Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q30/00—Commerce
  • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
  • G06Q20/38—Payment protocols; Details thereof
  • G06Q20/387—Payment using discounts or coupons
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07G—REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
  • G07G1/00—Cash registers
  • G07G1/12—Cash registers electronically operated
  • G07G1/14—Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit

Definitions

• POS points-of-sale
• Sales transactions data are fed into a retailer's POS computerized processing system at each check-out terminal station as cashiers scan-in (machine-read-in) and/or key-in all data regarding transactions as they are occurring, including Product Codes for items being sold.
• cashiers scan-in (machine-read-in) and/or key-in all data regarding transactions as they are occurring, including Product Codes for items being sold.
• all transaction data immediately are sent to and are collected temporarily in the retailer's nearby "in-store processor" or “controller”, herein called a data storage computer facility, thereby becoming an aggregation of all data regarding incoming revenue and total costs of all items sold.
• the data storage computer facility determines identifies of sold items, their current sales prices and their costs. Thereby, such an in-store data storage computer facility is enabled to provide a total of revenue from sales and to provide a total of costs of items sold.
• This in-store data storage computer facility is regularly and consistently polled by the centralized host computer, thereby becoming an aggregati
• An objective is for management of a retail establishment on a hour-by-hour basis to be able to determine if and when today's aggregation of sales data indicates that sufficient profits have accrued to exceed today's threshold of costs. This need to determine if and when aggregate sales profits are exceeding a current - 3 -
• the retailing industry has consolidated for greater market share and operating efficiencies. Individually-owned establishments have been bought out or displaced by larger stores which are associated with or included in chains. In America, the almart chain has grown to about 2,000 units with annual current aggregate sales of about $104 Billion.
• each individual store's sales transactions data which have been collected in the retailer's data storage computer facility, are transmitted to the retailer's host computer facility located at company headquarters or at a dedicated site.
• the individual store's sales transactions data transmitted from each particular retail establishment in the chain are aggregated with sales data transmitted from all other stores in the chain.
• a method, systems and apparatus embodying the present invention are those resulting from the fact that they enable a real-time, selective, on-line capture of valuable data about characteristics and nature of selected individual transactions and provide the identities of specific, most profitable customers or households. They provide a far more time and cost efficient ability to extract and yield information including identification of the specific customers or households which are the retailer's most profitable shoppers, and including determinations of their usual or average purchasing patterns as shown by their particular transactions. They enable selective capture of valuable information about specific customer's frequencies of coming to a particular retain establishment and each customer's typical or average dollar volumes of purchases occurring during each of their POS transactions and the typical cost/quality of products involved in their individual transactions. From this captured information, a retail organization is enabled to efficiently and effectively leverage their sales data. The organization is enabled to isolate and to motivate by special treatment their most profitable core of customers.
• a method, systems and apparatus embodying the invention provide for - 6 -
• this invention enables the sorting and analysis of 100% of transactions by automated presorting for capturing a selection of whole transactions in relation to actual customers or customer households via the use of a household-specific or customer-specific MATCH Code to track and enable automated presorting simultaneously with the ongoing current purchases by each successive customer coming to each check-out terminal station.
• a retail operation is enabled to select those 20% to 30% of customers whose patterns of purchases are most profitable and whose patronage and loyalty are most needed to be encouraged and rewarded; so that each retail outlet will be operating at and will continue operations at an optimum profitability, and so that a chain of outlets as a whole will be operating at and will remain at optimum profitability, thereby to keep a whole retail chain - 7 -
• a method for use in retail establishments involving points-of-sale (POS) transactions wherein customers in their respective transactions present selected products at check-out terminal stations and wherein such products have Product Codes for enabling a data storage computer facility to determine identities, current prices and costs of products being sold and wherein all data regarding transactions currently occurring at the check-out terminal stations including Product Codes are input into the data storage computer facility.
• POS points-of-sale
• This method comprises the steps of: providing to selected prospect customers, identified as Primary Prospect Households (PPHs) , respective Reward Offers each having an associated MATCH Code identifying the specific Household and/or to its address to which the Reward Offer was provided, said Reward Offer presenting at least one offer for sale of a product identified in the Reward Offer with a special incentive for its purchase; fashioning each Reward Offer for a prospect customer to submit the Reward Offer with its MATCH Code at a check-out terminal station during a retail transaction; inputting the MATCH Code at the check-out terminal station developing a corresponding code signal as an input signal for a data storage computer facility; monitoring signals input to the data storage computer facility relating to purchasing activities - 8 -
• the method involves analyzing the stored data relating to each such group of signals to determine information relevant for marketing and sales procedures to be carried out subsequently.
• the invention provides a method, systems and/or apparatus for use in retail establishments involving points-of-sale (POS) transactions wherein customers in their respective transactions present selected products at check-out terminal stations and wherein such products have Product Codes for enabling a data storage computer facility to determine identities, current prices and costs of products being sold and wherein all data regarding transactions currently occurring at the check-out terminal stations including Product Codes are input into the data storage computer facility.
• POS points-of-sale
• the method, systems and/or apparatus enable operating such POS transactions in relation to submissions of Reward Offers having MATCH Codes to develop sales information so that managements of such retail establishments can carry out focused or selective marketing activities and/or enhanced sales procedures for increasing profitability.
• Apparatus as shown monitors and captures customer-specific sales information regarding Primary - 9 -
• PPHs Prospect Households during transmissions to a data storage computer facility of all data signals relating to transactions occurring at a check-out terminal station involving submissions of Reward Offers having MATCH Codes for enabling managements of such retail establishments to carry out focused or selective marketing activities and/or enhanced, sales procedures for increasing profitability.
• the customer-specific data-capturing apparatus comprises: a Reward Offer adapted to be provided to a specific prospect customer address and having a MATCH Code associated therewith; said MATCH Code including data identifying the specific prospect customer address to which the Reward Offer is provided; said Reward Offer presenting at least one offer for sale of a product identified in the Reward Offer with a special incentive for its purchase; said MATCH Code being machine-sensible; a computer facility for use in a retail establishment for monitoring all data signals arising from transactions occurring at a check-out terminal station; said data signals being adapted for input to a data storage facility; said computer facility being responsive to any signal corresponding to a MATCH Code for identifying a group of data signals representing the total of all transaction data relating to a completed transaction involving submission at a check-out station of a Reward Offer having an associated MATCH Code; said computer facility selecting from said monitored data signals each group of data signals representing the total of all transaction data relating to - 10 -
• POS Point of Sale
• each customer is involved in a purchasing transaction and during each respective purchasing transaction each respective customer purchases varying amounts of various items, wherein items usually are identified by individual Product Codes
• each respective customer's overall transaction is completed by creating a total charged amount equal to the total charges for all items purchased in the respective transaction minus any discounts and/or premium credits applicable to items purchased during the respective overall transaction and/or applicable to the respective overall transaction
• a stream of electronic and/or optical data is developed at the POS resulting from said transactions and said stream of data is transmitted to a predetermined data storage computer facility located at a distance from each POS, said data corresponding to Product Codes and quantities of items purchased at the POS, discounts and/or premium credits applicable to purchased items and/or applicable to each respective transaction, and said data storage computer facility transmits back to each POS current price data and other suitable data for enabling to be developed at the POS a total charged amount for
• each Reward Offer having an associated MATCH Code identifying a specific customer and each Reward Offer including an offer for sale of at least one product identified in the Reward Offer with an inducement for purchase of said product; sensing said stream of data; temporarily storing successive portions of said stream of data in accessible temporary storage; said temporary storage having suitable data storage capacity for temporarily storing more data than all of the data developed in a longest predetermined transaction; sensing each occurrence of a signal corresponding to a MATCH Code; removing from said accessible temporary storage all data relating to each completed transaction wherein there is no occurrence of a signal corresponding to a MATCH Code; selecting from said accessible temporary storage each group of data relating to each completed transaction wherein there is an occurrence of data corresponding to a MATCH Code; and analyzing each such group of selected data for determining predetermined aspects regarding the data in each such group, said predetermined aspects comprising:
• predetermined analytical steps include:
• machine-sensible as applied to MATCH Codes is intended to include machine-readable codes, optically-readable codes, magnetically-readable codes, electrostatically-readable codes, electronically-readable codes and/or codes which are scannable by electromagnetic mechanisms and/or by mechanical mechanisms and/or by electrical mechanisms and/or by electronic mechanisms, and/or by optical mechanisms and the like.
• machine-sensible MATCH Codes associated with Reward Offers are preferably provided in the form of strips of optically-readable bar code.
• future technology may provide other media and/or other mechanisms for providing machine-sensible MATCH Codes in other forms and/or other configurations.
• MATCH Code means a machine-sensible code incorporating data comprising:
• T - Tracking data for enabling Tracking of actual purchase behavior of a PPH.
• FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating embodiments of the invention. - 14 -
• FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating other embodiments of the invention.
• FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions involved in monitoring all data occurring and/or developed in POS transactions and in selectively capturing and analyzing selected groups of data relating to completed transactions each of which involved a MATCH Code.
• FIG. 1 there is shown a method, systems and apparatus generally indicated at 10 embodying the present invention and being operated in a retail establishment 12, for example such as a supermarket, department store, and the like.
• a retail establishment 12 usually has a plurality of check-out terminal stations, as is well known in the art of operating retail establishments. Two of these plural check-out terminal stations are shown at 20.
• These stations 20 are connected by a data communication pathway 30 with a data storage computer processing facility 40.
• this data communication pathway 30 may include electronic and/or optical mechanisms and/or signal processors and/or other suitable communications handling equipment in addition to electrical and/or optical and/or microwave communication connections and/or other suitable communications transmission equipment.
• the data storage computer facility 40 is located and arranged to be conveniently accessible to management of the retail establishment 12.
• this facility 40 may be in an adjacent office or in a second floor office of the retail establishment 12. - 15 -
• the communication pathway 30 inputs data signals from the check-out terminal stations 20 into the data storage computer facility 40. It is noted that this data storage computer facility includes suitable processing capability for practical uses in a retail establishment 12.
• the data signals 52 relate to all check-out transactions 60 and 70 occurring at the check-out terminal stations 20.
• check-out terminal stations in the retail establishment 12 also may be connected through this communications pathway 30 to the data storage computer facility 40.
• check-out transactions include those shown at 70 embodying aspects of the present invention, wherein each transaction involves a presentation of a Reward Offer having an associated MATCH Code, and these check-out transactions also include other check-out transactions 60 as known in the art being carried out without involving MATCH Codes.
• the other transactions 60 typically include purchases of various products, tenders of cash, or of credit or debit cards, credit adjustments, e.g. for coupons, bottle deposits, rainchecks, and the like. Also, these other transactions 60 include sensing at the check-out terminal station 20 of Product Codes associated with various items being purchased. This sensing of Product Codes produces data signals corresponding specifically to identifies of Products being purchased. These product identity data signals are input along the data communication pathway 30 along with other input data relating to the transactions 60 as shown by arrow 52, - 16 -
• this facility In order to determine current prices (including any current sales discounts) applicable to respective products whose Product Codes produced the product identity data signals input into the data storage computer facility 40, this facility is arranged, e.g. programmed, to "look up", i.e., to locate in a data bank and to provide data signals representing prices applicable to current respective identified products.
• This computer facility 40 transmits data signals 54 along the data communication pathway 30 to the check-out station 20.
• These data signals 54 are suitable for enabling all debit items to be subtotalled and for credit adjustments for coupons, bottle deposit returns, rainchecks, etc. then to be subtracted from a subtotal such that customers' bills can be calculated and totalled. Each transaction is "completed" when data is entered relating to tender of payment for the totalled bill.
• Reward Offers are provided to selected prospect customers, identified as Primary Prospect Households (PPHs) .
• PPHs Primary Prospect Households
• Each Reward Offer has an associated MATCH Code identifying the specific Household and/or its address to which the Reward Offer was provided.
• the Reward Offer presents to the PPH at least one offer (and preferably presents a plurality of such offers) for sale of a product (or for sale of a plurality of products) identified in the Reward Offer.
• This (these) offer (s) for sale of identified product (s) include(s) special incentive(s) for its (their) purchase. Consequently, the PPH becomes motivated to bring its Reward Offer to the retail establishment which provided the Reward Offer and to present the Reward Offer to a check-out station 20 at that establishment during a check-out transaction 70.
• PPH Primary Prospect Households
• the Reward Offer has an associated machine- sensible MATCH Code.
• MATCH Code is sensed by an appropriate sensor at the check-out terminal station 20, thereby producing a code signal corresponding specifically to this MATCH Code.
• This code signal is input into the data storage computer facility 40 along with all other data signals 52 relating to this currently on-going check-out transaction 70.
• a transaction 70 otherwise is similar to a transaction 60, which was described above.
• a computer facility 80 embodies aspects of the present invention and is shown monitoring via communication pathway 90 the input data signals 52 coming from the check-out terminal stations and the return data signals 54 coming from the data storage computer facility 40.
• This monitoring of data signals 52 and 54 is shown by arrows 52' and 54' aimed along the communication pathway 90 toward the computer facility 80.
• this monitoring communication pathway 90 may include electronic and/or optical mechanisms and/or signal processors and/or other suitable communication handling equipment in addition to electrical and/or optical and/or microwave communication connections and/or other suitable communication transmission equipment.
• this monitoring communication pathway 90 and the computer facility 80 do not block ongoing transmissions of data signals 52 and 54 along the communication pathway 30. - 18 -
• the computer facility 80 as shown has suitable temporary data storage capacity for temporarily storing and thereafter erasing all data relating to all completed transactions occurring at all check-out terminal stations 20 and 20' wherein code signals corresponding to .MATCH Codes are not monitored during each such completed transaction.
• This computer facility 80 is programmed suitably to erase from its temporary storage all data relating to all transactions for which "completed transaction" data signals are monitored and wherein a code signal corresponding to a MATCH Code is not monitored as occurring during each such completed transaction.
• the computer facility 80 also is programmed to identify and to transfer from temporary storage to its internal selectively accessible data storage each group of data including all data relating to each completed transaction involving a MATCH Code. All such data relating to each completed transaction involving a MATCH Code incudes all data occurring and/or developed during a completed transaction during which is monitored a code signal corresponding to a MATCH Code.
• the computer facility 80 as shown has suitable selectively accessible data storage capacity for accessibly storing all such groups of data occurring within a predetermined convenient time period, such convenient time period being determined by management of the retail establishment 12, or being determined by corporate headquarters management of a chain, if the retail establishment 12 is included in a chain.
• Accessible from a port 100 of the computer facility 80 is each group of data relating to all data relating to, i.e., occurring and/or developed during, each completed transaction during which is monitored a code - 19 -
• Said groups of data are available through port 100 for analysis as is shown by arrow 110 directed to a data analysis computer facility 120 for individually analyzing each group of data including all data relating to individual completed transactions during each of which a code signal corresponding to a MATCH Code had been monitored.
• This analysis facility 120 is programmed as determined by management of the establishment 12 to carry out analysis of each individual group of data for a completed transaction each of which involves MATCH Code data. Various possible analytical procedures are described later which can be carried out advantageously for enhancing retail operations. The results of such computer analysis are provided to management of the establishment 12 as is shown by an analysis output arrow 160. It is noted that this data analysis computer facility 120 may be incorporated within the computer facility 80, in which case the port 100 is a port within the computer facility 80.
• the data analysis computer facility 120 may be located at a remote corporate chain headquarters, if the establishment 12 is part of a retail chain. In the event that the data analysis computer facility 120 is located at a remote corporate headquarters for a chain, then a data communication and interrogation pathway 130' shown by a dash and dot line extends through a data communication and interrogation pathway 130 (described later in greater detail) to a host computer at the remote corporate headquarters (not shown) .
• This data communication and interrogation pathway 130 extends outside of the establishment 12 through an outside region 14 to the centralized host computer - 20 -
• a double line 13 indicates the boundary of the establishment 12, with the region 14 being outside of this boundary.
• this data communication and interrogation pathway 130 also is in communication with a port 150 of the data storage computer facility 40 as is shown in FIG. 1.
• this data analysis computer facility has a communication port 140 which is in communication through a data communication and interrogation pathway 130 with a centralized host computer facility (not shown) located at the remote corporate headquarters (not shown) or located at a dedicated site used by such headquarters.
• Management of the chain may determine programming of the computer facility 120 regardless of whether this facility 120 is located nearby to the establishment 12 or is located at corporate headquarters or at a dedicated site for use by corporate headquarters.
• the output results 160 of such computer analysis are arranged to be provided to corporate management of the chain.
• These analytical out put results 160 may be provided so as to be communicated to and available from the host computer in any convenient form as determined by corporate management of the chain.
• each communication pathway 30, 90, 110, 130 and 130' will include suitable signal handling equipment as may be technologically available at - 2 1 -
• each computer facility 40, 80 and 120 will include suitable processing and data storage capability as may be technologically available at a time when a method, system and apparatus 10 embodying the invention are put into operation in a retail establishment 12.
• FIG. 2 is shown a method, systems and apparatus generally indicated at 10A, wherein a data storage computer facility 40A is programmed in accord with aspects of the present invention.
• This facility 40A is programmed to provide therein accessible data storage 82 for the groups of data signals transmitted thereto from a computer facility 80A.
• This computer facility 80A is similar in some respects to the computer facility 80 in FIG. 1 in that this facility 80A monitors data signals 52 and 54 as is shown by arrows 52 ' and 54 ' for detecting each code signal corresponding to a MATCH Code and for identifying each group of data including all data relating to each completed transaction involving a MATCH Code. Unlike the computer facility 80 in FIG. 1, this computer facility 80A selectively feeds to the accessible storage 82 which has been programmed into the data storage computer facility 80A in accordance with a method embodying the present invention so that this data storage 82 is available in the computer facility 40A.
• the accessible storage 82 is programmed to be within the retail establishment's data storage computer facility 80A, the data analysis computer facility 120 is in communication with this accessible storage through a - 22 -
• the data analysis computer facility 120 may be located outside of the computer facility 80A or may be included within this facility. It is programmed as determined by management of the establishment 12 to carry out analysis of each individual group of data for completed transactions each of which involves MATCH Code data. Various possible analytical procedures are described later which can be carried out advantageously by computer analysis for enhancing retail operations. The results of such computer analysis are provided to management of the establishment 12 as is shown by an analysis output arrow 160.
• the data analysis computer facility 120 may be located at corporate headquarters of the chain or at a dedicated site used by management of the chain. This data analysis computer facility is arranged to be programmed as determined by management of the chain to carry out analysis of each individual group of data for completed transactions each of which involves MATCH Code data. Various possible analytical procedures are described later which can be carried out advantageously by computer analysis for enhancing retail operations of the chain as a whole and for enhancing retail operations of each retail establishment 12 in the chain.
• data signals 52' and 54 ' being monitored are fed by communication pathway 90 into temporary storage 91 which is provided by computer facility 80 in FIG. 1 and is provided at 82 in computer facility 40A in FIG. 2.
• the computer facility 80 in FIG. 1 of 80A in FIG. 2 determines: DOES STORED DATA FOR A COMPLETED TRANSACTION INCLUDE DATA CORRESPONDING TO A MATCH CODE? - 23 -
• Each such group of data is selectively accessibly stored as is shown at 95.
• This accessible storage is provided in computer facility 80 in FIG. 1 or in computer facility 40A in FIG. 2 as is shown at 82 in the computer facility 40A.
• Each individual group of data is analyzed as shown at 96 in accord with analytical procedures determined by the management responsible for operations at the retail establishment 12. This analysis is carried bout by the computer facility 120 which may be a separate facility at the retail establishment 12 or which may be included in the computer facility 80 or 80A of which may be located at headquarters of a retail chain or located at a dedicated site convenient for management of a retail chain or which may be programmed into a host computer facility of the retail chain.
• the computer facility 120 which may be a separate facility at the retail establishment 12 or which may be included in the computer facility 80 or 80A of which may be located at headquarters of a retail chain or located at a dedicated site convenient for management of a retail chain or which may be programmed into a host computer facility of the retail chain.
• the analysis 96 provides an output of results of analysis as is shown at 97 which is provided as indicated by the output arrow 160 in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2.
• the analysis procedures 96 (FIG. 3) programmed into the data analysis computer facility 120 may include those described in the SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE at (a) , - 24 -
• this analysis may include one of more of the following steps:
• the analysis procedures may include determining an expected useful or utilitarian lifetime of such an item and may set up a program to send a suitable notice to the specifically-identified customer at a future date for advising this customer that such an item purchased at such store on such date has a useful or utilitarian lifetime which will expire in a time period of such months and informing this customer that certain improved models of that item are available and that a purchase price for each such improved model will be reduced by such percentage if this customer will prior to such a date place an order for such improved model and that an invoice for such purchase will not be sent to this customer until one month after the ordered improved model has been delivered directly to this customer, thereby saving the customer's time, costs and effort in selecting and arranging for delivery of such improved model; and

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• 1999
  • 1999-02-19 WO PCT/US1999/003539 patent/WO1999042941A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-02-19 EP EP99934353A patent/EP1116145A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-02-19 AU AU33011/99A patent/AU3301199A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-02-19 CA CA002320089A patent/CA2320089A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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