Architecture and associated methodology for data standardization and utilization in retail industry applications
A system, method and server are described for creating customized, in-store customer experiences. In one embodiment, a method is described, comprising receiving proprietary retail data from a first retail establishment over a wide-area network, the proprietary retail data comprising customer purchasing information formatted in a first proprietary format, converting the proprietary retail data into a standard retail data format to produce standardized retail data, receiving an indication from the first retail establishment over the wide-area network that an event relating to the first retail establishment has occurred, and in response to receiving the indication, retrieving standardized retail data relating to the customer from a memory, and providing at least some of the standardized retail data related to the customer to the retail establishment for presentation to the customer.
1. A method performed by a server for providing customized, instore shopping experiences for retail customers of a retail establishment, comprising:
receiving, by a processor coupled to a network interface, an identification of a first event, the first event comprising a retail customer entering the retail establishment;
receiving, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a first instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment, the first instore shopping experience comprising playing a streaming music station featuring a favorite music artist of the retail customer;
storing, by the processor in a memory coupled to the processor, the identification of the event and the identification of the first instore shopping experience;
receiving, by the processor via the network interface, an indication that the retail customer has entered the retail establishment and an identity of the retail customer;
obtaining, by the processor via the network interface, a favorite music artist of the retail customer from a social media website;
identifying, by the processor via the network interface, a streaming music station featuring the favorite music artist; and
causing, by the processor via the network interface, the streaming music station to play on a sound system located at the retail establishment.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a second instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment when the retail customer enters the retail establishment, the second instore shopping experience comprising displaying a photograph previously posted to one or more social media web sites by the retail customer on monitors located throughout the at the retail establishment;
storing, by the processor in the memory, the identification of the second instore shopping experience;
in response to determining the identity of the retail customer, retrieving the photograph from one of the social media web sites; and
causing the photograph to be displayed on the monitors in the retail establishment.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a second instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment when the retail customer enters the retail establishment, the second instore shopping experience comprising displaying a first retail item for sale at the retail establishment at a first price similar to a second price previously paid by the retail customer for a second retail item;
storing, by the processor in the memory, the identification of the second instore shopping experience;
in response to determining the identity of the retail customer, retrieving an identification of the second retail item and the second price paid by the retail customer; and
causing the first retail item to be displayed on monitors located in the retail establishment.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
reducing, by the processor, the first price of the first retail item to generate a reduced price of the first retail item; and
displaying the first retail item on the monitors at the reduced price.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first price is in a proprietary format in accordance with a particular point-of-sale system, the method further comprising:
receiving, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the proprietary format from the point-of-sale system;
converting, by the processor, the first price in the proprietary format into a standard data format; and
providing, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the standard data format to the retail establishment.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a second instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment when the retail customer enters the retail establishment, the second instore shopping experience comprising displaying a retail item for sale at the retail establishment similar to a previously purchased item by the retail customer;
storing, by the processor in the memory, the identification of the second instore shopping experience;
in response to determining the identity of the retail customer, retrieving an identification of the previously purchased item by the retail customer; and
causing the retail item to be displayed on monitors located in the retail establishment.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein an indication of the retail item is in a proprietary format in accordance with a particular point-of-sale system, the method of further comprising:
receiving, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the proprietary format from the point-of-sale system;
converting, by the processor, the first price in the proprietary format into a standard data format; and
providing, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the standard data format to the retail establishment.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first instore shopping experience excludes any retail advertisements.
9. A server for providing customized, instore shopping experiences for retail customers at a retail establishment, comprising:
a network interface for allowing communication over a wide-area network;
a memory for storing processor-executable instructions; and
a processor coupled to the network interface and the memory for executing the processor-executable instructions that cause the server to:
receive, by a processor coupled to a network interface, an identification of a first event, the first event comprising a retail customer entering the retail establishment;
receive, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a first instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment, the first instore shopping experience comprising playing a streaming music station featuring a favorite music artist of the retail customer;
store, by the processor in a memory coupled to the processor, the identification of the event and the identification of the first instore shopping experience;
receive, by the processor via the network interface, an indication that the retail customer has entered the retail establishment and an identity of the retail customer;
obtain, by the processor via the network interface, a favorite music artist of the retail customer from a social media website;
identify, by the processor via the network interface, a streaming music station featuring the favorite music artist; and
cause, by the processor via the network interface, the streaming music station to play on a sound system located at the retail establishment.
10. The server of claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions that cause the server to:
receive, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a second instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment when the retail customer enters the retail establishment, the second instore shopping experience comprising displaying a photograph previously posted to one or more social media web sites by the retail customer on monitors located throughout the at the retail establishment;
store, by the processor in the memory, the identification of the second instore shopping experience;
in response to determining the identity of the retail customer, retrieve the photograph from one of the social media web sites; and
cause the photograph to be displayed on the monitors in the retail establishment.
11. The server of claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions that cause the server to:
receive, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a second instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment when the retail customer enters the retail establishment, the second instore shopping experience comprising displaying a first retail item for sale at the retail establishment at a first price similar to a second price previously paid by the retail customer for a second retail item;
store, by the processor in the memory, the identification of the second instore shopping experience;
in response to determining the identity of the retail customer, retrieve an identification of the second retail item and the second price paid by the retail customer; and
cause the first retail item to be displayed on monitors located in the retail establishment.
12. The server of claim 11 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions that cause the server to:
reduce, by the processor, the first price of the first retail item to generate a reduced price of the first retail item; and
display the first retail item on the monitors at the reduced price.
13. The server of claim 11 , wherein the first price is in a proprietary format in accordance with a particular point-of-sale system, and the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions that cause the server to:
receive, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the proprietary format from the point-of-sale system;
convert, by the processor, the first price in the proprietary format into a standard data format; and
provide, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the standard data format to the retail establishment.
14. The server of claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions that cause the server to:
receive, by the processor via the network interface, an identification of a second instore shopping experience to be presented in the retail establishment when the retail customer enters the retail establishment, the second instore shopping experience comprising displaying a retail item for sale at the retail establishment similar to a previously purchased item by the retail customer;
store, by the processor in the memory, the identification of the second instore shopping experience;
in response to determining the identity of the retail customer, retrieve an identification of the previously purchased item by the retail customer; and
cause the retail item to be displayed on monitors located in the retail establishment.
15. The server of claim 14 , wherein the first price is in a proprietary format in accordance with a particular point-of-sale system, and the processor-executable instructions further comprise instructions that cause the server to:
receive, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the proprietary format from the point-of-sale system;
convert, by the processor, the first price in the proprietary format into a standard data format; and
provide, by the processor via the network interface, the first price in the standard data format to the retail establishment.
16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first instore shopping experience excludes any retail advertisements.