Patent Application
20130282465
Affinity programs offer rewards to customers in exchange for actions which benefit the business. Retailer-specific affinity cards such as for grocery stores, gas stations, and department stores provide rewards to customers in exchange for frequent purchases.
The following detailed description of the various disclosed methods, process, systems, and apparatus refers to the accompanying drawings in which:
A passport program offered by a business provides a consumer or patron using the passport with an incentive to perform certain actions benefitting the business. The incentive can be in the form of a reward in exchange for visiting a location, making a purchase, or completing some other activity.
Passport programs, however, can be relatively inflexible and can pose substantial entry barriers, in particular for smaller businesses. Passports tied to printed materials incur costs whenever additional passports are created or the program parameters are changed. Infrastructure investment also is required by the business to manage the program's offers, participants, and rewards.
The disclosure relates to an affinity rewards program involving a plurality of users/consumers, at least one sponsor/business, and an affinity rewards administrator (e.g., where the rewards administrator is a distinct entity from at least one or all of the participating sponsor(s)). The program provides a dynamic platform for sponsors to distribute rewards (e.g., physical or digital items, credit, money, discounts/coupons, etc.) to users for actions benefitting the sponsor.
The platform allows secure, flexible rewards system implementation with any desired reward parameters and with very little set-up cost. There are little to no entry barriers for sponsor participation, for example digital passports that have no manufacturing cost or printed/physical passports that need not be re-created to implement a rewards program with different or variable offer conditions. The program is managed by a centralized affinity rewards administrator using a generalized internet (cloud) computing service to create a flexible system allowing essentially any size business to participate with little or no resource investment for program management. The centralized administrator platform beneficially permits event tracking from multiple sponsors, offers, and/or users, thus providing real-time feedback to participants and allowing the sponsor participants to data mine their offer programs (and the programs of others) to enhance future marketing efforts. The centralized administrator platform further provides a convenient mechanism for consolidated rewards program management for a user who can monitor and/or manage his/her program activity for a number of different sponsors through a single administrative portal.
Sponsors participate in the program by defining an offer that generates a reward when any desired set of conditions is met by a user (e.g., time-, place-, or event-specific conditions). The central affinity rewards administrator coordinates the program and maintains both user and sponsor information. A particular rewards offer can have any desired number of sponsors, number of associated sponsor locations, and offer lifespan. In one example, an offer can be related to a single sponsor at a single location (e.g., a small business having a single operating location). In another example, an offer can be related to a single sponsor at multiple locations (e.g., a small or large business having multiple operating locations, where specific rewards can be location-dependent). In another example, an offer can be related to multiple sponsors at multiple locations (e.g., multiple businesses having multiple operating locations, where specific rewards can be location- and/or sponsor-dependent). In any of these instances, the offer (e.g., as well as a corresponding passport) can be intended for both short- and long-term promotional programs. For example, the offer can have a finite lifespan (e.g., offer valid only for a preselected period of hours, days, weeks, months, etc.) or the offer can have an indefinite lifespan (e.g., offer valid on an ongoing basis related to continued user activity, potentially with time- and/or location-varying offer/reward conditions).
The ability of the rewards administrator to provide feedback/use statistics (e.g., essentially real-time data) to a sponsor allows the sponsor to monitor and evaluate the relative success or failure of a particular rewards offer. As a result, the sponsor can adapt existing offers to improve their success rate and/or create new offers directed to identified current/past user activity that does generate a reward (e.g., representing a successful program) or that does not currently generate a reward (e.g., which provides an opportunity for a new, successful program).
When a user interacts with a party such as a sponsor or other sponsor-related (third) party participating in the rewards program, a user-party interaction 200 is generated/defined. The nature of the interaction 200 is not particularly limited and can include, for example, a user visit to the party's location, a user purchase from the party, a user performing a specific activity at the party's location, etc. In one example, the interaction 200 is a physical interaction between the user's person and the party (e.g., where the user is physically present at the party's location/place of business). In another example, the interaction 200 is a virtual interaction between the user and the party (e.g., where the user's visit/purchase/activity is performed remotely via the internet at the sponsor's internet location/website). In some cases, the party with whom the user interacts is the sponsor or sponsor-affiliate (e.g., the party defining the offer/reward parameters and/or providing the reward to the users). In other cases, the party with whom the user interacts is a related third party having a pre-existing relationship with the offer sponsor (e.g., where the third party interacts with the user and transmits the related event/interaction information to the sponsor or to the reward program administrator on behalf of the sponsor). The interaction 200 can be further defined in terms of additional information items, such as interaction time (e.g., date, time of day, or both; at a discrete time or within a defined time range), interaction location (e.g., physical or virtual location), interaction value (e.g., monetary value of a purchase, further including purchase item(s) if desired), interaction user (e.g., age, gender, occupation or other information category of the user beyond the user identifier) and/or interaction activity performed. Even though the passport 100 may be used in purchase interactions 200 to accumulate rewards, the passport 100 suitably does not serve as a payment or purchase means (e.g., the passport 100 is not intended to serve or is incapable of serving as a payment means such as a credit card, debit card, etc.). Similarly, in some cases, the passport 100 is used in an environment unrelated to commercial activity by the user for purposes of reward distribution (e.g., the interaction 200 and corresponding sponsor offers relate to non-purchase activity or activities not involving monetary transactions).
The party then transmits (300) the details concerning the interaction 200 to the rewards administrator. The transmission 300 generally includes any or all event information defining the nature of the interaction 200 as well as indicia identifying the sponsor (e.g., which can be the transmitting party), transmitting party (e.g., when not the sponsor), and user. The administrator determines (400) whether the particular interaction 200 qualifies the user for a reward (e.g., whether the interaction 200 meets the pre-defined offer reward conditions provided by the sponsor; whether the user/passport corresponds to an active, registered user/passport). In some cases, the administrator additionally authenticates the interaction 200 and corresponding event record/interaction information, for instance to verify that the transmitting party is a valid participant in the rewards program and/or to verify the integrity of the event information (e.g., to prevent unauthorized use of the affinity passport and/or to prevent fraud on the reward program). Any suitable form of authentication/secured transmission may be used, for example where the transmitting party digitally/cryptographically signs the transmission 300 for subsequent administrator verification. If the user is eligible to receive the reward, the administrator transmits (410) award eligibility information to the user, the sponsor, and/or the transmitting third party. For example, the administrator may notify the user that the user is eligible to receive the reward along with instructions how to obtain/receive (500) the reward from the sponsor, rewards administrator, or other party. Alternatively or additionally, the administrator may notify the sponsor or third party that the user is eligible to receive the reward, for example so that the sponsor or third party can provide (500) the reward to the user (e.g., immediately subsequent to the interaction 200 event or at a later time). Although no action is required (420) if the user is not eligible to receive the reward, the administrator suitably may notify the user and/or the sponsor or third party accordingly, and the administrator may additionally store the non-reward event for subsequent data evaluation by the sponsor or the user. For example, the administrator can inform the user that no reward is due, or the administrator can inform the user regarding the relative degree of completion toward a multi-part offer requiring multiple events for completion.
The specific nature of the reward granted to the user is not particularly limited. For example, the reward can include a physical item, a digital item, sponsor credit, and/or money. Examples of physical items include merchandise and coupons from the sponsor or from a third party. Examples of digital items include software applications or components/enhancements for an existing application of the user, digital media files (e.g., images, audio, video), and digital coupons.
In addition to the unique user identifier, the index 110 suitably includes a uniform resource identifier (URI) or uniform resource locator (URL) associated with at least one of the user, the sponsor(s), and the rewards administrator. The URI/URL can be in human- and/or machine-readable form as above (e.g., visible to a user for manual internet navigation, encoded by a 2D barcode to enable automated internet navigation/redirection upon scanning). The presence of the URI/URL can facilitate a user inquiry or registration process for his/her passport 100 (e.g., by directing the user to an internet site specific to the passport 100). In some examples, the user identifier and any corresponding URI/URL are not present on the passport 100 in human-readable form. In such cases, the user identifier and/or URI/URL can be in an encrypted form (e.g., using public key encryption or other suitable encryption method to encrypt the user's identity, the sponsor's identity, or both). Such encryption can be utilized to limit or prevent unauthorized use of the passport, such as by (i) someone other than the registered/authorized user and/or (ii) the user himself/herself (e.g., where the user attempts to obtain improper rewards such as in excess of those permitted according to a given offer definition for a sponsor). Decryption and authentication of the user identifier and/or URI/URL suitably is performed by the program administrator upon receipt of a given interaction 200 from a party.
In addition to the unique index 110, the passport 100 can include readable indicia 120 identifying the rewards administrator and/or the sponsor(s) associated with the passport 100. Additionally or alternatively, the passport can include readable promotional material 130. The promotional material 130 can be an advertisement for various sponsor(s), which sponsor(s) can be the same or different from the sponsor(s) associated with the passport 100. For example, the promotional material 130 can provide details regarding the specific offer/event/reward parameters for the sponsor(s) associated with the passport 100. Alternatively or additionally, the promotional material 130 can be unrelated to the specific offer/reward parameters for the sponsor(s) associated with the passport 100. The combination of the index 110 and the promotional material 130 creates an incentive to the users to retain the passport 100 and correspondingly increases the return on investment on marketing costs associated with the offer/rewards program. Similar to the index 110, the indicia 120 and the promotional material 130 can be in human- and/or machine-readable form. When in machine-readable form, the indicia 120 and/or promotional material 130 may be integrated into the same medium/form as the index 110. For example, a 2D barcode or other machine-readable index 110 may encode the user identifier as well as the sponsor identifier, rewards information, and/or offer/event information such that any or all of the additional information items may be read along with the user identifier and transmitted to the rewards administrator as desired.
The passport 100 includes a medium 140 that displays/contains the user index 110, the administrator/sponsor indicia 120 (when present), and the promotional material 130 (when present). The medium 140 can be a physical object such as plastic (e.g., in the shape/size of a conventional credit card or otherwise), cardstock, or paper containing the information items 110, 120, and 130. For example, the index 110 in human- and/or machine-readable form can be printed on the plastic, cardstock, or paper medium 140 to provide a dedicated physical object serving as the passport 100. In another example, the medium 140 can be a digital device/object such as a computerized display containing the information items 110, 120, and 130. For instance, the index 110 in human- and/or machine-readable form can be displayed on the screen of a mobile computing device (e.g., smart phone, tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a music player, an e-book reader). When the passport 100 is in electronic/digital form, the information items 120, 130 may be changed (e.g., by the administrator and/or the sponsor) at any desired intervals. For example, the promotional material 130 can be changed based on the current time of day and/or the user's current location (e.g., physical location such as determined by a GPS in the user's mobile device; virtual/internet location such as determined by recent web browsing activity with the user's mobile device). In some cases, the user may possess the passport 100 in both physical and digital forms (e.g., a user having a printed physical passport 100 as well as the ability to display the equivalent index 110 from the physical passport 100 on the user's mobile computing device as a digital passport 100).
When a given offer definition requires direct physical interaction between the user and the sponsor as a reward condition, the use of the passport 100 in physical form provides an element of security because the user must physically possess the passport 100 to perform actions that potentially qualify for a reward. In some examples, the passport 100 may incorporate a copy-protection mechanism to limit or prevent unauthorized duplication and/or use of the passport 100. For example, a passport 100 can incorporate a watermark (e.g., printed or digital in visible or invisible form) or other difficult-to-copy image that is present in human- and/or machine-readable form. Similarly, a passport 100 displayed in digital form on a mobile computing device may be registered to a specific mobile device (e.g., via a unique hardware or other identifier associated with the mobile device). In this way, a user must still possess the appropriate registered mobile device to use the passport 100, even when the passport 100 is in a digital form. Additionally, a passport 100 may be configured to require a user to enter a PIN or password (e.g., at the sponsor's location) when using the passport 100.
In some cases, the passport 100 is intended only for use with offers/rewards for the sponsor(s) selected at the time the passport 100 is created/issued. For example, as illustrated in
As shown in
In some cases, the registration process may not require the user to provide any additional information; the user merely activates the particular index 110/user identifier on the unregistered passport 150A for subsequent registered use. In this case, the rewards administrator need not maintain contact or other information for the user such that any holder of the registered passport 100 can use the passport 100 and redeem any eligible awards through the respective sponsor (e.g., the passport 100 need not be associated with any user-specific information other than its index 110). Similarly, the administrator does not contact/notify the user of eligible awards, but the user can perform a query of its reward activity/eligibility via the various administrator databases (e.g., over the internet via a web interface).
In other cases, the registration process may require the user to provide at least some additional information, for example including at least one item of contact information (e.g., physical (mailing) address, electronic (email) address, telephone number (home, mobile, business)), at least one item of demographic information (e.g., age, gender, family status, education, occupation, general geographic location such as city, state, country, or region(s) thereof), and/or at least one item of security information (e.g., (encrypted) password or PIN for use of passport, access of passport activity, and/or redemption of awards). In this case, the rewards administrator may maintain the additional information for the user (e.g., in a user database associating the additional information with the passport index 110/user identifier), in which case reward disposition can be limited to a valid, registered use of the passport 100. Similarly, the administrator can use the additional information to contact/notify the user of eligible awards. In an extension of the registration process, more than one valid user may be associated with a particular passport index 110/user identifier, thus allowing any desired grouping of users (e.g., members of the same family, business, club, etc.) to be associated with and to qualify for rewards with the passport 100.
In another example shown in
In yet another example shown in
For example, the administrator maintains a user database 432 having a plurality of user records. As described above, the user records can contain simply a passport index 110 or user identifier associated with a registered user. In other instances, the user records suitably can contain additional contact, demographic, or other user information.
The administrator additionally maintains an offer database 434 having a plurality of offer records. The collection of offer records can be associated with a single sponsor, but the offer records suitably represent a collection of offers from a plurality of different sponsors. The offer records include a sponsor identifier (e.g., name of sponsor and/or a sponsor identifier such as a sponsor identification code (SIC), which may link to another database containing additional sponsor information). The offer records further define at least one reward associated with the offer (e.g., where multiple rewards and/or a subset of multiple rewards may be available to a user completing the offer, such as based on user selection, sponsor selection, or a random selection). The offer records also define at least one interaction condition for the reward. Suitably, the interaction condition(s) required for user reward-eligibility can include at least one event/action performed by the user (e.g., visit/purchase/activity as described above) and/or at least one additional conditions/parameters defining reward-eligible user actions (e.g., interaction time, location, value, specific activity performed as described above). For example, an offer may require a user to perform an action at a specified date/time and/or location to generate an event potentially qualifying the user for a reward, where the specified date/time/location may be statically defined or dynamically defined (e.g., itself changing on a periodic basis or being defined in terms of other user events). In some cases, at least one element of an offer record (e.g., associated reward(s), required condition(s)) may be defined by the offer's sponsor to be hidden such that the hidden elements are not revealed to users or other sponsors upon a query of offer database 434 (e.g., to introduce an unknown or lottery-type element into an offer, for example combined with a random reward distribution from a plurality of available rewards). In other cases, an offer record may be dynamically defined in terms of a changing or variable interaction condition, for example based on the activities of other users participating in the rewards program (e.g., as determined with reference to an event database 438 described below and recording events/actions of a plurality of users in the rewards program). For instance, a reward may be offered only to pre-selected number of users performing the most of defined activity (e.g., top ten users visiting a location in a month; single user with the most purchases in a week).
The administrator receives from a party transmission 300 an event record that defines a specific interaction between the party and a user of the passport 100. The event record generally contains the user's passport index 110 or user identifier, the sponsor identifier for the transmission 300, and any event information items that characterize the particular interaction between the user and the sponsor. The event information items transmitted include data pertinent to the interaction conditions of at least one offer for the sponsor (e.g., user visit/purchase/activity; user interaction time, location, value, specific activity performed). In a physical interaction setting, the party reads the user's passport 100 and corresponding index 110 when the user performs an activity that potentially qualifies the user for a reward. For example, when the passport index 110 is a machine-readable user identifier, the user identifier can be scanned using an appropriate apparatus (e.g., optical scanner for a 2D barcode), for example by a party employee or by the user at an unattended scanning kiosk. The party then securely transmits the user's identifier, the corresponding sponsor identifier, and the interaction details to the rewards administrator (e.g., from a remote location over a data network or networks such as via the internet), for example being encrypted using on-demand minted codes for security and authentication by the rewards program administrator upon receipt.
The administrator then determines if the user is eligible to receive a reward according to the parameters of any existing sponsor offers. For example, the administrator compares the passport index 110 or user identifier from the received event record to information in the user database 432 to determine whether the index 110 or user identifier corresponds to a registered, active user generally eligible to receive rewards. The administrator also compares the event information item(s) and the sponsor identifier from the received event record to information in the offer database 434 to determine whether the user-sponsor interaction corresponds to reward-eligible activity for a given sponsor offer. In some cases (shown in
If the administrator determines that the user is eligible to receive a reward, the administrator then transmits (410) reward eligibility information to at least one of the user and the party. A reward eligibility notification to the user can include instructions how to obtain the reward, such as by visiting a sponsor location or by completing a reward request (e.g., using a web interface provided by the sponsor or administrator). The notification can be provided by physical means (e.g., mail) or by electronic means (e.g., email, text message, web notification when the user next accesses his/her event history from the administrator database 430). A reward eligibility notification to the sponsor or associated party can include a specification of the rewards to which the user is entitled, for example so that the party can inform the user of reward eligibility and/or provide the reward directly to the user (e.g., at the time of the interaction 300). In either case, notification to the user or sponsor can be provided immediately upon determination or after some pre-selected time from determination by the administrator (e.g., when an offer requires multiple actions for reward and/or is interrelated to the actions of other users).
As shown in
Similar to the manner described above, a party (e.g., the sponsor itself or other related party as described above) interacts (200) with a user to receive from the user the user's unique passport index 110 or user identifier (e.g., by scanning or otherwise reading the passport 100 to obtain the index 110). The user-party interaction 200 further defines corresponding event information between the user and the party. The party then transmits (300) to the administrator an event record for the interaction (200) (e.g., to a remote administrator location over a data network or networks such as via the internet). The event record generally contains the user's passport index 110 or user identifier, the sponsor identifier for the transmission 300, and any event information items that characterize the particular interaction between the user and the party. The sponsor or related party then receives (410) from the administrator an indication whether the interaction (200) and corresponding event information qualifies the user for the sponsor's reward (e.g., by meeting a sufficient number of interaction conditions according to the sponsor's reward/offer definition). In some instances, the sponsor or related party may notify or distribute (500) the reward to the user if the user is reward-eligible.
An advantage of the disclosed affinity rewards program is that it provides a platform for the dynamic and ad hoc implementation of a rewards program offer by a sponsor with little to no set-up or other infrastructure requirements for implementation.
Various aspects of this query/feedback functionality provide a useful tool for a sponsor to tailor its rewards program offer(s). For instance, a sponsor currently participating in the rewards program may query the event logs related to its own offers, for example to evaluate the relative success or failure of currently pending or past offers. In some cases, the administrator may permit a sponsor to query the event logs related to offers of different sponsors. Such information can be used as a predictive or planning tool by the sponsor to identify future offers that ideally will have some degree of success. For instance, by examining successful or unsuccessful events ultimately leading to reward distribution, the sponsor may identify time-, location-, reward-, and/or user-specific conditions that are more or less likely to induce user participation in a future offer. User activity can be tracked according to any desired geographic, demographic, etc. conditions to identify trends and improve targeting of offer conditions for future promotions. For example, the query may indicate that male users at sponsor location A are more likely to participate in a rewards program when a visit to sponsor location A between 11 am and 1 pm is required to generate a reward in the form of piece of promotional merchandise from the sponsor. Similarly, the query may indicate that female users at sponsor location B are more likely to participate in a rewards program when a purchase at sponsor location B between 2 pm and 3 pm is required to generate a reward in the form of a coupon/discount from the sponsor towards a future purchase.
As further shown in
Various aspects of this query/feedback functionality provide a useful tool for a user to tailor its participation in different rewards program offer(s). For example, a user may query the event or reward logs related to its own activity, for example to determine which offers are complete (e.g., for which the user can obtain a reward) and/or to determine the user's relative progress on incomplete offers (e.g., to identify remaining activities required for completion; to display the user's current ranking in an offer dynamically defined based on the activity of multiple users). In other cases, a user may query the offer logs, for example to identify potential offers of interest, such as based on a user's selection of time, location, and/or sponsor conditions of interest. In such cases, the user may be able to use or register an existing passport 100 to participate in the newly identified offers, or the user may be required to request a new passport 100 to participate in the newly identified offers (e.g., as illustrated
The administrator 30 includes at least one computer 32 (e.g., general purpose computer including a suitable processor coupled to memory, storage media, etc.) coupled to computer-readable media 36 (e.g., containing instructions for administering the rewards program) and to at least one database for storing program information (e.g., user database 432, an offer database 434, a reward database 436, and/or an event database 438 as above).
The user 10 can use a computing device 16 to interface with the sponsor 20 and/or administrator 30, for example to register the passports 100′, 100″ and/or to interact with the sponsor 20 in a rewards-program event. The computing device 16 may be a mobile computing device such as smartphone, tablet computer, music player, etc. The computing device 16 includes at least one processor/memory 17 (e.g., general purpose computer including a suitable processor coupled to memory, storage media, etc.) coupled to a computer display/monitor 19 (e.g., smartphone display). The processor/memory 17 additionally is coupled to computer-readable media 18 (e.g., including stored instructions for at least one local application, related databases, etc.), such as an application for user participation in the rewards program,
In one aspect, the disclosure relates to the computer-readable media 36 with instructions for administering the rewards program. The media 36 can include or be coupled to a user database 432, an offer database 434, and an event database 438 with corresponding user, offer, and event records. The media 36 contains stored instructions which, when executed by the at least one computer 32 coupled to the media 36, cause the computer(s) 32 to perform various rewards program operations. For example, the computer(s) 32 can: receive from the sponsor 20 an event record including user information (e.g., user identifier), sponsor information (e.g., sponsor identifier), and event information defining an interaction between the user 10 and the sponsor 20), store the event record in the event database 438, determine if the user 10 is eligible to receive the reward (e.g., by comparing the user information to the user database 432; by comparing the sponsor information and event information to the offer database 434), and/or transmit to the user reward eligibility information (e.g., if the user is eligible to receive the reward).
In another aspect, the disclosure relates to the computer-readable media 18 with instructions for user participation in the rewards program. The media 18 contains stored instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor 17 coupled to the media 18, cause the computer 16 to perform various rewards program operations for the user. For example, the computer 16 can: receive a unique user identifier associated with the affinity passport 100 including the user identifier in readable form and associated with an affinity rewards program (e.g., receipt by optical scanning); transmit to the rewards program administrator 30 user information associated with the user identifier; and activate the user identifier for participation in the affinity rewards program (e.g., yielding the registered passport 100′). In a further example, the computer 16 can display on the computer display 19 coupled to the processor 17 the user identifier in readable form (e.g., such that the computer 16 can serve as the digital passport 100″ with an optically scannable 2D barcode or other user identifier on the display 19).
In another aspect, the disclosure relates to the system 50 for administering an affinity rewards program. In this aspect, the system can include the at least one computer 16 or 32, which is coupled to the computer-readable media 18 or 36 as described above. The specific computer(s) 16, 32 usable in the system 50 are not particularly limited and can include, for example, digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, servers, blade servers, mainframes, personal computing devices, and other appropriate computers.
The following prospective examples illustrate the disclosed methods and systems, but are not intended to limit the scope of any claims thereto.
A theme park sponsor establishes an affinity rewards program by supplying multiple offer definitions to a rewards program administrator. The theme park has four main attractions, and the park offers patrons rewards in the form of a food discount coupon for each attraction visited. As a bonus reward, the park offers a reward in the form of park clothing merchandise for patrons visiting all four attractions.
When a patron enters the theme park, the patron receives a pre-registered affinity passport displaying a barcode as a unique user identifier as well as information describing the reward offers provided by the park. As the patron visits the various attractions, a park attendant scans the passport. The park transmits the patron event to the rewards program administrator and subsequently receives notification from the administrator that the patron is eligible for the discount coupon. The park attendant then provides the patron with the discount coupon. When the patron visits the final attraction, the park attendant additionally informs the patron that the patron is eligible for the park clothing merchandise reward, which may be redeemable, for example, at various points in the park or at the park entrance/exit.
Example 2 is the same as Example 1, but the pre-registered passport received by the patron upon entry has a 2D barcode that additionally encodes a URL. When the patron scans the 2D barcode with his/her internet-enabled mobile computing device, the web browser of the mobile device is redirected to the encoded URL where the patron can request and receive a digital equivalent of the pre-registered passport from the rewards program administrator. In this case, the patron's mobile device is scanned by the park attendant, and the patron can elect to receive the food discount coupons as digital coupons delivered directly to the patron's mobile device.
A local coffee house sponsor with multiple locations in a metropolitan area establishes an affinity rewards program by supplying multiple offer definitions to a rewards program administrator. An affinity passport specific to the coffee house is available to patrons upon request, for example at a coffee house location or via the internet. The patron or the coffee house can register the passport, which has an optically scannable 2D barcode and is available in a physical or digital medium.
Location A of the coffee house provides a traditional rewards-type program in which five accumulated beverage purchases qualifies a patron for a free beverage. Location B of the coffee house provides a similar program, except that ten accumulated beverage purchases qualifies a patron for a free bag of coffee beans. Location A provides a lottery-type reward in which every purchase provides the patron with a (small) random chance to win a coffee mug. Location B provides a similar lottery-type reward in which a different 10-minute time window is secretly selected each day during which any purchase qualifies the patron for a coffee mug reward. In this example, the offer definitions for the first three programs can be static and need not change over time. The offer definition transmitted by the coffee house to the program administrator for the fourth program is updated on a daily basis as Location B selects the daily qualifying time window.
Patrons visiting the coffee house locations are advised of the various rewards programs by promotional material on the passport. A coffee house attendant scans a patron's passport with every purchase. The coffee house transmits the purchase event to the rewards program administrator and subsequently receives notification from the administrator whether the patron is eligible for either or both of the accumulated reward and the instant lottery-type reward (e.g., based on a randomly generated number for Location A or based on the purchase time for Location B).
Example 4 is the same as Example 3, except that the coffee house customers receive a periodic newsletter with news, specials, and promotional offers associated with the coffee house. The newsletter serves as a pre-registered passport and it has a 2D barcode that additionally encodes a URL. When the customer scans the 2D barcode with his/her internet-enabled mobile computing device, the web browser of the mobile device is redirected to the encoded URL where the patron can request and receive a digital equivalent of the pre-registered passport (including the news and promotional materials) from the rewards program administrator. In this case, the patron's mobile device is scanned by the coffee house employee, and the patron need not retain the newsletter as the passport (although the patron could choose to do so).
Example 5 is the same as Example 3, except that Locations A and B of the coffee house provide a combined offer in which the customer with the most visits in a one-month period to either Location A or B earns a reward in the form of a 25% discount coupon applicable to all purchases at either Location A or B for the subsequent month. A coffee house attendant scans a patron's passport with every visit to either location. The coffee house transmits the visit event to the rewards program administrator, and the event is stored in an event database. At the end of the month, the rewards program administrator determines which customer had the most visits out of all monthly customers, and the administrator transmits to both the coffee house and the winning customer information confirming the identity of the reward-eligible customer.
The host of a multi-sport, multi-venue sporting event participates in an affinity rewards program in which different sponsors provide rewards associated with different sports/different venues. Patrons of the sporting event receive a pre-registered affinity passport as in Example 1 or 2. Patrons who visit a given venue at least five times during the sporting event qualify for a merchandise reward from the venue's sponsor. For example, patrons visiting the track-and-field venue potentially qualify for track-related merchandise such as shoes from a shoe manufacturer/sponsor. Similarly, patrons visiting the swimming venue potentially qualify for swim-related merchandise such as swimwear from a swimwear manufacturer/sponsor. As the patron visits each sporting venue, an attendant for the sporting event host scans the passport. The event host transmits the patron event to the rewards program administrator and subsequently receives notification from the administrator whether the patron is eligible for the venue-specific reward. If so, the event host attendant additionally informs the patron that the patron is eligible for the venue-specific reward, which may be redeemable, for example, at the venue itself or at another location.
The host of a running race participates in an affinity rewards program in which different sponsors provide rewards associated with different segments/milestones of the race. Runner participants in the race event receive a pre-registered affinity passport in the form of a wearable RFID transmitter (e.g., wearable on the shoe, shirt, shorts, wrist, etc. of the runner). Runners passing a given race milestone (e.g., each 1 k-leg in a 5 km race) qualify for a reward from a race sponsor depending on their current race time or race position when passing the milestone. For example, the first 10% of all racers passing the 1 k-milestone receive a discount coupon from a restaurant sponsoring the race. Similarly, the first 5 racers passing the 2 k-milestone receive a discount coupon from a sporting goods store sponsoring the race. As a runner passes a race milestone, an RFID reader positioned by the race host at the milestone reads the runner's unique RFID code from the wearable RFID transmitter passport. The race host transmits the runner's user identifier and milestone event to the rewards program administrator and subsequently receives notification from the administrator whether the runner is eligible for the milestone-specific reward. A race host attendant informs the racer at the conclusion of the race regarding any rewards for which the runner is eligible.
Throughout the specification, where the methods, processes, systems, or apparatus are described as including components or steps, it is contemplated that the methods, processes, systems, or apparatus can also comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of, any combination of the recited components or steps, unless described otherwise.
