System and method for enhancing buyer and seller interaction during a group-buying sale
View Patent ↗A method and system are provided that enable buyers and sellers to communicate with each other and to negotiate the purchase terms of featured merchandise in a group-buying opportunity. Sellers and buyers may use various forms of on-line group-buying mechanisms in conjunction with the negotiation features of the invention. Buyers may send various inquiries to sellers regarding merchandise offered for sale through the online group-buying sale. Sellers may respond to buyer questions and queries, and in some instances, sellers may communicate instructions to the on-line group-buying mechanism to alter the course of an on-line group-buying sale in progress, e.g., a further reduction in price. The method and system further provides a mechanism for calculating a demand curve based on received buyer offers and applying the demand curve to an on-line group-buying sale.
1. A method for communicating information in an on-line group-buying sale, comprising:
providing, by a computer system, communication support for an on-line group-buying sale in a negotiating room;
providing, by the computer system, an initial price for a first featured item;
initiating, by the computer system, the on-line group-buying sale for the first featured item;
providing, by the computer system, first communications via the negotiating room, wherein at least some of the first communications include first featured item unit offers for the first featured item;
producing, by the computer system, a first flash demand curve associated with the first featured item unit offers for the first featured item, wherein the first flash demand curve is generated based on real-time offers and wherein the first featured item unit offers are revocable offers;
providing, by the computer system, the first flash demand curve; providing a modified price for the first featured item;
providing, by the computer system, a message stating that subsequently received offers will be treated as irrevocable; and
providing, by the computer system, further communications, wherein at least some of the further communications include irrevocable offers.
2. A method for communicating information in an on-line group-buying sale, comprising:
providing, by a computer system, communication support for an on-line group-buying sale in a negotiating room;
providing, by the computer system, an initial price for a first featured item;
initiating, by the computer system, the on-line group-buying sale for the first featured item;
providing, by the computer system, first communications via the negotiating room, wherein at least some of the first communications include first featured item unit offers for the first featured item;
producing, by the computer system, a first flash demand curve associated with the first featured item unit offers for the first featured item, wherein the first flash demand curve includes an indication of the offer;
providing, by the computer system, the first flash demand curve;
providing, by the computer system, a modified price for the first featured item;
providing, by the computer system, a second initial price for a second featured item;
initiating, by the computer system, the on-line group-buying sale for the second featured item after receiving the second initial price;
providing, by the computer system, second communications via the negotiating room,
wherein at least some of the second communications contain second featured item unit offers for the second featured item;
producing, by the computer system, a second flash demand curve associated with the second featured item unit offers for the second featured item;
providing, by the computer system, the second flash demand curve;
providing, by the computer system, a modified price for the second featured item;
providing, by the computer system, an offer for the first featured item and the second featured item.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing an instruction that modifies the first featured item in the on-line group-buying sale to include at least one additional product or service.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing an instruction to close the on-line group-buying sale.
5. A system for determining demand for a featured item offered in an on-line group-buying sale, comprising:
an on-line group-buying mechanism configured to conduct an on-line group-buying sale for a featured item;
a message receiver configured to receive communications wherein at least some of the communications include offers for the featured item;
a message transmitter configured to provide:
a message stating that subsequently received offers will be treated as irrevocable, and
further communications, wherein at least some of the further communications include irrevocable offers;
a voting mechanism configured to receive the offers from the message receiver and transmitter and to calculate a flash demand curve using the offers, wherein the offers comprises revocable offers; and
an operator representative configured to provide the flash demand curve.
6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising:
an outgoing message transmitter configured to send a message to announce the beginning of the on-line group-buying sale.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the outgoing message transmitter is further configured to send the message via at least one of a wireless communications format and a television communications format.
8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the message receiver and transmitter is further configured to process the communications using at least one of a chat format, an auditorium chat format, a threaded message/newsgroup format, or a message board format.
9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the operator representative is further configured to announce the initiation of an auditorium chat forum using an electronic network.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the electronic network is at least one of a cable network, the Internet, or the public switched telephone network.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a data process, comprising:
providing communications during an on-line group-buying sale for a first featured item;
providing a negotiating room;
providing an initial price for a first featured item;
providing the communications, wherein at least some of the communications include offers for the first featured item;
generating a first flash demand curve for the first featured item using the offers for the first featured item, wherein the first featured item unit offers are revocable offers;
providing the first flash demand curve;
providing a message stating that subsequently received offers will be treated as irrevocable; and
providing further communications, wherein at least some of the further communications include irrevocable offers.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing second communications during the on-line group-buying sale for a second featured item;
providing second communications,
wherein at least some of the second communications contain offers for the second featured item;
producing a second flash demand curve for the second featured item using the offers for the second featured item; and
providing the second flash demand curve.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing a modified price for the first featured item.
14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing an instruction from the first seller that modifies the first featured item in the on-line group-buying sale to include at least one additional product or service.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified price is lower than the initial price.
16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the modified price is lower than the initial price.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the on-line group-buying sale for the first featured item comprises selling a plurality of the first featured item at the modified price.