System for Online Sales With Automatic Rebate and Coupon Redemption
An online sales/automatic rebate and coupon redemption system provides online customers automatic retrieval and redemption of all applicable rebates and coupons during purchase. Purchase orders from customers are selectively fulfilled and products are shipped to the customers either by the system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption or by other merchant or manufacturer environments. The system purchases from merchants using applicable coupons and rebates and then sells the products to the customers, passing the savings to them. The system makes it possible to automatically retrieve coupons and rebates for items in a shopping cart during the activity of an online purchase at an electronic mall or an online merchant site. The system provides coupons to potential customers via email, based on customer profile, geographical information, etc. Manufacturers and merchants can update coupon value and content based on ongoing sales and volume of customer activity.
1 . A promotion system that supports promotion services between a plurality of buyers and a plurality of sellers in a communication network, the promotion system comprising:
a promotion management system having a seller interface, the seller interface being used by both a first seller and a second seller respectively via a first seller's computer and a second seller's computer to correspondingly register a first promotion for a first item and a second promotion for a second item;
the promotion management system receiving from the first seller's computer, first information regarding one or both of the first seller and the first item, the first information comprising a first dispensing criterion;
the promotion management system receiving from the second seller's computer, second information regarding one or both of the second seller and the second item, the second information comprising a second dispensing criterion;
the promotion management system, based upon received buyer input, dispensing a promotion to an identified buyer via a buyer computer;
the promotion management system subsequently receiving a validation request regarding the dispensed promotion from a merchant computer;
the promotion management system validating the dispensed promotion based upon at least a buyer identity; and
the promotion management system indicating a positive validation to the merchant computer.
2 . The promotion system of claim 1 , wherein the promotion management system comprises a promotional server that hosts postings of promotions from a plurality of sellers.
3 . The promotion system of claim 2 , wherein each promotion is limited to one or more geographical regions.
4 . The promotion system of claim 2 , wherein each promotion comprises a plurality of parameters.
5 . The promotion system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of parameters comprises one or more of: an amount or value of a promotion, a quantity of a promotion, one or more goods and/or services associated with the promotion, one or more geographical regions to which the promotion applies and a time limit or expiration date of the promotion by a corresponding seller.
6 . The promotion system of claim 5 , wherein the promotion management system enables modification of one or more of the plurality of parameters.
7 . The promotion system of claim 6 , wherein the modification is performed manually via the promotion management system based upon seller input.
8 . The promotion system of claim 6 , wherein the modification is performed automatically based on one or more pre-defined conditions set up via the promotion management system.
9 . The promotion system of claim 1 , wherein the promotion management system dispenses electronically a promotion upon selection by a buyer.
10 . The promotion system of claim 9 , where the promotion management system charges a buyer for dispensing the promotion.
11 . The promotion system of claim 1 , wherein the promotion management system validates the dispensed promotion further based upon a product/service code.
12 . The promotion system of claim 1 , wherein the promotion management system validates the dispensed promotion further based upon a geographic region code.
13 . The promotion system of claim 1 , wherein the promotion management system:
provides a bar code with the dispensed promotion; and
validates the dispensed promotion further based upon received bar code data.
14 . A method for supporting promotion services between a plurality of buyers and a plurality of sellers in a communication network, the method comprising:
receiving from a first seller's computer, first information regarding one or both of the first seller and a first promotion for a first item, the first information comprising a first dispensing criterion;
receiving from a second seller's computer, second information regarding one or both of the second seller and a second promotion for a second item, the second information comprising a second dispensing criterion;
based upon received buyer input, dispensing a promotion to an identified buyer via a buyer computer;
subsequently receiving a validation request regarding the dispensed promotion from a merchant computer;
validating the dispensed promotion based upon at least a buyer identity; and
indicating a positive validation to the merchant computer.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising posting promotions from a plurality of sellers.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein each promotion is limited to one or more geographical regions.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein each promotion comprises a plurality of parameters.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of parameters comprises one or more of: an amount or value of a promotion, a quantity of a promotion, one or more goods and/or services associated with the promotion, one or more geographical regions to which the promotion applies and a time limit or expiration date of the promotion by a corresponding seller.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising enabling modification of one or more of the plurality of parameters.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the modification is performed manually based upon seller input.
21 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the modification is performed automatically based on one or more pre-defined conditions.
22 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising dispensing electronically a promotion upon selection by a buyer.
23 . The method of claim 22 , further comprising charging a buyer for dispensing the promotion.
24 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising validating the dispensed promotion further based upon a product/service code.
25 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising validating the dispensed promotion further based upon a geographic region code.
26 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
providing a bar code with the dispensed promotion; and
validating the dispensed promotion further based upon received bar code data.
27 . The promotion system of claim 1 , wherein:
the promotion management system receives from a buyer of the plurality of buyers, a selection of one of the promotions associated with a good, service and/or a seller;
the promotion management system identifies additional promotions related to the selection by the buyer; and
the promotion management system causes display on the buyer's computer, the additional promotion offers.
28 . The promotion system of claim 27 , wherein the promotion management system identifies the additional promotion offers based on goods, services and/or sellers that are one or more of: similar to the given good, service and/or seller, from the same seller of the given good and/or service, from a different seller than that of the given good and/or service, in the same product, service and/or seller category as the given good, service and/or seller, and associated with the given good, service and/or seller.
29 . The promotion system of claim 1 , wherein when the promotion offer is dispensed and concludes an associated transaction, the promotion management system presents to the buyer computer one or more additional promotion offers that can be used with one or more additional transactions.
30 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving from a buyer of the plurality of buyers, a selection of one of the promotions associated with a good, service and/or a seller;
identifying additional promotions related to the selection by the buyer; and
causing display on the buyer's computer, the additional promotion offers.
31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the additional promotion offers are based on goods, services and/or sellers that are one or more of: similar to the given good, service and/or seller, from the same seller of the given good and/or service, from a different seller than that of the given good and/or service, in the same product, service and/or seller category as the given good, service and/or seller, and associated with the given good, service and/or seller.
32 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising, when the promotion offer is dispensed and concludes an associated transaction, presenting to the buyer computer one or more additional promotion offers that can be used with one or more additional transactions.