WO2015004678A2

WO2015004678A2 - Choice driven social media method and system for connecting customers and companies

Info

Publication number: WO2015004678A2
Application number: PCT/IN2014/000439
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vaibhav SHEWALE
Original assignee: Shewale Vaibhav
Priority date: 2013-07-03
Filing date: 2014-07-02
Publication date: 2015-01-15
Also published as: IN2013MU02245A; WO2015004678A3

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of electronic shopping and marketing, and more particularly relates to a comprehensive method and system that provides a unique online experience for the users / customers as well as the sellers / traders throughout the purchasing activity including pre-purchase, point of purchase and post purchase activity.

Description

Choice Driven Social Media Method and System For Connecting Customers

And Companies

Field of the Invention

Background of the Invention

Internet has grown into a fully fledged medium covering all aspects of modern living. In the 1990s, it gained popularity with email services. Corporate websites became popular and big and small organizations from wide range of industries, from Technology to Pharmaceutical and so on, purchased domain names and put- up their websites. By mid to late 90s, websites for news and other information, e- commerce, and search engines became extremely popular. As user base grew, companies started considering websites as a platform to advertise their product and services and also to drive 'traffic' to their corporate websites.

The decision to advertise on popular websites, such as news or entertainment portals, was driven by the intention to attract 'maximum number of eyeballs' and to showcase product/services. Another intention of such content was to draw traffic to company websites. In the process, popular website would end up carrying 'pop-up' ads or what was popularly known as 'banner ads'.

l The principle of maximum eyeballs has its roots in the conventional advertisement media, such as outdoor displays and TV advertisements etc. Personal computers and other devices such as personal smart phones and tablet PCs are fundamentally different with respect to the user experience. These are individual and personal experiences. Users are not in the same state of mind, like they are when walking or driving on the road and watching outdoor commercial hoardings or watching TV commercials, when searching for information on a search engine or when they are checking their email accounts. Banner and popup ads were extremely intrusive to the users browsing the internet and were soon out of favour by late 1990s. However, inline ads and suggested ads, sponsored ads on e-commerce and social media ads gained significant importance with the advertiser community over the last decade. Popular sites such as Google, Yahoo, eBay, Facebook, etc., use mechanisms such as cookies to maintain records of sites visited by the user and analyse this information to make suggestions of products and services that the user would be interested in. However, irrespective of the sophistication in the means through which users are 'pushed' marketing content, users are still concerned about the intrusiveness, irrelevance of content and most importantly about privacy.

A user, in relation to his purchasing activity, will usually go through three of the stages:

- Before purchase: Here the user will browse through products of different companies on their websites; will search for the product on ecommerce sites such as eBay, Amazon, Flipkart, moneysupermarket.com, policybazar.com, paytm.com and so on. The user may also decide to check prices across multiple such online retailers (eBay, Amazon, etc.,) and websites of retails stores (futurebazaar.com, marksandspencer.com, walmart.com, etc.,) and also may use price comparison sites such as pricerunner.co.uk, compareindia.in.com, etc. Further the user may visit multiple price comparison sites to get a wider range of products, prices, special discounts, offers and deals.

Point of Purchase: Once the user narrows down on to the product / services to purchase and decides to purchase it online (ecommerce sites) or physically walk-in into stores and make the purchase, receipts of payment made are produced. Online check out as well point of sale systems at walk-in stores, issue payment receipts in electronic forms, onto user's email id/ or SMS alerts etc. Along with receipts, refund policy statement, cash back offer details and like are artefacts related with 'Point of Purchase'.

Post Purchase: The user usually develops a long term association with the product or service provider / company/ brand after he/she has made the purchase. This association has several artefact linked with it, either in terms of physical documents or their electronic versions such as:

Terms and conditions ( Insurance or Utility services

Warranty cards

o User Manuals

o Reminder - Such as periodic service maintained reminders in case of newly purchases cars or other vehicles, reminders to renew an insurance policy etc.

o Upgrade information or New accessories being available - in case of Mobile service packages and associated benefits and mobile or PC upgrades etc.

A user may be in one or more of the stages at any given point of time. For e.g., a user may: - Search a good mobile phone in a particular price band and from his / her preferred brands.

- Renew an existing insurance policy.

Change the TV services package

- Look for a piece of land for a second home

Plan for a car service

- Book a vacation - Flights and Hotels

Search for a rewarding long term fixed deposit offer from preferred banks Search for child education investment product

- Search for most price effective deals on household products such as grocery etc.

The user will be required to search company websites, retailers' websites and like, as well as price comparison sites for each of the above mentioned exemplary needs. This may make the user at one stage to go through 10s of websites.

To add to this, the users typically register for membership accounts on sites to track his or her associations and get information such as reminders, summary of transactions, etc. Typically, such member accounts are linked with email IDs and/or mobile phone numbers of the user. In the process of receiving information, offers and deals, etc., to the user's email ID and mobile phone Inbox are overloaded with Alerts and messages, making it almost impossible to track all the information and alerts that requires actions. In light of the limitations in the prior art it has occurred to the inventor that a more comprehensive solution that provides a unique online experience for the users / customers as well as the sellers / traders throughout the purchasing activity including pre-purchase, point of purchase and post purchase activity is needed. Summary of the invention;

The present invention relates to a comprehensive method and system for the users / customers wherein the users / customers receives content, communications and or like relating to a product / service only based on his or her specified interest, can compare products / services along with their prices at various outlets, can have the electronic documents relating to the products / services managed efficiently, can store the user's associations with the product / service provider, and like, thus offering the user / customer a unique online shopping related experience.

Its a feature of the present invention to offer a similarly comprehensive solution to the product / service provider wherein the product / service provider is enabled to send relevant content, communications and or like to interested users / customers only, thus enabling targeted digital marketing.

It is yet another object of the present invention to enable the product / service provider and or the user / customer to associate with social media including enabling connecting and sharing experiences, recommendations, about the product/services, thus enhancing the shopping experience.

It is an object of the present invention to enable the user / customer to define choices or preferences and filtering the content, communications and or like that should be received as per individual users' choice. It is a feature of the present invention that the choices that can be defined by the user / customer can be defined on a wide range including location, frequency, industry, category, specific product / service provider or brand, specific product or service, specific subscriptions or memberships, and like. It is yet another object of the present invention to enable the user / customer to receive communications including alters, emails, calls, messages and newsletters on the user's / customer's profile on the system in accordance with the present invention, and can further enable the user / customer to forward the same onto his/her mobile phone, as a SMS, call, email or like or to forward the same onto his social media including friend, groups, and like, completely based on the user.

The other additional objects, advantages, and or novel features of the present invention, which can be more apparent to those skilled in the art, are set forth in following description of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a data processing environment and system including the Content and Communications Injection process and the Content Filtration process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment The inventor provides a comprehensive method and system for the users / customers as well as the sellers / traders throughout the purchasing activity including pre-purchase, point of purchase or post purchase activity. The method and system of the present invention are described in enabling detail below. Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a data processing environment and system ("Environment") 100, including Content Injection process 125 conducted in parallel with a Content Filtration process 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Environment 100 is provided for the purpose of sending content, communications or like to the user / customer based on his or her specified interests only, along with offering other features, and thus offers the user / customer a unique online shopping and post sales experience.

In a preferred embodiment, Environment 100 is web based wherein a web interface is used as administrator to manage the Environment 100, however this is not required in order to practice the present invention. In accordance with the present invention, the Environment 100 can be a distributed-split environment that involves either a single or multiple storages cum retrievable locations combined with multiple processing locations connected together through a data network / intranet. Alternatively, the Environment 100 can be a single environment that involves single storing, retrieving and processing location.

Environment 100 has a Communications and Content Data Repository ("CCDR") 101 accessible thereto. Repository 101 can be an optical storage drive, a disk drive, a magnetic drive, or any other suitable repository for storing various data. Communications and Content data ("CCD") 101a generated by the Communications and Content injection process ("COP") 125 is compiled and stored in the CCDR 101 for later access. In an embodiment, the CCDR 101 is aided with separate Communications and Content Processing Components ("CCPC") 105 for aiding communications and content creation. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the CCPC 105 further comprises of a crawler component for the purposes of the present invention. In an embodiment, the CCPC 105 and the CCDR 101 are part of the CIS 102. In one embodiment CCDR 101 is provided as a central data server enabled with appropriate database access software and CCD 101a is written to portable storage devices when generated by the CCIP 125, and later input or copied from the portable storage devices into the repository 101. In this embodiment, repository 101 may be maintained at a remote location from the processing locations. In another embodiment, CCD 101a is automatically converted into a suitable data format and entered into a web based version of CCDR 101, the data in which may be later uploaded into a main CCDR 101 repository. There are many configuration possibilities. In yet another embodiment, CCDR 101 is a segregated portion of a large single central information server ("CIS") 102 for data access and processing enabled with appropriate database access software. CIS 102 can be of any type of repository as was described with reference to repository 101. In an embodiment of the present invention, CCD 101a can be generated in parts as per requirement.

CCDR 101, or such portion of CIS 102, comprises of various data including, but not limited to, CCD 101a. The additional description as to how the CCD 101a are provided is fully described hereunder in this embodiment.

In accordance with the present invention, CCD 101a posted and or generated by the product / service provider is then filtered based on their Choices/Preferences and then sent to the users / customers. In this behalf, in an Environment 100, a User Profile Repository (UPR) 1 15 is accessible thereto. Repository 115 may be any type of repository as described with reference to repository 101 above. Likewise, UPR 1 15 may be remote from but accessible to Environment 100. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, UPR 115 is a segregated portion of the CIS 102, however this is not required for practicing the present invention. In an embodiment, the UPR 115 is aided with a separate Choice Processing Component (CPC) 130. In an embodiment, the CPC 130 and the UPR 115 are part of the CIS 102. UPR 115, or such portions of CIS 102, comprises of, but is not limited to, User Data (UD) 115a, which comprises of the list of users, user profile, user information / preferences, user choice sets, and like. CCD 101a are filtered in accordance with the Communications and Content Filtration Process ("CCFP") 120 with the aid of a separate filtration engine provided for such purposes, and then pushed to the user / customer, based on his / her preferences. The CCD 101a are filtered based on the user choice sets in the UD 115a that the user generates and is then sent to the user based on the user preferences. It is pointed out that one of the objects of the present invention is to provide only that Communications and Content Data CCD 101a which the user is interested in receiving. UPR 1 15, or such portions of CIS 102 also manages the user subscriptions. The additional description as to how CCD 101a are provided in accordance with the CCFP 120 is fully described hereunder in this embodiment.

In accordance with the further embodiment of the present invention, secondary content such as warranty cards, receipts, and like, and related communications generated during or after the purchasing activity of the users / customers are stored into the system and can be retrieved by the user / customer as and when necessary. In this behalf, in an Environment 100, a Secondary Content and Communications Repository ("SCCR") 135 is accessible thereto. Repository 135 may be any type of repository as described with reference to repository 101 above. Likewise, SCCR 135 may be remote from but accessible to environment 100. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, SCCR 135 is a segregated portion of the CIS 102, however this is not required for practicing the present invention. In an embodiment, the SCCR 135 is aided with a separate Secondary Content and Communications Processing Component ("SCCPC") 140. In an embodiment, the SCCPC 140 and the SCCR 135 are part of the CIS 102. SCCR 135, or such portions of CIS 102, comprises of, but not limiting it to, Secondary Content and Communications ("SCC") 135a. SCC 135a are filtered in accordance with the present invention and then sent to the users / customers. The SCC 135a is filtered based on the user preferences. It is pointed out that one of the objects of the present invention is also to provide the user a comprehensive solution also to manage the association with the product / service provider on a continuing basis. The access to the repositories described herein is controlled by subscriber user id and password, and relevant subscriber information collected at the time of subscription is stored in the repositories described herein. As has been stated above, it is an object of the present invention to enable the user / customer to receive content and communications including alerts, emails, calls, messages and newsletters and like CCD 101a on the user's / customer's profile on the system in accordance with the present invention, and to further enable the user / customer to forward the same onto his/her mobile phone, as a SMS, call, email or like or to forward the same onto his social media including friend, groups, and like, completely based on the user. In this behalf, in an Environment 100, CIS 102 further comprises of a Distribution Component 145, which enables the user / customer to receive CCD 101a on the user's / customer's profile on the system and further enable the user / customer to forward the same onto his/her mobile phone, as a SMS, call, email or like or to forward the same onto his social media including friend, groups, and like, completely based on the user.

Communications and Content Injection Process; Communications and Content Injection Process (CCIP) 125 is the process of uploading the content and the communications or like and storing the generated CCD 101a into the CCDR 101 or the CIS 102, as the case may be, for further access. As has been highlighted below, one of the objects of the present invention is to send to the user / customer,, the communications and content based on the user / customer's preference. Hence, to enable the user / customer to receive the communications and content based on his choices to the microest level, the CCIP 125 enables the seller / service provider to provide communications and or content to the microest level. As was described with reference to Fig. 1 above, CCIP 125 is used to upload content and the communications or like so that the same could be sent to the user / customer based on his choices. It is noted herein, and should be apparent so far in this specification, that there are numerous acronyms used to describe various data processes and types. For this reason and for the purpose of simplifying dissemination of the disclosure of the present invention certain acronyms that have already been introduced with complete names will from time to time be re- identified throughout this specification with the complete name with the acronym, in order that retention of meaning is simplified, In an embodiment of the present invention, the CCIP 125 is implemented through computer processes; however it is not required for practicing the present invention.

CCD 101a created at earlier occasions are made available to a repository analogous to CIS 102, and or CCDR 101 described with reference to Fig. 1. In accordance with the present invention, the communications and content is injected into the system in accordance with the CCIP 125, which comprises of the following sub-processes:

- Validation Process: One of the objects of the present invention is to send valid communications and content to the user / customer based on their choices. Hence, in accordance with the present invention, this sub-process ensures that only a valid seller / service provider or its representative uploads the communications and content into the system or that the communications and content is taken by the system from a valid source. With reference to Fig. 1, Environment 100 is also provided with an administrator module in the

CCDR 101 or CIS 102, as the case may be, which requires the seller / service provider to send a request to the system to validate the seller / service provider data, such as name, contact details, email ID, etc. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, the validation process will ensure that the seller / service provider is genuine so that the CCD 101a generated into the system is genuine. This avoids any possibility of duplication or fake account creation into the system.

Communications and Content creation and uploading Process: In accordance with the present invention, validated sellers / service providers are enabled to create CCD 101a of their choice on the system. As described in the present invention, the CCD 101a can either be images, text, video or newsletter, etc. CCD 101a is uploaded into the system through any of the following means: o Communications and Content is created using basic tools provided by the system such as text editors, html editor etc.

o The communications and content creator is also enabled to import from existing sources such as websites - corporate website, ecommerce websites or aggregator sites, etc.

o Existing communications and content with the content creator can also be simply uploaded into the system,

o All the communications and content will be subject to basic validation such as format check by the system - Such as html format check, SMS text size and other constraint check etc.

o Classification - The communications and content that has been created or uploaded into the system needs to be classified correctly. In accordance with the present invention, pre-determined tags / categories are provided so that the classification of the service / product is made to the microest level. Tagging such as

^■ Industry

^■ Category tag

^■ Further details such as multiple levels of sub category ( as applicable) ^■ Product or service ID - Name, model etc.

^■ Price or Price Range Tag ( if applicable )

^■ Timeframe tag - Time window in which the CCD 101a will be valid or available (example CCD 101a for deals or offers for specific time window)

^■ Location Hierarchy - this can include, as an example, information regarding Country, City, Suburb, locality, etc. Content can be tagged at any of the levels within the hierarchy. As stated above, in an embodiment of the present invention, the CCPC 105 further comprises of a crawler component for the purposes of the present invention, which extracts the relevant CCD 101a from the web.

- Availability and Tracking Process: After finalizing the CCD 101a and tagging it appropriately in accordance with the present invention, the seller / service provider is enabled to make the CCD 101a available to the interested users / customers in accordance with the CCFP 120. In accordance with the present invention, once the CCD 101a is available and disseminated, the seller / service provider / content creator is enabled to track the same on the system and consider:

^■ How many users / customers received the CCD 101 a ( as per their preferences)

^■ How many users / customers took follow up actions regarding the CCD 101 a - such as requesting the CCD 101 a on their personal mobile or email in accordance with the present invention.

Thus, the CCD 101a is generated in accordance with the CCIP 125 and is implemented in the CCDR 101, or CCPC 105 or the CIS 102, as the case may be. - In an embodiment of the present invention, the CIP 125 is performed separately and the generated CD 101a is written to portable storage devices and later input or copied from portable storage devices into the repository 101. In an embodiment of the present invention, when a seller / service provider connects to the CIS 102 or the CCPC 105, for uploading a CCD 101a, his/ her location is identified by the CCPC 105, CCDR 101 or CIS 102, as the case may be, and the CCIP 125 is implemented accordingly with the aid of computer processes and the said CCD 101a is noticed by the choice filter-sets of the user / customer interested to receive the CCD 101a, and the CCD 101a are filtered in accordance with the CCFP 120 and the CCD 101a are sent to the user / customer based on his/ her choice. The additional description on the CCFP 120 as provided in accordance with the present invention is fully described hereunder in this embodiment.

Communications and Content Filtration Process:

In accordance with the present invention, the UPR 115 or such portions of CIS 102, comprises of User Data 1 15a including but not limited to all user related information such as the name of the user, the choice sets of that user, and like.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to send CCD 101a to the users / customers who are interested in receiving the CCD 101a based on their interest. In accordance with the present invention, the CCD 101a is sent to the user / customer on the communication device either through an application programmed for this purpose or through desirable messaging formats such as Short Messaging Service (SMS), email, and like. The CCFP 120 filters all types of CCD 101a managed by the system and before it is distributed to the users / customers on their request, and the CCFP 120 is based on their preferences / choice set. In accordance with the present invention, the user / customer is enabled to do the following:

- Choice Definition: The user can define his/her preferences and choices for any or every Domain (Industry). The user can define his or her preferences in the following manner: o Based on Multiple Hierarchies: Here hierarchies for Domain / Industries/ Companies/Brands/ Products/ Services/Models etc., are stated by the user / customer. The complete set of the user's selections is called 'Choice Set'. In order to illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, example to demonstrate the variety of choices available for the user on the platform, is provided:

^■ Select all Products under the sub-category LED TVs

^■ Choose Updates regarding a specific mobile phone mode - Apple iPhone 5.

^■ Choose all Content and Updates regarding Real Estate projects in the Pune City

Choices for Attributes of the products/ services: In accordance with the present invention, the system provides various attributes for the products and services in order to define them. For example - Cameras and TVs, both being electronic items, have several distinct characteristics like Make, Model, Display, Size, Resolution, Zoom, Flash characteristics etc. The user, in accordance with the present invention, is enabled to select / express their choice for products with specific attributes, for example - cameras with 5 Mega Pixels or more, Apartments in the range of Rs 20 to 30 Lakhs etc.

Choices for Time Bound offers, promotions and deals: In accordance with the present invention, the user can choose to receive CCD 101a for specific occasions (such as Diwali, XMas, Valentine's Day, etc), specific time period - summer sale or end of season sale or back to school offers. In some cases, such as stores for household items, these selections are made available on a specific day or on a weekly basis, for e.g. Wednesday deals or 15^th August deals in India and 4^th July deals in the US etc.

Selections based on frequency and quantity: In accordance with the present invention, the user / customer are enabled to provide the frequency and quantity of which the CCD 101a is sent to the user / customer. For e.g. the user can define his choice as - I do not want more than 10 updates per Day (on my profile or forwarded to me as SMS alerts).

Choices based on Type of Communications or Contents: In accordance with the present invention, the user / customer can be sent CCD 101a, which can be images, text and like. In accordance with the filter choice provided by the system, the user / customer choose to have only desired types of CCD 101a.

Choices for Social or Collaborative Communications / Content: It is to be noted that one of the objects of the present invention is to enable the product / service provider and or the user / customer to associate with social media including enabling connecting and sharing experiences, recommendations, about the product/services, thus enhancing the experience online shopping experience. In accordance with the present invention, the user / customer is enabled to define the type of social content he/she wants from social media features of the present invention. This includes choices to receive or refuse connections requests, recommendations (shares), group invitations and group messages etc., on the system. Similarly, the user / customer is also enabled to block or receive recommendations that are sent from external social media platforms. In order to illustrate the embodiment of the present invention, as an example, the user can decide to receive recommendations from his/her friends within the system for a product such as a camera only on the system, but decide to receive 'Tweeted' recommendations regarding his real estate choices (say 2BHK flat).

Choices based on Location: In accordance with the present invention, the user / customer can define his 'region of interest'. For example his/her current location may be London, UK, but the user / customer can define his region of interest as Pune and Noida in India so as to receive the CCD 101a from this region.

Devices specific choices: In an embodiment of the present invention, the user / customer is enabled to further fine tune his her choices for receiving CCD 101a on different devices. For e.g. if the user / customer has chosen the CCD 101a for images and text, the user / customer is further enabled to define that when he/she is using a Tablet PC or a Desktop, he can receive both images as well as text CCD 101a, however when he/she is using a mobile phone to check the CD 101a, he/she should only receive text CD 101a. Filtration: In accordance with the present invention, when a CCD 101a is posted the CPC 130, or the UR 115 or the CIS 102, then applies other user choices such as category, keyword, time, and like. Once the CCD 101a passes through these choice filters, the CCD 101a is pushed to the user / customer who are interested in receiving them.

In accordance with the present invention, the CCFP 120 includes traversing of the domain / seller / service provider / Brand, etc., hierarchy and at each level a check is conducted if any of the entities are appearing in the user's / customer's choice set. If the entities appear, all the CCD 101a for that are added to the 'Required Set'. As one of the object of the present invention is to provide real time up-to-date CCD 101a to the user / customer, a period check, as may be determined by the user / customer, is enabled so that any CCD 101a that has turned void i.e. out of date because of the time window, is removed from the users' 'Required Set'. In accordance with the present invention, once a CCD 101a is uploaded by the seller / service provider, the system runs a check to identify a list of users / customers who have expressed interest in the CCD 101a (as per their choice set). Accordingly such users' 'Requirement Set' will be updated. The periodic check conducted by the system enables the system to check if any of the attributes - such as price, availability of products, etc - has changed, thus ensuring that up-to-date CCD 101a is pushed to the user / customer.

In an aspect of the present invention, the system enables the user / customer to modify and or change the location in which the user is interested i case the user is travelling. In accordance with the present invention, if the user / customer travels and the system records a change in the location from the handheld device or computing machine, as the case may be, the system is enabled to prompt the user / customer if he/she wants to change the 'location' so that CCD 101a changes accordingly.

In a further aspect of the present invention, the system also enables the user / customer to choose to connect to the social media with other users, companies, or created Groups on the system. In accordance with the present invention, the choices of ' the user / customer is applied to the CCD 101a so that the user's 'Required Set' reflects the user's social content, based on the desired interests.

In accordance with the present invention, all the filters work in unison with other filters to ensure that the final 'Required Set' will not contain any extra items that are not requested by the user / customer. For e.g the system enables the user · I wish to receive communications and content and requests to join Groups related to Real Estates in Pune but do not want to join groups in Chennai.

• ^■ I do not wish to receive more than 5 eMails and 10 SMS per week. · I wish to receive recommendation regarding Cameras only but none for TVs or . any other Electronic item.

• I wish to receive information as alert on this system and as SMS message on my mobile phone when the superstores identified in my choices are running a discount sale or are running special offers,

• So on a given day, even if the user has requested communications and or content for cameras to be sent as eMail messages, but his quota for the week ( say 5 eMails ) has been exhausted, no further eMail will be sent by the system. It is to be noted that many additional configuration possibilities are possible, and the example provided hereinabove should not be seen as a limitation of the present invention.

In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, the process for enabling the user / customer, to retrieve the secondary content such as warranty cards, receipts, and like and communications related thereto generated during or after the purchasing activity of the users / customers stored into the system in the SCCR 135 is similar to the CFP 120 with the aid of the SCCPC 140. SCC 135a filtered in accordance with the present invention is then presented to the users / customers.

Distribution:

As has been stated above, it is an object of the present invention to enable the user / customer to receive CCD 101a comprising of communications such as alerts, emails, calls, messages, newsletters, and like on the user's / customer's profile on the system in accordance with the present invention, and to further enable the user^' / customer to forward the same onto his/her mobile phone, as a SMS, call, email or like or to forward the same onto his social media including friend, groups, and like, completely based on the user's interests and preferences. In this behalf, in an Environment 100, CIS 102 further comprises of a Distribution Component 145, which enables the user / customer to receive CCD 101a comprising of communications on the user's / customer's profile on the system and further enable the user / customer to forward the same onto his/her mobile phone, as a SMS, call, email or like or to forward the same onto his social media including friend, groups, and like, completely based on the user. In accordance with the present invention, the user / customer is provided with an "Inbox" for receiving communications in accordance with the present invention. However, this is not to be considered as a limitation of the present invention. In accordance with the further embodiment of the present invention, the user / customer is enabled to update the details regarding email id (one or several) and the mobile phone numbers on which the user / customer is interested in receiving the CCD 101a. Accordingly, the user / customer can request CCD 101a comprising of communications such as emails, alerts, messages, calls, etc., specific to any product or service or a group of products to be distributed to his or her provided email id(s) or mobile number (s), as the case may be. As an illustration, a user / customer can mark 5 cameras of his interest and request the system to send the details on his email id and summary of these products on his 2 mobile phones as SMS messages. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the system is enabled to identify the CCD 101a comprising of communications so that the same can be stored in the repository and be then pushed to the user / customer based on their choices / preferences. The CCD 101a comprising of communications received by the user / customer could include product / services information and general Connection, promotions, special deal information (alerts), purchase related including receipts, electronic copy of Warranty Card, Policy Document, etc., post sales information, support centre information, user guide / manual or similar product/service information, membership / profile related information including newsletters, summary of benefits or rewards, etc.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the service provider / seller sends the CCD 101a, comprising of alerts, messages or other communications to the users / customers to be sent on the user's / customer's mobile phones via Short message service ( SMS ) as simple text. As has been stated above, a user / customer is enabled to provide one or more mobile phone numbers and request the service provider / seller to direct such CCD 101a comprising of communications to the system, rather than sending it to the mobile phone directly, and can be then pushed to the user / customer according to their choices. This would also enable the customer to maintain records.

It is an object of the present invention to enable the user / customer to forward the CCD 101a comprising of the communications onto his social media including friend, groups, and like. In accordance with the present invention, the system provides the user / customer standard social media features such as 'Connect' with a friend or acquaintance in the same manner as it is typically done on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter. In accordance with the present invention, such connections are identified by their email id or mobile phone numbers.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the user / customer is also enabled to use social features to collaborate their purchases or just share something new that they found. Similarly, the system also enables means to group users as to connect and share information.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the system is enabled to allow the user / customer to identify their association with service provider / seller in a 'social connection' context. Such associations could be in the illustrative form of "Admirer", "Owner" and like.

As one of the objects of the present invention is to offer a comprehensive solution to the product / service provider wherein the product / service provider is enabled to send relevant content and or communications to interested users / customers only, thus enabling targeted digital marketing, an embodiment of the present invention enables the service provider / seller to send CCD 101a comprising of communications such as alters, emails, calls, messages and newsletters to the user's / customer's profile on the system, based on the user's / customer's choices / preferences, and can further enable the user / customer to forward the said CCD 101a comprising of communications onto the user's / customer's mobile phone, as a SMS, call, email or like. This feature of the present invention is particularly helpful in jurisdictions where regulatory authorities place strict norms for distribution of communications and content (for e.g. SMS, calls, etc.). It enables the user to receive such content and communications of specified interest in a non-intrusive manner as well as maintains his / her privacy. In accordance with the feature of the present invention, as the users / customer are enabled to specify their choices / preferences in receiving CCD 101a comprising of communications to the microest level, the system enables the service providers / sellers to send and the users / customers to receive the CCD 101a comprising of communications without compromising the privacy and adhering to the regulatory guidelines.

It will be apparent to one with skill in the art that as an integrated shopping and post purchase experience, the methods and apparatus of the present invention are flexible and useable in different embodiments and should therefore be afforded the broadest possible scope under examination. The methods and apparatus of the invention are limited only by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. CLAIMS:

What is claimed is: 1. A data processing system for receiving content and communications, the system comprising:

a first data repository comprising content and communications;

a second data repository comprising user data such as list of users, user profile, user information / preferences, user choice sets, and like; and

a processing component for filtering the content and the communications based on choice filter-sets;

characterized in that the content and the communications posted are linked to the user preferences and then filtered based on the choice filter-sets for purpose of sending the filtered content or communications to the interested user.

2. The system of claim 1 maintained in and accessible from a web interface.

3. The system of claim 1 or 2 wherein the system further comprises of a third data repository comprising secondary data.

4. The system of claim 1 or 2 wherein the system is used for sending content and communications to the interested user.

5. The system of claim 1 to 4, wherein the content comprises of advertisements, offers, deals and like, and the communication comprises of emails, alerts, messages, SMSs, calls, newsletter and like.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the choices posted by the user comprises of various filter-types such as industry, category, sub category, product or service ID, price or price range, timeframe, location hierarchy and like.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the content and communication is categorized on the same filter types.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the filtered content and communications are sent to the interested user on the communication device of his choice and in format of his choice.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein secondary data comprises of warranty cards, invoices, bills, receipts, loyalty program membership alerts, offers and special discounts, newsletters and like generated during shopping process and post sales phase.

10. The system of 1 wherein the user can receive the content and communications on the user's profile.

11. A method of filtering and sending content and communications posted by a seller to an interested user in real time, the method comprising steps of:

(a) obtaining the content and communications for use in filtration;

(b) traversing the category hierarchy at each level with the user's choice set and performing filtration to determine if the content and communications pertain to the interest of the user;

(c) applying the choice filter-sets to send the content and communications to the interested user.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein optional secondary data comprising of warranty cards, invoices, bills, receipts, loyalty program membership alerts, offers and special discounts, newsletters and like generated during shopping process and post sales phase, is obtained.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein in step (a) the content and communications is generated by retrieving the content and communications from crawling the world wide web.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein in step (c) choice filter-sets comprises of various filter-types such as industry, category, sub category, product or service ID, price or price range, timeframe, location hierarchy and like.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the sellers and the users associate to form a social media.

16. The system and method as claimed in claim 1 and 11 or 14, wherein the seller and or the user can associate with social media comprising of connecting and sharing experiences, recommendations, and like about the product/services.