Rewards Program Manager Centralizes Issuer Offer Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing complexity of rewards programs offered by credit card issuers makes it difficult to manage and track multiple programs, with challenges in initiating, running, and managing these programs efficiently.

Innovation Solution

A centralized online tool, the rewards program manager (RPM), allows business entities to register, manage, and review rewards programs, including generating customized offer elements, updating branding, and monitoring results, providing a self-service platform for creating and maintaining rewards programs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If issuers manually manage multiple rewards programs, then they can track program details, but the complexity and difficulty of management increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprogram tracking accuracyVSAvoidmanagement system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a centralized rewards program manager system that acts as an intermediary between issuers and multiple rewards programs. This manager consolidates program data, milestones, and tracking information in a single location, eliminating the need for issuers to manually manage each program separately while maintaining accurate tracking across all programs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The rewards program manager is designed as a universal system that can handle multiple different types of rewards programs simultaneously. It provides a unified interface and standardized processes for managing diverse programs, reducing the complexity that would otherwise arise from handling each program type separately.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If issuers increase the number of rewards programs offered, then consumer choice improves, but the difficulty of keeping track of programs increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprogram varietyVSAvoidprogram management ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the management of multiple rewards programs into organized, manageable units within a centralized platform. Each program can be individually configured and tracked while being part of a larger unified system, allowing issuers to offer diverse programs without being overwhelmed by the complexity of managing them all.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If issuers use traditional management methods, then implementation is simple, but efficiency and speed of program initiation decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimplementation simplicityVSAvoidprogram initiation speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The rewards program manager is pre-configured with templates, standard processes, and automated workflows that allow issuers to quickly initiate new programs. Common program elements are prepared in advance, reducing the time and effort required to launch new rewards programs while maintaining ease of implementation through the standardized interface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8682719B2Rewards program manager

Publication Date: 2014.03.25 VISA USA INC

AI summary

A method for managing rewards programs is disclosed. The method includes reviewing a plurality of offers from a plurality of merchants on a host site via the Internet. The offers are associated with rewards to consumers after the consumers use their portable consumer devices. An offer from the plurality of offers is selected and a customized offer element including the offer and an identifier of an issuer that selected the offer is generated.