System and method for automated customized content delivery for web sites

1 . A method of providing web site content to a web site customer, comprising the steps of:

collecting customer data about the customer's demographics and commercial preferences during one or more prior visits by the customer to the web site;

storing customer models in a models database accessible by a web site host;

storing a number of alternative web content formats, including a default format, in a content database accessible by the web site host;

receiving a web site request from the customer;

identifying the customer;

accessing the customer's customer data, based on the identifying step;

determining whether the customer data matches one of the customer models;

if the customer data matches a model, selecting a web content format corresponding to that model;

if the customer data does not match a model, selecting the default format; and

downloading web content corresponding to the selected web content format to the customer's web browser.

2 . A method of providing web site content to a user of a web browser, comprising the steps of:

collecting customer data about the user's consumer preferences during one or more visits by the user to the web site;

storing customer models in a models database accessible by a web site host;

storing a number of alternative web content formats in a content database accessible by the web site host;

receiving a web site content request from the user;

identifying the user;

accessing the user's customer data, based on the identifying step;

matching the user's customer data to one of the customer models;

selecting a web content format corresponding to the model matched in the preceding step; and

downloading web content corresponding to the selected web content format to the web browser.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the models is a savings focused model.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the models is a cost focused model.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the models is a technology focused model.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the web content formats is a savings focused format.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the web content formats is a cost focused format.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the web content formats is a technology focused format.

9 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the web content format determines at least the arrangement of the web content.

10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the web content format determines at least the information contained in the web site.

11 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the web content format determines at least the visual aspects of the web site.

12 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the matching step is performed while the user is on line to the web site.

13 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the collecting step is performed while the user is on line to the web site.

14 . A system for providing web site content to a user of a web browser, comprising:

a customer data database operable to store data about the user's consumer preferences;

a models database operable to store a number of customer models;

a web content database operable to store a number of alternative web content formats for the web site; and

a web site host operable to access the customer data database, the models database, and the web content database, and further operable to: receive an identifier of each user that accesses the web site; to assign the user to a model, based on the user's customer data; to match the model to a web content format, and to download the matched web content format to the user's web browser.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the models database stores one or more customer models from the following groups: cost focused, savings focused, and technology focused.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the web content format database stores one or more web content formats from the following groups: cost focused, savings focused, and technology focused.

17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the web site host is operable to collect customer data during visits of customers to the web site.

18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the web content formats is a default format.

19 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the web site host assign the user to a model and matches the model to a web content format while the user is on-line to a web site.