Tracking Pre-Purchase/Post-Purchase Shopping Activity

1 . A method, in a data processing system, for tracking and facilitating pre-shopping/post-purchase activity, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, an indication that a user has completed a task in a set of tasks of a quest, wherein the quest is a pre-purchase/post-purchase shopping activity quest;

verifying, by the processor, whether the task has been completed;

responsive to verifying the task has been completed, determining, by the processor, whether all of the set of tasks of the quest have been completed;

responsive to all of the set of tasks being completed, initiating, by the processor, a presentation of an agreed-upon reward to the user; and

submitting, by the processor, all information from quest to a sponsor of the quest.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the verification is performed by the method comprising at least one of:

determining, by the processor, whether a phone call completed in a predetermined time prior to the indication of the completed task;

determining, by the processor, whether an email was sent to someone that comprises an identification of a product or a service associated with the quest;

determining, by the processor, whether a social media post was posted that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determining, by the processor, whether a history of a browser indicates that a web page was visited that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determining, by the processor, whether a cookie has been set in the browser indicating that a web page was visited that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determining, by the processor, whether a picture has been taken with the product associated with the quest;

determining, by the processor, whether a user has visited a location associated with where the product or service is sold; or

determining, by the processor, whether the user has scanned either a barcode or QR code associated with the product or service.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to a failure to verify whether the task was completed, determining, by the processor, whether verification is required by a sponsor of the quest; and

responsive to verification not being required, verifying, by the processor, the task as complete.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

responsive to verification being required, requesting, by the processor, additional information from the user; and

responsive to receiving the additional information, re-verifying, by the processor, whether the task has been completed.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the quest is an existing quest selected by the user from a list of sponsor built quests or a list of previous shopper quests.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the quest is a new quest created by the user, and wherein the new quest is created by the method comprising:

presenting, by the processor, the user with a quest document that is blank;

receiving, by the processor, one or more new tasks from the user to add to the quest document; and

adding, by the processor, the one or more new tasks to the quest document.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

for each new task added to the quest document:

associating, by the processor, an indicator with each new task, wherein the indicator is used by the user to indicate completion of the new task;

determining, by the processor, whether a similar task similar to the new task exists in at least one of a list of tasks or in one or more existing quests;

responsive to identifying the similar task, determining, by the processor, whether there is one or more associated tasks;

responsive to identifying the one or more associated tasks, presenting, by the processor, the user with the one or more associated tasks; and

responsive to receiving a selection from the user of one or more of the one or more additional tasks, adding, by the processor, the one or more additional tasks to the quest document.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to all of the set of tasks failing to be completed, determining, by the processor, whether a time period for completing the set of tasks has expired; and

responsive to the time period expiring, submitting, by the processor, all information from quest to the sponsor of the quest.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a completion rate for each task in a set of tasks within one or more existing quests; and

responsive to the completion rate being below a predetermined threshold for task completion, modifying, by the processor, one or more quests of the one or more existing quests.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein modifying the one or more quests of the one or more existing quests comprises at least one of:

deleting, by the processor, the one or more quests;

removing, by the processor, one or more tasks in the set of tasks within the one or more quests;

adding, by the processor, one or more tasks in the set if tasks within the one or more quests to another quest in the one or more quests; or

creating, by the processor, a new quest utilizing influential tasks from the set of tasks in the one or more existing quests.

11 . A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive an indication that a user has completed a task in a set of tasks of a quest, wherein the quest is a pre-purchase/post-purchase shopping activity quest;

verify whether the task has been completed;

responsive to verifying the task has been completed, determine whether all of the set of tasks of the quest have been completed;

responsive to all of the set of tasks being completed, initiate a presentation of an agreed-upon reward to the user; and

submit all information from quest to a sponsor of the quest.

12 . The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the computer readable program verifies the task has been completed by further causing the computing device to perform at least one of:

determine whether a phone call completed in a predetermined time prior to the indication of the completed task;

determine whether an email was sent to someone that comprises an identification of a product or a service associated with the quest;

determine whether a social media post was posted that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determine whether a history of a browser indicates that a web page was visited that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determine whether a cookie has been set in the browser indicating that a web page was visited that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determine whether a picture has been taken with the product associated with the quest;

determine whether a user has visited a location associated with where the product or service is sold; or

determine whether the user has scanned either a barcode or QR code associated with the product or service.

13 . The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

responsive to a failure to verify whether the task was completed, determine whether verification is required by a sponsor of the quest; and

responsive to verification not being required, verify the task as complete.

14 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

responsive to verification being required, request additional information from the user; and

responsive to receiving the additional information, re-verify whether the task has been completed.

15 . The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the quest is a new quest created by the user, and wherein the computer readable program creates the new quest by causing the computing device to:

present the user with a quest document that is blank;

receive one or more new tasks from the user to add to the quest document; and

add the one or more new tasks to the quest document.

16 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

for each new task added to the quest document:

associate an indicator with each new task, wherein the indicator is used by the user to indicate completion of the new task;

determine whether a similar task similar to the new task exists in at least one of a list of tasks or in one or more existing quests;

responsive to identifying the similar task, determine whether there is one or more associated tasks;

responsive to identifying the one or more associated tasks, present the user with the one or more associated tasks; and

responsive to receiving a selection from the user of one or more of the one or more additional tasks, add the one or more additional tasks to the quest document.

17 . An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive an indication that a user has completed a task in a set of tasks of a quest, wherein the quest is a pre-purchase/post-purchase shopping activity quest;

verify whether the task has been completed;

responsive to verifying the task has been completed, determine whether all of the set of tasks of the quest have been completed;

responsive to all of the set of tasks being completed, initiate a presentation of an agreed-upon reward to the user; and

submit all information from quest to a sponsor of the quest.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the instructions verify the task has been completed by further causing the processor to perform at least one of:

determine whether a phone call completed in a predetermined time prior to the indication of the completed task;

determine whether an email was sent to someone that comprises an identification of a product or a service associated with the quest;

determine whether a social media post was posted that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determine whether a history of a browser indicates that a web page was visited that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determine whether a cookie has been set in the browser indicating that a web page was visited that comprises the identification of the product or the service associated with the quest;

determine whether a picture has been taken with the product associated with the quest;

determine whether a user has visited a location associated with where the product or service is sold; or

determine whether the user has scanned either a barcode or QR code associated with the product or service.

19 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

responsive to a failure to verify whether the task was completed, determine whether verification is required by a sponsor of the quest; and

responsive to verification not being required, verify the task as complete.

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

responsive to verification being required, request additional information from the user, and

responsive to receiving the additional information, re-verify whether the task has been completed.

21 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the quest is a new quest created by the user, and wherein the instructions create the new quest by causing the processor to:

present the user with a quest document that is blank;

receive one or more new tasks from the user to add to the quest document; and

add the one or more new tasks to the quest document.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

for each new task added to the quest document:

associate an indicator with each new task, wherein the indicator is used by the user to indicate completion of the new task;

determine whether a similar task similar to the new task exists in at least one of a list of tasks or in one or more existing quests;

responsive to identifying the similar task, determine whether there is one or more associated tasks;

responsive to identifying the one or more associated tasks, present the user with the one or more associated tasks; and

responsive to receiving a selection from the user of one or more of the one or more additional tasks, add the one or more additional tasks to the quest document.