1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to e-commerce, and more particularly to an e-commerce website wherein visitors to the site are provided incentives to visit websites of participating merchants.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wide range of e-commerce systems with rewards and incentives have been established and used in retail stores, sales outlets, on line virtual stores, and the like. However, the problem remains that consumers are bombarded with promotional reward systems that do not capture their attention for very long. It would be desirable to provide an incentive to consumers that captures their attention over a sustained period of time, measured in weeks, months, and even years. Such consumer loyalty is coveted by merchants throughout the “brick and mortar” as well as virtual on-line world of commerce.
Thus, an e-commerce website solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The e-commerce website provides online content having incentives that motivate consumers to select affiliated vendors. More specifically, this invention provides linked rewards to site visitors wherein the site visitors may purchase goods and services online through the website, a telephone network or a Wi-Fi network, or at participating local merchants' “Brick and Mortar locations”, which allow them to earn rewards points or credits. After making purchases, customers may view their purchase history and receive credit based on purchase amounts. Credits may be used to enter a sweepstakes or other games involving an element of chance. Visitors to the website who prefer to conduct business at a local vendor can access the website to click a link to the local vendor's web page.
After completing their purchases at the “Brick and Mortar” location consumers receive scratch cards from the vendor. A consumer who logs back onto the e-commerce website enters a number revealed by scratching off the card. Additionally, the consumer's account is credited, based on the purchases made. The consumer may then use these credits to enter a game of chance, such as a sweepstakes. The sweepstakes operates in a lottery-style play, wherein the consumer picks a desired set of digits using a lottery play slip. The available numbers may correspond to a scheduled state drawing to ensure integrity. The aforementioned exemplary game provides a method of promoting product brands and customer loyalty to retail stores, wholesale stores, store chains, and the like.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The e-commerce website provides online accounts from which vendors can be chosen by consumers. After making purchases at affiliated merchant establishments (virtual or “brick and mortar”), customers may view a history of their purchases and receive credit based on purchase amounts. Credits are stored electronically and may be used to enter a sweepstakes or other game. Consumers who prefer to make purchases at a local vendor can access the website to click a link to the local vendor's web page. After completing their purchases, consumers receive scratch cards from the vendor.
A consumer who logs back onto the e-commerce website enters a promotion identifying number revealed by scratching off the card. Additionally, the consumer's account is credited based on the purchases made. The consumer may then use these credits to enter e.g., a sweepstakes. The sweepstakes operates in a lottery style play wherein the consumer picks (or has the system pick) a set of digits using a lottery play slip. The available numbers may correspond to a scheduled state drawing to ensure integrity.
As shown in
The system is preferably implemented as an e-commerce website that provides incentives for visitors to click through to affiliate merchants' websites over the Internet. It should be understood that persons having ordinary skill in the art are well aware of a variety of technologies and methodologies that can be used to implement interconnection of game control server running on host computer 20 to a consumer's computer 30 via the Internet or any other network thereby enabling consumer access to merchant websites via links accessible from host 20 of the game control server. The system 10 accepts, and preferably requires the consumer to enter personal identification information. As shown in
As shown in
The consumer can use the issued credits to enter any of a plurality of games, such as the exemplary games 300 shown in
After shopping has been completed and the consumer has received one or more scratch tickets, the consumer can again access his/her personal account and enter a promotion identifying code that is revealed when the appropriate area is scratched off each ticket. A corresponding number of electronic credits are awarded to the consumer's account.
The system 10 allows the consumer to exchange earned credits for game play, such as a lotto-type game, a multi-digit lottery game, (e.g., a three-digit, four-digit, or seven-digit lottery game), a poker game, a pai gow game, or the like. The consumer may play a currently scheduled game or choose to play a future, unscheduled game. The system 10 automatically enters the consumer in the next game when the next game's scheduling becomes known.
As shown in
If those numbers match, the system 10 notifies the consumer via email that the consumer has won a cash or merchandise prize. On workstation 40, new games can be entered with the date the winning numbers will be chosen. The administrator can print out game results and a variety of reports on printer 50. A list of registered players can be viewed at any time. Moreover, the administrator, using admin computer 40, may specify a quantity of numbers, the numbers being used to create the scratch cards. When winning numbers are chosen, they are entered into the database of server 20, and anyone that played during a particular game will be marked as either a winner or loser. Winners will receive a notification e-mail.
One or more state lottery TV drawings can be used as the random number drawing for the lotto-type sweepstakes. The system 10 uses an independent and audited third party company to draw any lotto games being played that are not derived from a state or other independent lottery drawing. In a preferred version of the lotto game, an electronic play slip showing the logos of the participating merchants may be provided in addition to or in lieu of displaying numbers.
In this case, a table look-up is used to convert the drawn numbers entered by the site administrator into the appropriate merchant logos. If winners subsequently use their winnings from this game to purchase merchandise at the participating merchants they selected for the game, they are awarded double credits and given a cash rebate.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.