U.S. patent application number 17/470705 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-31 for merchant booking availability engine.
The applicant listed for this patent is Groupon, Inc.. Invention is credited to Gaston L'Huillier, Francisco Jose Larrain, Ricardo Andres Zilleruelo.
Application Number | 20220101385 17/470705 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-03-31 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20220101385 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
L'Huillier; Gaston ; et
al. |
March 31, 2022 |
Merchant Booking Availability Engine
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed
for associating time slots with a promotion and for scheduling time
slots for redemption of the promotion based on merchant
availability. The method includes receiving details, from a
merchant, of a promotion for a good or service, and presenting, by
a merchant interface, a set of proposed time slots for redeeming
the promotion and a predicted booking limit for each proposed time
slot. The method further includes receiving, from the merchant,
selection of one or more time slots from the set of proposed time
slots. Optionally, the method may include presenting, by the
merchant interface, a commission schedule for the set of proposed
time slots, wherein receiving the selection of time slots for use
with the promotion is based on the commission schedule. A
corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also
provided.
Inventors: |
L'Huillier; Gaston; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Larrain; Francisco Jose; (Palo Alto,
CA) ; Zilleruelo; Ricardo Andres; (Mountain View,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Groupon, Inc. |
Chicago |
IL |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/470705 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14316981 |
Jun 27, 2014 |
11144966 |
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17470705 |
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61840856 |
Jun 28, 2013 |
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International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method of scheduling a time slot for redeeming a promotion by
a promotional server of a promotion and marketing service, the
method comprising: receiving, by a communications module of a
promotional server of a promotion and marketing service, merchant
promotion data from a merchant device associated with a merchant,
wherein the merchant promotion data comprises details of a
promotion for a good or service; storing, by the booking
optimization module, the merchant promotion data at a promotion
system database associated with the promotion and marketing system
in association with one or more of the merchant and the good or
service; identifying, by a booking optimization module of the
promotional server, a set of proposed time slots for redeeming the
promotion based at least in part on the merchant promotion data
associated with the one or more of the merchant and the good or
service; determining, by the booking optimization module, a
predicted booking limit for each of the proposed time slots based
at least in part on a calculated hidden demand value for each
proposed time slot of the set of proposed time slots, wherein the
hidden demand value for a particular time slot comprises prediction
of external bookings for the particular time slot that are placed
from external sources other than the promotion and marketing
service; determining, based at least in part on the predicted
booking limit for each of the proposed time slots, a commission
schedule for the set of proposed time slots, wherein the commission
schedule comprises a set of commission values due to the promotion
and marketing service for enabling redemption of the promotion at a
respective proposed time slot of the set of proposed time slots;
and transmitting, by a communications module of the promotional
server, a predictive scheduling interface comprising the set of
proposed time slots for redeeming the promotion, the predicted
booking limits for each of the proposed time slots, and the
commission schedule for each of the proposed time slots to the
merchant device for rendering at a merchant interface thereof.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the commission value for each
proposed time slot is further based on whether the respective
proposed time slot will be allocated based on consumer membership
status.
23. The method of claim 21, further comprising, increasing the
commission value for a first proposed time slot of the set of
proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is above a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
24. The method of claim 21, further comprising, increasing the
commission value for a first proposed time slot of the set of
proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is below a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
25. The method of claim 21, further comprising, decreasing the
commission value for a first proposed time slot of the set of
proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is above a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
26. The method of claim 21, further comprising, decreasing the
commission value for a first proposed time slot of the set of
proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is below a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
27. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving, by the
communications module from the merchant device, a selection of one
or more time slots from the set of proposed time slots, the one or
more time slots comprising time slots at which redemption of the
promotion is enabled.
28. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the commission values
of the commission schedule is rendered within the predictive
scheduling interface at a respective interactive dialog configured
to receive user input, and wherein the method further comprises
receiving, by the communications module from the merchant device,
updated merchant promotion data associated with a selected one or
more time slots from the set of proposed time slots, the updated
merchant promotion data comprising merchant input data received via
the predictive scheduling interface that comprises an updated
commission schedule proposed by the merchant.
29. The method of claim 21, wherein the hidden demand is calculated
by the booking optimization module using an iterative reinforcement
learning technique and based on an empirical cumulative density
function.
30. An apparatus for scheduling a time slot for redeeming a
promotion by a promotional server of a promotion and marketing
service comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing
computer program code that, when executed by the processor, causes
the apparatus to: receive, by a communications module of a
promotional server of a promotion and marketing service, merchant
promotion data from a merchant device associated with a merchant,
wherein the merchant promotion data comprises details of a
promotion for a good or service; store, by the booking optimization
module, the merchant promotion data at a promotion system database
associated with the promotion and marketing system in association
with one or more of the merchant and the good or service; identify,
by a booking optimization module of the promotional server, a set
of proposed time slots for redeeming the promotion based at least
in part on the merchant promotion data associated with the one or
more of the merchant and the good or service; determine, by the
booking optimization module, a predicted booking limit for each of
the proposed time slots based at least in part on a calculated
hidden demand value for each proposed time slot of the set of
proposed time slots, wherein the hidden demand value for a
particular time slot comprises prediction of external bookings for
the particular time slot that are placed from external sources
other than the promotion and marketing service; based at least in
part on the predicted booking limit for each of the proposed time
slots, determine a commission schedule for the set of proposed time
slots, wherein the commission schedule comprises a set of
commission values due to the promotion and marketing service for
enabling redemption of the promotion at a respective proposed time
slot of the set of proposed time slots; and transmit, by a
communications module of the promotional server, a predictive
scheduling interface comprising the set of proposed time slots for
redeeming the promotion, the predicted booking limits for each of
the proposed time slots, and the commission schedule for each of
the proposed time slots to the merchant device for rendering at a
merchant interface thereof.
31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the commission value for
each proposed time slot is further based on whether the respective
proposed time slot will be allocated based on consumer membership
status.
32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the computer program code,
when executed by the processor, further causes the apparatus to:
increase the commission value for a first proposed time slot of the
set of proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is above a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the computer program code,
when executed by the processor, further causes the apparatus to:
increase the commission value for a first proposed time slot of the
set of proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is below a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the computer program code,
when executed by the processor, further causes the apparatus to:
decrease the commission value for a first proposed time slot of the
set of proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is above a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the computer program code,
when executed by the processor, further causes the apparatus to:
decrease the commission value for a first proposed time slot of the
set of proposed time slots in response to determining that a first
predicted booking limit for the first proposed time slot is below a
stored predicted booking limit threshold value.
36. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the computer program code,
when executed by the processor, further causes the apparatus to:
receive, by the communications module from the merchant device, a
selection of one or more time slots from the set of proposed time
slots, the one or more time slots comprising time slots at which
redemption of the promotion is enabled.
37. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein each of the commission
values of the commission schedule is rendered within the predictive
scheduling interface at a respective interactive dialog configured
to receive user input, and wherein the computer program code, when
executed by the processor, further causes the apparatus to receive,
by the communications module from the merchant device, updated
merchant promotion data associated with a selected one or more time
slots from the set of proposed time slots, the updated merchant
promotion data comprising merchant input data received via the
predictive scheduling interface that comprises an updated
commission schedule proposed by the merchant.
38. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the hidden demand is
calculated by the booking optimization module using an iterative
reinforcement learning technique and based on an empirical
cumulative density function.
39. A computer program product for scheduling a time slot for
redeeming a promotion by a promotional server of a promotion and
marketing service comprising a non-transitory computer-readable
storage medium storing computer program code that, when executed by
a processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to: receive, by a
communications module of a promotional server of a promotion and
marketing service, merchant promotion data from a merchant device
associated with a merchant, wherein the merchant promotion data
comprises details of a promotion for a good or service; store, by
the booking optimization module, the merchant promotion data at a
promotion system database associated with the promotion and
marketing system in association with one or more of the merchant
and the good or service; identify, by a booking optimization module
of the promotional server, a set of proposed time slots for
redeeming the promotion based at least in part on the merchant
promotion data associated with the one or more of the merchant and
the good or service; determine, by the booking optimization module,
a predicted booking limit for each of the proposed time slots based
at least in part on a calculated hidden demand value for each
proposed time slot of the set of proposed time slots, wherein the
hidden demand value for a particular time slot comprises prediction
of external bookings for the particular time slot that are placed
from external sources other than the promotion and marketing
service; based at least in part on the predicted booking limit for
each of the proposed time slots, determine a commission schedule
for the set of proposed time slots, wherein the commission schedule
comprises a set of commission values due to the promotion and
marketing service for enabling redemption of the promotion at a
respective proposed time slot of the set of proposed time slots;
and transmit, by a communications module of the promotional server,
a predictive scheduling interface comprising the set of proposed
time slots for redeeming the promotion, the predicted booking
limits for each of the proposed time slots, and the commission
schedule for each of the proposed time slots to the merchant device
for rendering at a merchant interface thereof.
40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein each of the
commission values of the commission schedule is rendered within the
predictive scheduling interface at a respective interactive dialog
configured to receive user input, and wherein the computer program
code, when executed by the apparatus, further causes the apparatus
to receive, by the communications module from the merchant device,
updated merchant promotion data associated with a selected one or
more time slots from the set of proposed time slots, the updated
merchant promotion data comprising merchant input data received via
the predictive scheduling interface that comprises an updated
commission schedule proposed by the merchant.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional
patent application Ser. No. 14/316,981, filed on Jun. 27, 2014,
which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application
61/840,856, filed Jun. 28, 2013, each of which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
[0002] Example embodiments of the present invention relate
generally to promotion management and, more particularly, to a
method and apparatus for determining an estimated availability of a
merchant at a given time.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Applicant has discovered problems with existing methods and
systems for promotion management. Through applied effort,
ingenuity, and innovation, Applicant has solved many of these
identified problems by developing a solution that is embodied by
the present invention and described in detail below.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] Accordingly, a method, apparatus, and computer program
product are provided for improving the booking of time slots for
redeeming promotions.
[0005] In one example embodiment, a method is provided. The method
includes receiving, from a merchant, details of a promotion for a
good or service, presenting, by a merchant interface, a set of
proposed time slots for redeeming the promotion and a predicted
booking limit for each proposed time slot, and receiving, from the
merchant, selection of one or more time slots from the set of
proposed time slots, the one or more time slots comprising time
slots at which redemption of the promotion is enabled.
[0006] In some embodiments, the method further includes calculating
the predicted booking limit for each proposed time slot by
calculating a hidden demand for the time slot, determining an
optimal booking limit for the time slot based on the calculated
hidden demand, setting a value of the predicted booking limit to
the value of the optimal booking limit, and storing the predicted
booking limit. In this regard, for each time slot, determining the
optimal booking limit may be further based on a booking capacity of
the time slot.
[0007] In other example embodiments, the method includes
presenting, by the merchant interface, a commission schedule for
the set of proposed time slots, the commission schedule including
commissions due to a promotion and marketing service for enabling
redemption of the promotion at each proposed time slot, wherein
receiving the selection of time slots for use with the promotion is
based on the commission schedule. In one such embodiment, the
commission schedule includes commissions for a promotion and
marketing service for redeeming the promotion at each proposed time
slot. In another such embodiment, the commissions are based on a
predicted demand of each proposed time slot. In this regard, the
commission for each proposed time slot may be based on whether the
proposed time slot will be allocated based on consumer membership
status.
[0008] In another example embodiment, an apparatus is provided. The
apparatus includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing
computer program code that, when executed by the processor, causes
the apparatus to receive, from a merchant, details of a promotion
for a good or service, present, by a merchant interface, a set of
proposed time slots for redeeming the promotion and a predicted
booking limit for each proposed time slot, and receive, from the
merchant, selection of one or more time slots from the set of
proposed time slots, the one or more time slots comprising time
slots at which redemption of the promotion is enabled.
[0009] In another example embodiment, a computer program product is
provided. The computer program product includes a computer-readable
storage medium storing computer program code that, when executed by
an apparatus, causes the apparatus to receive, from a merchant,
details of a promotion for a good or service, present, by a
merchant interface, a set of proposed time slots for redeeming the
promotion and a predicted booking limit for each proposed time
slot, and receive, from the merchant, selection of one or more time
slots from the set of proposed time slots, the one or more time
slots comprising time slots at which redemption of the promotion is
enabled.
[0010] In another example embodiment, a method is provided. The
method includes receiving a request for redemption of a promotion
at a time slot, wherein the time slot indicates a period of time
during which the promotion may be redeemed at a merchant for a
product or service, presenting the selected time slot to the
merchant, receiving, from the merchant, an indication of whether
the merchant is available at the time slot, and, in an instance in
which the merchant is available at the time slot, scheduling the
time slot for redeeming the promotion.
[0011] In some embodiments, the method includes identifying the
time slot based on a predicted booking limit of a set of time slots
and a number of bookings for each time slot of the set of time
slots. In one such embodiment, the method further includes
comprising calculating the predicted booking limits of the set of
time slots by, for each time slot, calculating a hidden demand,
determining an optimal booking limit for the time slot based on the
calculated hidden demand, setting a value of the predicted booking
limit to the value of the optimal booking limit, and storing the
predicted booking limit. In this regard, the optimal booking limit
for each time slot is further based on a booking capacity of the
time slot. Moreover, identifying the time slot based on the
predicted booking limit of the set of time slots and the number of
bookings for each time slot of the set of time slots may include
determining, for each time slot of the set of time slots, whether
the predicted booking limit of the time slot is equal to or greater
than a current number of bookings for the time slot, wherein the
identified time slot comprises the time slot having a lowest ratio
of the current number of bookings to its predicted booking
limit.
[0012] In other embodiments, the method may include causing a
consumer to be charged in an instance in which the time slot is
scheduled for redeeming the promotion.
[0013] In another example embodiment, an apparatus is provided. The
apparatus includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing
computer program code that, when executed by the processor, causes
the apparatus to receive a request for redemption of a promotion at
a time slot, wherein the time slot indicates a period of time
during which the promotion may be redeemed at a merchant for a
product or service, present the selected time slot to the merchant,
receive, from the merchant, an indication of whether the merchant
is available at the time slot, and in an instance in which the
merchant is available at the time slot, schedule the time slot for
redeeming the promotion.
[0014] In another example embodiment, a computer program product is
provided. The computer program product includes a computer-readable
storage medium storing computer program code that, when executed by
an apparatus, causes the apparatus to receive a request for
redemption of a promotion at a time slot, wherein the time slot
indicates a period of time during which the promotion may be
redeemed at a merchant for a product or service, present the
selected time slot to the merchant, receive, from the merchant, an
indication of whether the merchant is available at the time slot,
and in an instance in which the merchant is available at the time
slot, schedule the time slot for redeeming the promotion.
[0015] The above summary is provided merely for purposes of
summarizing some example embodiments to provide a basic
understanding of some aspects of the invention. Accordingly, it
will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are merely
examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit
of the invention in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope
of the invention encompasses many potential embodiments in addition
to those here summarized, some of which will be further described
below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Having thus described certain example embodiments of the
present disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to
the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to
scale, and wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system within which
embodiments of the present invention may operate;
[0018] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram showing an example device
for use in a promotional server, in accordance with some example
embodiments of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram showing an example device
for use by a consumer or merchant, in accordance with an example
embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example merchant
interface presenting a set of proposed time slots for selection by
a merchant, in accordance with some example embodiments;
[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates an example commission schedule associated
with a set of proposed time slots for selection by a merchant, in
accordance with some example embodiments;
[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates another example commission schedule
associated with a set of proposed time slots for selection by a
merchant, in accordance with some example embodiments;
[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart describing example operations
for selecting, by a promotion system and a merchant, a set of time
slots for use with a promotion, in accordance with some example
embodiments;
[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example merchant
interface presenting a request to schedule a redemption for
promotion at a time slots, in accordance with some example
embodiments;
[0025] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart describing example operations
for scheduling redemption of a promotion at a time slot between a
promotion system and a merchant, in accordance with some example
embodiments;
[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates a consumer interface for selecting a
promotion, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 11 illustrates a consumer interface for selecting a
time slot for redemption, in accordance with some example
embodiments;
[0028] FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart describing example
operations for scheduling, by a promotion system and a consumer, a
time slot for redeeming a promotion, in accordance with some
example embodiments;
[0029] FIG. 13 illustrates a consumer interface for selecting
multiple time slots for redemption, in accordance with some example
embodiments;
[0030] FIG. 14 illustrates another flowchart describing example
operations for scheduling, by a promotion system and a consumer, a
time slot for redeeming a promotion, in accordance with some
example embodiments;
[0031] FIG. 15 illustrates a consumer interface for requesting
redemption of a promotion within a time window, in accordance with
some example embodiments;
[0032] FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart describing example
operations for scheduling, by a promotion system and a consumer,
redemption of a promotion based on a time window, in accordance
with some example embodiments;
[0033] FIG. 17 illustrates a flowchart describing example
operations for calculating a predicted booking limit, in accordance
with some example embodiments;
[0034] FIG. 18 illustrates a flowchart describing example
operations for displaying one or more time slots, in accordance
with some example embodiments;
[0035] FIG. 19 illustrates another flowchart describing example
operations for displaying one or more time slots, in accordance
with some example embodiments;
[0036] FIG. 20 illustrates a flowchart describing example
operations for setting a time slot availability probability, in
accordance with some example embodiments; and
[0037] FIG. 21 illustrates a flowchart describing example
operations for determining an optimal booking limit, in accordance
with some example embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] Some embodiments of the present invention will now be
described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions
are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many
different forms and should not be construed as limited to the
embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal
requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
[0039] As used herein, the terms "data," "content," "information,"
and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data
capable of being transmitted, received, and/or stored in accordance
with embodiments of the present invention. Thus, use of any such
terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of
embodiments of the present invention. Further, where a computing
device is described herein to receive data from another computing
device, it will be appreciated that the data may be received
directly from the another computing device or may be received
indirectly via one or more intermediary computing devices, such as,
for example, one or more servers, relays, routers, network access
points, base stations, hosts, and/or the like, sometimes referred
to herein as a "network." Similarly, where a computing device is
described herein to send data to another computing device, it will
be appreciated that the data may be sent directly to the another
computing device or may be sent indirectly via one or more
intermediary computing devices, such as, for example, one or more
servers, relays, routers, network access points, base stations,
hosts, and/or the like.
[0040] As used herein, the term "promotion and marketing service"
may include a service that is accessible via one or more computing
devices and is operable to provide example promotion and/or
marketing services on behalf of one or more providers that are
offering one or more instruments that are redeemable for goods,
services, experiences and/or the like. In some examples, the
promotion and marketing service may take the form of a redemption
authority, a payment processor, a rewards provider, an entity in a
financial network, a promoter, an agent and/or the like. As such,
the service is, in some example embodiments, configured to present
one or more promotions via one or more impressions, accept payments
for promotions from consumers, issue instruments upon acceptance of
an offer, participate in redemption, generate rewards, provide a
point of sale device or service, issue payments to providers and/or
or otherwise participate in the exchange of goods, services or
experiences for currency, value and/or the like.
[0041] As used herein, the term "merchant" may include, but is not
limited to, a business owner, consigner, shopkeeper, tradesperson,
vender, operator, entrepreneur, agent, dealer, organization or the
like that is in the business of a providing a good, service or
experience to a consumer, facilitating the provision of a good,
service or experience to a consumer and/or otherwise operating in
the stream of commerce. One example merchant may be a running
company that sells attire for use by a person who runs or
participates in athletic activities.
[0042] As used herein, the term "consumer" may include, but is not
limited to, a client, customer, purchaser, shopper, user, or the
like, who may be in the position to or does exchange value for one
or more vouchers under the terms defined by one or promotions. For
example, and using the aforementioned running company as the
example provider, a consumer may be an individual who is interested
in purchasing running shoes.
[0043] As used herein, the term "promotion" may include, but is not
limited to, any type of offered, presented or otherwise indicated
reward, discount, coupon, credit, deal, incentive, discount, media
or the like that is indicative of a promotional value or the like
that upon purchase or acceptance results in the issuance of an
instrument that may be used toward at least a portion of the
purchase of particular goods, services and/or experiences defined
by the promotion. An example promotion, using the aforementioned
running company as the example provider, is $25 for $50 toward
running shoes. In some examples, the promotion defines an accepted
value (e.g., a cost to purchase the promotion), a promotional value
(e.g., the value of the resultant instrument beyond the accepted
value), a residual value (e.g., the value upon return or upon
expiry of one or more redemption parameters), one or more
redemptions parameters and/or the like. Using the running company
promotion as an example, the accepted value is $25 and the
promotional value is $50. In this example, the residual value may
be equal to the accepted value.
[0044] As used herein, the term "impression" may include a
communication, a display, or other perceived indication, such as a
flyer, print media, e-mail, text message, application alert, mobile
applications, other type of electronic interface or distribution
channel and/or the like, of one or more promotions. For example,
and using the aforementioned running company as the example
provider, an e-mail communication sent to consumers that indicates
the availability of a promotion of $25 for $50 toward running
shoes.
[0045] As used herein, the term "voucher" may include, but is not
limited to, any type of gift card, tender, electronic certificate,
medium of exchange, or the like, that embodies the terms of the
promotion from which it results and which may be used toward at
least a portion of the purchase, acquisition, procurement,
consumption, or the like, of goods, services and/or experiences. In
some examples, a voucher may take the form of tender that has a
given value that is exchangeable for goods, services and/or
experiences and/or a reduction in a purchase price of a particular
good, service or experience. In some examples, the voucher may have
multiple values, such as an accepted value, a promotional value
and/or a residual value. For example, using the aforementioned
running company as the example provider, a voucher may comprise an
electronic indication in a mobile application that shows $50 of
value to spend at the running company. In some examples, the
accepted value of the voucher is defined by the value exchanged for
the voucher. In some examples, the promotional value of the voucher
is defined by the promotion from which the voucher resulted and is
the value of the voucher beyond the accepted value. In some
examples, the residual value of the voucher is the value after
redemption, the value after the expiry or other violation of a
redemption parameter, the return or exchange value of the voucher,
or the like.
[0046] As used herein, the term "redemption" may include the use,
exchange or other presentation of a voucher for at least a portion
of a good, service or experience as defined by the voucher and its
related offer. In some examples, redemption includes the
verification of validity of the voucher. In other example
embodiments, redemption may include an indication that a particular
voucher has been redeemed and thus no longer retains an actual,
promotional and/or residual value (e.g., full redemption). In other
example embodiments, redemption may include the redemption of at
least a portion of a voucher's actual, promotional and/or residual
value (e.g., partial redemption). An example of redemption, using
the aforementioned running company as the example provider, is
exchanging a $50 voucher and $50 for a $100 pair of running
shoes.
[0047] As used herein, the term "time slot" may comprise a period
of time (e.g., a minute, an hour, a day, a week, etc.) during which
a promotion may be redeemed by a consumer. In some examples, a time
slot may take the form of an appointment, meeting, session,
reservation, or the like. In cases of a promotion for a service,
the time slot may comprise a period of time during which the
redemption transaction must take place entirely within, or, in an
alternative embodiment, the time slot may comprise a period of time
during which the redemption must begin, even if redemption is not
complete until after the end of the time slot. As an example of a
time slot for use with a promotion for a service, using the
aforementioned running company as an example provider, a time slot
from 2 .mu.m to 3 pm for redeeming a discounted running gait
analysis may indicate that the analysis is scheduled to begin at 2
.mu.m and will last until 3 pm, or may indicate, in alternative
embodiments, that the analysis is available to begin at any time
between 2 pm and 3 pm, even if it is completed after 3 pm. In the
case of a promotion for a product, the redemption may take a
fraction of the period of time encompassed by the time slot.
Accordingly, using the aforementioned running company as the
example provider, a time slot from 2 .mu.m to 3 pm for redeeming a
promotion for exchanging a $50 voucher and $50 for a $100 pair of
running shoes may indicate that redemption must occur at some point
between 2 .mu.m and 3 pm. As such, by requiring an appointment for
redemption of a product, in some examples the rate of redemptions
may be normalized. In a getaway example, the time slot may
represent a flight time, a hotel reservation and/or the like.
[0048] As used herein, the term "time window" may comprise a period
of time (e.g., a minute, an hour, a day, a week, etc.) including
one or more time slots for redeeming a promotion. For example,
using the aforementioned running company as an example provider, a
consumer may select a time window from 10 am to 3 pm for redeeming
a promotion for exchanging a $50 voucher and $50 for a $100 pair of
running shoes. This time window may include multiple time slots
(e.g., 10 am-11 am, 11 am-12 pm, etc.) that are acceptable to the
consumer.
[0049] As used herein, the term "booking" may comprise an
indication of a time slot within which a promotion has been
scheduled for redemption. For example, using the aforementioned
running company as the example provider, a booking may comprise an
indication that a consumer is scheduled to redeem a promotion for a
running gait analysis at the running company during a 2 pm-3 pm
time slot.
[0050] As used herein, the term "booking limit" may comprise a
maximum number of bookings that may be scheduled by a promotion and
marketing service for a time slot for a promotion. For example,
using the aforementioned running company as the example provider,
given a two person booking limit for a 2 pm-3 pm time slot for
redeeming a running gait analysis at the running company, the
promotion and marketing service may only schedule two redemptions
of the running gait analysis promotion for the 2 pm-3 pm time slot.
Given perfect information, an optimal booking limit may be
calculated exactly. However, in practical applications with
incomplete information, the booking limit comprises a predicted
value.
[0051] As used herein, the term "booking capacity" may comprise a
maximum number of bookings that may be fulfilled by a merchant for
a time slot for a product or service. For example, using the
aforementioned running company as the example provider, the running
company may have a three person booking capacity for a 2 pm-3 pm
time slot for a running gait analysis at the running company,
indicating that the running company does not have enough resources
to staff any additional running gait analyses during the 2 pm-3 pm
time slot. In some examples capacity may be calculated using a
capacity calculator such as the capacity calculator found in Ser.
No. 13/830,243 filed Mar. 14, 2013, the entirety of which is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0052] As used herein, the term "hidden demand" may comprise a
number of bookings for a time slot for a product or service that
are placed with a merchant from sources outside the promotion and
marketing service. In this regard, the sum of the hidden demand and
the booking limit equals the booking capacity of a time slot for a
product or service. For example, using the aforementioned running
company as the example provider, the running company may have a one
person hidden demand for a 2 pm-3 pm time slot for a running gait
analysis at the running company, indicating that one person is
anticipated to book the 2 pm-3 pm time slot for a running gait
analysis from outside the promotion and marketing service. Given
perfect information, the hidden demand may be known exactly.
However, in practical applications, the hidden demand comprises a
predicted value.
[0053] As used herein, the term "commission" (i.e., promotion and
marketing service margin) may comprise a portion of a promotion
purchase price retained by a promotion and marketing service. For
example, using the aforementioned running company as the example
provider, consider a promotion of $50 for $100 towards the purchase
of a new pair of shoes at the running company. The purchase price
of the promotion is $50. The commission comprises the portion of
this $50 purchase prince retained by the promotion and marketing
service in exchange for managing the promotion.
Overview
[0054] A method, apparatus, and computer program product are
provided in accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention in order to improve the generation and redemption of
promotions using an availability engine that is able to optimize
and predict booking limits for time slots for promotions.
[0055] For a promotion and marketing service and all merchants
offering a promotion using a promotion and marketing service,
primary goals of offering promotions, in some examples, are to
increase customer traffic, develop brand recognition, and increase
revenue. For such consumer-facing business, reputational costs can
often significantly damage the ability to attract future consumers,
and therefore reputational costs can quickly translate into
economic costs.
[0056] As it relates to embodiments of the present invention, such
reputational costs may arise from offering promotions, in that it
is challenging to predict the demand for merchant resources
accurately enough to both minimize the idling of resources and
maximize the number of promotions that a merchant may offer. There
accordingly exists a need for a system that can more accurately
predict demand for products and services in order to enable
merchants to increase sales volumes while still avoiding the
reputational and economic damage caused by poor promotion
redemption scheduling.
[0057] Moreover, although purchasing promotions often provides a
pleasant user experience, many consumers encounter frustration
attempting to redeem promotions for services. For instance, a
consumer who purchases a promotion for a massage may be dismayed to
learn that the massage parlour is only ever open while the consumer
is at work. Accordingly, additional reputational harm may occur as
a result of frustrating redemption scheduling practices.
Additionally, there may be harm to the promotion and marketing
service if the consumer, by their own fault, fails to schedule the
service prior to an expiration date.
[0058] Embodiments of the present invention address these problems
by providing a system that estimates the hidden demand for a time
slot for a product or service and then, advantageously in some
examples, allows the user to schedule a service at the time of
purchase. Moreover, based upon the hidden demand for the time slot
and a merchant's capacity during the time slot, embodiments of the
present invention can predict an optimal booking limit for various
time slots using a promotional system, and present a user-friendly
scheduling interface to consumers who wish to redeem their
promotions. Moreover, by using reinforcement learning techniques,
embodiments of the present invention are able to increase the
accuracy of the hidden demand forecasting and optimal booking limit
estimation, and, concomitantly, improve the set of time slots
presented to consumers.
[0059] Based on the ability to predict an optimal booking limit for
a time slot for a promotion, embodiments of the invention many
increase the intelligence with which merchants design promotions,
by enabling merchants to select time slots for redemption and
accurately predict the level of increase in customer volume in
advance.
[0060] Moreover, based on the ability to predict optimal booking
limits, embodiments of the present invention enable more
intelligent promotion redemption scheduling, by tailoring the
manner with which the promotion and marketing service may interact
with consumers to schedule time slots for redeeming promotions.
[0061] Accordingly, example embodiments of the present invention
enhance the merchant and consumer experience by providing more
powerful tools for generating promotions and scheduling redemptions
of promotions.
System Architecture
[0062] The method, apparatus, and computer program product of the
present invention may be embodied by any of a variety of devices.
For example, the method, apparatus, and computer program product of
an example embodiment may be embodied by a networked device, such
as a server or other network entity, configured to communicate with
one or more devices, such as one or more client devices.
Additionally or alternatively, the computing device may include
fixed computing devices, such as a personal computer or a computer
workstation. Still further, an example embodiment may be embodied
by any of a variety of mobile terminals, such as a portable digital
assistant (PDA), mobile telephone, smartphone, laptop computer,
tablet computer, or any combination of the aforementioned
devices.
[0063] In this regard, FIG. 1 discloses an example computing system
within which embodiments of the present invention may operate. A
promotion and marketing service may manage a promotional system 102
for managing the offer, purchase, and redemption of a set of
promotions. Consumers and merchants may access the promotional
system 102 via a network 112 (such as the Internet, or the like)
using computer devices 114A through 114N and 116A through 116N,
respectively. The promotional system 102 may comprise a promotional
server 104 in communication with a promotional database 106 that
stores the set of promotions managed by the promotion and marketing
service. The promotional system may further have access to a
bookings database 108 that stores data indicating a set of time
slots associated with each promotion stored in the promotional
database 106, and a historical database 110 storing information
regarding previously offered promotions. In various embodiments,
promotional database 106, bookings database 108, and historical
database 110 may be distinct databases, or may alternatively refer
to a single database. The promotional system 102 is, in some
examples, able to identify time slots relevant to a promotion,
predict demand for the promotion at each time slot, offer the
promotion to consumers, schedule time slots for redemption of the
promotion, and implement iterative reinforcement learning
techniques to improve accuracy of each of these functions, as will
be described below. An additional description of scheduling
operations that may be used alternatively or additionally is
described in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/631,313, filed Sep. 28,
2012, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference
herein.
[0064] The promotional server 104 may be embodied by a computing
system, such as apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2. As illustrated in
FIG. 2, the apparatus 200 may include a processor 202, a memory
204, an input/output module 206, a communications module 208, a
booking optimization module 210, and a time slot management module
212, and may be configured to execute the operations described
below. In some embodiments, the processor 202 (and/or co-processor
or any other processing circuitry assisting or otherwise associated
with the processor) may be in communication with the memory 204 via
a bus for passing information among components of the apparatus.
The memory 204 may be non-transitory and may include, for example,
one or more volatile and/or non-volatile memories. In other words,
for example, the memory may be an electronic storage device (e.g.,
a computer readable storage medium). The memory may be configured
to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, or
the like, for enabling the apparatus to carry out various functions
in accordance with an example embodiment of the present
invention.
[0065] The processor 202 may be embodied in a number of different
ways and may, for example include one or more processing devices
configured to perform independently. Additionally or alternatively,
the processor may include one or more processors configured in
tandem via a bus to enable independent execution of instructions,
pipelining, and/or multithreading.
[0066] In an example embodiment, the processor 202 may be
configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 204 or
otherwise accessible to the processor. Alternatively or
additionally, the processor may be configured to execute hard-coded
functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software
methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor may represent
an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of
performing operations according to an embodiment of the present
invention while configured accordingly. Alternatively, as another
example, when the processor is embodied as an executor of software
instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the
processor to perform the algorithms and/or operations described
herein when the instructions are executed.
[0067] In some embodiments, the apparatus 200 may include an
input/output module 206 that may, in turn, be in communication with
processor 202 to provide output to the user and, in some
embodiments, to receive an indication of a user input. The
input/output module may comprise a user interface and may include a
display. In such embodiments, the user interface may comprise a web
user interface, a mobile application, a client device, a kiosk, or
the like. In some embodiments, the input/output module 206 may also
include a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a touch screen, touch
areas, soft keys, a microphone, a speaker, or other input/output
mechanisms. The processor, or user interface circuitry including
the processor, may be configured to control one or more functions
of one or more user interface elements through computer program
instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on a memory
accessible to the processor (e.g., memory 204, onboard memory of
the processor, and/or the like).
[0068] Meanwhile, the communications module 208 may be any means
such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a
combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive
and/or transmit data from/to a network and/or any other device or
module in communication with the apparatus 200. In this regard, the
communication interface may include, for example, an antenna (or
multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and/or software for
enabling communications with a wireless communication network.
Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface may
include the circuitry for interacting with the antenna(s) to cause
transmission of signals via the antenna(s) or to handle receipt of
signals received via the antenna(s). In some environments, the
communication interface may additionally or alternatively support
wired communication. As such, for example, the communication
interface may include a communication modem and/or other
hardware/software for supporting communication via cable, digital
subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB), or other
mechanisms.
[0069] The booking optimization module 210 may be used to calculate
hidden demand for a time slot for a promotion and to predict an
optimal booking limit for the time slot for the promotion, as will
be described in greater detail below. In this regard, as noted
above, the hidden demand for a time slot comprises the demand for
the time slot that will be fulfilled without using the promotion.
Similarly, the optimal booking limit comprises an estimated number
of redemptions that may be scheduled for the time slot that
produces the greatest value. In this regard, every time slot for a
product or service has a capacity (e.g., a massage parlor with one
masseuse has a capacity of 1 massage per time slot, whereas a
massage parlor with two masseuses has a capacity of 2 massages per
time slot, etc.) The hidden demand comprises the portion of the
capacity that has already been reserved without the use of the
promotion and marketing service. For example, using the 1 masseuse
massage parlor, the hidden demand would be 0 or 1. If the hidden
demand is 0, then the optimal booking limit is 1. Moreover, using
reinforcement learning techniques, the booking optimization module
210 is able to dynamically improve its predictions over time and/or
adjust its predictions in the face of updated demand patterns or
altered time slots. In accomplishing these tasks, booking
optimization module 210 may collect, store, and/or update data in
bookings database 108 and/or historical database 110.
[0070] The time slot management module 212 may be used to identify
time slots suitable for a promotion, allocate time slots to the
promotion, manage consumer and merchant interactions regarding time
slot availability, and schedule time slots for redeeming the
promotion. The time slot management module 212 is further able to
generate a proposed commission schedule for a set of time slots for
a promotion, and associate time slots and corresponding commissions
for the promotion. Additional discussion of proposed commission
(i.e., provider margin or promotion and marketing service margin)
is further described with respect to U.S. application Ser. No.
13/832,804, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the entirety of which is
incorporated by reference herein. In alternate embodiments, the
time slot management module 212 may be used to flatten or otherwise
regulate redemptions of promotions, such as the redemption curve
described with reference to FIG. 3 of U.S. application Ser. No.
13/796,635, filed Mar. 13, 2013, the entirety of which is
incorporated by reference herein. In accomplishing these tasks, the
time slot management module 212 may collect, store, and/or update
data in bookings database 108 and/or historical database 110.
[0071] In one embodiment, a consumer or merchant may use the
apparatus 200 (e.g., as a kiosk) to communicate with the
promotional system 102 to update or view promotion redemption
options and/or schedule redemption of a promotion. However, in some
embodiments of the present invention, the consumer or merchant may
perform these functions from outside of the promotional system 102
using, for example, an end-user device, such as consumer device 114
or merchant device 116.
[0072] Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram is illustrated
showing an example end-user device, apparatus 300, which may be
configured to enable a user to update or view promotion redemption
options and/or schedule redemption of a promotion from outside the
promotional system 102, in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention.
[0073] In FIG. 3, the apparatus 300, which may embody consumer
device 114 or merchant device 116, may include or otherwise be in
communication with a processor 302, a memory 304, a communications
module 308, and a user interface 306. In some embodiments, the
processor (and/or co-processor or any other processing circuitry
assisting or otherwise associated with the processor) may be in
communication with the memory 304 via a bus for passing information
among components of the apparatus. The memory 304 may be
non-transitory and may include, for example, one or more volatile
and/or non-volatile memories. In other words, for example, the
memory may be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer
readable storage medium). The memory may be configured to store
information, data, content, applications, instructions, or the
like, for enabling the apparatus to carry out various functions in
accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.
[0074] The processor 302 may be embodied in a number of different
ways and may, for example include one or more processing devices
configured to perform independently. Additionally or alternatively,
the processor may include one or more processors configured in
tandem via a bus to enable independent execution of instructions,
pipelining, and/or multithreading.
[0075] In an example embodiment, the processor 302 may be
configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 304 or
otherwise accessible to the processor. Alternatively or
additionally, the processor may be configured to execute hard-coded
functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software
methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 302 may
represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry)
capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the
present invention while configured accordingly. Alternatively, as
another example, when the processor 302 is embodied as an executor
of software instructions, the instructions may specifically
configure the processor 302 to perform the algorithms and/or
operations described herein when the instructions are executed.
[0076] In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may include a user
interface 306 that may, in turn, be in communication with processor
302 to provide output to the user and, in some embodiments, to
receive an indication of a user input. As such, the user interface
306 may include a display and may comprise a web user interface, a
mobile application, a client device, a kiosk, or the like. In some
embodiments, the user interface 306 may also include a keyboard, a
mouse, a joystick, a touch screen, touch areas, soft keys, a
microphone, a speaker, or other input/output mechanisms. The
processor 302, or user interface circuitry comprising the processor
302, may be configured to control one or more functions of one or
more user interface elements through computer program instructions
(e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on a memory accessible to
the processor (e.g., memory 304, and/or the like).
[0077] Meanwhile, the communications module 308 may be any means
such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a
combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive
and/or transmit data from/to a network and/or any other device or
module in communication with the apparatus 300 (e.g., promotional
server 104 or, more generally, promotional system 102, other
consumer devices 114 or merchant devices 116, or the like). In this
regard, the communication interface may include, for example, an
antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and/or
software for enabling communications with a wireless communication
network. Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface
may include the circuitry for interacting with the antenna(s) to
cause transmission of signals via the antenna(s) or to handle
receipt of signals received via the antenna(s). In some
environments, the communication interface may additionally or
alternatively support wired communication. As such, for example,
the communication interface may include a communication modem
and/or other hardware/software for supporting communication via
cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB),
or other mechanisms.
Merchant Interaction
[0078] As described herein, embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed for associating time slots with a promotion and for
scheduling time slots for redemption of the promotion based on
merchant availability.
[0079] Turning now to FIG. 4, an example merchant interface 400 is
shown, with which a merchant may interact to associate time slots
with a promotion. In this regard, merchant interface 400 may be
presented during an initial promotion development process between
the merchant and the promotion and marketing service, and more
particularly may be presented after agreement regarding the product
or service and, in some embodiments, after agreement regarding
promotion fine print and purchase price. In one example embodiment,
merchant interface 400 may comprise a web user interface. In this
regard, merchant interface 400 may comprise a graphical user
interface that enables the merchant, another computing device
connected to the merchant interface 400, or the like, to exchange
information with a promotion and marketing service regarding
selection of time slots and/or commission terms for redeeming the
promotion in selected time slots.
[0080] As shown in FIG. 4, merchant interface 400 may display a
list of proposed time slots 402A to 402N for use with a promotion.
The list of proposed time slots 402A-402N may be calculated based
on data from bookings database 108 or historical database 110. In
this regard, promotional system 102 may determine, by querying
historical database 110, a standard set of time slots for the
particular merchant offering the promotion or for the particular
product or service associated with the promotion. Alternatively, by
querying the historical database 110, the promotional system 102
may identify a set of time slots that includes every time slot
previously offered for the particular product or service. Although
shown in FIG. 4 as non-overlapping, in some embodiments the time
slots 402A-402N may advantageously overlap based on the product or
service associated with the promotion. For example, a promotion for
an audio tour at a museum guided using a headphones or a handheld
device may not require that each time slot is non-overlapping,
because the scheduling is largely non-rivalrous (provided there are
sufficient headphones or handheld devices). Accordingly, this
example audio tour promotion may be associated with time slots that
are staggered by 5 minutes, even though the audio tour itself lasts
an hour.
[0081] Along with each time slot 402, merchant interface 400 may
display a predicted booking limit 404 for the time slot.
Accordingly, for time slots 402A-402N, merchant interface 400 may
display predicted booking limits 404A-404N, respectively. As
described in the Booking Optimization section, each predicted
booking limit indicates a number of bookings that the promotion and
marketing service may allocate for a time slot for the
promotion.
[0082] Accordingly, merchant interface 400 presents the merchant
with a list of time slot/predicted booking limit pairs 406 that may
be selected for use with a promotion. By viewing time
slot/predicted booking limit pairs 406, the merchant is able to
understand the likely demand that will be added by virtue of
associating a time slot with a promotion or alternatively the
likely demand that the merchant already experiences for that time
slot irrespective of the promotion. In addition, the booking limits
establish a basis for the commission schedule, profit sharing,
margin distribution or the like, as described below. Merchant
interface 400 may further comprise an interactive interface
enabling the merchant to select one or more specific time slots. In
such embodiments, each time slot may comprise a selectable icon
enabling the merchant to quickly and easily associate time slots
with the promotion. Upon selection, merchant interface 400 may be
updated to indicate to the merchant that the time slot has been
selected. One example in which the merchant interface 400 may be
updated to indicate selection is shown in FIG. 4, in which the
coloring of time slot 408 is changed upon selection. Of course,
other graphical illustrations for indicating selection are
contemplated within the scope of the present invention, such as
changing the font or size of selected time slots, bolding,
italicizing, or underlining the graphical display of selected time
slots, or the like. After selecting desired time slot(s) for use
with the promotion, the merchant may transmit the selection(s) to
the promotional server 104 by selecting the "Submit" icon 410.
[0083] Moreover, in some embodiments, the predicted booking limits
404A-404N may comprise editable fields that the merchant may
adjust. In this regard, upon selection of a time slot 402, the
merchant may select and revise a corresponding booking limit field
404, to indicate an actual booking limit that the merchant commits
to fulfilling.
[0084] Turning now to FIG. 5, merchant interface 500 shows an
example commission schedule that in some embodiments may be
presented to the merchant in conjunction with the list of time
slots 402A-402N. The commission schedule displays a list of
commissions 502A-502N due the promotion and marketing service for
promotion redemption at the list of time slots 402A-402N.
Specifically, each commission 502 indicates a commission charged
for a corresponding time slot 402. Moreover, each commission is
based on the predicted booking limit for the time slot. In this
regard, the commission for each time slot may be determined by a
sales representative of the promotion and marketing system. In some
embodiments, however, the commission for each time slot may be
determined algorithmically as a function of the predicted booking
limit, the merchant capacity of the time slot, and/or minimum and
maximum possible commissions determined by the promotion and
marketing system using, for example, regional or global norms
stored in bookings database 108 or historical commissions for
similar services stored in historical database 110).
[0085] The commission may further be based on goals of the
promotion and marketing service. For instance, in some embodiments
such as the example commission schedule shown in FIG. 5, the
promotion and marketing service may charge higher commissions for
low-demand time slots (which have accordingly higher predicted
booking limits) and may charge lower commissions for high demand
time slots (which likely will have significant hidden demand and
accordingly lower predicted booking limits). Because merchants
naturally may seek to maximize revenue and avoid idling resources,
merchants may be willing to pay higher commissions to fill low
demand time slots. Similarly, the promotion and marketing service
may require higher margins for offering promotions in time slots
that have low demand, to compensate for the accordingly reduced
likelihood of consumers scheduling redemption in such time
slots.
[0086] In other embodiments, the promotion and marketing service
may charge lower commissions for time slots with higher predicted
booking limits. In this regard, with a higher predicted booking
limit, the probability of encountering a collision (e.g.,
situations where a customer seeks to book a time slot, only to
learn that the merchant no longer has availability at that time
slot) may be expected to diminish, thus reducing the chance of
suffering any reputational harm from collisions.
[0087] In any event, as shown in FIG. 5, selection of a time slot
408 associates the time slot 408 with the promotion, and further
approves the corresponding commission 502 shown in the commission
schedule. Accordingly, the merchant interface 500 may be updated to
indicate to the merchant that the commission has been approved.
[0088] Turning now to FIG. 6, an example commission schedule 600 is
shown for use in some embodiments which additionally includes
preferred customer commissions 602A-602N for the time slots
402A-402N. Preferred customer commissions may be associated with
preferred customers, which in some embodiments are identified,
based on a consumer purchase history, purchase velocity or the
like, as the portion of its consumers that may be notably more
likely than average to purchase products or services. In other
embodiments, preferred customers may comprise customers who have
collected a baseline level of rewards over a predetermined period
of time or who have purchased a preferred membership plan from the
promotion and marketing service. As with time slots 402A-402N,
preferred customer commissions 602A-602N comprise icons selectable
by the merchant. In this regard, each preferred customer commission
502 indicates a commission charged for a corresponding time slot
402 if the redeeming consumer is a preferred customer of the
promotion and marketing service.
[0089] Selection of a preferred customer commission 602 enables
redemption at the corresponding time slot by a preferred customer,
upon which the preferred customer commission 602 will be charged by
the promotion and marketing service. In the example illustrated in
FIG. 6, the commission charged for redemptions by preferred
customers is increased, as those customers are judged to be more
likely to make additional purchases and therefore are more valuable
to merchants. In this fashion, the promotion and marketing service
may incentive merchants to offer additional or alternative time
slots to preferred customers of the promotion and marketing
service. Moreover, the promotion and marketing service may raise
commissions on preferred customers, as preferred customers are more
likely to actually make a purchase than other customers.
[0090] In some embodiments consistent with FIG. 6, selection of a
time slot 408 associates the time slot 408 with the promotion and
also triggers default selection of the corresponding basic customer
commission (equivalent to commission 502 shown in FIG. 5)
associated with the time slot 408 (see, for example, the group of
time slots 606). However, the merchant may additionally selected
the preferred customer commission (enabling redemption at the time
slot by a preferred customer), and may toggle selection of the
basic customer commission and the preferred customer commission
602, so long as at least one of commission type is always selected
for every selected time slot. As illustrated in FIG. 6, in some
examples, both commissions may be selected (see 604), only a basic
customer commission is selected (see 606), or only a preferred
customer commission is selected (see 608). In this fashion,
merchant interface 600 adds additional flexibility to the time slot
association process by enabling the merchant to select the types of
customers that may redeem promotions at various time slots.
[0091] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart containing example operations
for associating time slots with a promotion from the perspective of
a merchant interface with which merchants may interact. The
operations illustrated in FIG. 7 may, for example, be performed by
the merchant device 116, such as apparatus 300, and may use
processor 302, memory 304, user interface 306, and communications
module 308. In this regard, the operations may be performed with
the assistance of, and/or under the control of one or more devices,
such as promotional server 104, such as, in at least one example
embodiment, apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204,
I/O module 206, communications module 208, booking optimization
module 210, and time slot management module 212.
[0092] In operation 702, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
receiving, from a merchant, details of a promotion for a good or
service. The details may comprise selection of a product or service
for the promotion and, in some embodiments, may include promotion
fine print and a promotion purchase price.
[0093] In operation 704, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
presenting a set of proposed time slots for redeeming the promotion
and a predicted booking limit for each proposed time slot. In this
regard, the predicted booking limit of the time slots may be
determined, for example, in the manner described with reference to
FIG. 17 below.
[0094] In operation 706 the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
receiving, from the merchant, selection of one or more time slots
from the set of proposed time slots. The set of proposed time slots
may be received via merchant selection of presented time slot
icons, as previously described. In some embodiments, however, the
selection of one or more time slots may be received by other
alternative methods.
[0095] Optionally, in operation 708, the apparatus 300 may include
means, such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or
the like, for presenting a commission schedule for the set of
proposed time slots, wherein receiving the selection of time slots
for use with the promotion is based on the commission schedule. The
commission schedule may be developed, for example, by time slot
management module 212 of the promotional server. As previously
described in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6, the commission schedule
includes commissions for a promotion and marketing service for
redeeming the promotion at each proposed time slot. In this regard,
the commissions may be based on a predicted demand of each proposed
time slot. Moreover, the membership status may be based on a
consumer purchase history, purchase velocity or the like. As such,
the promotion and marketing service may identify preferred
customers or confer preferred membership status on a certain
portion of its consumers that may be notably more likely than
average to purchase products or services. Alternatively or
additionally, the promotion and marketing service may identify
preferred customers or confer preferred membership status on a
certain portion of its consumers who have reached predetermined
rewards thresholds or who have purchased upgrades to a preferred
membership status.
[0096] Turning now to FIG. 8, an example merchant interface 800 is
illustrated for receiving an indication of whether the merchant is
available at a time slot. In this regard, although, as noted
previously, a booking limit for a time slot for a promotion may be
predicted, prior to scheduling a redemption for a specific time
slot, the promotion and marketing system must determine that the
merchant actually has availability to facilitate the redemption at
a selected time slot. In this regard, merchant interface 800 is
presented to the merchant, including an identification of the
promotion 802, the selected time slot for redemption 804, and
optionally an indication of whether the consumer seeking redemption
is a preferred customer 806 (which may be indicated by a filled or
unfilled box, or any other suitable indicator). In response to
receiving merchant interface 800, the merchant may select yes (808)
or no (810) to transmit, via merchant device 116, an indication of
actual availability for redeeming the promotion in the requested
time slot. In this regard, actual availability may be based on a
known merchant capacity, the hidden demand for the product or
service for the time slot, whether the consumer is a preferred
customer, and/or any other unusual event that may affect the
merchant's ability to fulfil the request (unexpected staffing
shortages, or the like).
[0097] As shown in FIG. 9, a flowchart is illustrated containing
example operations for scheduling time slots for redeeming a
promotion from the perspective of a merchant interface with which
merchants may interact. The operations illustrated in FIG. 9 may,
for example, be performed by the merchant device 116, such as
apparatus 300, and may use processor 302, memory 304, user
interface 306, and communications module 308. The operations may
further be performed with the assistance of, and/or under the
control of promotional server 104, such as, in one embodiment,
apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204, I/O module
206, communications module 208, booking optimization module 210,
and time slot management module 212.
[0098] In operation 902, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
receiving a request for redemption of a promotion at a time slot.
The time slot may be identified by, for example, time slot
management module 212 based on a predicted booking limit of a set
of time slots and a number of bookings for each time slot of the
set of time slots. Moreover, in some embodiments, the predicted
booking limit of the set of time slots may be calculated for each
time slot of the set of time slots by booking optimization module
210. In this regard, the predicted booking limit for each time slot
may be calculated, for example, in the manner described with
reference to FIG. 17 below. Moreover, time slot management module
212 may identify the time slot based on the predicted booking limit
of the set of time slots and the number of bookings schedule for
each time slot, by determining, for each time slot, whether the
predicted booking limit is equal to or greater than a current
number of bookings for the time slot, wherein the identified time
slot comprises the time slot having a lowest ration of the current
number of bookings to its predicted booking limit.
[0099] In operation 904, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
presenting the selected time slot to a merchant. In this regard,
presentation of the selected time slot may include presentation of
a merchant interface such as example merchant interface 800, shown
in FIG. 8. Accordingly, presenting the selected time slot to a
merchant may, in some embodiments, further include identifying a
promotion for which the time slot is requested, and identifying
whether the consumer requesting redemption is a preferred customer
of the promotion and marketing service.
[0100] In operation 906, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
receiving, from the merchant, an indication of whether the time
slot is available. Alternatively or additionally, the apparatus 300
may be in data communication with scheduling software for the
merchant and therefore may automatically determine whether a time
slot is available.
[0101] In operation 908, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for, in
an instance in which the time slot is available, scheduling the
time slot for redeeming the promotion.
[0102] Optionally, in operation 910, the apparatus 300 may include
means, such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or
the like, for causing a consumer to be charged in an instance in
which the time slot is scheduled for redeeming the promotion.
[0103] Accordingly, as disclosed in conjunction with FIGS. 4-9,
embodiments of the present invention describe operations by which a
promotion and marketing service may interact with a merchant to
identify time slots suitable for a promotion, allocate time slots
to the promotion, manage merchant interactions regarding time slot
availability, and schedule time slots for redeeming the
promotion.
Consumer Interaction
[0104] Additional embodiments of the present invention are designed
to receive redemption selections from a consumer and schedule
redemption of a promotion in accordance with consumer selections
and/or actual time slot availability.
[0105] Turning now to FIG. 10, an example consumer interface 1000
is shown, with which a consumer may interact. Consumer interface
1000 may comprise an electronic communication. In one such example,
the electronic communication 1000 may be an e-mail viewable in an
e-mail viewing application or using web-based e-mail service.
Communication 100 may alternative be a webpage viewable with a web
browser (e.g., a website hosted by the promotion and marketing
system), or an application associated with the promotion and
marketing service (e.g., a smartphone "app" provided by the
promotion and marketing service).
[0106] The example electronic communication 1000 includes
impressions 1002-1012 advertising one or more promotions. In some
embodiments, consumer selection of an impression may direct the
consumer to more information about the content associated with the
impression. For example, selecting an impression may provide the
consumer with additional information about the promotion and an
interface allowing the consumer to purchase the promotion.
[0107] As shown in FIG. 11, after purchasing a promotion the
consumer may be presented with a consumer interface 1100 that
displays a list of one or more time slots 1102A to 1102N which the
consumer may select to schedule redemption of the promotion. The
list of one or more time slots 1102A-1102N may be calculated based
on data from bookings database 108 or historical database 110. In
this regard, promotional system 102 may determine, by querying
historical database 110, a standard set of time slots for the
particular merchant offering the promotion or for the particular
product or service associated with the promotion. Alternatively, by
querying the historical database 110, the promotional system 102
may identify a set of time slots that includes every time slot
previously offered for the particular product or service. Although
shown in FIG. 11 as non-overlapping, in some embodiments the one or
more time slots 1102A-1102N may advantageously overlap based on the
product or service associated with the promotion, as described
previously in connection with FIG. 4.
[0108] Consumer interface 1100 may further comprise an interactive
interface enabling the consumer to select one of time slots
1102A-1102N. In this regard, each time slot may comprise a
selectable icon enabling the consumer to quickly and easily
associate time slots with the promotion. Upon selection, consumer
interface 1100 may be updated to indicate to the consumer that the
time slot has been selected. As shown with time slot 1104, one
example mechanism for indicating selection of a time slot is shown
in FIG. 11, in which the coloring of the time slot 1104 is changed
upon selection. Of course, other graphical illustrations for
indicating selection are contemplated within the scope of the
present invention, such as changing the font or size of selected
time slots, bolding, italicizing, or underlining the graphical
display of selected time slots, or the like. After selecting a
desired time slot for redemption of the promotion, the consumer may
transmit the selection to the promotional server 104 by selecting
the "Submit" icon 1106.
[0109] Turning now to FIG. 12, a flowchart is illustrated
containing example operations for scheduling time slots for
redeeming a promotion from the perspective of a consumer interface
with which consumers may interact. The operations illustrated in
FIG. 12 may, for example, be performed by a consumer device 114,
such as apparatus 300, and may use processor 302, memory 304, user
interface 306, and communications module 308. The operations may
further be performed with the assistance of, and/or under the
control of promotional server 104, such as, in one embodiment,
apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204, I/O module
206, communications module 208, booking optimization module 210,
and time slot management module 212.
[0110] In operation 1202, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
presenting one or more promotions for products or services offered
by one or more merchants. As described in connection with FIG. 10,
promotions may be presented in an electronic communication, such as
an email, an application, or a webpage. In response, in operation
1204, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as user interface 306,
communications module 308, or the like, for receiving an indication
of a selection, by a consumer, of a promotion from the one or more
promotions.
[0111] In operation 1206, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
presenting one or more time slots based on predicted booking limits
of a set of time slots including the one or more time slots,
wherein each time slot indicates a period of time during which the
promotion may be scheduled for redemption. In one embodiment, time
slot management module 212 may determine the one or more time slots
to present. In this regard, presenting the one or more time slots
based on predicted booking limits may, in some embodiments, include
determining, for each time slot, whether the predicted booking
limit of the time slot is equal to or greater than a current number
of bookings for the time slot, wherein the time slots presented
comprise those for which the predicted booking limit is less than
the current number of bookings, thus indicating availability for
the current consumer.
[0112] In one embodiment, the presentation of time slots to the
consumer is further based on a membership status of the consumer.
For instance, the presented time slots may include additional time
slots in an instance in which the consumer is identified as a
preferred member. In another embodiment, the one or more time slots
presented may include preferred time slots. In one such embodiment,
the preferred time slots may be chosen based on preferences of the
merchant or the promotion and marketing service. For example, if a
restaurant offers a promotion using a promotion and marketing
service, the restaurant may prefer that promotional consumers
redeem promotions at traditionally off-peak times, such as between
2 and 4 pm. In another example, the promotion and marketing service
may prefer that promotional consumers redeem promotions in time
slots having the highest predicted booking limit, to avoid
potential collisions, or may prefer that promotional consumers
redeem promotions in time slots having highest associated
commission, to maximize revenue.
[0113] In yet another embodiment, the apparatus 200 includes means,
such as booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
calculating the predicted booking limits of the set of time slots,
such as in the manner described with reference to FIG. 17
below.
[0114] In operation 1208, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
receiving a selection of a time slot from the one or more time
slots.
[0115] In operation 1210, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
determining merchant time slot availability for the selected time
slot. In this regard, determining merchant time slot availability
may include presenting, to the merchant, the selected time slot,
and receiving, from the merchant, an indication of whether the time
slot is available. In one embodiment, however, determining merchant
time slot availability may include accessing a merchant's
scheduling system, or the like, to automatically download time slot
availability information. In an instance in which the selected time
slot is not available, however, the apparatus 300 may repeat
operations 1206, 1208, and 1210 until a selected time slot is
available.
[0116] In operation 1212, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
scheduling a time slot for redeeming the promotion based on the
determined merchant time slot availability.
[0117] Optionally, in operation 1214, the apparatus 300 may include
means, such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or
the like, for issuing, to the consumer, a voucher for redeeming the
promotion at the scheduled time slot.
[0118] Finally, in operation 1216, the apparatus 300 may optionally
include means, such as user interface 306, communications module
308, or the like, for charging the consumer for the promotion in
response to issuing the voucher. In this regard, charging the
consumer may comprise a credit, debit, or electronic funds transfer
for the purchase price of the promotion.
[0119] FIG. 11, described previously, illustrates a consumer
interface 1100 using which a consumer may select a time slot to
schedule redemption of a promotion. In an alternative embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 13, a consumer interface 1300 is disclosed
using which a consumer may select multiple time slots within which
the consumer is willing to redeem a promotion. In this regard,
after purchasing a promotion the consumer may be presented with
consumer interface 1300, which, like consumer interface 1100,
displays a list of one or more time slots 1102A to 1102N which the
consumer may select to schedule redemption of the promotion. As
described in connection with FIG. 11, the list of one or more time
slots 1102A-1102N may be calculated based on data from bookings
database 108 or historical database 110. The promotional system 102
may determine, by querying historical database 110, a standard set
of time slots for the particular merchant offering the promotion or
for the particular product or service associated with the
promotion. Alternatively, by querying the historical database 110,
the promotional system 102 may identify a set of time slots that
includes every time slot previously offered for the particular
product or service. As with FIG. 11, although the time slots shown
in FIG. 13 are non-overlapping, in some embodiments the one or more
time slots 1102A-1102N may advantageously overlap.
[0120] Like consumer interface 1100, consumer interface 1300 may
comprise an interactive interface enabling the consumer to select
one of time slots 1102A-1102N. In this regard, each time slot may
comprise a selectable icon enabling the merchant to quickly and
easily associate time slots with the promotion. Upon selection,
consumer interface 1300 may be updated to indicate to the consumer
that the time slot has been selected. As shown with time slot 1104,
one example mechanism for indicating selection comprises coloring
the time slot 1104 upon selection. Of course, other graphical
illustrations for indicating selection are contemplated within the
scope of the present invention, such as changing the font or size
of selected time slots, bolding, italicizing, or underlining the
graphical display of selected time slots, or the like.
[0121] Unlike consumer interface 1100, however, consumer interface
1300 enables a consumer to select more than one time slot 1102. In
this regard, after selecting desired time slots for redemption of
the promotion, the consumer may transmit the selections to the
promotional server 104 by selecting the "Submit" icon 1308. Upon
receipt of the selected time slots, the promotional system 104, and
more particularly time slot management module 212 of apparatus 200
may then determine merchant time slot availability and schedule one
of the selected time slots for redeeming the promotion, as
described below in connection with FIG. 14.
[0122] Returning now to FIG. 13, in some embodiments, consumer
interface 1300 further enables the consumer to rank the selected
time slots in order of preference, thus increasing the likelihood
that an acceptable time slot can be scheduled for redemption of the
promotion. To this end, in correspondence with time slots
1102A-1102N, consumer interface 1300 further includes rank fields
1302A-1302N, respectively. When a time slot 1102 is selected, the
consumer interface 1300 activates the corresponding rank field 1302
(e.g., rank field 1306) to enable entry of a numeric ranking of the
newly selected time slot (e.g., the consumer's first preference,
second preference and third preference in the example shown in FIG.
13). In some embodiments, upon selection of a time slot, the
associated rank field 1302 is assigned the lowest rank position
until modified by the consumer. In this way, consumer interface
1300 prevents partial rank-ordering of a set of selected time
slots. Moreover, unlike activated rank fields, rank fields
associated with unselected time slots cannot be edited, to prevent
the rank-ordering of unselected time slots.
[0123] After selecting desired time slots for redemption of the
promotion and specifying an appropriate rank-ordering of the
selected time slots, the consumer may transmit the selections, in
addition to rank-ordering data, to the promotional server 104 by
selecting the "Submit" icon 1308.
[0124] Turning now to FIG. 14, a flowchart is illustrated
containing example operations for scheduling time slots for
redeeming a promotion from the perspective of a consumer interface
with which consumers may interact. The operations illustrated in
FIG. 14 may, for example, be performed by a consumer device 114,
such as apparatus 300, and may use processor 302, memory 304, user
interface 306, and communications module 308. The operations may
further be performed with the assistance of, and/or under the
control of promotional server 104, such as, in one embodiment,
apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204, I/O module
206, communications module 208, booking optimization module 210,
and time slot management module 212.
[0125] In operation 1402, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
presenting one or more promotions for products or services offered
by one or more merchants. As described in connection with FIG. 10,
promotions may be presented in an electronic communication, such as
an email, an application, or a webpage. In response, in operation
1404, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as user interface 306,
communications module 308, or the like, for receiving an indication
of a selection, by a consumer, of a promotion from the one or more
promotions.
[0126] In operation 1406, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
presenting a plurality of time slots for selection. In one
embodiment, the plurality of time slots presented are chosen based
on predicted booking limits of a set of time slots including the
plurality time slots. In this regard, time slot management module
212 may determine the plurality of time slots to present. Moreover,
presenting the plurality of time slots based on predicted booking
limits may, in some embodiments, include determining, for each time
slot, whether the predicted booking limit of the time slot is equal
to or greater than a current number of bookings for the time slot,
wherein the time slots presented comprise those for which the
predicted booking limit is less than the current number of
bookings.
[0127] In one embodiment, the presentation of time slots to the
consumer is further based on a membership status of the consumer.
For instance, the presented time slots may include additional time
slots in an instance in which the consumer is identified as a
preferred member. In another embodiment, the one or more time slots
presented may include preferred time slots. In one such embodiment,
the preferred time slots may be chosen based on preferences of the
merchant or the promotion and marketing service. For example, if a
restaurant offers a promotion using a promotion and marketing
service, the restaurant may prefer that promotional consumers
redeem promotions at traditionally off-peak times, such as between
2 and 4 pm. In another example, the promotion and marketing service
may prefer that promotional consumers redeem promotions in time
slots having the highest predicted booking limit, to avoid
potential collisions, or may prefer that promotional consumers
redeem promotions in time slots having highest associated
commission, to maximize revenue.
[0128] In yet another embodiment, the apparatus 200 includes means,
such as booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
calculating the predicted booking limits of the set of time slots,
such as in the manner described with reference to FIG. 17
below.
[0129] In operation 1408, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
receiving a selection of multiple time slots from the plurality of
time slots.
[0130] In operation 1410, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
determining merchant time slot availability for the selected time
slot. In this regard, determining merchant time slot availability
may include presenting, to the merchant, each selected time slot,
and receiving, from the merchant, an indication of whether the time
slot is available. In one embodiment, however, determining merchant
time slot availability may include accessing a merchant's
scheduling system, or the like, to automatically download time slot
availability information.
[0131] In another embodiment, determining merchant time slot
availability may be based on the rank-ordering of the selected time
slots. In this embodiment, the apparatus 300 may include means,
such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like,
for receiving, from the consumer, a rank-ordering of the selected
time slots. Thereafter, determining merchant time slot availability
may comprise iteratively analyzing the selected time slots,
starting from a highest ranked selected time slot and proceeding in
rank order until an indication of availability is received from the
merchant. To accomplish this, the apparatus 300 may include means,
such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like,
for presenting, to the merchant offering the promotion, a selected
time slot, and for receiving, from the merchant, an indication of
whether the time slot is available. By iteratively stepping through
the rank-ordered list of selected time slots in this fashion, the
time slot for redeeming the promotion will comprise the first (and
therefore highest ranked) selected time slot for which the
indication of availability is received from the merchant.
[0132] In an instance in which no selected time slot is available,
the apparatus 300 may repeat operations 1406, 1408, and 1410 until
a selected time slot is available.
[0133] Continuing to operation 1412, the apparatus 300 includes
means, such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or
the like, for scheduling a time slot for redeeming the promotion
based on the determined merchant time slot availability.
[0134] Optionally, in operation 1414, the apparatus 300 may include
means, such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or
the like, for issuing, to the consumer, a voucher for redeeming the
promotion at the scheduled time slot.
[0135] Finally, in operation 1416, the apparatus 300 may optionally
include means, such as user interface 306, communications module
308, or the like, for charging the consumer for the promotion in
response to issuing the voucher.
[0136] Turning now to FIG. 15, a consumer interface 1500 is
illustrated using which a consumer may select a time window within
which the consumer wishes to schedule redemption. Unlike the
embodiments described previously in connection with FIG. 11 through
FIG. 14, the consumer need not select time slots using consumer
interface 1500. Rather, the consumer may select the relevant
promotion using field 1502, and subsequently choose a much broader
time range within which redemption would be convenient. For
instance, the consumer may wish to have his/her running gait
analysis performed on Sunday, Jun. 30, 2013, but has no time
preference. In this example, as shown in FIG. 15, the consumer may
enter the desired date of redemption in date field 1504, and may
enter a time window within which redemption is convenient, using
time fields 1506 and 1508. Finally, the user may select the "Send"
icon 1510 to deliver the message to the promotional system 102.
[0137] Turning now to FIG. 16, a flowchart is illustrated
containing example operations for scheduling time slots for
redemption based on a consumer-selected time window, as shown from
the perspective of a consumer interface with which consumers may
interact. The operations illustrated in FIG. 16 may, for example,
be performed by a consumer device 114, such as apparatus 300, and
may use processor 302, memory 304, user interface 306, and
communications module 308. The operations may further be performed
with the assistance of, and/or under the control of promotional
server 104, such as, in one embodiment, apparatus 200, and may use
processor 202, memory 204, I/O module 206, communications module
208, booking optimization module 210, and time slot management
module 212.
[0138] In operation 1602, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
presenting one or more promotions for products or services offered
by one or more merchants. As described in connection with FIG. 10,
promotions may be presented in an electronic communication, such as
an email or a webpage. In response, in operation 1604, the
apparatus 300 includes means, such as user interface 306,
communications module 308, or the like, for receiving an indication
of a selection, by a consumer, of a promotion from the one or more
promotions.
[0139] In operation 1606, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
receiving, from the consumer, a time window within which the
consumer seeks to redeem the promotion. Consumer selection and
transmission of such a time window is described above in connection
with FIG. 15.
[0140] In operation 1608, the apparatus 300 includes means, such as
processor 302, or the like, for scheduling a time slot for
redeeming the promotion based on the time window. This operation
may, in some embodiments, be facilitated by time management module
212. In this regard, scheduling a time slot for redeeming the
promotion based on the time window includes identifying a set of
time slots within the time window, determining merchant time slot
availability for the set of time slots, and scheduling the time
slot for redeeming the promotion based on the merchant time slot
availability. In this regard, determining merchant time slot
availability may include presenting, to the merchant, each selected
time slot, and receiving, from the merchant, an indication of
whether the time slot is available. In one embodiment, however,
determining merchant time slot availability may include accessing a
merchant's scheduling system, or the like, to automatically
download time slot availability information.
[0141] In one embodiment, the presentation of time slots to the
consumer is further based on a membership status of the consumer.
For instance, the presented time slots may include additional time
slots in an instance in which the consumer is identified as a
preferred member. In another embodiment, the one or more time slots
presented may include preferred time slots. In one such embodiment,
the preferred time slots may be chosen based on preferences of the
merchant or the promotion and marketing service. For example, if a
restaurant offers a promotion using a promotion and marketing
service, the restaurant may prefer that promotional consumers
redeem promotions at traditionally off-peak times, such as between
2 and 4 pm. In another example, the promotion and marketing service
may prefer that promotional consumers redeem promotions in time
slots having highest associated commission, to maximize
revenue.
[0142] In an instance in which no selected time slot is available,
the apparatus 300 may present to the consumer a request for an
alternative time window, return to operation 1606 to receive a
subsequent time window from the consumer, and then schedule the
time slot for redeeming the promotion based on the second time
window.
[0143] Optionally, in operation 1610, the apparatus 300 may include
means, such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or
the like, for issuing, to the consumer, a voucher for redeeming the
promotion at the scheduled time slot.
[0144] Finally, in operation 1612, the apparatus 300 may optionally
include means, such as user interface 306, communications module
308, or the like, for charging the consumer for the promotion in
response to issuing the voucher.
[0145] Accordingly, as disclosed in conjunction with FIGS. 10-16,
embodiments of the present invention describe operations by which a
promotion and marketing service may interact with a consumer to
schedule a time slot in which to redeem a promotion.
Predicting Booking Limits
[0146] As described above, embodiments of the present invention are
disclosed for associating time slots with a promotion and for
scheduling time slots for redemption of the promotion based on
merchant availability. In this regard, predicting booking limits
for a series of time slots for a promotion enables the promotional
system 102 to present information to consumers and merchants to
avoid collisions in promotion redemption scheduling and accordingly
improve customer experience.
[0147] In this regard, to predict optimal booking limits, one must
efficiently solve the problem of guessing the availability of a
given merchant for a time slot for a promotion. To accomplish this
goal, the promotional system 102 is configured to model the demand
curve for a slot s.sub.i.di-elect cons.S, where S is a
representation set of time slot availabilities for a given week.
Each slot s.sub.i can be assumed to have a probability of being
available equal to .rho..sub.i, where .rho..sub.i represents the
following density function:
.rho..sub.i=1/2Pr(Available).sub.i+1/2(1-Pr(Busy).sub.i)
which in this case represents the normalized probabilities
encountered for a given service from the historical data taken from
historical database 110 after cleaning data and removing outliers
(e.g., for a given slot .rho. equal to the normalization of the
average between E(available) and E(1-busy) for that given time
slot). Assuming that each user who books a product or service has
an independent probability of booking at a given time, then, for
example, this hidden demand distributes like Binomial (C.sub.i,
.rho..sub.j), where C.sub.i is the capacity of that merchant on
slot s.sub.i, and may be estimated using historical data, querying
the merchant, or a combination of the two. This demand curve
represents the hidden demand that typically cannot be seen by a
promotion and marketing service (which often does not have access
to merchants' complete availability history). For the purposes of
this description, the demand for slot i is herein referred to as h,
and the cumulative density function of this demand is herein
referred to as G(h) and can be approximated by an empirical
cumulative density function produced using historical
information.
[0148] Accordingly, for a given demand d.sub.i that distributes
like, in some examples, Poisson(.lamda.) for a given .lamda.
(Cumulative Density Function F(h)), for a merchant who is providing
a given specific service at a price p, there is an associated
penalty or cost for the merchant and for the promotion and
marketing service of providing a bad customer experience (by having
to tell the customer that his/her slot was previously taken and
that he/she either has to book the second one supplied or choose
another. That penalty cost is herein referred to as D, where, in
some examples, D>p.
[0149] Given these facts, the revenue for slot i (which represents
a time slot as described herein) comprises:
Revenue=R.sub.i=p.times.s.sub.i-D.times.max(0,s.sub.i+h.sub.i-C.sub.i)
where s.sub.i=min(d.sub.i,b.sub.i) and where b.sub.i is the optimal
booking limit (e.g., maximum number of bookings a promotion and
marketing service will schedule on a given slot i). As such, the
booking limit b is accordingly configured to be determined by the
booking availability engine.
[0150] In this regard, the calculations described herein operated
under the following assumptions in some examples, but should not
necessarily be limited to these assumptions in each case:
I. There are no no-shows and no cancelations; II. The price is the
same for every slot; III. h and d are independent; and IV. Time
slots are fixed.
[0151] To solve for the booking limit, the booking availability
engine may determine the result of increasing the booking limit by
one, or, in other words, going from b.fwdarw.b+1. The resulting
expected revenue would fall into one of three scenarios, in some
examples:
[0152] Scenario a) d.ltoreq.b+1, in which case there is no change
in the differential E(R|b+1)-E(R|b) given that, because this
constraint is relaxed, increasing booking will not bring additional
demand.
[0153] Scenario b) d>b+1, in which case demand will create an
additional unit valued at p. In some examples, there are two
possible results from this scenario: [0154] Scenario b.1)
b+h-C>0, in which the increase in p will be reduced by the
penalty D. This is: p-D. [0155] Scenario b.2) b+h-C.ltoreq.0, in
which there is no penalty paid and the promotion will make an
extrap.
[0156] Calculating the difference in expected values would yield,
in some examples:
E(R|b+1)-E(R|b)=0.times.F(b)+(1-F(b)).times.[(p-D).times.(1-G(C-b))+p.ti-
mes.G(C-b)]
[0157] Given F(b) is always positive, the optimum value of the
booking limit will be found, in some examples, when:
p-D+DG(C-b).gtoreq.0
1-p/D.gtoreq.G(C-b)
[0158] where D is estimated based on historical data. In some
examples, D may be equivalent to 2p. In some other examples, an
appropriate penalty D may be determined using merchant and customer
surveys. Alternatively, the penalty D may be determined
automatically based on historical data regarding previously offered
promotions (e.g., the penalty D may be set to the penalty of a
successful previously offered promotion, the average of penalties
of a set of previously offered promotions, or the like).
[0159] Accordingly, one example algorithm can be used, in some
example embodiments, to calculate the booking limit:
[0160] Step 1: Initialize b=C
[0161] Step 2: If 1-p/D.ltoreq.G(C-b), STOP. Optimum has been
reached.
[0162] Step 3: If 1-p/D>G(C-b), increase b.fwdarw.b+1 GOTO STEP
2
[0163] In an additional embodiment of the present invention, an
algorithm for calculating a predicted booking limit may incorporate
reinforcement learning. For instance, by simplifying the problem, a
consumer may be defined as having two states:
[0164] NOT BOOKED (if the consumer has not chosen a slot or has
been rejected a time slot previously); and
[0165] BOOKED (the consumer has a confirmed time slot).
[0166] In some examples, therefore, there is only one available
action, which is to book the customer (i.e., BOOK). Accordingly,
after selection of the action (e.g., to book the customer) there
are two possible outcomes:
[0167] 1: User selects a slot successfully (transition from NOT
BOOKED to BOOKED) Update rewards as: r=0
[0168] 2: User selects a slot and is rejected (transition from NOT
BOOKED to NOT BOOKED) Update rewards as r=-1
[0169] The following algorithm will, in some examples, be usable to
update .rho.:
[0170] Step 1: b=b+r
[0171] Step 2: Update .rho.*=arg(G(C-b)=0)
[0172] Step 3: .rho.=.rho.+.alpha.(.rho.*-.phi., where .alpha. is a
step function.
[0173] In some examples, one algorithm that may be configured to
display availabilities to the user, such as is shown, for example,
in FIGS. 11 and 13 and described in conjunction with operations
1206 and 1406 above, may be based on an .epsilon.-greedy form using
a SOFTMAX activation function based on a Boltzmann distribution to
calculate the probabilities of choosing random bookings in the
case, according to some examples:
[0174] Step 1: For every different slot time, an initial value of
.rho. can be developed based on Monte Carlo simulations and
Heuristic Knowledge. In this regard, one can assume that the
process is a Markovian Discrete Process.
[0175] Step 2: When customers retrieve availabilities, z is set
with probability E.
[0176] Step 3: If z.ltoreq.1-.epsilon., the presented or otherwise
displayed time slots include all bookings where b.sub.j>0 for
every slot time j (from the slot times the user selected).
[0177] Step 4: Else, for each time slot j (from the slot times the
user selected), choose b.sub.j to display based on, in some
examples, probability
e b j / .tau. k = 1 N .times. e b k / .tau. ##EQU00001##
where N is the number of slots for the selected (by the consumer)
window, and r is a measure of temperature. High temperatures cause,
in some examples, the actions to be all (nearly) equally probable.
Low temperatures cause a greater difference in selection
probability for actions that differ in their value estimates. In
examples, the booking optimization module 210 described herein may
choose a low temperature, given selecting a slot with low estimated
booking limit could be more pernicious than selecting one with high
estimated booking limit.
[0178] Turning now to FIG. 17, a flowchart is illustrated for
calculating booking limits of a set of time slots. The operations
illustrated in FIG. 17 may, for example, be performed by the
promotional server 104, such as, in one example embodiment,
apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204, I/O module
206, communications module 208, booking optimization module 210,
and time slot management module 212.
[0179] In operation 1702, the apparatus 200 includes means, such as
processor 202, booking optimization module 210, time slot
management module 212, or the like, for calculating a hidden demand
for a time slot for a promotion. In some embodiments, the hidden
demand for each of the set of proposed time slots may be calculated
based on data from bookings database 108 or historical database
110.
[0180] In operation 1704, the apparatus 200 includes means, such as
processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
determining an optimal booking limit for the time slot based on the
calculated hidden demand. In this regard, the optimal booking limit
for a time slot is further based on a booking capacity of the time
slot and may be optimized in the manner described above.
[0181] In operation 1706, the apparatus 200 includes means, such as
processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
setting a value of the predicted booking limit to the value of the
optimal booking limit.
[0182] Finally, in operation 1708, the apparatus 200 includes
means, such as memory 204, or the like, for storing the predicted
booking limit (e.g., in bookings database 108).
[0183] Turning now to FIG. 18, a flowchart is illustrated for
displaying available time slots to a consumer. The operations
illustrated in FIG. 18 may, for example, be performed by a consumer
device 114, such as apparatus 300, and may use processor 302,
memory 304, user interface 306, and communications module 308. The
operations may further be performed with the assistance of, and/or
under the control of promotional server 104, such as, in one
embodiment, apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204,
I/O module 206, communications module 208, booking optimization
module 210, and time slot management module 212.
[0184] In operation 1802, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 302, or the like, for calculating hidden demand for
one or more time slots, the one or more time slots defining a time
duration during which a performance of a service offered by a
promotion and marketing service can be performed, the one or more
time slots identified in response to a selection of a particular
promotion. In some embodiments, the hidden demand for each of the
set of proposed time slots may be calculated based on data from
bookings database 108 or historical database 110.
[0185] In operation 1804, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 302, or the like, for determining a booking limit for
each time slot of the one or more time slots based on the
calculated demand for the time slot and a determined capacity for
the time slot.
[0186] In operation 1806, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 302, or the like, for determining that one or more of
the time slots comprise available time slots based on a comparison
of the booking limits for the one or more time slots to a number of
bookings for each of the time slots.
[0187] In operation 1808, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as user interface 306, communications module 308, or the like, for
displaying the one or more available time slots in conjunction with
the particular promotion.
[0188] Optionally, in operation 1810, the apparatus 200 may include
means, such as user interface 306, communications module 308, or
the like, for receiving a request for a requested time slot of the
one or more available time slots in conjunction with the particular
promotion.
[0189] Finally, in operation 1812, the apparatus 200 may optionally
include means, such as processor 302, or the like, for determining
whether the requested time slot is available.
[0190] Turning now to FIG. 19, a flowchart is illustrated for
displaying available time slots to a consumer. The operations
illustrated in FIG. 19 may, for example, be performed by a consumer
device 114, such as apparatus 300, and may use processor 302,
memory 304, user interface 306, and communications module 308. The
operations may further be performed with the assistance of, and/or
under the control of promotional server 104, such as, in one
embodiment, apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204,
I/O module 206, communications module 208, booking optimization
module 210, and time slot management module 212.
[0191] In operation 1902, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 302, or the like, for generating a time slot
availability profile for each of the one or more available time
slots. In some embodiments, the time slot availability probability
may be set using an epsilon greedy policy, a SOFTMAX activation
function, or a Monte Carlo simulation and historical data.
[0192] In operation 1904, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 302, or the like, for, in an instance in which a
distribution probability, generated from the time slot probability,
is less than or equal to the compliment of an epsilon probability,
displaying a subset of the one or more available time slots having
booking limits greater than zero.
[0193] In operation 1906, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 302, or the like, for in an instance in which a
distribution probability is greater than an epsilon probability,
displaying a random set of the one or more available time
slots.
[0194] Turning now to FIG. 20, a flowchart is illustrated for
generating the time slot availability probability for a time slot.
The operations illustrated in FIG. 20 may, for example, be
performed by a promotional server 104, such as, in one embodiment,
apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204, I/O module
206, communications module 208, booking optimization module 210,
and time slot management module 212.
[0195] In operation 2002, the apparatus 200 may include means, such
as processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
causing the optimal booking limit for the time slot to be modified
by a rewards value, wherein the rewards value is based on a number
of times a user has requested and successfully been assigned the
time slot.
[0196] In operation 2004, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
setting a learned time slot availability probability for the time
slot as a factor of the predicted booking limit for the time
slot.
[0197] In operation 2006, the apparatus 200 may include means, such
as processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
setting the time slot availability probability for the time slot as
a function of the learned time slot probability for the time slot.
In one embodiment, setting the time slot availability probability
is further based on a step function.
[0198] Turning now to FIG. 21, a flowchart is illustrated for
generating the time slot availability probability for a time slot.
The operations illustrated in FIG. 20 may, for example, be
performed by a promotional server 104, such as, in one embodiment,
apparatus 200, and may use processor 202, memory 204, I/O module
206, communications module 208, booking optimization module 210,
and time slot management module 212.
[0199] In operation 2102, the apparatus 200 may include means, such
as processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
causing an initial booking limit to be set to the determined
capacity for the time slot.
[0200] In operation 2104, the apparatus 300 may include means, such
as processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
increasing the initial booking limit for the time slot in an
instance in which a complement of a ratio of a slot revenue value
to a slot penalty value exceeds the hidden demand for the time
slot. In this regard, the slot penalty value may be generated based
on a length of time during which a user does not purchase a
promotion using the promotion and marketing service after a
requested time slot is determined to be unavailable. Alternatively,
the slot penalty value may be set by the promotion and marketing
service and provided to a user who requests a time slot that is
determined to be unavailable.
[0201] In operation 2106, the apparatus 200 may include means, such
as processor 202, booking optimization module 210, or the like, for
setting the optimal booking limit equal to the initial booking
limit in an instance in which a complement of a ratio of a slot
revenue value to a slot penalty value does not exceed the hidden
demand for the time slot.
[0202] Accordingly, as disclosed in conjunction with FIGS. 17-21,
embodiments of the present invention illustrate operations using
which a promotion and marketing service may predict hidden demand
for a product or service and predicts an optimal booking limit that
minimizes a probability of a scheduling collision. Moreover,
embodiments of the present invention include reinforcement learning
operations that ensure accuracy of such predictions over time.
[0203] As will be appreciated, computer program code and/or other
instructions may be loaded onto a computer, processor or other
programmable apparatus's circuitry to produce a machine, such that
execution of the code on the machine by the computer, processor, or
other circuitry creates the means for implementing various
functions, including those described herein.
[0204] As described above and as will be appreciated based on this
disclosure, embodiments of the present invention may be configured
as methods, mobile devices, backend network devices, and the like.
Accordingly, embodiments may comprise various means including
entirely of hardware or a combination of software and hardware.
Furthermore, embodiments may take the form of a computer program
product on at least one computer-readable storage medium having
computer-readable program instructions (e.g., computer software)
embodied in the storage medium. Any suitable computer-readable
storage medium may be utilized, including non-transitory hard
disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory, optical storage devices, magnetic
storage devices, or the like.
[0205] Embodiments of the present invention have been described
above with reference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations
of methods, apparatuses, systems and computer program products. It
will be understood that each block of the circuit diagrams and
process flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the circuit
diagrams and process flowcharts, respectively, can be implemented
by various means including computer program instructions. These
computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose
computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data
processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the computer
program product includes the instructions which execute on the
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create a
means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart
block or blocks.
[0206] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable storage device that can direct a computer or
other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a
particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the
computer-readable storage device produce an article of manufacture
including computer-readable instructions for implementing the
function discussed herein. The computer program instructions may
also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data
processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be
performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus, thereby
producing a computer-implemented process such that the instructions
executed on the computer or other programmable apparatus cause
performance of the steps and thereby implement the functions
discussed herein.
[0207] Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart
illustrations support combinations of means for performing the
specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the
specified functions and program instruction means for performing
the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block
of the circuit diagrams and process flowcharts, and combinations of
blocks in the circuit diagrams and process flowcharts, can be
implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems that
perform the specified functions or steps, or combinations of
special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0208] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions
set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to
which these embodiments of the invention pertain having the benefit
of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the
associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the
embodiments of the invention are not to be limited to the specific
embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments
are intended to be included within the scope of the appended
claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used
in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of
limitation.
* * * * *