising spent by the retailers that advertisers their promotional campaigns through the remote postal code shopping system.

A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the remotely located customer and retailer can log into the remote postal code shopping system using computer, the Internet, electronic wireless technologies and electronic mobile or _handheld devices.

11. A method a defined in Claim 1, wherein the remote postal code shopping system electronically filters large volumes of information about retailer's OO storefront's postal code location and/or retailer's promotional campaigns for the O remotely located registered customers.

12. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the electronic notification O cK1 may be in electronic formats designed for the computer e-mails), mobile phones SMS), handheld devices and/or digital entertainment system (e.g. digital television).

13. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the remote customer's preferred electronic presentation device includes computer/notebook monitors, TV screens, PDAs, and mobile phones.

14. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein the electronic notification may contain a unique offer code number that may be used at the retailer's storefront to award bonus points for future redemption, and/or just instant cash back redemption upon payment, and/or printable discount vouchers.

15. A method as defined in Claim 2, wherein the postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail and it is usually assigned to geographical areas.

16. In the second aspect, the remote postal code shopping system comprise of the following: a customer's profile module to register basic information about the customer, including the customer's preferred postal code shopping location; a customer's shopping preference module to register the customer's shopping preferences about the profile of a retailer's promotional campaign; a retailer's profile module to register basic information about the retailer and their storefront, including the postal code location of the retailer's storefront; a retailer's promotional campaign module to register the details about the retailer's storefront promotional offers, the profile of a retailer's promotional campaign, indicating which storefront is offering the promotions; _an introducers module to identify the customer who recruited the retailers to use the remote postal code shopping system for the promotion of the retailer's promotional campaign; an electronic matching module to match both the unique postal code 00 numbers of the customer's preferred shopping location to the retailer's storefront 0 postal code location and (ii) the customer's shopping preference to the retailer's promotional campaigns; an electronic notification module to notify the remote customer of a match O CK1 through electronic networks to the remotely located registered customer's preferred electronic presentation device that contains information and/or marketing messages about the retailer's profile, storefront location offering the matched promotional offer and the profile of the retailer's promotional campaign; a feedback module for remote customers to leave behind positive and negative feedback, comments and/or ratings about the retailer, retailer's storefront and/or retailer's promotional campaign itself for others to view; an administration and reconciliation module to track transactions through the remote postal code shopping system and reward introducers accordingly; and a reporting and data mining module to generate reports and analyse information.