Mobile commerce framework
A subscription-based system for providing commerce information for one or more mobile devices for one or more merchants. Some techniques employed feature a subscription-based method for presenting commercial resources to a mobile device. The method involves receiving mobile device user information relating to a geographic location to locate one or more merchants within a subscription-based shopping network, and receiving mobile device user information relating to a merchant type within the subscription-based shopping network. The method also involves receiving, from a database over a communication network, information for one or more merchants associated with the mobile device user information for the geographic location and the merchant type, and presenting the associated merchant information on the mobile device. The associated merchant information can include a merchant name and address, a merchant telephone number, a merchant advertisement, a merchant coupon, or a merchant product or service offering to subscribers of the shopping network.
1. A method of using a mobile device to obtain services from a service provider on a subscriber shopping network, comprising:
initially, interacting with a computer network to download an application for executing on a mobile device that has a processor, a user interface, and a display,
the application operable to cause the mobile device to communicate over a communication network to receive information from a subscriber shopping network which has multiple service providers, and to interact with the subscriber shopping network;
after downloading the application, receiving at least an identifying indicia of a user of the mobile device and determining if the user has a membership to the subscriber shopping network and verifying that the user has entered payment information for the subscriber shopping network;
based on determining that the user has the membership to the subscriber shopping network, using the application to interact with a server that is connected to a database that stores information about the multiple different service providers on the subscriber shopping network, and where the database stores information for multiple different service providers of services, and where the database stores a location information for the multiple different service providers of services;
determining a location of the user using the mobile device;
receiving user preferences from the user using the mobile device;
identifying multiple service providers within the subscriber shopping network based on the user preferences, the location of the user, and a distance from the user to the service providers;
using the application, showing available service providers within a defined geographic area
updating the display of the mobile device by determining whether information about any one of the service providers has changed;
and based on the determining whether the information about the any one service providers has changed, updating the display of offerings that are provided to the user on the subscriber shopping network in near real time; and
allowing the user to effect a purchase using the application.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the providers of services provide automobile, and travel services.
3. The method as in claim 1 , where the providers of services are food providers.