U.S. patent application number 14/185633 was filed with the patent office on 2014-06-19 for system for implementing a network-based user referral program.
This patent application is currently assigned to Amazon.com, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Amazon.com, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeffrey P. Bezos, Sheldon J. Kaphan, Ellen L. Ratajak, Thomas K. Schonhoff.
Application Number | 20140172527 14/185633 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25383309 |
Filed Date | 2014-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140172527 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bezos; Jeffrey P. ; et
al. |
June 19, 2014 |
SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING A NETWORK-BASED USER REFERRAL PROGRAM
Abstract
A system for implementing a referral program includes a referral
tracking system capable of tracking referrals of users from
participant sites to a merchant site, and capable of determining
whether such referrals result in purchases. The referral program
participants may select particular catalog items to recommend, and
may provide encoded links on their sites to the corresponding
catalog pages of the merchant site. The system may include a report
generation system that provides the participants with activity
reports regarding the referral and purchase activity attributable
to such links.
Inventors: |
Bezos; Jeffrey P.; (Seattle,
WA) ; Kaphan; Sheldon J.; (Seattle, WA) ;
Ratajak; Ellen L.; (Kent, WA) ; Schonhoff; Thomas
K.; (Seattle, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Amazon.com, Inc. |
Seattle |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Amazon.com, Inc.
Seattle
WA
|
Family ID: |
25383309 |
Appl. No.: |
14/185633 |
Filed: |
February 20, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13154270 |
Jun 6, 2011 |
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14185633 |
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11961808 |
Dec 20, 2007 |
8494923 |
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13154270 |
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09366931 |
Aug 4, 1999 |
7337133 |
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11961808 |
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08883770 |
Jun 27, 1997 |
6029141 |
|
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09366931 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.16 ;
705/14.45 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 707/99945 20130101;
G06Q 30/0601 20130101; G06Q 30/0201 20130101; Y10S 707/99948
20130101; G06Q 30/0242 20130101; G06Q 20/0855 20130101; G06Q
30/0633 20130101; G06Q 30/0214 20130101; G06Q 30/0641 20130101;
G06Q 30/0203 20130101; G06Q 30/0613 20130101; G06Q 30/0246
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14.16 ;
705/14.45 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1. A system, comprising: a first server system that hosts a first
site in a first network domain, the first site comprising an
electronic catalog that includes item detail pages corresponding to
respective catalog items, the item detail pages associated with
corresponding uniform resource locators, said first site including
functionality for users to select and purchase catalog items; a
second server system that hosts a second site in a second network
domain, the second site associated with a referral program
participant, the second site comprising a page that includes a
user-selectable link to an item detail page of the first site, the
item detail page corresponding to a particular catalog item, the
link comprising a uniform resource locator corresponding to the
item detail page, the uniform resource locator comprising an
identifier of the catalog item and an identifier of the referral
program participant, the page additionally including information
provided by the referral program participant about the catalog
item, said information being distinct from content included on the
item detail page; and a referral tracking system that is responsive
to user selection of the link by recording a referral event in
association with the identifiers of the referral program
participant and catalog item, the referral tracking system
additionally configured to determine whether the referral event
results in a purchase transaction on the first site.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information provided by the
referral program participant comprises a review by the referral
program participant of the catalog item.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the referral tracking system is
configured to maintain, in association with an electronic shopping
cart of a user who accesses the first site via the link,
information that associates the referral program participant with a
catalog item added to the electronic shopping cart by the user.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the referral tracking system is
configured to separately record, for each of a plurality of catalog
items selected for purchase by a user, a respective identifier of a
referral program participant associated with the user's selection
of the catalog item, such that different referral program
participants can be credited for different item purchases by the
user.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a report generation
system that uses information recorded by the referral tracking
system to generate, for the referral program participant, an
activity report that indicates at least (1) how many referral
events resulted from the link over a selected time period, and (2)
a quantity of purchases resulting from said referral events.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the report generation system is
configured to include in the activity report anonymous demographic
data about users referred to the first site by the second site,
said anonymous demographic data based on user shipping addresses
maintained by the first server system.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the second site comprises a
plurality of links to respective item detail pages of the
electronic catalog, and the report generation system is configured
to include in the activity report separate activity data for each
of said links.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an automated
enrollment system that provides an interface for users to enroll
with the first site as referral program participants, said
automated enrollment system configured to assign respective
referral program participant identifiers to the referral program
participants, and to send to the referral program participants
instructions for incorporating their referral program participant
identifiers into links to item detail pages of the electronic
catalog.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the automated enrollment system
is configured to use information provided by a referral program
applicant regarding a candidate participant site to assess whether
the candidate participant site qualifies for referral program
participation.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the automated enrollment system
is configured to scan text of an enrollment application for
pre-specified words and phrases, and to flag the enrollment
application for human review when such a word or phrase is
found.
11. A system that hosts a site of a referral program participant,
the system comprising: a server that comprises computer hardware,
said server configured to provide network-based access to pages of
the site of the referral program participant; and non-transitory
computer storage that stores a page of the site, the page including
an item-specific referral link to a catalog page of an electronic
catalog hosted by a merchant site that is separate from the
referral program participant site, said catalog page corresponding
to a particular catalog item, the referral link comprising a
destination uniform resource locator that includes an identifier of
the catalog item and an identifier of the referral program
participant, the page of the referral program participant site
additionally including information provided by the referral program
participant about the catalog item, said information being distinct
from content included on the catalog page.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the information provided by the
referral program participant comprises a review by the referral
program participant of the catalog item.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the information provided by the
referral program participant comprises a recommendation by the
referral program participant of the catalog item.
14. The system of claim 11, in combination with a referral tracking
system configured to use information encoded in the destination
uniform resource locator, including the identifier of the catalog
item and the identifier of the referral program participant, to
track referral events.
15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a report generation
system which uses activity data recorded by the referral tracking
system to generate an activity report indicating (1) how many
referral events resulted from the item-specific referral link over
a specified time period, and (2) a quantity of purchases resulting
from such referral events.
16. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon
executable code that directs a computing system to perform a
process that comprises: detecting a first referral event in which a
user follows a first referral link on a first site of a first
referral program participant to a catalog page of a merchant site;
generating a first shopping cart entry associated with the first
referral event, wherein generating the first shopping cart entry
comprises recording an identifier of the first referral program
participant and an identifier of a first catalog item selected by
the user for purchase; detecting a second referral event in which
said user follows a second referral link on a second site of a
second referral program participant to a catalog page of the
merchant site; generating a second shopping cart entry associated
with the second referral event, wherein generating the second
shopping cart entry comprises recording an identifier of the second
referral program participant and an identifier of a second catalog
item selected by the user for purchase; and executing a single
check-out transaction in which the user purchases at least the
first and second catalog items on the merchant site, wherein
executing the single check-out transaction comprises (1) using the
first shopping cart entry to credit an account of the first
referral program participant for the purchase of the first catalog
item, and (2) using the second shopping cart entry to credit an
account of the second referral program participant for the purchase
of the second catalog item.
17. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 16, wherein the
first referral link points to a catalog page that is specific to
the first catalog item, and the second referral link points to a
catalog page that is specific to the second catalog item.
18. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon
executable code that directs a computing system to perform a
process that comprises: transmitting instructions to a referral
program participant for generating item-specific referral links to
item detail pages of a merchant site that hosts an electronic
catalog, said instructions enabling the referral program
participant to generate item-specific referral links that are
encoded with an identifier of the referral program participant;
recording a referral event in which a user follows an item-specific
referral link from a site of the referral program participant to an
item detail page of the merchant site, said item-specific referral
link comprising an identifier of a particular catalog item and an
identifier of a referral program participant, wherein recording the
referral event comprises recording the identifiers of the catalog
item and the referral program participant in association with an
identifier of the user; determining, based on monitored actions of
the user on the merchant site, whether the referral event results
in a purchase transaction by the user; when the referral event
results in a purchase transaction, crediting an account of the
referral program participant; and generating an activity report for
the referral program participant, the activity report indicating
how many referral events resulted from the item-specific referral
link and how many item purchases resulted from the referral
events.
19. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 18, wherein
determining whether the referral event results in a purchase
transaction comprises recording the identifier of the referral
program participant in an electronic shopping cart entry of the
user.
20. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 18, wherein the
instructions are automatically transmitted to the referral program
participant by an automated enrollment system.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
13/154,270, filed Jun. 6, 2011, which is a continuation of
application Ser. No. 11/961,808, filed Dec. 20, 2007 (now U.S. Pat.
No. 8,494,923), which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 09/366,931, filed Aug. 4, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,133),
which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
08/883,770, filed Jun. 27, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,141). The
disclosures of the aforesaid applications are hereby incorporated
by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to electronic commerce, and more
specifically, to systems for implementing user referral
programs.
APPENDICES
[0003] Included as Appendices A and B are documents that illustrate
a preferred embodiment. These materials form part of the disclosure
of the specification.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] With the increasing popularity of the Internet and the World
Wide Web, it has become common for merchants to set up Web sites
for marketing and selling goods. One example of such a Web site is
the online bookstore site of Amazon.com, the assignee of the
present invention. Via this site, consumers can access and place
orders from an online book catalog that includes millions of
titles.
[0005] One problem commonly encountered by online merchants is an
inability to effectively market goods via their Web sites. Because
the customer cannot physically inspect the products via the Web
site, and typically cannot talk to a salesperson, it is desirable
that the site provide access to product reviews, product ratings,
and other information that can be relied on by the customer to make
an informed decision. In many cases, however, the merchant lacks
the resources needed to generate or otherwise obtain such
information, especially if the merchant sells a large and diverse
selection of goods. For example, it would not be practical for
AMAZON.COM to prepare reviews of all, or even a significant portion
of, the millions of titles available on the AMAZON.COM site.
[0006] Another problem commonly faced by online merchants is an
inability to efficiently attract potential consumers to their Web
sites. One way of attracting consumers has been to market the site
through television, newspaper and Internet advertisements. However,
advertising a site using conventional methods can be expensive, and
can consume significant human resources. In addition, it is often
difficult or impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of a given
advertisement.
[0007] The present invention addresses these and other
problems.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present disclosure provides a software system and method
for enabling an Internet sales entity, referred to herein as the
"merchant," to efficiently market and sell goods in cooperation
with Web sites or other network sites of respective business
partners, referred to herein as "associates." The system and method
are implemented in part by software that runs on the merchant's Web
site. Through this site, an entity can enroll (via an automated
registration process) as an associate, and can then disseminate
catalogs (Web documents, PUSH documents, e-mail newsletters, etc.)
that include the associate's reviews and/or recommendations on
specific products sold by the merchant
[0009] In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, the
associate catalog documents include product-specific hyperlinks,
referred to herein as "referral links," that allow potential
customers to link to the merchant's Web site to initiate purchases
of such products from the merchant. Each referral link is provided
within the catalog document in association with referral
information that is transmitted to the merchant's site when a user
(customer) clicks on the referral link. This referral information
preferably includes the unique ID of the associate (assigned upon
enrollment) and the unique ID of the selected product. Referral
processing software running on the merchant site uses this
information to identify the associate that referred the customer to
the merchant site, and to identify the product selected from the
associate's catalog. If the customer subsequently purchases the
selected product from the merchant site (e.g., by filling out an
order form page and submitting the order), the referral processing
software automatically credits the referring associate for the
referral by, for example, applying a commission to an account of
the associate. In one implementation, the referral commission is
automatically generated based on a fixed percentage of the
merchant's selling price, and is paid to the associate
electronically on a periodic basis (such as every calendar
quarter).
[0010] In accordance with another aspect, the merchant site
implements an automated associate enrollment process for allowing
individuals and business entities to register as associates. The
enrollment process is implemented in part by Web pages that are
transmitted to the computer of the associate applicant, and by
enrollment software that runs on the merchant site. During the
enrollment process, the applicant is presented with an online
business agreement (in the form of a Web page) that sets forth the
terms and conditions of doing business with the merchant In
addition, the applicant is presented with an online form that
requests various information, such as the name, payment address and
e-mail address of the applicant and a description of the proposed
associate Web site. In one implementation, the enrollment software
includes text scanning code that automatically scans the completed
form for pre-specified words and phrases (vulgarities, etc.) that
may give rise to a rejection of the application, and flags the
application for further (human) review when such a word or phrase
is found.
[0011] As part of the online registration, the application is
processed (either automatically or by a staff member of the
merchant), and the enrollment software generates and assigns a
unique associate ID to the applicant, and stores this ID (together
with other associate information) in an associate database of the
merchant site. In addition, the enrollment software generates and
sends an e-mail message to the associate with instructions for
placing referral links within catalog documents.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the merchant site includes code
that maintains a unified shopping cart data structure ("shopping
cart") for each ongoing customer shopping session. For each ongoing
shopping session, the shopping cart maintains a record of at least:
(i) the products that are currently selected by the customer for
prospective purchase, and (ii) the referral source (if any) of each
such product. In one implementation, each shopping cart persists on
the merchant site for an extended period of time (such as one week)
following the most recent access by the customer, thereby allowing
the customer to conduct extended shopping sessions. To purchase the
products represented within the shopping cart, the customer
proceeds to a "check out" area of the merchant site and submits an
order. Software running on the merchant site then uses the
information collected within the shopping cart to identify, and
appropriately credit the account of, each associate that provided a
corresponding referral.
[0013] An important benefit of the shopping cart feature is that it
allows the customer to select products from multiple different
sites, and then perform a single check-out to purchase all of the
selected products. Another benefit is that it provides an efficient
mechanism for crediting the accounts of the associates at the time
of purchase. Although the use of a shopping cart provides certain
advantages, the referral tracking and crediting features of the
invention can be implemented without the use of a shopping
cart.
[0014] In one implementation, the various components are provided
on the Web site of Amazon.com as part of the Amazon.com Associates
Program. Through this program, an individual or business entity can
register as an Amazon.com associate, and can then set up a Web site
to market customized subsets of the books (typically in a
particular area of expertise) available from the Amazon.com site.
For example, a computer company can set up a site (or add an area
to an existing site) to recommend and sell selected books on
computer programming languages, and a Cajun chef can set up a site
to recommend and sell selected books on New Orleans style cooking.
The associate is in turn paid a commission or other consideration
based on the referrals that result in actual purchases. Because
Amazon.com handles the various tasks associated with processing
orders from customers (including shipping, collections, and
customer service), the associate need only be concerned with the
administration of the associate Web site.
[0015] An important benefit of the invention is that it allows the
task of marketing the merchant's products to be efficiently
distributed among entities that have established reputations and
exposure within their respective fields. Another benefit is that it
provides an efficient mechanism for exposing the merchant's Web
site to the public, by encouraging others (associates) to set up
outgoing links to the merchant's site.
[0016] Because the associate enrollment and referral
tracking/credit functions are automated in whole or in part, these
benefits can be realized with minimal supervision by the merchant
In addition, because the compensation provided to the associates is
performance-based (e.g., based on the number of referrals that
result in actual sales), the merchant need not be concerned with
the existence of large numbers of associates that provide
relatively small numbers of referrals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] These and other features and advantages of the invention
will now be described with reference to the drawings of certain
preferred embodiments, which are intended to illustrate and not to
limit the invention, and in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a high-level architectural drawing illustrating
the primary components of a system that operates in accordance with
the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is an architectural drawing and flow diagram
illustrating the enrollment function of the system.
[0020] FIGS. 3a-3c are respective screen displays further
illustrating the enrollment function.
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a URL format used to embed referral links
within Web documents in accordance with the invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is an architectural drawing and flow diagram
illustrating a referral transaction sequence in accordance with the
present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a screen display illustrating an HTML catalog
document of the associate's Web site.
[0024] FIG. 7 is an HTML listing illustrating a preferred method
for embedding a referral link within a catalog document of an
associate's Web site.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a screen display illustrating an HTML catalog
document detail page of the merchant Web site.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a screen display illustrating a preferred shopping
cart processing method in accordance with the present
invention.
[0027] FIGS. 10a-10c are screen displays illustrating HTML
documents of the merchant Web site.
[0028] In the drawings, the first digit of each reference number
indicates the Figure number in which the referenced item first
appears.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] To facilitate a complete understanding of the invention, the
description of the preferred embodiment is arranged within the
following sections:
[0030] 1. GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS
[0031] 2. OVERVIEW OF SYSTEM COMPONENTS AND OPERATION
[0032] 3. ASSOCIATE ENROLLMENT FUNCTION
[0033] 4. REFERRAL TRANSACTION FUNCTION
[0034] 5. UNIFIED SHOPPING CART FUNCTION
[0035] 6. REPORT GENERATION FUNCTION
[0036] 7. CONCLUSION
1. Glossary of Terms and Acronyms
[0037] The following terms and acronyms are used throughout the
detailed description:
[0038] Client-Server. A model of interaction in a distributed
system in which a program at one site sends a request to a program
at another site and waits for a response. The requesting program is
called the "client," and the program which responds to the request
is called the "server." In the context of the World Wide Web
(discussed below), the client is a "Web browser" (or simply
"browser") which runs on a computer of a user; the program which
responds to browser requests by serving Web pages is commonly
referred to as a "Web server."
[0039] Hyperlink. A navigational link from one document to another,
or from one portion (or component) of a document to another.
Typically, a hyperlink is displayed as a highlighted word or phrase
that can be selected by clicking on it using a mouse to jump to the
associated document or documented portion.
[0040] Hypertext System. A computer-based informational system in
which documents (and possibly other types of data entities) are
linked together via hyperlinks to form a user-navigable "web."
[0041] Internet. A collection of interconnected (public and/or
private) networks that are linked together by a set of standard
protocols (such as TCP/IP and HTTP) to form a global, distributed
network. (While this term is intended to refer to what is now
commonly known as the Internet, it is also intended to encompass
variations which may be made in the future, including changes and
additions to existing standard protocols.)
[0042] World Wide Web ("Web"). Used herein to refer generally to
both (i) a distributed collection of interlinked, user-viewable
hypertext documents (commonly referred to as Web documents or Web
pages) that are accessible via the Internet, and (ii) the client
and server software components which provide user access to such
documents using standardized Internet protocols. Currently, the
primary standard protocol for allowing applications to locate and
acquire Web documents is HTTP, and the Web pages are encoded using
HTML. However, the terms "Web" and "World Wide Web" are intended to
encompass future markup languages and transport protocols which may
be used in place of (or in addition to) HTML and HTTP.
[0043] Web Site. A computer system that serves informational
content over a network using the standard protocols of the World
Wide Web. Typically, a Web site corresponds to a particular
Internet domain name, such as "amazon.com," and includes the
content associated with a particular organization. As used herein,
the term is generally intended to encompass both (i) the
hardware/software server components that serve the informational
content over the network, and (ii) the "back end" hardware/software
components, including any non-standard or specialized components,
that interact with the server components to perform services for
Web site users.
[0044] HTML (HyperText Markup Language). A standard coding
convention and set of codes for attaching presentation and linking
attributes to informational content within documents. (HTML 2.0 is
currently the primary standard used for generating Web documents.)
During a document authoring stage, the HTML codes (referred to as
"tags") are embedded within the informational content of the
document. When the Web document (or HTML document) is subsequently
transferred from a Web server to a browser, the codes are
interpreted by the browser and used to parse and display the
document. Additionally in specifying how the Web browser is to
display the document, HTML tags can be used to create links to
other Web documents (commonly referred to as "hyperlinks"). For
more information on HTML, see Ian S. Graham, The HTML Source Book,
John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1995 (ISBN 0471-11894-4).
[0045] HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol). The standard World Wide
Web client-server protocol used for the exchange of information
(such as HTML documents, and client requests for such documents)
between a browser and a Web server. HTTP includes a number of
different types of messages which can be sent from the client to
the server to request different types of server actions. For
example, a "GET" message, which has the format GET <URL>,
causes the server to return the document or file located at the
specified URL.
[0046] ISBN (International Standard Book Number). A numerical
identifier associated with books, pamphlets, educational kits,
microforms, CD-ROM and braille publications in circulation
throughout the world. The ISBN is a ten-digit number assigned to
each published title that provides an unduplicated, internationally
recognized "identity."
[0047] URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A unique address which fully
specifies the location of a file or other resource on the Internet.
The general format of a URL is protocol://machine
address:port/path/filename. The port specification is optional, and
if none is entered by the user, the browser defaults to the
standard port for whatever service is specified as the protocol.
For example, if HTTP is specified as the protocol, the browser will
use the HTTP default port of 80.
[0048] Cookies. A technology that enables a Web server to retrieve
information from a user's computer that reveals prior browsing
activities of the user. The informational item stored on the user's
computer (typically on the hard drive) is commonly referred to as a
"cookie." Many standard Web browsers support the use of
cookies.
[0049] PUSH Technology. An information dissemination technology
used to send data to users over a network. In contrast to the World
Wide Web (a "pull" technology), in which the client browser must
request a Web page before it is sent, PUSH protocols send the
informational content to the user computer automatically, typically
based on information pre-specified by the user.
2. Overview of System Components and Operation
[0050] FIG. 1 illustrates the general architecture of a referral
system that operates in accordance with the present invention. The
system includes a customer computer 108, an associate Web site 100,
and a merchant Web site 106, all of which are linked together by
the Internet 104. The customer computer 108 may be any type of
computing device that allows a user ("customer") to interactively
browse Web sites via a Web browser 112. For example, the customer
computer 108 may be a personal computer (PC) that runs the Windows
NT operating system.
[0051] The merchant Web site 106 is a site that provides various
functionality for allowing customers to purchase products,
including products selected from the Web sites of associates.
Typically, this site will be operated by a business entity
(referred to herein as the "merchant") that handles the various
order processing, shipping, collections, and customer service tasks
associated with the sale of goods. In an implementation described
herein, the merchant Web site 106 is the site of Amazon.com.
[0052] As described below, the site 106 includes enrollment
software that implements an online registration process for
allowing other entities (individuals, companies, etc.) to register
as associates. An entity enrolling as an associate provides the
merchant Web site 106 with a completed, online registration
application that is processed by an enrollment software program
("SW") at the site 106. The enrollment software creates an entry in
the associate database 160 according to the information provided by
the enrolling associate.
[0053] The associate's Web site 100 is the site of an entity that
has registered with the merchant, via the online registration
process, to market a subset of the merchant's goods in return for
compensation (preferably a performance-based commission).
Typically, this site is owned and operated by an individual or
business entity ("associate") that is not in the same business as
that of the merchant For example, in the context of the Amazon.com
Associates Program, the associate may be an individual that is in
the business of rating mystery novels.
[0054] As described below, because the merchant handles the tasks
of processing online orders, shipping products, collecting payment,
and providing customer service, the associate need not be concerned
with these tasks. Thus, the associate can effectively become an
online retailer immediately, by simply enrolling as an associate
and setting up a Web site.
[0055] In addition, because the merchant Web site 106 includes
software for automating the primary functions of doing business
with associates (such as associate enrollment, referral transaction
processing, and commission tracking and payment), the architecture
allows the merchant to do business with large numbers (e.g.,
thousands) of associates with minimal supervision by the merchant.
Further, because the commissions paid to the associates are
performance-based, there is little or no downside to the merchant
to enrolling marginally-productive associates that provide
relatively small numbers of referrals.
[0056] In operation, the customer accesses the associate's Web site
100 using a standard Web browser 112, such as Microsoft's Internet
Explorer or Netscape's Navigator, which uses the HTTP protocol to
communicate with a Web server 116 of the associate's site 100. The
Web server 116 accesses a local store of catalog documents 120 (in
the form of HTML or "Web" documents) which can be requested,
retrieved and viewed by the customer via the Web browser 112. These
catalog documents 120 include information generated by the
associate about the various products featured on the associate's
Web site 100. Preferably, this information includes editorial
descriptions, reviews, and/or recommendations of the products that
assist customers in making informed purchasing decisions.
[0057] The catalog documents 120 served by the associate's site 100
include special hyperlinks (to Web pages of the merchant Web site
106) for allowing consumers to select products for prospective
purchase. Typically, one such hyperlink is provided for each
product displayed on the associate's Web site 100. Alternatively, a
hyperlink may be provided for a group of products. When a customer
selects (e.g., clicks on) the hyperlink associated with a
particular product, the customer is automatically connected to the
merchant Web site 106, and presented with various options (included
within Web pages 136 served from the merchant Web site 106) for
allowing the customer to purchase the selected product from the
merchant. The hyperlink thus serves as a referral mechanism for
referring the customer to the merchant Web site 106.
[0058] As described in detail below, the special hyperlinks (also
referred to herein as "referral links") of the associate's catalog
documents are provided in association with additional information
(embedded in a pre-defined format within the associated URL) that
is transmitted to the merchant Web site 106 in response to
selection of the link. In one implementation, this information
includes a unique identifier of the associate (assigned upon
enrollment) and a unique identifier of the selected product (such
as the ISBN of a book). A computer program 144 of the merchant Web
site 106 uses this information to identify the associate that was
the source of the referral, and to credit the sale (referral) to
the associate if the customer subsequently purchases the product
(or group of products). (In other implementations, the crediting of
the associate may occur without regard to whether the product is
purchased.) Commission payments can then be paid to the associates
on a periodic basis (such as once a month). In one implementation,
the commission payments are made electronically, via the computer
program 144, without the need for involvement by the merchant.
[0059] In one implementation, the merchant Web site 106 comprises a
product information database (not shown) that stores product
pricing information. The computer program 144 of the merchant site
106 uses this pricing information to calculate the proper
commission or referral payment.
[0060] Although the implementation described herein uses monetary
commissions to compensate the associates for referrals, other forms
of compensation can be used. For example, an associate (and/or the
associate's customers) could be given a discount on products or
services sold by the merchant
[0061] In one implementation of the merchant Web site 106,
selection of a referral link causes a product detail page 136 to be
displayed on the customer computer 108. This detail page 136 is
served by the merchant Web site 106, and includes various
information provided by the merchant (price, inventory, standard
product description, etc.) about the selected product. From this
page, a hyperlink can be selected that allows the selected product
to be added to a customer "shopping cart."
[0062] The shopping cart is a customer-specific data structure that
is generated and maintained (within a shopping cart database 152)
by executable code of the merchant site 106. The database may be
any type of data repository including, for example, an SQL table or
ASCII text file. The information stored within the shopping cart
includes a list of the products that have been selected by the
customer for prospective purchase, together with an identifier of
the referring associate (if any) corresponding to each such
product. In one implementation, each shopping cart persists on the
site 106 for an extended period of time (such as one week)
following the most recent access by the customer, allowing the
customer to conduct extended shopping sessions. When the customer
proceeds to a check-out area of the merchant site 106 and submits
an order for the selected products, the associate identifiers
stored within the customer's shopping cart are used to
appropriately credit the accounts of the referring associates.
Although the shopping cart implementation provides an efficient
mechanism for tracking and crediting referral events, referrals can
alternatively be credited without the use of a shopping cart, such
as by crediting the associate at the time of, or during the same
shopping session as, the referral.
[0063] Because the identity of the customer is normally unknown to
the merchant Web site 106 at the time of the referral event, the
site 106 uses cookies technology to identify the customer, so that
the customer can be associated with any existing shopping cart
created during previous visits to the site 106. This process
involves retrieving the cookie 140 from the customer computer 108
with the Web server 132, and then executing a computer program 144
that compares the cookie against information stored in a customer
data structure 148. If no shopping cart exists for the customer, or
if no cookie exists on the customer computer 108, a shopping cart
structure is created for the user. Any of a variety of alternative
techniques can be used to identify the customer, including
prompting the customer for a user ID, and/or using URL information
returned by the customer's Web browser.
[0064] Although the embodiment described herein uses Web technology
to disseminate the catalog documents, any of a variety of document
types and electronic dissemination technologies can be used. For
example, the associate's catalog documents may be in the form of
hypertextual e-mail messages that are disseminated by a list
server, or PUSH documents disseminated by a PUSH server. As
interactive television, video-on-demand, and Web TV technologies
continue to evolve, it is contemplated that the "catalog documents"
will include video advertisements that are displayed to the
customer on a television screen. Further, although hypertextual
catalog documents are preferably used, it is possible for an
associate to use non-hypertextual catalogs (including paper-based
product catalogs) that simply instruct the customer to manually
enter the appropriate URL (including the referral information) into
a browser program.
[0065] In addition, although the system is described in the context
of "the" associate's Web site, it should be recognized that a given
associate can disseminate its catalog documents (using the single
associate ID assigned during online registration) from multiple
different sites, including sites that use different document
formats and transfer protocols. Further, although the system is
described herein in the context of a merchant that sells products,
it will be recognized that the architecture can also be used to
sell services, including online services that are provided over the
Internet.
[0066] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the use
of the URL-embedded referral information to identify the associate
allows the associate to be identified, and properly credited for
the referral, with a high degree of reliability. For example, in
contrast to conventional user tracking techniques, the present
method allows the associate to be reliably identified even if the
associate Web site 100 operates behind a firewall. In addition, the
method provides a high degree of flexibility to the associate. For
example, the associate can change to a different Internet service
provider, and can use or switch between multiple catalog
dissemination techniques (Web, e-mail, PUSH, etc.), without
affecting the ability of the merchant Web site 106 to identify and
credit the associate. Moreover, the associate can freely modify its
product offerings--without the need for involvement by the
merchant--by simply updating product descriptions and corresponding
referral links within the catalog.
[0067] A significant benefit of the architecture is that it allows
the task of marketing the merchant's products to be efficiently
distributed among entities that have established reputations and
exposure within their respective fields. In the context of the
Amazon.com Internet bookstore, for example, a well-established
computer company can set up an associate site (or an area of an
existing site) to recommend its favorite books on programming
languages; and an Italian chef can set up a site to recommend his
favorite cookbooks on Italian cooking. In implementations that
involve sales of other types of products (such as audio/video
equipment), the associates may, for example, include testing
laboratories that publish test results.
[0068] Because the associate enrollment and referral tracking
functions are automated (in whole or in part), the referral
services provided by the associates take place with little or no
human supervision or intervention by the merchant In addition,
because the payments to the associates are performance-based (e.g.,
based on the number of sales resulting from associate referrals),
the merchant need not be concerned with the effectiveness of any
given associate site.
[0069] The system and method also provide an efficient mechanism
for exposing the merchant and the merchant Web site 106 to the
public by encouraging others (associates) to set up outgoing links
to the merchant's Web site. For example, this may be beneficial
where the merchant Web site 106 is configured to support direct
sales (i.e., sales that do not involve referrals from associates),
as is this case with the site of Amazon.com.
[0070] The various components and functions of the referral system
are described in further detail below.
3. Associate Enrollment Function
[0071] As indicated above, the merchant Web site 106 includes
automated enrollment software (FIG. 1) for allowing an entity to
apply, via the Internet, to operate as an associate. The
registration process may include the following: (i) the
presentation of an online business agreement to the applicants,
(ii) the use of an automated "agent" to scan the application text
for key inputted terms, including vulgarities and other terms that
may serve as a basis for denying the application, (iii) the
automated generation and assignment of a unique associate ID (also
referred to herein as the "store ID") to an applicant, and (iv) the
automated electronic transmission of referral link embedding
instructions to the applicant.
[0072] FIG. 2 illustrates the general flow of information between
components when an associate applicant uses a computer 200 to
enroll as an associate. The computer 200 includes a conventional
Web browser 204 which communicates with the merchant Web server 132
using the HTTP protocol. The Web server 132 accesses a local store
136 of HTML documents (Web pages) which can be requested, retrieved
and viewed by the applicant via the Web browser 204. These
documents may, for example, include information about registering
online to become an associate. Access to the merchant Web site 106
and the enrollment function is available to any client computer
200, and the enrolling associate is not required to have an
established Web site at the time of enrollment.
[0073] As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the enrolling associate
begins the enrollment function by selecting the proper hyperlink
from the merchant Web page 136 containing online registration
instructions. The merchant Web server 132 accesses a local store of
HTML documents 136 and returns an online registration application
document 208 (also shown in FIGS. 3a-3c) to the enrolling
associate's Web browser 204. The enrolling associate can then fill
out the detailed online application form 208.
[0074] Referring to FIGS. 3a-3c, a preferred embodiment of the
online application form 208 is shown. The application requests
information about the enrolling associate, including the Web server
to be used for the associate's Web site, the associate Web site's
descriptive name, and the e-mail address of the enrolling
associate. Many alternative formats to the online application form
are possible and FIGS. 3a-3c are only representative of the types
of information that may be requested.
[0075] With further reference to FIG. 2, once the electronic
application form 204 is completed by the enrolling associate, it is
sent from the associate's computer 200 to the merchant Web server
132 for further processing. As will be appreciated by those skilled
in the art, other forms of enrollment processing may be used,
including but not limited to regular mail and electronic mail. In
addition, although the automated enrollment function is preferably
handled by the same computer system that handles the referral
processing function, these functions could be performed by
dedicated, physically distinct computer systems or sites.
[0076] In response to submission of the enrollment form, the
merchant Web server 132 initiates a computer program 144 comprising
enrollment software that processes the information contained on the
electronic application form 208. In one implementation, an agent is
used to scan the application text for pre-specified terms, and to
flag the application for further review (such as by a staff member)
if such a term exists. If no such term is found, and the
application is complete, the enrollment software automatically
accepts the application.
[0077] As part of this online registration, once the application
has been processed (either automatically or with human
intervention), the enrollment software generates a unique store ID
to be assigned to the associate. In addition, the enrollment
software creates a database entry corresponding to the enrolling
associate and stores the store ID and the information provided by
the enrolling associate as a unique entry in an associate database
160. The database may be any type of data repository including, for
example, an SQL table or ASCII text file. This database entry
allows the merchant Web site 106 to properly track and credit
associate referrals, as further described below.
[0078] Next, the computer program 144 automatically formats and
transmits an electronic mail message to the e-mail address of the
approved associate. This electronic mail message provides detailed
information about setting up an associate's Web site, including
instructions on how to create HTML documents with referral links.
These instructions specify a predefined format for embedding the
store ID and unique product IDs with the HTML link structures. In
addition, the e-mail message includes the unique store ID
(generated by the enrollment software), and includes instructions
on obtaining unique product IDs. The associate can obtain the
unique product IDs by browsing the merchant Web site 106.
Alternatively, the unique product IDs may be obtained by the
associate through a specific electronic mail request, or may be
provided by the merchant Web site when the initial electronic mail
response is sent. A preferred set of linking instructions that are
sent to new associates is included as Appendix A.
[0079] FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred format of a URL 400 used by
an associate to create a referral link to the merchant Web site.
This format is recognized by parsing software (FIG. 1) that runs on
the merchant Web site. The URL 400 comprises the merchant Web
server information 402, the unique product ID 404, the unique store
ID 406, and an associate commission scheme ID 408. The unique store
ID 406 represents the information created and stored in the
associate's database during the associate enrollment process
described above. In the Amazon.com implementation, the unique
product ID 404 is the ISBN of a book that is available from the
Amazon.com Web site. The associate commission scheme ID is an
optional feature that can be used to specify a commission
percentage or method for calculating the referral commission.
[0080] Upon receipt of the special linking instructions, the
associate can begin to build the content (catalog documents) of the
associate's Web site, including the descriptions of the products to
be featured on the site. An associate can begin to refer customers
to the merchant Web site 106 at anytime; however, no credit may be
given to the associate for referred customers until the associate
has included properly-formatted referral links within its product
catalog. Additionally, referral credit may be withheld if the
merchant has not yet authenticated and qualified the associate Web
site for business.
4. Referral Transaction Function
[0081] A preferred method for processing referral events will now
be described with reference to FIGS. 5-7. Referring to FIG. 5,
which depicts an example sequence of events, a customer accesses an
associate's Web site 100 via the customer computer 108. The
customer computer 108 includes a conventional Web browser 112 which
communicates with the associate's Web server 116 using the HTTP
protocol. As depicted by events A and B, the Web server 116
accesses a local store of catalog documents 120 (Web pages) which
can be requested, retrieved and viewed by the customer via the Web
browser 112. As described above, these catalog documents 120
include information about the various products featured at the
associate's Web site 100. Preferably, this information includes
editorial descriptions, reviews, and recommendations generated by
the associate.
[0082] FIG. 6 illustrates an example HTML catalog document (Web
page) 120 in accordance with the present invention. The customer
views the product catalog document 120 via the Web browser 112 in
order to select a particular product (book) offered through the
associate's Web site 100. In this example, the catalog document 120
comprises a graphic icon 600 that is a scaled-down replica of an
actual book cover. The graphic icon 600 also functions as a
hyperlink, allowing the customer to click on the icon with a mouse
in order to link to the merchant Web site 106. The document 120
includes the title 602 and author of the book 604, and includes an
editorial description and recommendation of the book 606 from the
associate. The catalog document 120 also contains another textual
hyperlink 608, allowing the customer to link to the merchant Web
site 106 and initiate referral transaction processing. Typically,
the associate's product catalog (which may include multiple catalog
pages) contains several referral links (with different product
IDs), each corresponding to a different product sold by the
merchant.
[0083] FIG. 7 is an HTML source code listing which illustrates a
preferred format for including a referral link within an HTML
catalog document. The source code of FIG. 7 corresponds to the
product catalog document 120 illustrated in FIG. 6. In this
example, the referral link (included between the HTML anchor tags
"A" and "/A") consists of the URL
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0809232022/skinetA/ and the
corresponding textual description "Click here to order Terrain
Skiing!." The URL is identified as such by the standard HREF
(hypertext reference) tag. The portion of the URL preceding
"skinetA" uniquely identifies a product detail page (of the
AMAZON.COM site) of a book having an ISBN of 0809232022. As
described below, the "skinetA" portion of the URL identifies both
the referring associate and a commission scheme. The referral link
is included within the document such that selection by the customer
of the text "Click here to order Terrain Skiing!" causes the Web
browser 112 to transmit the URL on the Internet 104 via a standard
HTTP message.
[0084] Further referring to FIG. 5, upon clicking or otherwise
selecting the referral link 608 of the associate's catalog document
120 (event C), the Web browser 112 communicates with the merchant
Web server 132 (events D-F) to access HTML documents 136 of the
merchant Web site 106. Initially, the customer is shown a product
detail page that provides detailed information about the selected
product, and allows the customer to add the selected product to the
shopping cart (described below). The Web server 132 also serves Web
pages (including dynamically-generated pages) that display and
allow the customer to edit the contents of the shopping cart, and
that allow the customer to proceed to a check-out area to order the
selected products.
[0085] Once the customer has linked to the merchant Web site 106,
the customer can use the navigational controls of the Web browser
112 to return to the associate's Web site 100. In addition, the
detail page and/or the shopping cart page may be provided with a
hyperlink to allow the customer to return to the associate's Web
site 100. Another alternative is for the associate Web site 100 to
be created using an HTML frame format. The bottom frame can be
designated as the target area frame for the merchant's Web site
106. The top frame can provide navigational controls for the
customer to return to the associate's Web site 100 after selection
of a particular product at the merchant's Web site 106. This allows
the customer to maintain an associate's Web page frame while
viewing and processing product purchases at the merchant's Web site
106.
[0086] Following the referral event, the customer can browse the
merchant Web site 106 for additional products, and can add these
products to the shopping cart. In one configuration option, the
referring associate is given commission credit for all additional
products thereafter selected (during the current browsing session)
from the merchant Web site 106, assuming the customer subsequently
purchases these products. In another configuration option, the
associate is only credited for the purchase of the product that was
the subject of the referral.
[0087] The sequence of events that takes place when the customer
clicks on the referral link 608 will now be described in greater
detail. Before the product detail page 136 is sent to the
customer's Web browser 112, the merchant Web server 132 initiates a
computer program 144 to conduct several processing steps. As
depicted by event E1 in FIG. 5, the computer program 144 executes
parsing software (FIG. 1) to parse the URL passed to the merchant
Web server 132. The parsing software extracts the unique product ID
(ISBN), the unique store ID associated with a particular associate,
and an optional associate commission ID from the URL data string.
For example, if the URL string is
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0809232022/mystoreA/, the
parsing software parses the string to extract the unique product ID
(ISBN) of 0809232022, the unique store ID of "mystore," and the
commission ID of "A." In one implementation, the software 144 uses
the commission ID to calculate an appropriate commission (e.g. 10%
of merchant's sales price) to apply to the associate's account. As
described below, if the customer subsequently adds the selected
product to the shopping cart, the extracted information is recorded
within a shopping cart data structure that corresponds to the
customer.
5. Unified Shopping Cart Function
[0088] As discussed above, the present invention provides a system
for maintaining a unified shopping cart that stores product
information associated with product referrals from multiple Web
sites, and keeps track of the sources (associates) of such
referrals. One benefit of this feature is that it enables the
customer to perform a single "check out" to purchase products from
multiple Web sites. Additionally, this feature allows the merchant
Web site 106 to accurately track and credit each associate, on a
per-product-sale basis, that has referred a customer. For example,
if, upon "check-out" from the merchant Web site 106, the customer
has three books listed in the shopping cart, each of which resulted
from a referral from a different associate Web site, each associate
will be credited for its respective referral. While the shopping
cart feature is particularly useful in the context of the disclosed
referral system, the feature can also be applied to other types of
Internet shopping systems that support shopping from multiple Web
sites, including systems that use remote "agents" to monitor Web
sites based on pre-specified selections of the customer.
[0089] The data structures and processing steps that implement the
shopping cart will now be described with further reference to FIG.
5. As indicated above, the shopping cart maintains a
customer-specific record of the products that have been selected by
the customer, including the identities of any associate Web sites
that acted as referral sources with respect to such products.
Preferably, the computer program 144 maintains this information in
a data structure that is stored on the Web site 106 for an extended
period of time (such as one week) since the last access to the
shopping cart by the user. This allows the customer to discontinue
and later resume a shopping session without loss of the shopping
cart data.
[0090] Upon customer selection of a referral link, the computer
program 144 utilizes the customer cookie information 140 passed
through an HTTP call to determine whether the particular customer
(or technically, the customer computer 108) already has an open
shopping cart (event E2). As part of this process, the computer
program 144 executes cookie processing software (FIG. 1), which
assigns a unique customer ID to the customer based on the cookie
information 140. If the customer's Web browser 112 does not support
the use of cookies (or if the cookies feature is disabled) the
program 144 uses URL information received from the Web browser to
generate the customer ID.
[0091] The customer ID is in turn used by the software 144 to
identify any shopping cart currently associated with the customer.
If no shopping cart exists for the customer, a new shopping cart
structure (which includes the customer ID) is generated within the
shopping cart database 152. The customer ID is also stored in a
customer database 148. The algorithm used by the program 144 to
generate the customer IDs is such that a cookie retrieved from the
same customer computer will consistently produce the same customer
ID. Thus, assuming the customer always uses the same computer to
access the merchant site 106, and that the browser 112 supports the
use of cookies, the customer will be assigned the same customer ID,
and will be associated with any existing shopping cart.
[0092] In one implementation, once the customer has been referred
to the merchant site 106 and the customer ID has been determined,
the merchant site dynamically includes this ID within hyperlinks of
the detail page and other Web pages that are sent to the customer
computer 108. When the customer subsequently selects such a link
(such as to add a selected product to the shopping cart), the
customer ID is automatically transmitted to the merchant site 106
as part of the HTTP message. This allows the merchant site 106 to
identify the customer (and shopping cart) without the need to
re-request the cookie from the customer computer.
[0093] During the process of displaying detail pages and allowing
the customer to add products to the shopping cart, neither the
merchant site 106 nor the associate sites have access to the
customer's personal information (name, address, credit card number,
etc.). Thus, the system advantageously allows the customer to shop
anonymously. Only when an order is actually submitted does the
merchant site 106 obtain access to the customer's information, and
at no time is the information provided to the associate sites.
[0094] With further reference to FIG. 5, the shopping cart is
stored as a table or data structure within the shopping cart
database 152, along with individual product selections made by
customers. If the customer has an existing shopping cart, the
computer program 144 will create another product selection entry
within the shopping cart database 152, as indicated generally by
event E3. If the customer does not have an existing shopping cart,
then the computer program will create a new shopping cart data
structure within the shopping cart database 152. The product
selection entry within the shopping cart database 152 includes the
store ID and product ID. If a product is selected directly from the
merchant Web site 106, the corresponding store ID field may be
blank or encoded with merchant-specific information. Other
information may be stored in the shopping cart to implement the
specific business procedures of the particular merchant.
[0095] When the customer subsequently purchases a product or
products contained in the shopping cart, the associate's unique
store ID maintained in the associate data structure 160 is used to
appropriately credit the associate's account. During this process
(or at the time of the referral) the computer program 144
determines whether the store ID represents a valid (enrolled)
associate in the associates database 160. The processing at the
merchant Web site 106 maintaining the associate's store ID in the
shopping cart allows the system to obtain pricing information for a
product and associate. In this way, the computer program 144 can be
configured to generate special discounts or pricing incentives to
the customer or associate depending on a particular business
relationship.
[0096] The shopping cart stored in the shopping cart database 152
is maintained by the computer program 144 running at the merchant
Web site 106 that monitors the open entries (non-closed shopping
carts) in the shopping cart database 152. The shopping cart
database 152 includes the customer ID, the date the shopping cart
was opened (open date), and the date last accessed (touch date).
The shopping cart database is monitored by the computer program 144
to purge all shopping carts that have been inactive (untouched) for
a pre-defined period of time, such as one week.
[0097] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of an HTML catalog document
(Web page) 136 corresponding to the product detail page. After
processing a referral URL, the merchant Web server 132 sends the
detail page 136 to the customer's Web browser 112 to provide the
customer with additional information about the selected product.
The product detail page includes the merchant's information (price,
standard description, etc.) about the selected product. The product
detail page 136 is shown with the URL passed to the customer Web
browser 112 from the merchant Web server.
[0098] The URL (shown at the top of FIG. 8) comprises the unique
customer ID 800 (obtained from the customer's cookie or URL
information), the product ID 802 (shown as the ISBN of the Terrain
Skiing book), the store ID 804 (shown as the "skinet" Web site),
and the associate commission ID 806 (the letter "A"). Once the
customer has reviewed the product detail page 136, the customer can
select the "Add it to your Shopping Cart" hyperlink 808. When the
customer clicks on this hyperlink 808, the merchant Web server 132
returns a dynamically-generated HTML document that displays the
contents of the shopping cart.
[0099] FIG. 9 illustrates an example HTML document 136 (Web page)
corresponding to the customer shopping cart. The customer shopping
cart document 136 displays information about the products currently
selected by the customer for prospective purchase. In this example,
the selection item 902 is displayed to the customer as the "Terrain
Skiing" book previously selected. From this page 136, the customer
may leave the shopping cart page, without proceeding to check-out,
by either selecting the "continue shopping" link 904 or by using a
Web browser navigational control to proceed to a different Web
page.
[0100] FIG. 10a represents another associate's Web site where the
customer can view products featured with editorial comments. For
purposes of this example, it may be assumed that the customer
proceeded directly to this site (e.g., by selecting a "favorite
places" URL) from the shopping cart page of FIG. 9. If the customer
selects the hyperlink 1000, the merchant Web server returns the
product detail page for the "Cooking with Daniel Boulud" book, as
illustrated in FIG. 10b. The customer may then add this book to the
shopping cart by selecting the "Add it to your Shopping Cart"
hyperlink 1002, and the customer will then be brought to the
shopping cart Web page illustrated in FIG. 10c. The shopping cart
now has product selection items corresponding to the two books
selected by the customer during the shopping session, and each of
these product selection items is stored in the shopping cart
database to uniquely identify the respective associate that made
the referral. When the customer selects the "Proceed to Checkout"
hyperlink 1004 on the shopping cart Web page, the merchant Web site
returns a form document (not shown) that allows the customer to
specify payment information, shipping information, and other
information needed to process the order.
[0101] As illustrated by the above example, one customer shopping
cart can have line items (corresponding to book selections) from
many different associate Web sites. In addition, the shopping cart
can include line items of books that have been selected directly
from the merchant As described above, because the shopping cart
keeps track of each referral, the referring associates can
efficiently be credited for their respective referrals upon order
submission, without the need for the customer to perform multiple
"check-outs."
[0102] The merchant Web site includes credit generation software
for calculating associate referral credit. Referral credit may be
calculated in any of a number of ways depending on the associate
and merchant business relationship, and may be provided to the
associate on a periodic basis, such as at the end of each calendar
quarter. For example, the associate may be paid a fixed percentage
of the list selling price. As indicated above, commission payments
may be made automatically using an appropriate electronic payment
method.
[0103] As will be appreciated from the foregoing, the shopping cart
feature of the system enables the customer to view the entire
shopping experience as a seamless, automated shopping session. The
seamless nature of the session allows the customer to shop for
products based on the marketing expertise of the associates, while
conveniently utilizing the merchant's order fulfillment
resources.
6. Report Generation Function
[0104] The merchant Web site also preferably includes report
generation software (FIG. 1) that automatically generates and
transmits associate feedback reports to respective associates,
based on information stored by the merchant Web site. The software
can be configured to generate the reports on a daily, weekly,
monthly and/or annual basis. The information contained within these
reports enables the associates to evaluate the effectiveness of
their Web sites on a per-product basis.
[0105] One report produced by the AMAZON.COM site is the "Weekly
Activity Report." An example of such a report is included as
Appendix B. This report provides information about the number of
books ordered through the associate's referral links, the number of
selections (hits) of each referral link, and the amount of referral
credit earned on orders in the time period.
[0106] Various other types of information can be provided within
the feedback reports to assist the associates in conducting
business. For example, the reports can provide anonymous
demographic data about the customers that made purchases from the
associate site, including the geographic regions (as determined
from shipping addresses) of such customers. Additionally, the
reports can provide special notices, including notices about books
that pay lower referral credit to associates, and any problems
occurring with an associate's referral links. The report generation
feature also may provide associates with the ability to access an
on-line menu to generate custom feedback reports (such as a report
of the number of referrals during a specific period of time), or to
set up a report profile that specifies the content, format and
frequency of the automated reports.
7. Conclusion
[0107] While the invention has been described herein with reference
to certain preferred embodiments, these embodiments have been
presented by way of example only, and not to limit the scope of the
invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be
defined only in accordance with the claims that follow.
[0108] In the following claims, reference characters used to
designate claim steps are provided for convenience of description
only, and are not intended to imply any particular order for
performing the steps.
APPENDIX A
[0109] Date: Tue, 24 Jun. 1997 02:11:28 -0700 (PDT)
[0110] To: mystore@aol.com
[0111] Subject: Amazon.com Books: Thank you for your
application
[0112] Cc: associates@amazon.com
[0113] Thanks for submitting your application to participate in the
Amazon.com Associates Program. Your application has been
temporarily approved. We'll contact you by e-mail once we have
reviewed and approved your application.
[0114] *Important*: Be sure to save this email message--you will
need some of the information here to properly set up your links to
Amazon.com.
[0115] You can set up your Web site now. You have been assigned a
unique Associates ID. You'll use this ID when linking your
sponsoring Web site into our catalog; detailed instructions are
included at the end of this message.
[0116] Your unique Associates ID is: mystore.
[0117] Using the Amazon.com Brand Name
[0118] As you may already know, Amazon.com has received a great
deal of very positive press coverage since we opened. From The Wall
Street Journal, Newsweek and the Associated Press to PC Magazine
and WebWeek, mainstream and industry press alike have helped to
make the Amazon.com brand name one of the more well-known among
Internet sites.
[0119] Our extensive advertising campaign reaches users of many
major Web services and search tools, and our printed ads are found
in places like the New York Times Review of Books. You should
consider using not only our name but one of the logos or banners
found on our site at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/assoc-art.html
so that your visitors have the chance to recognize our name as a
familiar and trustworthy Internet retailer working in association
with you.
[0120] Suggestions for Successful Presentation:
[0121] We've put a page on our Web site filled with suggestions for
building a great online bookstore. These tips are taken from our
most successful Associates, and we highly recommend reading them.
Follow the link on our home page to "Build Your Own Bookstore", and
from there link to "Build a Great Bookstore". You can also connect
directly at this URL:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/assoc-success-tips.html
[0122] How to Link into Our Catalog:
[0123] You can use any sort of book descriptions, review material
and graphics that you like when describing books on your Web site.
All we need is a separate link into our catalog for each book you
wish to recommend. You may add or remove these links at any time
without our prior approval; as long as they follow the prescribed
format we'll detect them automatically when they are used.
[0124] Each link to our catalog will be the same except for the
ISBN of the book. You'll see the "isbn=" part of the link at the
end of each example below. To find the ISBN of the book you wish to
list, use our Web site and search for that book with any of our
search tools. The ISBN for each edition (hardcover, paperback, book
on tape) is displayed on the detail page for that book.
[0125] Remember--you may change which books you list whenever you
like. You won't need our permission and it's not even necessary to
advise us of the changes--they'll be automatically detected and
commissioned properly.
[0126] Example:
[0127] For each book you recommend, link it to us like this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1234567890/mystoreA/Note:
[0128] Note: You *must* use a capital A at the end of this link,
not a lower-case a.
[0129] Of course, the ISBN will change for each book. Do not
include any spaces or dashes in the ISBN when making these links.
Also, make sure to check our catalog first--we can only sell what's
listed there.
[0130] VERY IMPORTANT: If you copy the URL of a book page from our
Web site and modify it to fit the format above, be sure to remove
the 19-character shopping cart ID that appears at the end of the
bookmarked or copied URL. Your store code should immediately follow
the ISBN as in the example above. If you leave this in your
modified links, they will not work properly.
[0131] The information we have about your Web site is as
follows:
[0132] Contact e-mail Address: [0133] mystore@aol.com
[0134] Contact address: [0135] John Doe [0136] 1234 East Road
[0137] Anytown [0138] WA [0139] 12345
[0140] Payee e-mail address:
[0141] mystore@aol.com
[0142] Payee address: [0143] Doe Enterprises, Inc. [0144] 1234 East
Road [0145] Anytown [0146] WA [0147] 12345
[0148] Description of books you intend to list:
[0149] Business Books--How to Business Books
[0150] Sponsoring Web site name:
[0151] Sponsoring Web site URL:
[0152] Your Web site name, in the format we may use on our website:
[0153] Mystore--Anytown, WA in association with Amazon.com
Books
[0154] If you have any questions, you can e-mail us at
associates@amazon.com and we'll be happy to help.
[0155] Once again, thanks for your application.
[0156] Sincerely,
[0157] Associates staff
[0158] Amazon.com Books
[0159] http://www.amazon.com/
[0160] 2.5 million titles, consistently low prices
APPENDIX B
[0161] Amazon.com Associates Program
[0162] Weekly Activity Reports
[0163] Every week, we e-mail our Associates a detailed activity
report so that they can track the effectiveness of their efforts. A
sample of the report shows what you can expect to receive
weekly:
[0164] Sample Weekly Activity Report
[0165] Last Week's Sales Results
[0166] Note: This report includes a column labeled "ORDERED," which
is the weekly number of copies for which orders have been placed
through your special links. Only after these orders are paid for
and shipped will they actually count toward your referral fee. Some
of these orders may later be canceled, customers' credit cards may
be declined, and occasional returns should be expected; in any of
these cases, the referral fee will not be earned.
[0167] The column labeled "HITS" represents the number of times one
of your visitors clicked on a book (this column can help you gauge
your visitors' interest in the books you are selling).
[0168] The column labeled "REFERRAL FEE" represent the referral
fees your site has earned on orders. Please remember that we pay
you based on orders *shipped*, so your actual Referral Fee may be
somewhat lower than the fee stated here.
[0169] Look for special notices in the titles listed below. They
can help you track books that may not pay referral fees and
identify certain problems with the link format you may be using
[0170] **1** indicates that this item is currently being featured
at a discount of more than 30%.
[0171] **2** indicates that this item is "special order" or carries
no discount
[0172] Other notes may indicate problems with a link format or
items no longer carried in our catalog.
[0173] Quarter-to-Date Books Ordered: 105
[0174] Quarter-to-Date Qualified Book Revenue: 4266.46
[0175] Quarter-to-Date Referral Fees: 519.04
[0176] Click-throughs and sales by individual book for the week of
12-Jan-97 through 18-Jan-97
[0177] Store ID mystore
TABLE-US-00001 YOUR ISBN HITS ORDERED FEE TITLE 0534517072 4 2 1.70
**2** Earth Online: An Internet Guide 2 sold at 0% off list price
of 16.95 0672309599 3 0 0.00 Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Dba Survival
G 0764530038 2 0 0.00 Danny Goodman's JavaScript Handbook
0789704927 355 11 65.99 Building Delphi 2 Database Applications 11
sold at 20% off list price of 49.99 0789704943 2 0 0.00 Using VRML
0789707500 1 0 0.00 Delphi 2 Tutor: The Interactive Seminar
1568302894 110 6 8.10 **1** Creating Killer Web Sites: The A sold
at 40% off the list price of 45.00 Totals: 477 19 75.79 Number of
Visitors on 19-Jan-97 68 Number of Visitors on 20-Jan-97 65 Number
of Visitors on 21-Jan-97 54 Number of Visitors on 22-Jan-97 59
Number of Visitors on 23-Jan-97 50 Number of Visitors on 24-Jan-97
47 Number of Visitors on 25-Jan-97 32 Total Visitors this week 375
NOTE: A "Visitor" is a person who click on book links from your
site, and is counted as 1 visitor (above) regardless of the number
of different titles they click on. We keep track of this by
watching their shopping cart ID, which remains the same for every
book they click on. A "Hit" is any person clicking on a book link,
and each click is counted as 1 hit. If the same visitor click on 5
different titles, we record 1 visitor and 5 hits. Therefore, you
should expect the number of visitors to be lower than the total
number of hits.
* * * * *
References