Linking POS Purchases to Membership via Payment Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retailers face challenges in automatically tracking purchases made by customers and linking them to shopper membership accounts without requiring customers to provide identification at the point-of-sale, which complicates the association of purchase histories with customer accounts.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that associate electronic payment systems with unique enterprise membership service identification codes, allowing for automatic storage of purchase information in customer-specific purchase histories when an electronic payment system is used for a transaction, eliminating the need for manual identification by linking the payment system to the customer's membership account.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If customers provide identification at the point-of-sale to link purchases to membership accounts, then purchase tracking accuracy is improved, but customer convenience and transaction speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically linking purchases to membership accounts through electronic payment system recognition. The database autonomously matches payment information with customer profiles without requiring customer action, thereby maintaining purchase tracking accuracy while eliminating manual identification steps and enhancing customer convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual identification (customers physically presenting ID or manually entering information) with an automated electronic system. The processor automatically recognizes electronic payment systems, queries the database for matching membership accounts, and links purchases without physical customer intervention, thus improving both accuracy and convenience.
2Reliability
If manual identification processes are implemented at point-of-sale, then customer account linkage reliability is improved, but transaction processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing the database of electronic payment systems and their corresponding membership account associations before transactions occur. During actual transactions, the processor simply queries this pre-configured database using the electronic payment information, ensuring reliable account linkage while minimizing transaction time since the matching logic is already prepared.
3Extent of automation
If electronic payment system recognition is implemented, then automatic purchase tracking is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The database is designed with multi-functionality to store and manage multiple types of electronic payment system information and their corresponding membership account data. This universal database structure can handle various payment methods (credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets) through a unified recognition and matching process, achieving automatic purchase tracking without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method that links point-of-sale purchases to shopper membership accounts includes a database in which each of one or more electronic payment systems specified by a customer is associated with one of a plurality of enterprise membership service identification codes stored in the database that uniquely identifies the customer as one of a plurality of shopper members of an enterprise membership service program associated with a retail enterprise. In response to tender of an electronic payment system to the point-of-sale system as part of a transaction for the purchase of items, information about the items is stored in one of a plurality of purchase histories that is associated with the one of the plurality of enterprise membership service identification codes that is associated with one of at least two specified electronic payment systems that matches the tendered electronic payment system.