RU2544736C2 - System for acquiring information from customers and influencing customer decision on commodity acquisition - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics, computer engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to electronic communication means for acquiring information from customers on use of products, by the customers, acquired from a store. The system comprises a communication network outside the store, a wireless portable handheld output device which includes a scanning device and is connected to said communication network, a retail server which interacts with said wireless device to acquire information from a customer and select a suitable time for transmitting information to said wireless device of the customer, to acquire information on the use of products.

EFFECT: high reliability of the system and accuracy of information acquired from the customer.

13 cl, 4 dwg

Description

PRIORITY REQUEST FOR RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application refers to provisional patent application US No. 61/061662 with a registration date of June 16, 2008 and provisional patent application US No. 61/110202 with a registration date of October 31, 2008 and claims priority for these applications, link which means their inclusion in this application in full.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] The invention relates to systems for obtaining information from customers about the use of products purchased in a store. In particular, the present invention relates to consumer systems for receiving information from customers, as well as influencing customers by receiving product reviews from customers and transmitting effective messages to customers after customers have used and tested the product. Effective messages may include, for example, the following: offers, coupons, advertising, consumer reports, price dynamics, recipes and all sorts of other incentives suitable for influencing customers' purchasing decisions in the future.

BACKGROUND

[0003] To date, retailers and manufacturers are not in a position to seriously influence the use by customers of products purchased at the store. In addition, the same retailers and manufacturers do not have a large number of effective ways to obtain information from customers after the product was purchased and left the store. Thus, the ability of stores to understand the features of the use of products by customers, to assess the degree of satisfaction with these products and to influence the adoption by customers of purchasing decisions in the future is limited. And despite the fact that the Internet allows to some extent to establish a relationship between buyers and their acquisitions, this information is usually unsystematic, does not characterize the specific purchases of the buyer and the use of acquired products, and is not reliable enough to be transmitted by customers in a convenient and mobile way.

[0004] The need for exposure to customers for the retailer and supplier does not end after the acquisition, but continues to be relevant after the sale. In order to stimulate “loyalty” to a given store and encourage customers to make purchases that increase the net profit of stores and suppliers, stores and suppliers need cost-effective and effective ways of influencing customers after customers interacted with products or took products home to encourage buyers to further purchase products. To do this, stores and suppliers often offer coupons to customers when making a transaction.

[0005] Currently, buyers are often discouraged by the flow of non-directional, unspecific purchase offers, as well as advertisements inviting them to purchase products that may or may not match the “customer profile” of a particular customer. Retailers and packaged goods manufacturers often flood up buyers with vast amounts of information in an attempt to influence their choice of products to purchase. Trading promotions can include a wide range of different actions and procedures designed to stimulate product sales. Trade promotions include, for example, store sellers' advice, temporary price reductions for products, product alerts through voice messaging systems distributed to shoppers, newspapers and magazines for coupons that you can use in the future to purchase goods, and also more complex multimedia programs, demonstrated with the help of special kiosks with displays that show or play information for customers passing by. Decisions on the use of specific stocks are often made as part of national or regional marketing campaigns, during which sales trends are examined in order to identify patterns that can help in choosing stocks. Often, the decision to hold a trade promotion in a particular store, as well as the time of the promotion, is taken by the store’s administration or by individual sellers and other store personnel.

[0006] To date, coupons distributed at the time of transaction are not targeted at specific customers and are not based on their individual needs, desires, or purchase history, and are typically represented by traditional paper coupons. The indicated approach brings with it several problems. Firstly, coupons may not affect the purchase of products by customers, as customers may not use the products for which they receive coupons. Secondly, since coupons are printed on paper, they are easy to lose or damage. Thirdly, since coupons are printed on paper, buyers have to keep track of the expiration dates for each coupon and plan their shopping trips accordingly.

[0007] Thus, there is a need to develop a system that: 1) interacts with the buyer before, during, or after using the purchased product by the buyer, 2) collects information from customers about the use of the products they purchased during or after use, and 3) It affects customers by means of impacting messages designed for specific customers and delivered to customers before or at the time the customer selects the product to purchase, as well as the store in which the customer He plans to make a purchase. There is also a need to develop a method for electronic delivery of such impacting messages in order to improve the organization of impacting messages and, if possible, the expiration dates of the discounts indicated in the impacting messages.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Accordingly, the present invention provides a tracking system for the use by a customer of products purchased in a store. The system includes a “customer profile” for each customer using the system, an in-store communication network having an Internet connection, a wireless output device, with the ability to connect to an out-of-store communication network, and a trading server that is interoperable connected to the wireless output device via the Internet and through an in-store communication network. When the trading server receives customer feedback on the customer’s use of the purchased products, customer feedback is preferably, but not necessarily, transmitted from the wireless output device to the trading server. In some embodiments, the user profile is stored on a trading server for storage and later use. In addition, in some embodiments, the trading server transmits impact messages to impact future purchases by the customer.

[0009] In the present system, an out-of-store communication network is located at the buyer's home, at his place of work, or at any other place outside the store and in an area where, preferably, one or more of the purchased products can be used by the buyer or other people.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wireless output device includes a scanning device configured to scan and read readable media on a product purchased by a customer. Such readable media adapted for machine readability may include a barcode, a universal product code, and the like. After scanning, the read data is converted and stored in an electronic data packet containing all the relevant data of the read medium, which was previously scanned by the buyer.

[0011] In another embodiment, the electronic data packet is stored in a wireless output device. Preferably, the wireless output device transmits an electronic data packet over an out-of-store communication network, via the Internet, and to a trading server where it is stored, and then said electronic data packet is transferred to the corresponding customer profile. Customer profiles are also stored on the trading server.

[0012] After the electronic data packets are stored in the corresponding customer’s profile on the trading server, the data management device or other suitable analytical device, interconnected with the trading server, analyzes each electronic data packet in order to determine the possibility of impact on future purchases of the buyer. After conducting this analysis, the trading server selects at least one impacting message. After making a choice, the trading server transmits at least one impacting message to the buyer in accordance with his purchasing profile.

[0013] In some embodiments, the at least one impact message includes data selected from the group consisting of profitability savings data, brand matching data, warning product data, warning product set data, product overview, possible recipes , an answer to the history of actions, data on the possibility of choosing an alternative method of acquiring a product, address or directions to the retail outlet, where you can find the product, electronic coupon and other types of suitable trading incentives. Such impacting messages can take several different forms and are not limited to the form in which they are transmitted to the buyer. Such forms may include text messages, videos, electronic photographs, illustrations, hyperlinks, and the like.

[0014] A system for influencing a customer’s future acquisitions is also proposed, in which the buyer provides feedback on the use of the products purchased. The specified system includes a “customer profile” for each customer using the system, a non-store communication network with Internet access, a wireless output device, with the ability to connect to a non-store communication network, a trading server that interacts with the wireless output device via the Internet and through the store a communication network, as well as a block of influence on the buyer, which is in interaction with the trading server.

[0015] The trading server receives feedback about the customer’s use of products purchased at the store. The customer exposure unit generates and transmits impact messages to the wireless output device used by the customer. Ideally, an impacting message impacts future purchases by a customer.

[0016] In some embodiments, each customer is provided with a wireless output device that he can take out of the store and use at home or elsewhere. A wireless output device is a low-cost and convenient tool for creating shopping lists and “wish lists”, which allows the buyer to scan labels for used and finished products at home, as well as add or edit lists of products for purchase using a wireless output device. In the systems presented here, the user creates and edits lists of goods for purchase and inventory lists using a wireless output device, a home computer, a laptop, or a combination of the above devices.

[0017] Also proposed is a customer profile building system including a wireless output device, a structuring device, and a customer profile linker. The wireless output device includes a product scanning device configured to scan purchased products, where each scanned label transmits data about the scanned product with each scan. The wireless output device can also scan product coupons, generating data on scanned coupons. The structuring device is configured to structure data on scanned products and scanned coupons. The buyer profiler is configured to build a consumer profile. The customer profile includes scanned product data for that customer. The customer profile also includes data on coupons scanned by the customer.

[0018] In addition, a system for obtaining information from a customer about purchased products at the second moment of truth is proposed, which includes an out-of-store communication network having an Internet connection, a wireless output device with the ability to communicate with an out-of-store communication network, a trading server and a store communication network. The wireless output device is capable of scanning, generating and transmitting scanned data over a home communication network when scanning one or more product barcodes, i.e. readable media. The trading server interacts with the wireless output device using the Internet and using an out-of-store communication network. The store communication network is located in the store, and the store communication network is connected to the wireless output device and the trading server. In the system of receiving information from the buyer about the purchased products at the second moment of truth, at least one of the purchased products is provided with at least one readable medium. The readable medium is scanned by the wireless output device, and with said scanning of the readable medium, the trading server generates at least one question for transmission to and display on the wireless output device.

 [0019] Other embodiments, as well as the structure and operation of these embodiments, are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Although the description concludes with a claims clearly defining the invention and indicating its features, it is believed that a better understanding of the embodiments can be achieved using the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals are used to indicate like numbers. elements and on which:

[0021] FIG. 1 schematically shows the components of several of the systems described herein;

[0022] FIG. 2 schematically shows the components of one embodiment of the system described in this application;

[0023] FIG. 3 illustrates a functional diagram of at least one of the systems described herein;

[0024] FIG. 4 schematically shows an embodiment of a wireless output device.

DESCRIPTION OF CONVENTIONS

[0025] With reference to the drawings, like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout the drawings. The following is a list of numerical designations and their corresponding elements:

[0026] 7: Buyer

[0027] 12: Wireless Router

[0028] 15: Wireless

[0029] 17: Internet connection

[0030] 18: Communication line

[0031] 40: Wireless output device

[0032] 90: House

[0033] 94: Trading server

[0034] 95: Computer network store

[0035] 96: the Internet

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] According to the present invention, there is provided a tracking system for a customer using products purchased in a store. The system includes a “customer profile” for each customer using the system, an in-store communication network that has Internet access, a wireless output device that can connect to an out-of-store communication network, and a trading server that interacts with the wireless output device via the Internet and through an outside store communication network. Upon receipt by the trading server of customer feedback on the use of purchased products, customer feedback is preferably, but not necessarily, transmitted from the wireless output device to the trading server. In some embodiments, the user profile is stored on a trading server for storage and later use. In addition, in some embodiments, the trading server transmits impact messages to impact future purchases by the customer. These impact messages are sent to the customer’s wireless output device at the second moment of truth.

[0037] In the present system, an out-of-store communication network is located at a customer’s home. The terms "home" and "home of the buyer" here include the actual place of residence of the buyer, his place of work and other places outside the store. The term "used products" here means purchased products used by the buyer.

[0038] The term "second moment of truth" here means the point in time when a person used the acquired product and at least partially received certain impressions and / or formed an opinion about the used product. The second moment of truth includes the time elapsed after the interaction with the product and refers to the period of time immediately after the buyer or one of his household came into contact with the product. Since customers usually do not use or otherwise interact with products in the store, the second moment of truth usually occurs at home or elsewhere outside the store.

[0039] The term "home computer" here means any computing device located outside the store and connected to the customer’s wireless output device. The specified term in particular includes personal computers and laptops owned or used by the buyer, as well as modern mobile phones with the ability to access the Internet. Since the second moment of truth often comes at the home of the buyer, it is assumed that the home computer is physically located in the home of the buyer. However, since the second moment of truth may occur at the workplace, the home computer may be physically located at the place of work of the buyer.

[0040] A "home communication network" here means any communication network or group of networks located at home and having access to the Internet. One embodiment of a home communications network is a multiple communications network. The term "store communication network" here means a communication network in a store, which may include one or more of the following components: wireless or wired communication routers, at least one data management device (eg, switch), at least one computing device (eg , a server-type computer, a trading server), as well as other devices. An exemplary storefront communications network is a multiple network of the type described in US Patent No. 11/859703 with a registration date of September 21, 2007, US Patent No. 12/058705 with a registration date of March 29, 2008, and US Patent No. 12/172326 with a registration date On July 14, 2008, each of these patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0041] The term "multiple communication network" here means a communication network in a store, including at least two different types of communication networks, at least two similar types of communication networks, or any combination of these types.

[0042] The term "store" here means any type of retail environment in which a purchase of goods takes place and in which customers are physically present to purchase such goods, including without limitation grocery stores, convenience stores, clothing stores, convenience stores, specialized stores, industrial enterprises, warehouses, open markets and many other types of retail stores. Embodiments include a store communication network located in or near the store, in which the store network is configured to connect to an out-of-store communication network. Preferably, the interoperable trading server is connected to at least one storefront communications network. In some systems, wireless output devices can be used both in a non-store communication network and in a store communication network in order to connect to one or more trading servers.

[0043] The term "trading server" here means at least one store computer, preferably a server type, which may be located inside or outside the store. The trading server includes at least one electronic device, for example, several server-type computers controlled by a store or a supplier, depending on the embodiment. In some embodiments, the trading server is managed by the store and located inside the store. In alternative embodiments, the trading server is not located inside the store, but is connected to at least one store communication network.

[0044] In some embodiments, the wireless output device includes a product scanning device configured to scan and read readable media located on purchased products. Such readable media adapted for machine readability may include a barcode, a universal product code, and the like. After scanning, the read data is converted and / or stored in an electronic data packet, and said electronic data packet contains all the significant data of the read medium that has been previously scanned by the customer.

[0045] In another embodiment, the electronic data packet is stored in a wireless output device. Preferably, the wireless output device transmits an electronic data packet over an out-of-store communication network, via the Internet, and to a trading server for further storage. After the indicated electronic data packet is stored on the trading server, each indicated electronic data packet is assigned to the corresponding customer profile.

[0046] After the electronic data packets are stored in the corresponding customer profile on the trading server, the trading server or other suitable analytical device, interconnected with the trading server, analyzes each electronic data packet in order to determine the possibility of impact on future purchases of the buyer. After conducting this analysis, the trading server selects at least one impacting message. After making a choice, the trading server transmits at least one selected acting message to the buyer in accordance with his purchasing profile.

[0047] In some embodiments, the at least one impacting message includes data selected from the group consisting of profitability saving data, brand matching data, warning product data, warning product set data, product overview, response on the history of actions, data on the possibility of choosing an alternative method of acquiring the product, address or directions to the retail outlet, where you can find the product, an electronic coupon and / or other type of walking trade incentives. Such impacting messages can take several different forms and are not limited to the form in which they are transmitted to the buyer. Such forms may include text messages, videos, electronic photographs, illustrations, hyperlinks, and the like.

[0048] A system for influencing a customer’s future acquisitions is also proposed, in which the buyer provides feedback on the use of the purchased products to the system. The specified system includes a “customer profile” for each customer using the system, as well as a non-store communication network with Internet access, a wireless output device, with the ability to communicate with a non-store communication network, a trading server that interacts with the wireless output device via the Internet and through an out-of-store communication network, as well as a customer exposure unit that is in interaction with the trading server.

[0049] In practice, the trading server receives feedback on the customer’s use of products purchased at the store. The customer exposure unit generates and transmits impact messages to the wireless output device used by the customer. Ideally, an impacting message impacts a customer’s future acquisitions by incentivizing the acquisition.

[0050] In one embodiment, each customer is provided with a wireless output device that he can take out of the store and use at home or elsewhere. The wireless output device is used to create lists of goods for purchase and "wish lists" that allow the buyer to scan labels for used and ended products at home, as well as add or edit lists of goods for purchase using a wireless output device or computer at any time.

[0051] A customer profile building system is also provided, including a wireless output device, a structuring device, and a customer profile linker. The wireless output device includes a product scanning device configured to scan purchased products, where each scanned label transmits data about the scanned product with each scan. The wireless output device presented here can also scan readable media on product coupons, generating data on scanned coupons. The structuring device is configured to structure data on scanned products and scanned coupons. The buyer profiler is configured to build a consumer profile. The customer profile includes scanned product data for that customer. The customer profile also includes data on coupons scanned by the customer.

[0052] In addition, a system for obtaining information from a customer about purchased products at the second moment of truth is proposed, which includes an out-of-store communication network having an Internet connection, a wireless output device with the ability to communicate with an out-of-store communication network, a trading server, and a store communications network. The wireless output device is configured to scan, generate, and transmit scanned data through an in-store communication network when scanning readable media. The trading server interacts with the wireless output device using the Internet and using an out-of-store communication network. A store communication network is located in the store and is connected to a wireless output device and a trading server. In the system of receiving information from the buyer about the purchased products at the second moment of truth, at least one of the purchased products is provided with at least one readable medium. The readable medium is scanned by the wireless output device, and with said scanning of the readable medium, the trading server generates at least one question for transmission to and display on the wireless output device.

[0053] In some embodiments, the home includes a home communication network, which is a communication network for communication between the wireless output device and other devices, such as home computers, that are connected to the commercial server for communication. A home communications network includes “non-store communications networks”. In some embodiments, the wireless output device is portable, and thus its use is not tied to a specific location, such as a home or a store.

[0054] A preferred trade server here includes a computer readable memory and a store processing system configured to connect to a computer readable memory with communication capability. The store processing system includes program code adapted to receive, sort, and distribute electronic information related to store management. However, it should be noted here that a trading server of the described type does not have to include a store processing system in order to successfully work with the systems described here.

[0055] In some embodiments, the trading server operates centrally from a room equipped with a variety of high-power and high-speed computing devices that can receive, process and transmit electronic data from multiple wireless output devices to and from multiple store communication networks. However, in other embodiments, the at least one trading server is not centralized, but located locally, so that a group of at least one trading server can serve several local stores. Finally, some embodiments include at least one trading server located inside the store and processing data for a single store.

[0056] Some of the embodiments described herein include systems for adapting impacted messages, such as electronic coupons, to the needs of specific customers and delivering the impacted message directly to the wireless output device used by the buyer at home and in the store. Therefore, these systems and methods reduce or even eliminate the optional step of a buyer searching for a coupon corresponding to the personal interests and needs of the buyer, among a variety of paper and electronic documents. Moreover, some embodiments of the invention provide a means by which a customer can structure electronic coupons electronically, thereby avoiding the burdensome process of printing electronic coupons and the need to bring said coupons to the store for later use.

[0057] These systems allow a customer to bring a wireless output device to a store equipped with a compatible store communications network after receiving and storing valid messages, including electronic coupons, during the second moment of truth, which usually occurs at home. After making purchases in a store with a wireless output device, when calculating at the checkout, the buyer redeems electronic coupons electronically using a wireless output device. Thus, these systems and methods reduce or completely eliminate the need to print coupons received electronically.

[0058] This application also contemplates a set of different impacting messages that can be used to influence a customer at the second moment of truth. The content of the relevant messages may include: recipes, proposed items for the customer’s shopping list, electronic coupons, target product prices, notifications that the customer missed the product on the shopping list, consumer report, survey, current price information, discounts, product overview, advantageous offers for goods, savings, brand matching opportunities, answers to the history of actions to choose products, general warnings about products, warnings about products that are tailored to specific customers eating (for example, if the customer’s profile includes information that someone in the customer’s family is allergic to peanuts, the message may be: “The product you selected was produced at a peanut factory”), combined product warnings ( for example: “Last week, you purchased a prescription drug that might be contraindicated when taken with a prescription drug that you’ve added to your shopping list, consult with the attending physician before taking the indicated funds together "), health information alerts providing specific product information, such as sodium or fat content, polls regarding the product and the store, internal cards to help you find the product in the store, and also other known impacting messages.

[0059] It should be noted that the systems and methods described herein allow the selection of data related to the second moment of truth in order to generate customer feedback on their use of a product previously purchased in a store. In some embodiments, when a user scans the readable medium of a used product using a wireless output device, it is possible to evaluate the product using a wireless output device. In some embodiments, during such a scan, the user is asked the following questions that he can answer:

• Please rate your personal satisfaction with XYZ on a scale of 1 to 5, where the highest rating is 5.

• Please rate the satisfaction of your household with XYZ on a scale of 1 to 5, where the highest rating is 5.

• Are you using this product for the first time?

• Is this the first time you use a product of this brand?

• Is the price of this product higher or lower than you expected?

• Will you purchase this product the next time you go shopping?

[0060] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above issues are merely examples. In essence, it is clear that many other types of questions or recall requests can be used, which can be asked in response to data received from the buyer. In some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein facilitate receiving feedback from a customer immediately after scanning at least one used product, which is then discarded.

[0061] FIG. 1 schematically shows the components of several of the systems described herein. In particular, there is a wireless output device 40. The wireless output device 40 is a store-provided wireless device that can be used in and out of the store, provided that there is a compatible non-store communication network that is electronically attached to the device by a wireless router or both of these devices. As such, FIG. 1 shows a wireless connection between a wireless device 40 and a wireless router 12.

[0062] In practice, the wireless output device 40 is connected to the wireless router 12 wirelessly. Wireless router 12 is located at several points outside the store, such as the home of the buyer, his office, as well as other places. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the placement of the wireless router 12 can be arbitrary and can be used with these systems, provided that the wireless router 12 is located outside the store and is not directly connected to the store computer or communication network.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment, the wireless router 12 is located in the home of the customer. Wireless router 12 is used to 1) connect to the Internet using known methods, such as Ethemet communication, 2) transmit data to wireless output device 40 and 3) transfer data from wireless output device 40 to the Internet and then to one or more end points . The Internet here serves as an information highway through which data is transmitted from and to the wireless output device 40. After the data transfer via the Internet is completed, the trading server 94 receives the specified data and stores it.

[0064] The trading server 94 may be, but is not necessarily, the endpoint for transmitting data from the wireless output device 40. Data received by the trading server 94 is stored. If the buyer 7 has a purchasing profile created and stored on the trading server 94, the data transmitted to the trading server 94 from the wireless output device 40 is entered into the purchasing profile of the specified customer. Additionally, data stored on the trading server 94 may be analyzed by at least one analytical unit, such as an exposure unit (not shown).

[0065] The trading server 94 is preferably a server-type computer similar to those manufactured and sold by DELL®, IBM®, HP®, COMPAQ® and the like. Such server-type computers manufactured by any of the existing companies, as well as by other companies not listed here, are well known to the specialist.

[0066] An exposure unit is a computer program that statistically determines at least one most appropriate impact message sent to a particular customer 7. The exposure unit when making this selection is based on at least one of the following data factors: customer profile (i.e. A user-entered list of favorite, least favorite, desired, necessary products, his location, household data, patterns when making purchases, and other information, as appropriate Enikeev particular buyer 7); product information (i.e. price, availability, availability in the store, competitive analysis, list of ingredients and other information relevant to the particular product being sold); regulatory data; data on scanned products based on the use of products by the buyer and data on customer reviews 7 or members of his family.

[0067] The exposure unit works by evaluating substantially all the data on the use by the buyer 7 and / or members of his family of the acquired products and then assigning a statistical weight to each item of the data obtained. Once assigned, the exposure unit calculates the percentage of probability of re-acquiring a previously purchased product and / or the percentage of probability of acquiring a new product based on feedback on a previously purchased product. Information about competing products is also available for the exposure unit, so that a competitor’s offer to purchase a product (i.e., an incentive to purchase) can be transmitted to buyer 7 as an acting message.

[0068] As can be seen from FIG. 2, the store computer network 95 is in communication with the trading server 94 using a wireless or wired connection, for example using an Ethernet cable. The store computer network 95 may be separated from the store server 94. Alternatively, the store server 94 may be located in one or more computers constituting the store computer network 95 in the store or may be a separate device or devices located outside the store but in communication with a store computer network 95. Any of the configurations described above is suitable for the operation of these systems, and the choice of configuration is left to the respective system operators.

[0069] FIG. 3 illustrates a functional diagram of at least one system described in this application. The systems described and claimed in this application include three important functional components: 1) at least one wireless output device 40 used by the buyer and / or members of his family, 2) a connection between the wireless output device 40 and the wireless router 12, due to which information can be freely transmitted and received by the wireless output device 40, and 3) the buyer uses the purchased products, which the buyer 7 can leave feedback and may receive exposure Suitable posts to commit future purchases of the same product, similar products or different products.

[0070] In practice, the customer 7 brings the wireless output device 40, preferably to his home along with the purchased products. Upon returning home, the wireless output device 40 electronically communicates with the wireless router 12 and is able to transmit and receive information or data via the Internet to one or more trading servers 94. As shown in FIG. 4, customer 7 scans the readable medium on the product, preferably when the product is used and consumed.

[0071] After the readable medium is scanned, it is either immediately transferred to the trading server 94, or stored on the wireless output device 40, or both actions are performed. Working with scanned data at this stage depends on several factors, including the memory size of the wireless output device 40, the data transfer rate between the wireless output device 40 and the trading server 94 and the most efficient use of system resources. One skilled in the art will understand that the immediate processing of the scanned data of the readable product medium is selected by the system operator and can be selected taking into account the conditions for the optimal efficiency of the present systems.

[0072] After the data of the readable medium is transmitted to the trading server 94, they are registered, stored and assigned to the specific wireless output device 40 from which they were received. At this time, the trading server 94 also determines whether a customer profile exists for the user of the wireless output device 40. If the customer profile is associated with a specific wireless output device 40 from which data has been received, data transmitted to the trading server 94 is assigned to the customer’s customer profile 7. After the appointment, the data transfer to the trading server 94 begins to be analyzed by the exposure unit in order to select and possibly transmit the acting messages back to the buyer 7, which then output to the output device 40 wirelessly.

[0073] As noted above, the exposure unit here is a program capable of analyzing the data transmitted by the buyer 7, which may include information about the products, their use, the opinion of the buyer about these products, the likelihood of re-acquisition, etc.

[0074] After the buyer 7 used the purchased product, the second moment of truth, i.e. an opinion or impression about the product is formed during or immediately after using the specified product. At the moment when the scanned data about the used product is created, the trading server 94 registers the occurrence of the second moment of truth for the buyer 7. In some embodiments, at this point, the exposure unit requests feedback from the buyer 7 on the use of the product. After the specified review is received, the exposure unit conducts a further assessment of the possible impacting messages that can be sent to the buyer 7 to influence his future acquisitions. Using this process, the buyer 7 has the opportunity to decide whether to re-purchase the product. Usually, at specified points in time, the buyer notes in his mind or on paper that it is advisable to purchase a replacement for the used product. However, the systems and methods described in this application provide the user with an effective and convenient system and method for creating a shopping list, in order to obtain a replacement for used products.

[0075] Since most modern stores are able to distinguish products purchased in a given store from products purchased in competing stores, the store is provided with valuable data on customer preferences regarding the customer and their shopping experience. In some embodiments, customer preference data is received by the trading server and then transmitted over the store computer network for final processing and storage.

[0076] Buyer preference data is useful to stores, merchandisers, manufacturers, and advertisers, since they all have the opportunity to essentially instantly influence the purchase of products in the store by the buyer 7 by providing him with information in order to optimize or maximize the buyer's decision to purchase products. Ideally, the impacting messages received by the buyer 7 via the wireless output device 40 affect the buyer. In another embodiment, the buyer decides to ignore the impacting messages and thereby avoids the specified impact.

[0077] In some embodiments, the store acts on the buyer 7 after the second moment of truth by displaying advertisements on the wireless output device 40. This advertising method is especially valuable for stores, merchandisers, advertisers, and manufacturers, since the advertised products are likely to be selected for purchase. The reason advertised products are highly likely to be selected for purchase is because the ads are tailored to specific customers 7, because the content of the advertisement is based on (1) past customer preferences, (2) previously purchased products, or (3) recently scanned readable media or some combination of these three factors.

[0078] In some embodiments, the store prompts the buyer 7 to re-purchase the same product in the store. In addition or in other embodiments, the trading server 94 offers a similar product, the sale of which will increase the net profit of the store. In some embodiments, customer 7 adds the advertised item to the shopping list or wishlist.

[0079] In some embodiments, the store and / or its partners act on the buyer 7 after the second moment of truth by transmitting from the trading server 94 an effective message in the form of an advertisement, an electronic coupon, a consumer report in which the store is called preferred over others stores, or other impact message to the wireless output device 40. Ideally, the impact message stimulates the buyer to purchase a replacement for the used product in the conc store, not competing stores. In some embodiments described herein, the store and / or its partners act on the customer 7 after the second moment of truth by offering additional products to be added to the shopping list.

[0080] For example, the store and / or its partners act on the customer 7 after the second moment of truth by sending one or more electronic coupons to the wireless output device 40 used by the customer. The specified method of influencing the buyer 7 after the second moment of truth is especially effective, since the store offers the buyer 7 individual targeted goods based on data on the preferences of the buyer. Thus, the buyer 7 with a high degree of probability will follow the offers of the store, as the buyer 7 has already expressed interest in acquiring a replacement for used products according to, for example, a user profile or an electronic shopping list. If the trading server 94 has saved the shopping list of the buyer 7, the store and / or its partners can provide targeted discounts on specific products, the number of products and / or brands of products, the sale of which can yield greater net profit compared to other products.

[0081] In addition to receiving electronic coupons for products that the buyer is likely to purchase, the buyer also benefits, as the wireless output device 40 offers the buyer a convenient mechanism for structuring electronic coupons, as well as information about the expiration of all electronic coupons. In addition, the buyer’s benefit also lies in the fact that he can easily access electronic coupons in the store when making purchases, as the wireless output device is portable and can access a store communications network.

[0082] Means of transmission of impact messages may also vary. For example, an impacting message can take one of the following forms: text message, illustration, photograph, video, audio file, and interactive message.

[0083] Since the buyer experiences a second moment of truth outside the store, preferably at home, and transmits a product review using the wireless output device 40, at least one trading server transmits impact messages to its wireless output device. Trading server 94 not only transmits a wide range of different types of acting messages, but also selects acting messages depending on the preferences of a particular customer, which may include: (1) the date and time when the customer made the purchase; (2) the date and time when the buyer experienced the second moment of truth; (3) general customer preferences already known to the store; (4) the personal preferences of the buyer already known to the store; (5) previous purchases by the buyer; (6) real-time customer purchases that are known to the store due to product barcode scans; (7) buyer's shopping list; (8) the buyer's home inventory list; (9) the actual period of time spent by the buyer to decide on the purchase of a particular product or type of product; (10) the budget entered by the user, which he is willing to spend on one or more goods; (11) the prices of products reduced during the promotion (advertised or not advertised); (12) paper or electronic coupons previously used or scanned by the buyer. Examples of customer preferences include customer requests for “health-related notifications” (for example, allergens) in his customer profile and customer requests for notifications about individual packaging marked in the categories of products that the customer plans to purchase due to the upcoming shelf life.

[0084] Some of the options for the benefit of the buyer, the store and the supplier. Some options are advantageous to the buyer, as they provide a more convenient shopping process and the ability to obtain more information about the store and products that are most likely to be interesting to the buyer. The benefit of the buyer lies in the convenience and organization of at least one method of delivery of individual messages, such as electronic coupons, which are sent to a specific buyer based on his experience in purchasing products. An approximate method of delivering impacting messages does not allow to flood the buyer with a lot of useless electronic data; instead, impactful messages target products that the buyer has either intended to buy or, with a certain degree of probability, may decide to purchase. An additional benefit to the buyer lies in the possibilities of the present invention, since the present invention provides a simplified way to create organized shopping lists and wish lists.

[0085] These systems are also beneficial to the store and the supplier by encouraging "loyalty" to the store and brand. In addition, these systems provide the store and / or the supplier with useful data on customer preferences. In addition, each purchase, each response, and each lack of response to each impacting message complements the customer preference data collected by the trading server.

[0086] Through the implementation of certain embodiments, the store and the supplier receive improved means of influencing the customer. It is important to note that such systems improve, simplify and accelerate purchases by the buyer essentially in the absence of cost transfer, in which there is a significant increase in prices in the store due to the use of components that are expensive for the end user, and a negative effect on the net profit of the store.

[0087] FIG. 4 schematically shows one embodiment of a wireless output device 40. A wireless output device is an electronic device operating wirelessly over a communications network. The wireless device 40 is a portable hand-held electronic device used in a store for scanning and shopping, as well as outside a store, such as at a customer’s home. In some embodiments, the wireless output device is a modern mobile phone with the ability to access the Internet, or another global communication network for transferring a data stream. The systems described herein rely on acting messages delivered to a customer on a wireless output device. In some embodiments, the wireless output device 40 is configured to communicate via the non-store communication network via the Internet with at least one trading server 94. In some embodiments, the wireless output device 40 is configured to communicate via a store communications network. In some embodiments, the wireless output device 40 is configured to communicate with the trading server via a global communications network if the wireless output device is at home or outside the store.

[0088] In a store equipped with compatible systems, the wireless output device 40 operates as a blind node in a store communication network. Wireless output device 40 is also an end node in a store communications network. A wireless output device according to one of the options can work not only as a means of collecting and structuring electronic coupons, but also as a portable virtual terminal for settlement in the store. An example of a wireless end device is the device described in US Patent No. 11/859703 with a registration date of September 21, 2007, US Patent No. 12/058705 with a registration date of March 29, 2008, and US Patent No. 12/172326 with a registration date of July 14 2008, the contents of which are fully incorporated into this application by reference.

[0089] Some embodiments of the wireless end device 40 include a display for reading or viewing impacted messages received from an external server, such as a trading server 94. Some embodiments of the wireless end device are provided with a location tracking device and a product scanning device. The term "product scanning device" as used herein means a device equipped with means for scanning or imaging readable media. An example of a product scanning device is an image driver configured to both photograph and read readable media.

[0090] In a preferred embodiment, the wireless output device 40 includes software for identifying and managing the scanned data from each readable product medium. In some embodiments, the wireless output device 40 identifies each readable medium scanned by the product scanning device and stores the identification data of each medium in a machine-readable memory. In another embodiment, the wireless output device 40 scans readable media on a product label and then transmits information from the scanned readable media in the form of product scan data to at least one trading server described above.

[0091] The wireless output device is suitable for use by a customer in a store or at home. The wireless output device 40 may be configured to scan readable product media and generate scan data. The customer creates data on their purchasing preferences on the wireless output device and / or on the home computer. Buyer preference data includes scanned data, as well as voluntarily entered answers to questions posed to customers, as well as other voluntarily provided information.

[0092] In some embodiments, wireless output devices 40 are full-featured devices. In such embodiments, customer preference data is recorded and stored in a machine readable memory of the wireless output device. In other embodiments, wireless output devices are not fully functional devices. The term "non-functional devices" in this application refers to devices that include several interface keys, most of which are designed to request transmission to or from an out-of-store communication network or a store communication network, and not to perform computational operations in the housing of a wireless output device. Thus, the system provides at least two configuration options for the wireless output device: (1) where the wireless output device is a fully functional device and stores impact messages in a machine readable memory located in the housing of the wireless output device, and (2) where the wireless output device is a partially functional device acts as a portal for electronic files stored in machine-readable memory located in a trading server or another data management device.

[0093] Regardless of type, the wireless output device 40 includes a transmitter for transmitting scanned product data and customer preference data to external shared network devices, such as a trading server 94, and a data management device.

[0094] In some embodiments, the store communication network is a branched communication network. An extensive communication network includes at least one mesh communication network and at least one star-shaped communication network. Working together, but not necessarily depending on each other, a mesh communication network and a star-shaped communication network allow the user to communicate electronically with the store. In another embodiment of a branched communication network, it includes at least two star-shaped communication networks located in the store, for establishing electronic communication between customers and the store. In another embodiment of a branched communications network, a multiple communications network includes at least two mesh communications networks located in a store for establishing electronic communications between customers and the store.

[0095] In some embodiments, a store communications network includes at least one data management device that collects customer preference data from a store communications network, a merchant server, or both of these devices. In such embodiments, the data management device sorts each customer’s preference data received from each customer transmitting similar information from each individual wireless output device from home, so that each customer’s preference data is sorted and identified separately. It should be noted that the data management device includes software that manages all scanned data and customer preference data received from the wireless output device.

[0096] In some embodiments, the advantage of the present invention is realized that the data management device creates a shopping list for future purchases, which is individual for each customer, and is based on scanned data received from a wireless output device corresponding to a specific customer . The term “shopping list” is used here to mean any list that includes the plans or intentions of the buyer to purchase the product in the future.

[0097] In some embodiments, at least one shopping list is created and edited either manually or by scanning the readable media of the purchased and used products. At home, such scans are often carried out before discarding used products that have been fully used. In another embodiment, a scan is similarly carried out when the user stores recently purchased products at home - in lockers, a refrigerator, etc. In some embodiments, wireless output device 40 includes software that allows you to populate a shopping list based on scanned data, which software instructs the wireless output device to store the shopping list in the memory of the wireless output device. In some embodiments, a shopping list is created and edited by a customer using a home computer and wireless output device 40 in various ways, for example, manually using a keyboard or touchpad; by scanning readable product carriers and by accepting offers from the store to place products on the shopping list. In some embodiments, the shopping list on the wireless output device 40 and on the home computer automatically requests additional data about the preferences of the customer stored in the machine-readable memory of the wireless output device, home computer, trading server, data management device, or any combination of these devices.

[0098] In one embodiment, the software on the trading server selects the appropriate time to transmit information to the wireless output device. For example, when a trading server receives scanned data, software on the trading server is notified that there is a significant chance that the buyer is experiencing or has experienced a second moment of truth. Upon receipt of such an alert, the trading server transmits an acting message to the corresponding wireless output device.

[0099] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the examples given. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes can be made to the invention, both in form and in detail, provided that they do not go beyond the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Thus, embodiments of the present invention should not be limited to the above embodiments, but should be determined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (13)

1. The system for tracking the use by the buyer of products purchased in the store, including:
but. A purchasing profile for each customer using the specified system;
b. Out-of-store communication network with Internet access;
from. Wireless portable pocket output device with the ability to connect to the specified non-store communication network, including a scanning device configured to be used outside the store for scanning readable media associated with each of these purchased products, and with the possibility of generating read product data; and
d. A trading server connected to interact with said wireless portable pocket output device using said Internet and using said non-store communication network;
moreover, the trading server receives customer feedback on the use by the specified buyer of the specified purchased products, the specified feedback is transmitted by the specified buyer using the specified wireless portable pocket output device, and the specified wireless portable pocket output device is used by the specified buyer to receive information from the specified trading server, as well as to transmit information to the specified trading server, and the trading server is configured to select a put We determine the likelihood that the buyer has experienced a second moment of truth, a suitable time for transmitting information to a wireless portable pocket output device. 2. The system according to claim 1, in which each specified customer profile is stored on the specified trading server. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said scanned readable medium is placed in an electronic data packet. 4. The system according to claim 3, in which each specified electronic data packet is stored on the specified trading server and assigned to each specified purchasing profile. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein said trading server analyzes each indicated electronic data packet in order to determine the possibility of impact on at least one future acquisition of said buyer. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein said trading server selects at least one impacting message for each specified purchased product scanned by said buyer. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein said trading server transmits said at least one impacting message selected by said trading server in accordance with said customer profile to said wireless portable pocket output device used by said customer. 8. The system according to claim 7, in which each of the specified at least one impact message includes data selected from the group consisting of data on the possibility of profitable savings, data on the possibility of combining brands, warning data on the product, warning data on the set of products, a review of products, an answer to the history of actions, data on the possibility of choosing an alternative method of acquiring a product, address or directions to the retail outlet where you can find the product, and an electronic coupon. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein said at least one acting message is selected from the group consisting of a text message, video clip, electronic photo, illustration, hyperlink, and sound message. 10. The system of influence on future purchases of the buyer in the store, in which the buyer leaves feedback on the use of the purchased products, including:
but. A purchasing profile for each customer using the specified system;
b. Out-of-store communication network with Internet access;
from. Wireless portable pocket output device with the ability to connect to the specified non-store communication network, including a scanning device configured to be used outside the store, after being actuated by the user, for scanning readable media placed in an electronic data packet;
d. A trading server connected with the possibility of interacting with the specified wireless portable pocket output device using the specified Internet and using the specified non-store communication network and configured to select by determining the likelihood that the buyer has experienced the second moment of truth, an appropriate time for transmitting information wirelessly portable pocket output device; and
e. A customer exposure unit, coupled with the ability to interact with the specified trading server, wherein the specified trading server receives the specified feedback about the use by the specified buyer of the purchased products through the specified wireless portable pocket output device, and the specified customer exposure unit creates at least one acting on future acquisitions of the specified buyer message. 11. The system according to claim 10, in which each specified electronic data packet is stored on the specified trading server, which assigns each specified electronic data packet to each specified customer profile stored on the specified trading server. 12. The system according to claim 11, in which the specified trading server analyzes each specified electronic data packet in order to determine the possibility of impact on future acquisitions of the specified buyer. 13. The system for obtaining information from the buyer of at least one purchased product at the second moment of truth, including:
but. Out-of-store communication network with Internet access;
b. Wireless portable pocket output device with the ability to connect to the specified non-store communication network, configured to scan, generate and transmit scanned data through the specified home communication network when scanning readable media;
from. A trading server connected to interact with said wireless portable pocket output device using said Internet and using said non-store communication network; and
d. A store communication network located in a store, said store communication network being connected to said wireless portable pocket output device and said trading server,
in which at least one of said purchased products is provided with at least one readable medium, so that when scanning said readable medium, said trading server determines the likelihood that a buyer has experienced a second moment of truth, generates at least one question for transmission to said wireless a portable pocket output device and displays on it, wherein said at least one question is related to the opinion of said buyer about said acquired products max, and the buyer answers at least one question with an answer that allows him to find out the opinion of the specified buyer about the specified at least one purchased product after the second moment of truth, and the specified response is transmitted from the wireless portable pocket output device via the Internet to the trading server .

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