Loyalty Group Management at Point-of-Sale Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in accessing and utilizing their loyalty points across communication systems, particularly at point-of-sale transactions, due to complex management and limited accessibility of loyalty programs.
Innovation Solution
A merchant loyalty application that manages user loyalty points by creating loyalty groups, determining membership types based on user details, and facilitating the sharing and upgrading of loyalty points through a payment system interface, allowing merchants and group members to access relevant user information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If loyalty programs allow customers to accumulate loyalty points, then customer engagement and repeat purchases increase, but accessibility and ease of using loyalty points at point-of-sale decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments loyalty points into different types (store-specific points and transferable points) and organizes them into loyalty groups. This segmentation allows the system to manage different point types separately while providing unified access at point-of-sale, resolving the contradiction between complex management and ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a payment system as an intermediary between the loyalty program and point-of-sale systems. This intermediary handles the complexity of loyalty point management, transferability checks, and redemption processes, allowing customers to access and use loyalty points easily at point-of-sale without dealing with the underlying complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If loyalty points are made transferable between users, then flexibility and customer satisfaction increase, but system complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal loyalty point system where points can function both as store-specific rewards and as transferable assets. The system handles multiple functions (accumulation, transfer, redemption, gifting) through a unified framework, reducing overall system complexity despite the versatility of point transferability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary actions by establishing loyalty groups and pre-configuring transferability rules before transactions occur. This allows the system to handle complex transferability logic in advance, simplifying real-time operations at point-of-sale and reducing management complexity during actual use.
3Adaptability or versatility
If user details are made accessible for loyalty group management, then personalization and targeted promotions improve, but privacy concerns and security requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different levels of data accessibility for different users and purposes. User details can be selectively shared within loyalty groups for personalization while maintaining privacy controls. The system tailors data access permissions locally for each user and transaction context, enabling personalization without compromising overall security.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing loyalty groups at point-of-sale (POS) accesses is discussed. The method includes determining that a user account is a member of a loyalty group, responsive to determining that a user device of the user account is used at merchant's POS. The method includes determining a loyalty membership type for the user account that indicates whether user details of the user account are accessible by the merchant. The method includes determining another user account from the loyalty group, the loyalty membership type further indicating whether the user details are accessible by the another user account. The method includes determining whether the loyalty membership type for the user account can be upgraded, and if so, providing communication to the user device to cause a user interface of the user device to display a prompt for providing access to additional user details to upgrade the loyalty membership type.