Marketing offers

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing system, that a token associated with a customer is present in a store based on an interaction between the token and a token reader present in the store;

accessing, by the computing system, a record for the customer stored in a database, the record for the customer including (i) an identifier of the token, (ii) an identifier of a mobile device associated with the customer, and (iii) a communication preference for the customer;

responsive to determining that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, preparing the mobile device associated with the customer to receive a communication from a computing device associated with the store, including:

responsive to determining that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, causing a signal to be sent directly from the computing system to the mobile device via a first communications network, the signal including a code capable of validating a permission of the mobile device associated with the customer, and

responsive to determining that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, automatically causing validation of a permission of the mobile device by the mobile device based on the code included in the signal, in which validation of the permission allows the mobile device to perform both of (i) activation of a software application of the mobile device, the software application being associated with the store and (ii) activation of a wireless Internet communications capability of the mobile device, the wireless Internet communications capability being for communication over a communications network different than the first communications network; and

after preparing the mobile device associated with the customer to receive the communication from the computing device associated with the store, transmitting, to the computing device associated with the store, a confirmation that the signal has been sent to the mobile device associated with the customer.

2. The method of claim 1 , in which determining that the token is present in the store does not require an action by or awareness of the customer.

3. The method of claim 1 , in which determining that the token is present in the store includes detecting the presence of the token by radio frequency identification (RFID), global positioning service (GPS) detection, or both.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining the identifier of the token.

5. The method of claim 1 , in which the identifier of the token-comprises an identifier associated with a loyalty program for the store.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising identifying the mobile device associated with the customer based on the identifier of the token.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a location of the token in the store.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising sending or causing to be sent a marketing offer to the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising sending, to a server, one or more of the identifier of the token, the identifier of the mobile device, and an identifier of the customer.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising receiving the marketing offer from a server.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the server identifies the marketing offer based on one or more of the identifier of the token, the identifier of the mobile device, and an identifier of the customer.

12. The method of claim 1 , in which the token comprises a loyalty card.

13. A system comprising:

a detection device for detecting that a token associated with a customer is present in a store based on an interaction between the token and the detection device;

a computing device for:

accessing a record for the customer stored in a database, the record for the customer including (i) an identifier of the token, (ii) an identifier of a mobile device associated with the customer, and (iii) a communication preference for the customer; and

a communications device for, responsive to detecting that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, preparing the mobile device associated with the customer to receive a communication from a computing device associated with the store, the preparing including:

responsive to detecting that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, causing a signal to be sent directly from the computing device to the mobile device via a first communications network, the signal including a code capable of validating a permission of the mobile device associated with the customer, and

responsive to detecting that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, automatically causing validation of a permission of the mobile device by the mobile device based on the code included in the signal, in which validation of the permission allows the mobile device to perform both of (i) activation of a software application of the mobile device, the software application being associated with the store and (ii) activation of a wireless Internet communications capability of the mobile device, the wireless Internet communications capability being for communication over a communications network different than the first communications network; and

in which the communications device is for, after preparing the mobile device associated with the customer to receive the communication from the computing device associated with the store, transmitting, to the computing device associated with the store, a confirmation that the signal has been sent to the mobile device associated with the customer.

14. The system of claim 13 , in which the detection device can detect that the token is present in the store without requiring an action by or awareness of the customer.

15. The system of claim 13 , in which the detection device comprises an RFID reader.

16. The system of claim 13 , comprising multiple detection devices each positioned at a different location in the store.

17. The system of claim 16 , comprising a processing device for determining a location of the token in the store based on information from one or more of the detection devices.

18. The system of claim 13 , in which the communications device is for sending, to a server, one or more of the identifier of the token, the identifier of the mobile device, and an identifier of the customer, and for receiving the marketing offer from the server.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing a computing system to:

determine, by the computing system, that a token associated with a customer is present in a store based on an interaction between the token and a token reader present in the store;

access, by the computing system, a record for the customer stored in a database, the record for the customer including (i) an identifier of the token, (ii) an identifier of a mobile device associated with the customer, and (iii) a communication preference for the customer;

responsive to determining that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, prepare the mobile device associated with the customer to receive a communication from a computing device associated with the store, including:

responsive to determining that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, causing a signal to be sent directly from the computing system to the mobile device via a first communications network, the signal including a code capable of validating a permission of the mobile device associated with the customer, and

responsive to determining that the token associated with the customer is present in the store, automatically causing validation of a permission of the mobile device by the mobile device based on the code included in the signal, in which validation of the permission allows the mobile device to perform both of (i) activation of a software application of the mobile device, the software application being associated with the store and (ii) activation of a wireless Internet communications capability of the mobile device, the wireless Internet communications capability being for communication over a communications network different than the first communications network; and

after preparing the mobile device associated with the customer to receive the communication from the computing device associated with the store, transmitting, to the computing device associated with the store, a confirmation that the signal has been sent to the mobile device associated with the customer.

20. A method comprising

when a customer of a retail store has entered the store, automatically determining the presence of the customer in the store by detecting a token of a loyalty program that is being carried by the customer based on an interaction between the token and a token reader present in the store,

sending an identifier of the token to a server of a computing system for use in accessing a record for the customer stored in a database, the record for the customer including (i) the identifier of the token, (ii) an identifier of a mobile device associated with the customer, and (iii) a communication preference for the customer; and

causing the mobile device to prepare to be able to receive a marketing offer that can be accepted by the customer before leaving the store, including:

when the token associated with the customer is determined to be present in the store, causing a signal to be sent directly from the computing system to the mobile device via a first communications network, the signal including a code capable of validating a permission of the mobile device, and

when the token associated with the customer is determined to be present in the store, automatically causing validation of a permission of the mobile device by the mobile device based on the code included in the signal, in which validation of the permission allows the mobile device to perform both of (i) activation of a software application of the mobile device, the software application being associated with the store and (ii) activation of a wireless Internet communications capability of the mobile device, the wireless communications capability being for communication over a communications network different than the first communications network; and

after causing the mobile device to prepare to be able to receive the marketing offer, transmitting, to a computing device associated with the store, a confirmation that the signal has been sent to the mobile device associated with the customer.

21. A method comprising

receiving, at a computer system, from a reader, an identifier of a token carried by a customer into a store, the token being associated with a loyalty program of which the customer is a participant, the identifier of the token having been detected by the reader based on an interaction between the token and the reader, and

while the customer is in the store:

(a) by the computing system, using the identifier of the token to retrieve data associated with the customer, including accessing, by the computing system, a record for the customer stored in a database, the record for the customer including (i) the identifier of the token, (ii) an identifier of a mobile device associated with the customer, and (iii) a communication preference for the customer,

(b) causing a signal to be sent directly from the computing system to the mobile device associated with the customer via a first communications network, the signal including a code capable of validating a permission of the mobile device,

(c) automatically causing validation of a permission of the mobile device by the mobile device based on the code included in the signal, in which validation of the permission allows the mobile device to perform both of (i) activation of a software application of the mobile device, the software application being associated with the store and (ii) activation of a wireless Internet communications capability of the mobile device, the wireless Internet communications capability being for communication over a communications network different than the first communications network,

(e) after preparing the mobile device associated with the customer to receive the communication from the computing device associated with the store, transmitting, to a computing device associated with the store, a confirmation that the signal has been sent to the mobile device associated with the customer,

(d) generating a custom marketing offer for the customer based on the retrieved data, and

(e) based on the identifier of the mobile device, sending the marketing offer to the prepared mobile device.

22. The method of claim 1 comprising receiving, from or on behalf of the customer, a request for registration including the identifier of the mobile device associated with the customer.

23. The method of claim 22 comprising creating the record for the customer stored in the database responsive to receiving the identifier of the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 1 in which the token is distinct from the mobile device.