Customer-operated ordering system that sets prices based on customer profile
A customer-operated ordering system and method that automatically sets the price of an item offered to a customer to purchase based on a stored profile of that customer. The system may include an input device, output device, customer profile storage media, sales price storage media, price rules storage media and a processing system.
1 . A customer-operated ordering system comprising:
an input device;
an output device;
customer profile storage media configured to store customer profiles about a plurality of customers;
sales price storage media configured to store sales prices;
price rules storage media configured to store price rules that are based on customer profiles;
a processing system configured to:
communicate with the input device, the output device, the customer profile storage media, the sales price storage media and the price rules storage media;
obtain the identity of the customer from the input device;
query the customer profile storage media for a customer profile of the customer based on the obtained identity;
query the price rules storage media for price rules associated with the obtained customer profile;
query the sales price storage media for sales prices; and
deliver sales prices to the output device that are in accordance with the obtained price rules.
2 . The system of claim 1 wherein:
the customer-operated ordering system is configured for the customer to select and consummate a sale himself;
the input device is configured to be operated by the customer during the selection and consummation process; and
the output device is configured for the output to be delivered to the customer during the selection and consummation process.
3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain customer profiles include information about prior purchases made by the customers from that merchant.
4 . The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the identity of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
5 . The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the type of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
6 . The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the sales prices of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
7 . The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the number of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
8 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain customer profiles include information about the number of prior visits by the customers from that merchant.
9 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain customer profiles include information about prior contacts that the customers had with that merchant.
10 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain customer profiles include information about prior contacts that the customers had with a person other than that merchant.
11 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain customer profiles include information about the status of the customer within a loyalty or rewards program of a party other than the merchant.
12 . The system of claim 1 wherein certain customer profiles include demographic information about the customers.
13 . The system of claim 1 wherein certain price rules affect the price of only some of the items that the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell.
14 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain price rules are based on information about prior purchases made by the customers from that merchant.
15 . The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the identity of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
16 . The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the type of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
17 . The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the sales prices of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
18 . The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the number of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.
19 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain price rules are based on information about the number of prior visits by the customers to that merchant.
20 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sale items from a merchant and wherein certain price rules are based on information about prior contacts that the customers had with that merchant.
21 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sale items from a merchant and wherein certain price rules are based on information about prior contacts that the customers had with a person other than that merchant.
22 . The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain price rules are based in information about the status of the customer within a loyalty or rewards program of a party other than the merchant.
23 . The system of claim 1 wherein certain price rules are based on demographic information about the customers.
24 . A customer-operated ordering process comprising:
obtaining the identity of a customer from an input device;
querying a customer profile storage media containing customer profiles about a plurality of customers for a customer profile of the customer based on the obtained identify;
querying a price rules storage media containing price rules that are based on customer profiles for price rules associated with the obtained customer profile;
querying a sales price storage media containing sales prices; and
delivering sales prices to an output device that are in accordance with the obtained price rules.
25 . A customer-operated ordering system including a computer-based processing system configured to automatically sets the price of an item offered to a customer to purchase based on a stored profile of that customer.
26 . A customer-operated ordering process including setting the price of an item offered to a customer using a computer-based processing system based on a stored profile of that customer.
27 . An ordering system including a computer-based processing system that automatically sets the price of an item offered to a customer to purchase based on a stored profile of that customer.
28 . An ordering process including setting the price of an item offered to a customer using a computer-based processing system based on a stored profile of that customer.