The present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methods in the field of consumer communication. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methods in the field of consumer communication via allocation.
Meaningful consumer communications can assist in improving the consumer experience, but can also require labor-intensive efforts to ensure the meaningfulness of those communications. Indeed, poorly managed consumer communications can have a deleterious effect on the impression and/or experience of the consumer, whether by immediate or insidious effect. Moreover, timely and/or meaningful consumer communications can reinforce positive connections with consumers. Within the present disclosure, consumer communication allocation can be implemented to increase meaningfulness in consumer communications and/or to reduce improper communications for particular consumers.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of allocating communications for consumers may comprise obtaining consumer activity data at the consumer level and program level, designating a number of consumer communication campaigns concerning consumer features based on the consumer activity data at the consumer and program levels, entering consumer activity data at the consumer and program levels as inputs to one machine learning model for each determined consumer communication campaign, each machine learning model configured to determine a campaign consumer activation profile based on the entered consumer activity data. In some embodiments, the method may include assigning consumer communication campaigns for communication based on the determined campaign consumer activation profiles. The method may include communicating designated consumer communications with each consumer according to the assigned consumer communication campaign.
In some embodiments, assigning consumer communication campaigns may include aligning each campaign consumer activation profile across the consumer communication campaigns. Aligning may include entering the campaign consumer activation profiles as inputs to a valuation machine learning model to generate assembled consumer activation profiles. The assembled consumer activation profiles may include rescaling of each campaign consumer activation profile for equality between false positive ratios of each campaign consumer activation profile.
In some embodiments, the method may further comprise valuating each consumer according to each assembled consumer campaign profile to determine a best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer. Valuating each consumer may be conducted by the valuation machine learning model to generate the best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer based on a determination of the consumer interval value attributed for each consumer communication campaign, and assigning the consumer communication campaigns for communication may include assigning based on the best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer. In some embodiments, assigning based on the best-next consumer campaign allocation may include assigning to the consumer communication campaign identified as the best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer.
In some embodiments, each designated consumer communication for the consumer communication campaigns may be distinct. Each designated consumer communication of the consumer communication campaigns may include different consumer product information.
In some embodiments, the method may further include repeating at least the assigning, and the communicating. The method may further include repeating obtaining consumer activity data at at least one of the consumer and program levels. The method may further include repeating the designating. Repeating the designating may include adding at least one new consumer communication campaign.
In some embodiments, adding at least one new consumer communication campaign may include establishing a machine learning model for the at least one new consumer communication campaign. Determining a campaign consumer activation profile may include determining a likelihood of consumer activation for a given consumer communication campaign. The likelihood of consumer activation for a given consumer communication campaign may include a likelihood of consumer acceptance of a given communication according to the given consumer communication campaign. Assigning may include determining the likelihood of consumer activation for a given consumer communication campaign by the machine learning model for the given consumer communication campaign.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for allocating communications for consumers may comprise at least one processor for executing instructions stored on memory for conducting operations including: obtaining consumer activity data at the consumer level and the program level, designating a number of consumer communication campaigns concerning consumer features based on the consumer activity data at the consumer and program levels, entering consumer activity data at the consumer and program levels as inputs to one machine learning model for each determined consumer communication campaign, each machine learning model configured to determine a campaign consumer activation profile based on the entered consumer activity data. The operations may further include assigning the number of consumer communication campaigns for communication based on the determined campaign consumer activation profiles. In some embodiments, the system may include communications circuitry for communicating designated consumer communications with each consumer according to the assigned consumer communication campaign from the at least one processor.
In some embodiments, assigning operations may include aligning each campaign consumer activation profile across the consumer communication campaigns. The at least one processor may include a valuation machine learning model. Aligning may include entering the campaign consumer activation profiles as inputs to the valuation machine learning model to generate assembled consumer activation profiles. The assembled consumer activation profiles include rescaling of each campaign consumer activation profile for equality between false positive ratios of each campaign consumer activation profile.
In some embodiments, the method may further comprise valuating each consumer according to each valuation consumer campaign profile to determine a best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer. Valuating each consumer may be conducted by the valuation machine learning model to generate the best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer based on a determination of the consumer interval value attributed for each consumer communication campaign. Assigning the consumer communication campaigns for communication may include assigning consumers based on the best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer. Assigning based on the best-next consumer campaign allocation may include assigning the consumer communication campaign identified as the best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer.
In some embodiments, the method may include repeating the designating. Repeating the designating may include adding at least one new consumer communication campaign. Adding at least one new consumer communication campaign may include establishing a machine learning model for the at least one new consumer communication campaign.
These and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiments.
The concepts described in the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the accompanying figures. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference labels have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the present disclosure and the appended claims.
Group communications present nuanced challenges including rapid change in the suitability of previous communications. While updating communication information can generally provide timely delivery of relevant information to group members, a multitude of rapidly changing factors can influence the effect of the communication on the particular member receiving the communication. Yet, in the context of consumers, tailored communications can be labor intensive and/or can be inefficient in managing many hundreds, or even thousands, of consumers (customers) with diverse and/or changing subjective factors, e.g., changing needs or influences.
Allocating communications for consumers according to communication campaigns can reduce the degrees of variability in addressing the rapidly changing factors for consideration in providing preferred consumer communications. Such communication campaigns can enhance communications with consumers for one or both of the recipient and the provider. For example, by properly allocating communications for consumers according to consumer communication campaigns, the individual consumers can receive communications more appropriate to their needs, reducing less-relevant communication subject matter and/or reducing effort in discerning which communications are appropriate. Additionally, proper allocation can reduce the burden on the provider to conform communications to individual needs and/or desires, focus efforts on relevant subject matter, on an ongoing and/or timely basis.
In the context of continually changing grocery environment, rapidly changing aspects of inventory and/or consumers can require near constant adaptation of communications to consumers in order to properly and/or efficiently inform consumers regarding product aspects, such as availability, offerings, and/or branding. Yet, tailoring each communication for particular consumers can be challenging or can miss-the-mark for other consumers.
As suggested in
The consumer allocation system 12 can receive consumer activity data 16 for designating relevant consumer communication campaigns for the portfolio 14. The consumer allocation system 12 can determine consumer communication allocation for the various consumer communication campaigns based on campaign consumer activation profiles. For example, each consumer communication campaign can be assigned for communication with a particular group of consumers. The consumer allocation system 12 can designate the relevant consumer communication campaigns by selecting existing campaigns or establishing new campaigns, as discussed in additional detail herein.
Referring to
Consumer communication campaigns assigned for communication with a particular consumer can provide communications arranged by that campaign for the particular consumer. Such campaign-specific communications can be more tailored to the particular community of assigned consumers, increasing the relevancy of communications and/or decreasing the likelihood of irrelevant communications.
Referring now to
The valuation machine learning model 20 receives the campaign consumer activation profiles to provide assignment of each consumer communication campaigns for communication with particular consumers, such that each consumer is a recipient of an assigned consumer campaign profile. The valuation machine learning model 20 generates assembled consumer activation profiles 22 from each campaign consumer activation profile of the consumer communication campaigns. The assembled consumer activation profiles are generated by alignment between the campaign consumer activation profiles. Referring briefly to
Returning to
The valuation machine learning model 20 generates a best-next consumer campaign allocation for each consumer based on the valuation 24. The consumer allocation system 12 assigns each consumer to a consumer communication campaign based on the best-next consumer campaign allocation. In the illustrative embodiment, the best-next consumer campaign allocation is determined to be the greatest valuation as the greatest consumer spending per unit time attributable to a particular campaign consumer communication profile. In some embodiments, the valuations for individual assembled consumer activation profiles may be presented to a user for selection of the best-next consumer campaign allocation, for example, by a display of a user interface. In such embodiments, the user may consider the valuations, and can select the greatest or less than the greatest valuation as desired, for example, the second greatest valuation may be selected based on additional information.
Referring to
Returning briefly to
Referring to
In the illustrative embodiment, the consumer allocation system 12 obtains the activity data at the consumer level and program level, which can include combination data. The consumer level activity data illustratively includes duration (time) of the consumer as a consumer member, duration (time) of patronage, lifetime consumer expenditure, sectionalized expenditure history, and pre-campaign consumer history. Sectionalized expenditure can include the average, minimum, and/or maximum by patronage according to UPCs (universal product codes), product family, product section, and/or product department within one week, four weeks, eight weeks, six months, and/or lifetime before the presently assigned (or no assigned) campaign. Pre-campaign consumer history can include the consumer behavior (before designation into a campaign) within one week, four weeks, eight weeks, six months, and/or lifetime before the presently assigned (or no assigned) campaign.
The program level activity data can include coupon data. In the illustrative embodiment, the coupon data includes consumer behavior with respect to UPCs in the campaign communications across all customers. For example, such coupon data can include average spending amount per day, total spending, total tonnage of patronage, number of consumer trips to the store, number of weeks having shopped, and/or number of unique customers shopped with specific-coupon. Such coupon data can include coupon-related characteristics such as average coupon-savings, maximum coupon-savings, clip start date (electronic clip), clip end date (electronic unclip).
Combination data can include consumer behavior for a particular coupon within one week, four weeks, eight weeks, six months, and/or lifetime before the presently assigned (or no assigned) campaign, with respect to UPC, product family, product section, and/or product department in which the consumer communication campaign included coupons according to average spending per day, total spending, total tonnage of patronage, number of consumer trips to the store, number of weeks having shopped, last activity of consumer (concerning specific coupon), PPI (price per item), average basket size (when coupon redeemed), average basket value (when coupon redeemed), average, minimum, and/or maximum number of UPC, product family, product section, and/or product department shopped-within. Exemplary outcomes for generating features for the machine learning models 18 may include Redeem (1—redeem coupon, 0—not redeem), Clip (1—clip coupon, 0—not clip [electronic clipping]), Email open (1—opened, 0—unopened), Push notification (1—opened, 0—unopened).
In the illustrative embodiment, the consumer allocation system 12 determines the features for the machine learning models 18. The consumer allocation system 12 selects the highest impact features for development into the machine learning models 18, for example, according to their outcomes. Within the present disclosure, any suitable manner of feature selection may be applied, for example, random forest feature importance ranking. Consumer behavior can be determined by any suitable manner, for example, within a consumer loyalty program.
The consumer allocation system 12 can establish the machine learning models 18 based on the determined features. The consumer allocation system 12 illustratively builds and cross-validates the individual machine learning models 18 by one or both of random forest and XGBoost, although in some embodiments, the consumer allocation system 12 may apply any suitable manner of model, for example but without limitation, supervised, quasi-supervised, and/or unsupervised learning models, such as linear regression, logistic regression, decision tree, SVM, Naive Bayes, kNN, k-means, dimensionality reduction algorithms, gradient boosting algorithms (e.g., GBM, LightGBM, CatBoost) style models. Referring to
Returning briefly to
Referring now to
The consumer allocation system 12 can communicate with external systems and/or devices 38. For example, other servers or resources (e.g., physical, virtual, cloud, internet, intranet, etc.) may provide consumer activity data for use by the consumer allocation system 12. The machine learning models 18, 20 are illustratively implemented on processor 32, which may include one or more processors, but in some embodiments, may be implemented apart from the processor 32 as a semi-integrated or distinct system of execution in communication with the consumer allocation system 12.
While certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detail in the figures and the foregoing description, such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected. There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure a rising from the various features of the methods, systems, and articles described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the methods, systems, and articles of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the methods, systems, and articles that incorporate one or more of the features of the present disclosure.
This utility application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/309,279, entitled “CONSUMER ALLOCATION SYSTEM AND METHODS”, filed on Feb. 11, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63309279 | Feb 2022 | US |