Virtual Shopping Mall for Direct Ad Attribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for measuring the effectiveness of Internet advertising are indirect and lack direct attribution of sales, resulting in Internet ads generating less than a tenth of the revenue compared to traditional media, and there is a need to enhance the ability to measure advertising effectiveness in a mobile environment.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows viewers to select and purchase items or services directly from media content, using markers and URLs within streaming data to enable immediate purchase options, virtual shopping malls, and m-commerce capabilities, while providing information and supplemental details on merchandise, thereby creating a direct revenue stream for content providers and advertisers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Internet advertising uses traditional counting methods to measure effectiveness, then implementation is simple, but measurement precision is low and cannot directly attribute sales
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces virtual shopping carts and virtual shopping malls as intermediary systems between advertisers and consumers. These intermediaries track user interactions with advertisements, capture purchase intent, and attribute sales directly to specific ads, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring complex direct tracking infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where advertising effectiveness data is continuously collected through virtual shopping cart interactions and purchase tracking, then fed back to advertisers and content providers. This feedback mechanism enables precise measurement and optimization of ad performance while maintaining system simplicity through automated data collection and reporting
2Productivity
If Internet advertising generates less revenue compared to traditional media, then advertising effectiveness is low, but implementing direct purchase integration increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges advertising delivery, product information display, and purchase facilitation into an integrated virtual shopping mall system. By combining these functions that were previously separate (ads on websites, product catalogs, e-commerce platforms), the system enables direct revenue generation from advertisements while managing complexity through unified architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual shopping mall system performs multiple functions: it serves as an advertising platform, a product information repository, a virtual retail space, and a transaction processing system. This multi-functionality allows a single system to drive advertising revenue while reducing the need for separate complex systems for each function
3Quantity of substance
If limited ads are featured on DVDs and movie-on-demand, then content quality is maintained, but advertising reach and potential revenue are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions advertising from the traditional linear format (limited ads before/during movies) to a multi-dimensional virtual shopping mall environment. Users can browse multiple product categories, view detailed information, and make purchases throughout the viewing experience, effectively expanding advertising capacity from a single dimension (time-based ad slots) to multiple dimensions (product categories, information depth, interaction opportunities)
Data Source
AI summary
As a movie/television show, etc. is being watched, a viewer is able to purchase items viewed during a presentation. A viewer may stop the presentation either to purchase merchandise or services or alternatively, save items for later in a “virtual group shopping mall.” A voice or written message may be added to allow more content to be placed with each saved item. A group may be identified and given access to the virtual shopping mall. This enables members of the group, such as friends, to see shopping preferences of others in a group. Further, shopping lists may be generated for group members based upon items placed in the virtual mall, thereby enabling a list of “must haves” for the group. Purchases may be made using M-commerce or a potential purchaser may be directed to a store having a product or service desired for purchase.