ADVERTISING SYSTEM SUPPORTING USER INTERACTION WITH PROMOTION PORTAL
A system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption provides customers making online purchases to automatically retrieve and redeem all applicable rebates and coupons during an online 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 makes purchases from merchants or manufacturers using all applicable coupons and rebates and then sells the products to the customers, passing the savings to them. The system automatically retrieves 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 and to retrieve manufacturer's and merchant's coupons prior to an online purchasing activity for subsequent submission to an online merchant during a subsequent purchasing activity.
1 . A computer program for instructing a user's computer to perform a method supporting interaction with a promotion portal, the method comprising:
directing the user's computer to establish stored user profile data according to input of a user, the user profile data including geographical data;
directing the user's computer to receive and display promotion data selected by the promotion portal based on a consideration of the geographical data, the promotion data corresponding to a plurality of independent promotions, the promotion data selections including code data;
directing the user's computer to assist in user funds collection by the promotion portal, the assistance being associated with a first of the plurality of independent promotions; and
directing the user's computer to interact with a printer to cause printed output including the code data to support merchant redemption.
2 . The computer program of claim 1 , the method comprising directing the user's computer to download to the user's computer redemption data corresponding to the first of the plurality of independent promotions and including the code data.
3 . The computer program of claim 2 , the method comprising directing the user's computer to store the downloaded redemption data on the user's computer.
4 . The computer program of claim 2 , wherein the printed output comprises the redemption data.
5 . The computer program of claim 1 , wherein the code data comprises merchant data.
6 . The computer program of claim 1 , wherein the code data comprises product data.
7 . The computer program of claim 1 , wherein the redemption occurs at a location of a merchant corresponding to the first of the plurality of independent promotions.
8 . The computer program of claim 7 , wherein the redemption occurs without involvement of the promotion portal.
9 . A computer program for instructing a user's computer to perform a method supporting interaction with a promotion portal, the promotion portal supporting a plurality of promoters, the method comprising:
directing the user's computer to establish stored user profile data according to input of a user, the user profile data including geographical data;
directing the user's computer to receive and display promotion data selections from a plurality of promotions of the plurality of promoters, the plurality of promotions being hosted by the promotion portal, the promotion data selections being made by the promotion portal based on a consideration of the geographical data; and
directing the user's computer to assist in user funds collection by the promotion portal, the assistance being associated with at least a portion of the promotion data selections.
10 . The computer program of claim 9 , the method comprising directing the user's computer to download to the user's computer redemption data corresponding to the at least a portion of the promotion data selections.
11 . The computer program of claim 10 , the method comprising directing the user's computer to store the downloaded redemption data on the user's computer.
12 . The computer program of claim 11 , wherein the redemption data comprises code data.
13 . The computer program of claim 12 , wherein the code data comprises merchant data.
14 . The computer program of claim 12 , wherein the code data comprises product data.
15 . The computer program of claim 9 , wherein redemption occurs at a location of one or more merchants corresponding to the at least a portion of the promotion data selections.
16 . The computer program of claim 15 , wherein the redemption occurs without involvement of the promotion portal.
17 . A computer program for instructing a merchant computing device of a merchant to perform a method supporting sales promotion via interaction with a multi-merchant promotion service, the method comprising:
directing the merchant computing device to deliver a promotion sale offering to a multi-merchant promotion service;
directing the merchant computing device to receive input collected at a merchant's place of business, the input relating to the promotion sale offering, and the collection of the input being supported by a buyer;
directing the merchant computing device to assist in a verification process using the input; and
directing the merchant computing device to communicatively couple with the multi-merchant promotion service to review accounting information, the accounting information relating to a total amount paid by the buyer to the multi-merchant promotion service relating to the promotion sale offering.
18 . A computer program for instructing a user's computer to perform a method supporting interaction with a promotion service, the method comprising:
directing the user's computer to establish stored user information;
directing the user's computer to display a plurality of promotions selected at least in part based on the user information;
directing the user's computer to assist in collecting from the user a dollar amount relating to a first promotion of the plurality of promotions, the first promotion being associated with a first sales offering of a seller at a premises of the seller, wherein a first part of the dollar amount collected is transferred to the seller and a second part of the dollar amount collected is retained for services rendered; and
directing the user's computer to assist in a redemption process, the redemption process taking place at least in part at the premises of the seller.
19 . The computer program of claim 18 , the method comprising directing the user's computer to download to the user's computer redemption data corresponding to the first promotion of the plurality of promotions.
20 . The computer program of claim 19 , the method comprising directing the user's computer to store the downloaded redemption data on the user's computer.
21 . The computer program of claim 19 , wherein the redemption data comprises code data.
22 . The computer program of claim 21 , wherein the code data comprises merchant data.
23 . The computer program of claim 21 , wherein the code data comprises product data.
24 . The computer program of claim 18 , wherein the redemption process occurs without involvement of the promotion service.
25 . A computer program for instructing a buyer computing device of a buyer to perform a method supporting sales promotion via interaction with a multi-merchant promotion service, the method comprising:
directing the buyer computing device to receive a promotion sale offering from a multi-merchant promotion service, the promotion sale offering being associated with a first merchant;
directing the buyer computing device to support collection of a payment amount from the buyer relating to the promotion sale offering, the payment amount including a first portion for a merchant and a second portion to be retained for services rendered by the multi-merchant promotion service; and
directing the buyer computing device to assist in a verification process with the first merchant via a visual promotion output, the visual promotion output relating to the promotion sale offering.
26 . The computer program of claim 25 , the method comprising directing the buyer computing device to download to the buyer computing device visual promotion output data representative of the visual promotion output.
27 . The computer program of claim 26 , the method comprising directing buyer computing device to store the downloaded visual promotion output data.
28 . The computer program of claim 26 , wherein the visual promotion output data comprises code data.
29 . The computer program of claim 28 , wherein the code data comprises merchant data.
30 . The computer program of claim 28 , wherein the code data comprises product data.
31 . The computer program of claim 18 , wherein redemption occurs without involvement of the multi-merchant promotion service.