1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for measuring interest of users who are presented with description information of candidates of a voting event.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, more and more people rely on the Internet whenever they need information on such as products and services. Although most online shopping platforms, discussion forums, and information sources for such needs nowadays generally implement a mechanism through which users may post comments, rate, and discuss about a product and/or service, most users may be reluctant to make use of such a mechanism (e.g., a voting event) because such activities are generally time-consuming and non-rewarding.
Generally, in the context of online shopping, after each transaction, a conventional post-transaction survey may be conducted in order to ascertain reasons of purchase. For example, Tietzen et al. (U.S. 2011/0112897) discloses a conventional post-transaction survey intended for establishing a link between the transaction and any earlier user activity. Feedback information thus collected can be presented in a number of forms for review by the merchant or supplier in order to confirm the transaction behaviour. Tietzen further teaches providing an incentive (e.g., discount) to the user after the occurrence of the transaction. In one particular embodiment, the incentive is provided upon user completion of the post-transaction survey. Depending on user feedback (e.g., perceived quality of service), different incentives may be provided.
A result of such a survey may provide the merchant with a better understanding of user behaviour and preference, allowing the merchant to offer future products or services that are more popular. However, because such a survey is completed after the occurrence of a transaction, the survey plays no role in the improvement of user satisfaction and total sales in respect of the merchandise (or service) for which the survey is conducted. In an exemplary scenario, tickets for a non-recurring event are to be offered with one of a number of alternative gifts, some of which are more popular than the others. If a less popular one of the gifts is selected for association with the tickets due to poor understanding of user preference, fewer sales may be achieved and post-transaction surveys may indicate a causal link between user dissatisfaction and the selected gift.
It is one object of the present invention to overcome, or ameliorate, one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art.
According to one aspect, there is provided a computer-network implemented system for measuring interest of users of client devices who are presented with description information of candidates of a voting event. The system comprises: a data storage device storing the description information of the candidates; a network interface to transceive electronic signals with the client devices of the users; and at least one processor coupled to the data storage device and the network interface.
The at least one processor is programmed to: provide, via the network interface to the client devices, electronic signals representing candidate data that contains at least a portion of the description information of the candidates; receive, via the network interface from each of the client devices, electronic signals representing voting data that indicates an input to vote for one of the candidates; upon detecting an ending condition of the voting event, select a winning candidate according to numbers of inputs to vote indicated by the voting data and corresponding to the candidates; and provide electronic signals representing reward data via the network interface to the client devices from which the electronic signals representing voting data that correspond to the winning candidate were received, the reward data including beneficial information associated with the winning candidate.
According to another aspect, there is provided a computer-network implemented method for measuring interest of users of client devices who are presented with description information of candidates of a voting event. The method comprises: providing, via a computer network to the client devices, electronic signals representing candidate data that contains at least a portion of the description information of the candidates;
receiving, via the computer network from each of the client devices, electronic signals representing voting data that indicates an input to vote for one of the candidates; upon detecting an ending condition of the voting event, selecting a winning candidate according to numbers of inputs to vote indicated by the voting data and corresponding to the candidates; and providing electronic signals representing reward data via the computer network to the client devices from which the electronic signals representing voting data that correspond to the winning candidate were received, the reward data including beneficial information associated with the winning candidate.
According to yet another aspect, there is provided a computer-network implemented system for measuring interest of users who are presented with description information corresponding to candidates. Each of the users has a corresponding user profile. The system comprises: a data storage device storing the user profiles of the users and the description information of the candidates; a network interface to transceive signals with client devices of the users; and at least one processor coupled to the data storage device and the network interface.
The at least one processor is programmed to: provide, via the network interface, a webpage to web browsers of the client devices of the users, the webpage containing at least a portion of the description information of the candidates who are subjects of a voting event being hosted by the system, the voting event being open to the users for participation; monitor, receive, and store in the data storage device, electronic signals from the web browsers of the client devices of the users, each of the electronic signals representing an input to vote for one of the candidates of the voting event and being linked to the user profile of a corresponding one of the users; detect an ending condition of the voting event; select, after detecting the ending condition, a winning candidate according to numbers of inputs to vote corresponding to the candidates and represented by the electronic signals received from the client devices of the users and stored in the data storage device; determine the users who voted for the winning candidate; and generate a reward and provide, via the network interface, the reward to the users who voted for the winning candidate, the reward including beneficial information associated with the winning candidate.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Shown in
The method is to be performed preferably by a server device including a member database (e.g., a user database) that includes a plurality of member profiles (e.g., user profiles) corresponding to the participants (e.g., users) of the voting event, respectively. Each of the member profiles includes such as reward points, member pictures, member statistic information, and description associated with the corresponding one of the participants. The participants maybe connected via a network (e.g., the Internet) to the server device through various client devices such as smartphones, personal computers, portable computers, and tablet personal computers. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the server device may be operatively associated with an external member database instead of an internal member database. Preferably, the server device is a computing device with sufficient processing power to host a commercial website.
Shown in
The storage device 920 is configured to store therein computer-executable instructions for causing the processing unit 930 to perform the method of the present invention. It is worth noting that the processing unit 930 maybe otherwise programmed or configured to perform the method.
In performing the method, the processing unit 930 of the server device 900 communicates via the network interface 910 through the network with processing units of the client devices 800 (not shown) operated by the participants. Some of the client devices 800 may be installed with, for example, a proprietary software application for communicating with the website hosted by the server device. Such software application may be a smartphone software application.
Operations of the processing unit 930 in performing the method are described hereinafter.
In step a), the processing unit 930 hosts the voting event in the form of a webpage for viewing and participation by the participants through the client devices 800 via the network. Specifically, the processor unit 930 generates from the data storage device 920 webpage data including candidate data. The webpage data represents the webpage to be shown on the client devices 800. The candidate data represents the description information of the candidates that is stored in the data storage device 920 and that is to be shown on the webpage represented by the webpage data. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the voting event may be hosted in any form other than a website.
In step b), the processing unit 930 presents the webpage via the network interface 910 to the participants (e.g., users). More specifically, the processor unit 930 provides electronic signals representing the webpage data via the network interface 910 through the network to the client devices 800.
Shown in
In the exemplary webpage of
In step d), the server device 900 selects a winning candidate according to numbers of inputs to vote corresponding to the candidates and received from the participants. More specifically, upon detecting an ending condition of the voting event, the processing unit 930 selects a winning candidate from the first and second candidates according to numbers of inputs to vote corresponding to the candidates. In the example of
In this embodiment of two candidates, the winning candidate is the candidate to which a larger number of the inputs to vote received from the participants correspond when the voting event ends. In embodiments with more than two candidates, the winning candidate is the candidate to which a largest number of the inputs to vote received from the participants correspond when the voting event ends. Selection of the winning candidate is not limited to such, and may be otherwise implemented in other embodiments. For example, in a scenario involving three candidates, the voting event may be arranged such that the winning candidate is the candidate to which a smallest number of the inputs to vote correspond.
In step e), the server device 900 provides, via the network interface 910, a reward to the participants from which the inputs to vote corresponding to the winning candidate were received (hereinafter referred to as the winning participants). More specifically, the processing unit 930 provides electronic signals representing reward data via the network interface 910 through the network to the client devices 800 from which the electronic signals representing voting data that corresponds to the winning candidate are received. The reward data includes the beneficial information stored in the data storage device 920 and associated with the winning candidate.
The winning candidates may be further rewarded. For example, the reward may further include a predetermined number of reward points to be associated to the member profile of each of the winning participants in addition to the beneficial information. The beneficial information may include access information for coupons or vouchers corresponding to the winning candidate, such that the winning participants are able to avail of the winning candidate. Under circumstances where the winning candidate may be availed of by only a limited number of the winning participants, the winning participants that voted for the winning candidate at earlier times maybe assigned higher priorities to avail of the winning candidate. In other embodiments, the server device 900 may be configured to provide more reward points to the winning participants from which the inputs to vote corresponding to the winning candidate were received at earlier times. As mentioned hereinabove, the reward points may be purchased, or earned through voting for the winning candidate. Other examples for which the reward points maybe redeemed include special profile icons and a higher membership status. However, applications of the reward points are not limited to such.
In this embodiment, the server device 900 is configured to present the remaining time of the voting event in a time-status region 6 of the webpage, and to present respectively a plurality of comments received from some of the participants in a plurality of comment-regions 7 of the webpage. In the example of
Referring to
Examples of the first and second candidates are described hereinafter. In a first example, the first and second candidates correspond to products from the same supplier. In a second example, the first and second candidates correspond to products from different suppliers. In a third example, the first and second candidates correspond to services from the same providers. In a fourth example, the first and second candidates correspond to services from different providers. It is to be noted that the first and second candidates are not limited to such.
Furthermore, under circumstances where the winning candidate may be availed of by other than the winning participants, non-winning participants and non-participating spectators of the voting event may also avail of the winning candidate. For example, in step e), the server device 900 may further presents the beneficial information to the non-winning participants and the non-participating spectators, in addition to the winning participants, after a predetermined delay time has elapsed. In addition, under circumstances where the voting event results in a draw, both the first and second candidates maybe availed of by the participants. Moreover, in other embodiments, the candidates may include more than two candidates. Throughout the voting event, statistical information may be gathered for analysis.
In another modification, the server device 900 may, in step e), further show a redeem-button 5c in the webpage that is clickable only by each of the participants and the spectators who may avail of the winning candidate so as to generate a corresponding entry in an offer-redemption database associated with the winning participant. The entries in the offer-redemption database maybe outputted for provision to the supplier (or the providers) of the winning candidate for reference during redemption of the product or the service to which the winning candidate corresponds.
Unlike the conventional post-transaction survey, the voting event according to the present invention is hosted before the occurrence of any transact ion. In other words, the voting event is a pre-transaction voting event. If the method of the present invention is employed in a scenario similar to the abovementioned scenario of ticket sale, by virtue of the pre-transaction nature, user preference for the gift to be associated can be identified prior to transaction and a more popular one of the alternative gifts can thus be identified for association with the tickets, resulting in more sales and higher user satisfaction.
It should be noted that the computing device may also take other forms, provided that the computing device is capable of performing the method of the present invention.
In summary, by performing the method of the present invention, the server device 900 conducts a voting event (i.e., a pre-transaction voting event) for measuring the level of user interest in each of the candidates associated with the voting event, such that a more popular one of the candidates (i.e. goods, services or combinations thereof) may be identified and made available for purchase or redemption by at least the winning participants, thereby improving sales and user satisfaction.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/827,524 filed on Mar. 14, 2013, claiming priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/615690, filed on Mar. 26, 2012.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61615690 | Mar 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13827524 | Mar 2013 | US |
Child | 14941697 | US |