AU2008252031A1 - Method and apparatus for promoting sales - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Standard Patent Applicant: NORMAN HAROLD GENGOULT-SMITH Invention Title: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROMOTING SALES The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method for performing it known to me/us: P42987AU2 PaSeFihflg ASlICallon 200812-2.doc (M) -2- 00 C METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROMOTING SALES SRELATED APPLICATION C 5 This application is divided from and claims the benefit of the priority of Australian application no. 2002300326 filed 30 July 2002, the content of which as filed is Sincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 00 The present invention relates to a method and apparatus 00 for promoting sales, typically of goods, to specific potential customers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION One existing technique for promoting goods or services is to discount those goods or services for a predefined period. However, the benefits of this discount are also enjoyed by those who already purchase that good or service, and for whom the good or service does not need to be promoted. The discounts obtained by such customers, in effect, is a wasted promotional expenditure.

Another existing technique for promoting the sale of goods or services is to provide coupons or vouchers with those goods or services, that may be redeemed for cash, additional goods or services of the same type, or in some case other goods or services. This approach has in principle the same drawback as the first existing technique (see above), in that the benefits of the promotion are available to existing customers as well as new customers, but it might be argued that existing customers are less likely to bother to redeem the coupons or vouchers than new customers. Nevertheless, this approach shares the same fundamental weakness of the earlier technique.

The above description of these existing techniques is not -3- 00 C- intended to suggest that they form a part of the common U general knowledge.

C 5 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides, therefore, a method of promoting sales, comprising: Sconducting a consumer survey to determine C- consumer choices of at least one consumer; 1c 0 comparing the consumer choices of the consumer 00 with a record of preferred choices, the preferred choices being choices that it is preferred the consumer make; preparing a switch record for the consumer, comprising a record of those preferred choices not matched by the consumer choices; and notifying the consumer of the content of the respective switch record and offering a reward to the consumer for choosing, on a subsequent occasion, a preferred choice instead of a corresponding one of the consumer choices.

In one embodiment, the method includes conducting the consumer survey of a plurality of consumers, comparing for each of the consumers the consumer choices with the record of preferred choices, preparing for each of the consumers a respective switch record comprising a record of those respective preferred choices not matched by the respective consumer choices, and notifying each of the consumers of the content of the respective switch record and offering a reward to each of the respective consumers for choosing, on a subsequent occasion, a preferred choice instead of a corresponding one of the respective consumer choices.

Preferably each of said consumer choices comprise a brand of goods or services from a category of like goods or services.

Thus, one consumer choice could be the preferred brand of -4- 00 c- coffee from amongst all locally available brands of U coffee, in which case the category would be "locally Savailable brands of coffee". Alternatively, the category CI 5 could be narrower, such as "locally available brands of instant coffee", or broader, such as "locally available brands of coffee, tea or substitutes therefor." C The consumer choices of each consumer may be the most C 1 0 commonly chosen brands, more recently chosen brands, most 00 esteemed brands or otherwise.

The preferred choices would commonly be those brands presently being promoted in some commercial arrangement with the manufacturers of the preferred choices or owners of the brands associated with those choices.

Preferably the method includes providing said respective switch record to one or more vendors, and calculating said reward automatically upon purchase by a respective consumer of one or more items from said switch record.

Preferably said switch record is provided to said one or more vendors electronically, possibly upon demand (such as when a respective consumer attends said vendor and provides suitable identification).

Alternatively the method includes providing said respective switch record to said respective consumer so that said respective consumer can provide said respective switch record to a vendor and said vendor can calculate said reward automatically upon purchase by said respective consumer of one or more items from said switch record.

Preferably said switch record is provided to said respective consumer in a substantially permanent form (such as a printed medium or a magnetic medium). More preferably said switch record is computer readable, preferably by optical character recognition or by a barcode reader.

00 C The present invention also provides an apparatus for U promoting sales, comprising: Sa consumer survey means for determining consumer Cl 5 choices of at least one consumer; data processing means for comparing for the consumer the consumer choices with a record of preferred M choices, the preferred choices being choices that it is C preferred the consumer make, and for preparing for the consumer a switch record comprising a record of those 00 preferred choices not matched by the consumer choices; and communications means for notifying the consumer of the content of the switch record; wherein a reward is offered to the consumer for choosing, on a subsequent occasion, a preferred choice instead of a corresponding one of the consumer choices.

In one embodiment, the consumer survey means is adapted to determining consumer choices of a plurality of consumers; the data processing means is adapted to compare for each of the consumers the consumer choices with a record of preferred choices, and to prepare for each of the consumers a respective switch record comprising a record of those respective preferred choices not matched by the respective consumer choices; and the communications means is adapted to notify each of the consumers of the content of the respective switch record; wherein a reward is offered to each of the respective consumers for choosing, on a subsequent occasion, a preferred choice instead of a corresponding one of the respective consumer choices.

The notifying of the consumer is in a form that the consumer can interpret (so that their subsequent choices can be influences), but may optionally be accompanied by other forms of notification readable, for example, by computer.

Preferably each of said consumer choices comprise a brand -6- 00 C of goods or services from a category of like goods or O services.

C 5 The consumer choices of each consumer may be the most commonly chosen brands, more recently chosen brands, most esteemed brands or otherwise.

C The preferred choices would commonly be those brands C 1 0 presently being promoted in some commercial arrangement 00 with the manufacturers of the preferred choices or owners of the brands associated with those choices.

The communications means may be operable to notify each of said consumers electronically (such as by SMS, email or the like), by producing a letter, card or other substantially permanent medium bearing said respective switch record, or any combination of these. The substantially permanent medium may contain the switch record in computer readable form, such as a magnetic record or barcode.

Preferably the apparatus is operable to provide said respective switch record to one or more vendors, so that said vendors can calculate said reward automatically upon purchase by a respective consumer of one or more items from said switch record. Preferably said switch record is provided to said one or more vendors electronically, possibly upon demand (such as when a respective consumer attends said vendor and provides suitable identification).

Alternatively the apparatus is operable to provide said respective switch record to said respective consumer so that said respective consumer can provide said respective switch record to a vendor and said vendor can calculate said reward automatically upon purchase by said respective consumer of one or more items from said switch record.

Preferably said switch record is provided to said -7- 00 c- respective consumer in a substantially permanent form U (such as a printed medium or a magnetic medium). More Spreferably said switch record is computer readable, Cl 5 preferably by optical character recognition or by a barcode reader.

SAccording to an other aspect of the invention, there is C provided a switch record produced by: conducting a consumer survey to determine 00 consumer choices of at least one consumer; comparing the consumer choices of the consumer with a record of preferred choices, the preferred choices being choices that it is preferred the consumer make; and preparing a switch record for the consumer, comprising a record of those preferred choices not matched by the consumer choices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In order that the present invention may be more clearly ascertained, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a flow chart of a first phase of a sales promotion method according to one embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a flow chart of a second phase of the sales promotion method of figure i.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Referring to figure 1, a sales promotion method according to one embodiment of the present invention commences with the distribution by a company operating a promotion on behalf of manufacturers, and acting as the interface between those manufacturers and the customers (hence referred to below as the "Interface Data Company"), to a large number of customers or potential customers of a supermarket brand selection or choice survey. The survey -8- 00 C material informs the recipient that a reward of up to, U say, $200 is available to all customers if they for Sparticipate. An additional inducement (such as a one-off C 5 grand prize of $100,000) may also be offered. Each customer is also provided with a unique identification number, contained in the survey material.

C Each customer ticks branded products that they purchase C 1 0 each week, and return the completed survey (such as by 00 mail or email). In this embodiment, each customer includes their identification number in the completed survey, as well as their home phone number or postal code.

In an alternative embodiment, the survey results can be returned over the telephone. Each customer dials a specified telephone number, and enters their shopping choices in response to recorded questions, by means of the telephone keypad. Each category of goods and specific brand of good is given a number, either specified in the survey material, or announced to the customer by the recorded voice. In this embodiment, each customer keys in their identification number, their home phone number or postal code, then when prompted each category number and the actually purchased brand number (or zero if nothing in a category was purchased).

Once the surveys have been returned by either method, the Interface Data Company creates a database (referred to as the "Brand Switch customer database", for reasons to be explained below) containing details of each customer that has responded to the survey, and the data they have inputted. If the surveys are returned in paper form, an optical character recognition system is preferably employed to capture the survey results.

Thus, referring to table I, customer number 1234567 may have indicated that, in category 1, they chose brand 3, 9 etc: Table 1 Customer No. 1234567 Category of Chosen brand goods 1 3 2 1 3 4 4 1 6 2 7 3 8 1 9 2 3 11 12 1 13 2 14 1 3 16 17 6 18 4 19 1 2 Using a data processing computer, the Data Interface Company then compares, for each customer, each purchase in each of the brand categories in the survey (viz. in which each of the sponsoring manufacturers provides a brand) against the sponsoring manufacturers own brands.

Thus, for customer no. 1234567 (see above) a report comparing each sponsor's brands with the brands chosen by the customer is prepared by the data processing computer, 10 as illustrated in table 2: Table 2 Customer No. 1234567 Category of Sponsor's Switch List goods brand Brand 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 1 1 2 2 6 2 Prize Draw 7 3 Prize Draw 8 2 2 9 3 3 1 1 11 4 4 12 1 Prize Draw 13 3 3 14 2 2 2 2 16 5 Prize Draw 17 4 4 18 3 3 19 2 2 1 1 For this customer, only four chosen brands matched the sponsors' brands (indicated by "Prize Draw"), while in the other categories there is indicated a "Switch List Brand", that is, the brand to which the sponsors would like this customer to switch. From these results, the computer creates for each customer a "Switch List", listing those brand to which the sponsors would like each respective customer to switch. These respective Switch Lists are sent to the respective customer, who is informed that he 11 00 c- or she will receive a discount if the next time he or U she shops in that category at a participating supermarket he or she chooses items from the Switch List rather than Ci 5 his or her usual brand. The discount might be a specified percentage 10%) or absolute amount $10) per item in the Switch List. It may also vary from item to Sitem or, indeed, from customer to customer for the same C item (depending, for example, on postal area).

00 Thus, importantly, the discount is offered only to those who do not already purchase the sponsors' brands, not to those who do.

In addition, the customer is entered into a prize draw for each category in which he or she is already purchasing the sponsors' brands (for, say, $10,000 per category).

The customers are also each sent a credit card sized shopper card on which is printed a barcode identification of that customer (in the form of their customer number, rather their actual name and address). On the other side of the card is printed the Switch List for that customer, for ease of reference at the supermarket.

All details from the survey (apart from names and addresses, but including postal codes or telephone numbers) pertaining to a respective manufacturer are sent to that manufacturer. This information can then be used by the manufacture for marketing purposes, or to assist in predicting demand in particular areas and therefore distribution requirements to participating supermarkets.

The Switch List database is also sent electronically to the participating supermarkets. When a participating customer arrives at the check-out of such a supermarket, he or she hands the check-out operator their shopper card.

The check-out operator scans the shopper card, so that the 12 00 C customer is immediately identified to the computer system O of the supermarket. The customer's selected gods are Sscanned as usual, but each good is compared with that C S customers Switch List contained in the supermarket computer.

SAlternatively, the Switch List can be uploaded from the C shopper card at the check-out, by encoding the Switch List in as a barcode (or suitable alternative) or, indeed, in 00 the same barcode as the customer identification number.

When a good is scanned that matches an item in the Switch List, the appropriate discount is applied and details of the discount included in the docket. Further, the supermarket computer notes that a discount has been given to a particular customer in a particular category, and no further discount is then given to that particular customer in that particular category.

For example, in the "coffee" category, the sponsor might be the manufacturer of Moccona T M brand instant coffee. The retail price might be $5.60 and the discount $3.00.

Consequently, the "Brand Switch cash back" price would be $2.60.

The customer would clearly see the discounted brand switch items on their shopping docket; preferably these would be printed in bold or in red ink. Preferably a tally or total "cash back" or discount would also be printed at the end of the docket. For example: Total purchase amount $350 less cash back $200 Shopper pays $150 Details of the shopping activities of the participating customers are sent, by each participating supermarket, to the Interface Data Company, so that updated Switch Lists 13 00 c- can be distributed to each supermarket, and so that O results can be sent to the sponsors.

Cl 5 The discounts remain available to each customer for a specified period (say, four weeks), after which the offered discounts lapse.

C It should be noted that, at the supermarket, only the C 10 customer is aware of the discount received for a 00 particular item: non-participating customers are charged the shelf price, as are other, participating customers whose Switch Lists do not include that item. Further, as the discount is delivered at the point of purchase, the sponsors (the ultimate sources of the discounts) do not incur excessive costs in discount distribution (such as those associated with running a coupon processing centre).

Further, little delay is introduced in the check-out procedure, as the Switch List either has already been loaded into the supermarket database, or is uploaded from the customer's shopper card.

Finally, the sponsors and supermarkets employ any convenient and suitable means transfer the total paid out discounts from the sponsors to the supermarkets. Indeed, this might include placing an initial sum in a trust account before the promotion begins. In some situations, the supermarkets may themselves provide some of the discount, as their business may benefit from the promotion.

Modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may be readily effected by those skilled in the art. It is to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example hereinabove.

In the claims that follow and in the preceding description 14 00 c- of the invention, except where the context requires O otherwise owing to express language or necessary Simplication, the word "comprise" or variations such as CI 5 "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, that is, to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further Cfeatures in various embodiments of the invention.

"C 10 Further, any reference herein to prior art is not intended 00 to imply that such prior art forms or formed a part of the Scommon general knowledge in Australia or any other country.

Claims (16)

1. 2. A method as claimed in claim I, including conducting said consumer survey of a plurality of consumers, comparing for each of said consumers said consumer choices with said record of preferred choices, preparing for each of said consumers a respective switch record comprising a record of those respective preferred choices not matched by said respective consumer choices, and notifying each of said consumers of the content of said respective switch record and offering a reward to each of said respective consumers for choosing, on a subsequent occasion, a preferred choice instead of a corresponding one of said respective consumer choices.
2. 3. A method as claimed in either claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said consumer choices comprise a brand of goods or services from a category of like goods or services.
3. 4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said consumer choices are one of the most commonly chosen brands, the more recently chosen brands 16 00 and the most esteemed brands. A method as claimed in claim 1, including providing C 5 said respective switch record to one or more vendors, and calculating said reward automatically upon purchase by said consumer of one or more items from said switch Srecord.
4. 6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said switch 00 record is provided to said one or more vendors electronically.
5. 7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, including providing said switch record to said consumer so that said consumer can provide said switch record to a vendor and said vendor can calculate said reward automatically upon purchase by respective consumer of one or more items from said switch record.
6. 8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said switch record is provided to said consumer in a substantially permanent form.
7. 9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said switch record is computer readable. An apparatus for promoting sales, comprising: a consumer survey means for determining consumer choices of at least one consumer; data processing means for comparing for said consumer said consumer choices with a record of preferred choices, said preferred choices being choices that it is preferred said consumer make, and for preparing for said consumer a switch record comprising a record of those preferred choices not matched by said consumer choices; and communications means for notifying said consumer 17 00 C of the content of said switch record; O wherein a reward is offered to said consumer for choosing, on a subsequent occasion, a preferred choice C 5 instead of a corresponding one of said consumer choices.
8. 11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein: M said consumer survey means is adapted to C determining consumer choices of a plurality of consumers; said data processing means is adapted to compare 00 for each of said consumers said consumer choices with a record of preferred choices, and to prepare for each of said consumers a respective switch record comprising a record of those respective preferred choices not matched by said respective consumer choices; and said communications means is adapted to notify each of said consumers of the content of said respective switch record; wherein a reward is offered to each of said respective consumers for choosing, on a subsequent occasion, a preferred choice instead of a corresponding one of said respective consumer choices.
9. 12. An apparatus as claimed in either claim 10 or 11, wherein each of said consumer choices comprise a brand of goods or services from a category of like goods or services.
10. 13. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein said consumer choices are the most commonly chosen brands, more recently chosen brands or most esteemed brands.
11. 14. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein said communications means is operable to notify said consumer by producing a letter, card or other substantially permanent medium bearing said switch record corresponding to said consumer. 18 00 CI 15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said U substantially permanent medium contains said switch record Sin computer readable form. C-I
12. 16. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 10 to wherein said apparatus is operable to provide said M respective switch record to one or more vendors, so that C said vendors can calculate said reward automatically upon purchase by said respective consumer of one or more items 00 from said respective switch record.
13. 17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said switch record is provided to said one or more vendors electronically.
14. 18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said apparatus is operable to provide said switch record to said consumer so that said consumer can provide said switch record to a vendor and said vendor can calculate said reward automatically upon purchase by said consumer of one or more items from said switch record.
15. 19. A switch record produced by: conducting a consumer survey to determine consumer choices of at least one consumer; comparing said consumer choices of said consumer with a record of preferred choices, said preferred choices being choices that it is preferred said consumer make; and preparing a switch record for said consumer, comprising a record of those preferred choices not matched by said consumer choices. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said switch record is provided to said respective consumer in a substantially permanent form.
16. 21. A method or apparatus for promoting sales substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.