Bonus Credit Assignment via Unique User Codes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bonus programs fail to accurately credit users in Life Science products and services, as they typically award bonuses to the invoice recipient rather than the actual user, and are inflexible, lacking consideration for factors like region, day, time, and product availability, leading to inefficient data collection and high costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that assigns unique codes to products, allowing users to enroll in a bonus program and input data directly, enabling direct bonus crediting to the user through a computer system, which processes and stores bonus credits based on these codes, facilitating accurate tracking and marketing insights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bonus-credits are awarded to the invoice recipient based on traditional loyalty programs, then the company can implement a simple bonus system, but the actual user of the product does not receive the bonus and brand loyalty cannot be effectively increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the identification of the actual user from the invoice recipient by introducing unique user codes and product codes that track the actual end-user through the distribution channel. This segmentation allows bonus credits to be accurately assigned to the actual user rather than the invoice recipient, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses unique codes (user codes and product codes) as digital representations or 'copies' that track the actual user through the distribution chain. These codes serve as surrogate identifiers that enable accurate bonus attribution without requiring direct contact between the company and the actual user at the point of sale, thus maintaining simplicity while improving accuracy.
2Loss of information
If the company collects detailed user data through multiple distribution channels, then valuable marketing data can be obtained, but the data input costs and administrative burdens increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by assigning unique user codes to customers before they purchase products, and encoding these codes on product packaging or documentation. This preliminary coding enables automatic or semi-automatic data capture at the point of sale, eliminating the need for manual data entry and reducing administrative burdens while maintaining complete user data tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the actual user to directly interact with the company through pre-printed user codes on product packaging. Users can independently register, track their purchases, and receive bonus credits without requiring extensive manual processing by the company, thus improving data input efficiency while maintaining data completeness.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional bonus programs are applied to Life Science products, then existing systems can be used, but the bonus is credited to the purchaser rather than the actual user since purchasers and users are typically different individuals
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by introducing specific tracking mechanisms (unique user codes and product codes) at critical points in the distribution chain, particularly on product packaging and documentation that reach the actual user. This localized approach enables precise identification of the actual user without requiring complete restructuring of the entire bonus program, thus maintaining flexibility while improving user identification accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and a system for identifying, recording and processing data relating to a recipient and user of products and services obtained from a company, which runs a bonus program. In particular, he present method comprises assigning a code to products, that is transferred upon ordering the products into bonus-credits and is saved in the account of the user.