Semi-Opaque Bundle Offers for Trust-Preserving Discount Sales
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current opaque sales methods in industries like travel often lead to customer distrust and reduced sales of excess inventory due to the lack of transparency, while semi-opaque methods are needed to increase sales without alienating full-price customers.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for conducting semi-opaque sales that discloses details of potential items but does not reveal which item will be purchased until after commitment, using real-time data to identify comparable items and present them alongside a discount item, allowing users to make informed decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If opaque sales methods are used to sell excess inventory at discounted rates, then productivity increases, but reliability decreases due to customer distrust
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a semi-opaque sales method that acts as an intermediary between fully opaque and fully transparent sales. It provides partial information disclosure (showing item categories, price ranges, and general features) while maintaining some opacity (withholding specific item identification until after purchase). This intermediary approach resolves the contradiction by building customer trust through transparency while still enabling discounted excess inventory sales.
2Reliability
If fully transparent item details are disclosed before purchase, then reliability increases, but productivity decreases due to reduced incentive for full-price purchases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of information disclosure to different customer segments. For discount seekers, it provides sufficient information (category, features, price) to build trust. For price-insensitive customers, it maintains opacity to preserve the perceived value of full-price purchases. This localized information strategy resolves the contradiction between trust-building and revenue maximization.
3Reliability
If rate parity is enforced across all sales channels, then reliability increases, but device complexity increases due to multiple sales channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments sales channels into direct full-price channels and third-party discounted channels, allowing rate differentiation while maintaining rate parity within each segment. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling complex multi-channel sales without requiring uniform pricing across all channels, thus reducing management complexity while maintaining reliability within segments.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for semi-opaque sales with bundles of items. An example bundle can include hotel lodging and a bonus service, status, or item associated with that hotel. An system can identify a first bundle of a first base and bonus item, and a second bundle of a second base and bonus item. The system can present a semi-opaque offer comprising the first bundle, the second bundle, and a discount price, wherein the semi-opaque offer does not identify which of the first bundle and the second bundle will be sold at the discount price to the user upon acceptance of the semi-opaque offer, and wherein the discount price is a full price of the first base item. After receiving acceptance of the semi-opaque offer from the user, the system can disclose that the user has purchased the first bundle at the discount price.