Groupon, Inc.

Bytedance Inc.

Shafiq Shariff

Derek Nordquist

Logan Tyler Jennings

Rajesh Girish Parekh

Jeffrey Alan Holden

Gregory Joseph Conklin

Gaston L'Huillier

Kavita Kochar

Mechie Nkengla

Nathaniel Blake Scholl

Jeffrey M Ayars

Mike Aparicio

John C Kim

Bob Beaty

Jadam Kahn

Matt DeLand

David Crawford

Michael Hines

Brian Mullins

Alison Allgor

Naresh Dhiman

Todd Webb

Amit Koren

Zahra Ferdowsi

Feili Hou

Stephen Lang

John Stokvis

Nolan Finn

Tyler Jennings

Kris Urie

Francisco Jose Larrain

Shawn Ryan Jeffery

Raju Balakrishnan

Kamson Lai

Latife Genc-Kaya

Christopher Powers

Stephen Wooten

Adam Geitgey

Marcus Sacco

Natalia Corominas

Will Megson

Igor Polevoy

Bodaniel Jeanes

Kevin Baribeau

Cristian Orellana

Joe Banks

Sergey Varaksin

Dmitrii Abramov

Artem Ignatyev

Nathan Koch

Tanya Koshy

Lori Kaplan

Sridatta Viswanath

Michael Busch

John Kim

Gregory J Conklin

Joseph E Banks

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for managing a sales pipeline, and in some embodiments, generating demand based on real time demand and predicted demand. An example method comprises generating a virtual promotion, wherein the virtual promotion comprises a combination of a category or sub-category, a location, and a price range, calculating a probability that a particular consumer would buy the virtual offer in a predetermined time period, wherein the probability is generated at least based on historical data related to the particular consumer and one or more related consumers, determining an estimated number of units to be sold for the virtual offer as a function of at least the probability, the estimated number of units representing a predicted demand, calculating a real time demand, wherein the real time demand is generated based on a plurality of generated identification pairs for the predetermined time period, and determining, using a processor, total demand by summing the predicted demand and the real time demand.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for forecasting demand using real time demand

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for calculating closing metrics regarding a contract between a promotion service and provider. A promotional system may calculate a probability of closing, and an estimated time to close. The promotion service may offer a promotion to consumers for a discounted product or service, to be honored by the provider. A category, lead source, historical data, stage in sales, and/or size of the provider may be used in calculating a probability of close and/or time to close. An example method may comprise supplying a classifying model with a dataset, wherein the dataset comprises an identification of a provider and attributes corresponding to the provider and identifying a class of the provider in accordance with the plurality of corresponding attributes, wherein the identification is determined based on one or more patterns determinative of a return rate by the classifying model.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for determining closing metrics

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for managing a sales pipeline, and in some embodiments, calculating supply based on travel propensity. An example method comprises identifying a total demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location, determining, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion tuple comprising at least a category, price information and a geographic area, identifying one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple, determining whether the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied, wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which the geographic location is within the promotion area for the one or more promotions, and identifying a demand gap in an instance in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for calculating a supply based on travel propensity

Techniques are described for providing location-based information and functionality to people and computing devices in various ways. In at least some situations, the techniques include enabling multiple people in a common geographic area to interact in various ways, such as via devices capable of communications (e.g., cellular telephones, computing devices with wired and/or wireless communications capabilities, etc.), while in other situations at least some users who are remote from a particular geographic area may be allowed to intercommunicate with one or more other users or other entities in or related to that geographic area. In addition, the techniques include enabling the creation and maintenance of location-based virtual groups of users (also referred to as 'clouds'), such as for users of mobile and/or fixed-location devices. Such clouds may enable various types of interactions between group members, and may be temporary and/or mobile.

Method and system for enabling the creation and maintenance of proximity-related user groups

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for mobile location based sales lead identification. Sales lead information may be provided based on a reference location, such as a sales resource real time location. Additional location information, demand information, competitive information, activity history, follow-up tasks, sales resource ownership information and past promotions relating to a particular sales lead may be additionally provided. The mobile location based sales lead information may allow a sales resource to efficiently manage their time during and in between sales visits, and prepare effective sales pitches to sales leads.

System and method for real-time promotional demand management utilizing mobile e-commerce sales leads

The unified payment system, product and method provide an effective and efficient way to better communicate to a merchant the value of running a promotion and determine a deal structure that works for the merchant, the customer, the promotion system, or any combination thereof. The unified payment system, product and method provide real-time ROI calculations that a merchant and sales representative can collaboratively simultaneously work on to identify a deal structure for the merchant to select. In this way, the merchant and sales representative may arrive at a mutually acceptable payment plan.

Unified payment and return on investment system

System, methods, and computer program products are provided herein for supporting electronic testing. An example of a method includes receiving a first electronic inquiry, determining parameters of the market analysis test based at least in part on the first electronic inquiry, determining a first configuration change for at least one first merchant device based at least in part on the parameters of the market analysis test, transmitting the first configuration change to the at least one first merchant device to initiate a change in configuration of the at least one first merchant device, receiving electronic marketing information comprising first electronic data related to the first configuration change, determining a correlation between at least one of the parameters of the market analysis test and the electronic marketing information, and transmitting an electronic notification of the correlation to a first merchant associated with the at least one first merchant device.

Method and apparatus for providing automated market analysis testing

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for forecasting demand. An example method comprises generating a virtual offer for one or more combinations of a category or sub-category, location, and price range, accessing consumer data comprising one or more users and user data related to each of the one or more users, calculating a probability that a particular user would buy a particular offer in a particular time frame for at least a portion of the plurality of users and for each of the virtual offers, and determining an estimated number of units of to be sold for at least a portion of the one or more virtual offers as a function of at least the probability associated with each of the one or more virtual offers.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for forecasting demand

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for improving merchant outreach campaigns by a promotion and marketing service. An example apparatus includes content harvest circuitry, segmentation circuitry, trigger detection circuitry, and campaign generation circuitry. The content harvesting circuitry may include hardware configured to retrieve electronic marketing information, business analytic data, and sales intelligence data. The segmentation circuitry may include hardware configured to determine merchant segmentation criteria, and to classify merchants into segments based on the merchant segmentation criteria. The trigger detection circuitry may include hardware configured to identify occurrence of a triggering event. The campaign generation circuitry may include hardware configured to design a merchant outreach campaign based on the sales intelligence data and, in response to identification of a triggering event by the triggering detection circuitry, to transmit merchant-specific correspondence in accordance with the merchant outreach campaign.

Method and apparatus for automated merchant acquisition

Techniques are described for facilitating the awarding of prizes in chance-based contests in various ways, such as chance-based contests which are part of promotional advertising, etc. In at least some embodiments, the techniques include facilitating the awarding of prizes at the time a contestant enter or plays the contests, while awarding a selected number of prizes, which may be determined before the contest starts. In at least some embodiments, the techniques include employing an award counter to control awarding of prizes in a chance-based contest. For example, an award counter may be incremented at random or pseudo-random times. In at least some embodiments, the contest is associated with a location-based virtual group of users that has one or more associated geographical areas.

Dynamic awarding of prizes in chance-based contests

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for identifying a service need via a promotional system, and offering the service need to a third party. Promotions may be offered via a promotional system for a consumer to purchase in exchange for a discounted product or service from a provider. Demand information, which may be collected based on promotions and/or other sources. A residual demand may be calculated based on the demand information and available inventory. The residual demand may be utilized to identify a service need. The service need may be identified in a geographic area having a similar demographic to a geographic area having an associated successful promotion. A service need may be provided to a third party or provider, and may indicate the need for a new business or expansion of a current business.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for identifying a business need via a promotional system

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for generating a promotion structure. The method includes receiving an indication of a service offered by a merchant and presenting one or more tiles based on one or more promotion option structures, wherein each tile includes at least one option and a descriptor associated with each included option. The method further includes receiving one or more selections, and generating, by a processor, the promotion structure based on the received one or more selections. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

Automated deal guide user interface

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

Shafiq Shariff