Gift-registry apparatus and method

1. A method for administering a gift registry, the method comprising:

creating, by a computer system corresponding to a retailer, a gift registry identifying one or more products that a first customer would like to receive as gifts;

generating, by the computer system, a record designating a second customer as a potential participant in the gift registry;

initiating, by the computer system after the generating, a transaction comprising the sale by the retailer of an item to the second customer;

determining, by the computer system after the initiating, that the item was purchased by the second customer as a gift for the first customer, the determining comprising

using, by the computer system, the record to identify the second customer as a potential participant in the gift registry,

determining, by the computer system, that the item is a product of the one or more products listed within the gift registry,

sending, by the computer system, a query to a computing device of the second customer inquiring whether the second customer purchased the item for the first customer, and

receiving, by the computer system from the computing device, confirmation that the item was purchased for the first customer; and

modifying, by the computer system, the gift registry to indicate that the product has been purchased.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the second customer within a brick-and-mortar location.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the initiating comprising initiating the transaction at a point-of-sale system contained within the brick-and-mortar location.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the point-of-sale system forms at least a part of the computer system.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile telephone.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the determining that the item was purchased by the second customer as a gift for the first customer further comprises receiving, by the point-of-sale system from the customer as part of the transaction, a telephone number corresponding to the mobile telephone.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the modifying comprises removing the product from the gift registry.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating comprises generating, by the computer system, a machine-readable code encoded with data identifying the gift registry.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the generating the record comprises receiving, by the computer system from the computing device, data extracted from the machine-readable code.

10. A method for administering a gift registry, the method comprising:

creating, by a computer system corresponding to a retailer, a gift registry identifying one or more products that a first customer would like to receive as gifts;

initiating and completing, by a point-of-sale system forming part of the computer system, a transaction comprising the sale by the retailer of an item to a second customer;

determining, by the computer system after the initiating, that the item is a product of the one or more products listed within the gift registry;

sending, by the computer system after the determining, a query to a mobile device possessed by the second customer inquiring whether the second customer purchased the item for the first customer;

receiving, by the computer system from the mobile device after the sending, confirmation that the item was purchased for the first customer; and

modifying, by the computer system after the receiving, the gift registry to indicate that the product has been purchased.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising linking, by the computer system, the gift registry to a mobile device possessed by a third customer.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising serving, by the computer system after the modifying, an updated version of the gift registry to the mobile device possessed by the third customer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the transaction comprises receiving, by the point-of-sale system from the second customer, a telephone number corresponding to the mobile device possessed by the second customer.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising receiving the second customer within a brick-and-mortar location.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the initiating comprising initiating the transaction at the point-of-sale system contained within the brick-and-mortar location.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating, by the computer system, a machine-readable code encoded with data identifying the gift registry.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising receiving, by the computer system from the mobile device prior to the initiating, data extracted from the machine-readable code.

18. A computer system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory devices operably connected to the one or more processors; and

the one or more memory devices collectively storing

a data store containing records corresponding to a gift registry, the records identifying one or more products that a customer would like to receive as gifts from one or more friends or relatives thereof,

a distribution module programmed to link a plurality of mobile computing devices to the gift registry, each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices corresponding to a different friend or relative of the one or more friends or relatives,

a comparison module programmed to identify within one or more point-of-sale transactions involving any of the one or more friends or relatives one or more matching items, each matching item thereof being a product of the one or more products listed within the gift registry,

the comparison module further programmed to query one or more of the plurality of mobile computing devices to determine whether the one or more matching items were purchased for the gift registry, and

an update module programmed to update the gift registry in accordance with purchases made therefor.

19. The computer system of claim 18 , wherein the one or more memory devices further collectively store a registration module programmed to collect information corresponding to the gift registry and pass the information to the data store for storage.

20. The computer system of claim 18 , wherein the distribution module is further programmed to send an electronic message to each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, the electronic message comprising an invitation to join the gift registry.