Methods and apparatus for online auctions and market-places utilizing program terms
View Patent ↗An on-line market-place includes an auction wherein one or more predefined terms, qualities, incentives, or other such indicia (generally, “Program Terms”) are associated with the particular product and/or service which is the subject of the auction. Customers rank or otherwise designate their preference for these Program Terms (e.g., by selecting a “Preferred Program Term”), and the system then partitions the customers into “pools” in accordance with the selected Program Terms. Merchants then compete to obtain that pool of customers by bidding on the Preferred Program Term. Customers may be pooled according to demographic or other customer characteristics (“Characteristic Pooling”), or according to level of commitment to purchase (“Commitment Pooling”).
1. A computer-implemented method for conducting an on-line auction of the type wherein a plurality of customers may receive, via said auction, offers of products supplied by one of at least two merchants, wherein the method is implemented in a computer system comprising one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, said method comprising:
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to obtain, over a network, customer information from said plurality of customers, wherein said customer information comprises:
a first set of customer information corresponding to a first customer, the first set of customer information indicating that the first customer has selected a first indication of product preference;
a second set of customer information corresponding to a second customer, the second set of customer information indicating that the second customer has selected the first indication of product preference; and
a third set of customer information corresponding to a third customer, the third set of customer information indicating that the third customer has selected a second indication of product preference that is different from the first indication of product preference;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to automatically group the plurality of customers into pools based on customer selections of the indications of product preference indicated in the sets of customer information corresponding to the individual users, wherein the pools comprise:
a first pool of customers that includes customers corresponding to customer information sets that indicate customer selection of the first indication of product preference such that the first pool of customers includes the first customer and the second customer; and
a second pool of customers that is distinct from the first pool of customers, the second pool of customers including customers corresponding to customer information sets that indicate customer selection of the second indication of product preference such that the second pool of customers includes the third customer;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to obtain, over said network and prior to the first set of customer information, the second set of customer information, and the third set of customer information being obtained, from individual ones of said at least two merchants bids to provide offers of products to customers in the plurality of customers, wherein obtaining bids to provide offers of products to one or more pools of customers comprises obtaining bids to provide offers of products to ghost pools of customers into which future customers will be grouped;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to select bids from the obtained bids to provide offers of products to customers from the plurality of customers, wherein individual bids correspond to individual pools of customers such that the bids include a first bid that corresponds to the first pool of customers and a second bid that corresponds to the second pool of customers, and wherein the selection of the bids comprises:
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to individually notify customers of the corresponding pools such that:
based on the selection of the first bid, the customers in the first pool of customers receive over the network offers corresponding to the first bid, and
based on the selection of the second bid, the customers in the second pool of customers receive over the network offers corresponding to the second bid.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to provide to the two or more merchants customer information that corresponds to the pools of customers such that:
the two or more merchants are provided with customer information that corresponds to the first pool of customers, such customer information including customer information from the first set of customer information and customer information from the second set of customer information, and
the two or more merchants are provided with customer information that corresponds to the second pool of customers, such customer information including customer information from the third set of customer information.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the customer information from the first set of customer information and from the second set of customer information that is provided to the two or more merchants comprises the first set of one or more characteristics.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first set of characteristics comprises demographics.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the demographics comprise one or more of geographical location, income, occupation, sex, or age.
6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first set of characteristics comprises information related to historical behavior.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the information related to historical behavior comprises credit information.
8. A computer-implemented method for conducting an on-line auction of the type wherein a plurality of customers may receive, via said auction, product offerings from one of at least two merchants, wherein the method is implemented in a computer system comprising one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, said method comprising:
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to obtain, over a network, customer information from said plurality of customers, wherein said customer information comprises:
a first set of customer information corresponding to a first customer, the first set of customer information indicating that the first customer has selected a first indication of product preference;
a second set of customer information corresponding to a second customer, the second set of customer information indicating that the second customer has selected the first indication of product preference; and
a third set of customer information corresponding to a third customer, the third set of customer information indicating that the third customer has selected a second indication of product preference that is different from the first indication of product preference;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to automatically group the plurality of customers into pools based on customer selections of the indications of product preference indicated in the sets of customer information corresponding to the individual users, wherein the pools comprise:
a first pool of customers that includes customers corresponding to customer information sets that indicate customer selection of the first indication of product preference such that the first pool of customers includes the first customer and the second customer; and
a second pool of customers that is distinct from the first pool of customers, the second pool of customers including customers corresponding to customer information sets that indicate customer selection of the second indication of product preference such that the second pool of customers includes the third customer;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to obtain, over said network and prior to the first set of customer information, the second set of customer information, and the third set of customer information being obtained, from individual ones of said at least two merchants bids to provide product offerings to customers in the plurality of customers, wherein obtaining bids to provide product offerings to one or more pools of customers comprises obtaining bids to provide product offerings to ghost pools of customers into which future customers will be grouped;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to select bids from the obtained bids to provide product offerings to customers, wherein individual bids correspond to individual pools of customers such that the bids include a first bid that corresponds to the first pool of customers and a second bid that corresponds to the second pool of customers;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to individually notify customers of the corresponding pools such that:
based on the selection of the first bid, the customers in the first pool of customers receive over the network product offerings corresponding to the first bid, and
based on the selection of the second bid, the customers in the second pool of customers receive over the network product offerings corresponding to the second bid.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to provide to the two or more merchants customer information that corresponds to the pools of customers such that:
the two or more merchants are provided with customer information that corresponds to the first pool of customers, such customer information including customer information from the first set of customer information and customer information from the second set of customer information, and
the two or more merchants are provided with customer information that corresponds to the second pool of customers, such customer information including customer information from the third set of customer information.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the customer information from the first set of customer information and from the second set of customer information that is provided to the two or more merchants comprises the first set of one or more characteristics.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first set of characteristics comprises demographics.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the demographics comprise one or more of geographical location, income, occupation, sex, or age.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first set of characteristics comprises information related to historical behavior.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the information related to historical behavior comprises credit information.
15. A computer-implemented method for conducting an on-line auction of the type wherein a plurality of customers may receive, via said auction, offers of products from one of at least two merchants, wherein the method is implemented in a computer system when executed by comprising one or more processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, said method comprising:
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to obtain, over a network, customer information from said plurality of customers, wherein said customer information comprises:
a first set of customer information corresponding to a first customer, the first set of customer information indicating that the first customer has selected a first indication of product preference;
a second set of customer information corresponding to a second customer, the second set of customer information indicating that the second customer has selected the indication of product preference; and
a third set of customer information corresponding to a third customer, the third set of customer information indicating that the third customer has selected a second indication of product preference that is different from the first indication of product preference;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to automatically associate the plurality of customers with pools based on customer selections of indications of product preference in the sets of customer information corresponding to the individual users, wherein the pools comprise:
a first pool of customers that includes customers corresponding to customer information sets that indicate customer selection of the first indication of product preference such that the first pool of customers includes the first customer and the second customer; and
a second pool of customers that includes customers corresponding to customer information sets that indicate customer selection of the second indication of product preference such that the second pool of customers includes the third customer;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to obtain, over said network, from individual ones of said at least two merchants, bids to provide offers of products to customers in the plurality of customers, wherein a given bid defines an offer of product to be provided to at least some of said plurality of customers;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to select bids from the obtained bids to provide offers of products to customers from the plurality of customers, wherein individual selected bids correspond to individual pools of customers such that the selected bids include a first bid that corresponds to the first pool of customers and a second bid that corresponds to the second pool of customers;
executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to individually notify customers of the corresponding pools such that:
based on the selection of the first bid, the customers in the first pool of customers receive over the network offers corresponding to the first bid, and
based on the selection of the second bid, the customers in the second pool of customers receive over the network offers corresponding to the second bid.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising executing, on the one or more processors of the computer system, one or more computer program modules configured to provide to the two or more merchants customer information that corresponds to the pools of customers such that:
the two or more merchants are provided with customer information that corresponds to the first pool of customers, such customer information including customer information from the first set of customer information and customer information from the second set of customer information, and
the two or more merchants are provided with customer information that corresponds to the second pool of customers, such customer information including customer information from the third set of customer information.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the customer information from the first set of customer information and from the second set of customer information that is provided to the two or more merchants comprises the first set of one or more characteristics.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first set of characteristics comprises demographics.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the demographics comprise one or more of geographical location, income, occupation, sex, or age.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first set of characteristics comprises information related to historical behavior.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the information related to historical behavior comprises credit information.