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Title:
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INCENTIVIZING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2015/069901
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
Systems and methods for advertising and marketing goods and services through consumer behavior are provided. In a preferred method, a merchant of goods and/or services provides a potential incentive for consumer behavior, the consumer behavior is verified by the merchant, and the incentive is received by the consumer. For example, a merchant may offer a free product or service to a consumer that visits merchant's place of business, photographs a certain subject matter, and then shares the photograph with other people, such as by uploading the photograph through or to one or more social media services or websites. The sharing of the photograph may be confirmed by the merchant, manually or automatically, and the consumer then receives a redeemable certificate, which may be electronic, for the offered product or service.

Inventors:
KNAPP SETH A (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2014/064356
Publication Date:
May 14, 2015
Filing Date:
November 06, 2014
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
KNAPP SETH A (US)
International Classes:
G06Q30/02
Foreign References:
US20110029363A12011-02-03
US20130246147A12013-09-19
US20130053141A12013-02-28
US20130103462A12013-04-25
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
GALSTER, Garet K. et al. (S.C.PO Box 2661, Milwaukee WI, US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
I claim:

1. A method comprising the steps of: displaying an incentive on a user interface of a handheld electronic device, the incentive having been defined by a merchant;

displaying an instruction on the user interface, the instruction being a suggestion of performance of an act;

transmitting a photo from the handheld electronic device;

after transmitting the photo, associating a redeemable certificate with a repository account accessible by a software application installed on the handheld electronic device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the act comprises taking a photo using the handheld electronic device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the act comprises a physical act separate from the handheld electronic device.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction and incentive are displayed contemporaneously .

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step results in a copy of the photo being received at a second handheld electronic device.

Description:
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR

INCENTIVIZING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Background of the Invention

Systems and methods according to the present invention relate generally to advertising, marketing and sales of products and services, and more specifically to systems and methods to incentivize consumer behavior to publicize consumer experiences by way of electronic communication dissemination.

Many methods of advertising and marketing to increase sales are employed by business owners. Most prior advertising methods involve the use of one or more marketing intermediaries, such as third-party advertising agencies, publishers, printers, internet website owners or operators, and/or distribution companies. Often times, advertising dollars are expended without knowledge of impact.

One prior method of advertising, and likely the oldest, is word-of-mouth advertising. Generally, word-of-mouth advertising is post-consumer experience, and most commonly generated if a consumer has an especially fantastic experience, or an especially disappointing experience. However, word-of-mouth advertising is subject to human memory recall, and there are plenty of acceptable consumer experiences that could be advertised to a person' s business or social network to expand the reach of a consumer's ambassadorial rol merchant. Accordingly, there are presently missed opportunities for advertising and marketing, and a need exists for systems and methods to capture such opportunities .

Summary of the Invention

Embodiments according to the present invention incentivize consumer behavior to act in an ambassadorial role for businesses providing such incentives. According to the present invention, incentivized consumer experiences are captured and publicized, preferably virtually contemporaneously with occurrence.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of a method according to the present invention includes the steps of displaying an incentive and associated instruction on a handheld electronic device. The method further includes the step of transmitting a photo from the device and, thereafter, associating a redeemable certificate with a repository account accessible by a software application installed on the handheld electronic device .

According to another aspect of an embodiment of a method according to the present invention, the instruction relates to an act, which may include taking a photo using the handheld electronic device. Additionally or alternatively, the act may be a physical act separate and apart from the electronic device.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of a method according to the present invention, the instruction and incentive are displayed contemporaneously .

According to still another aspect of an embodiment of a method according to the present invention, the transmitting step results in a copy of the photo being received at a second handheld electronic device .

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of an electronic device including a user interface .

Figure 2A is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a home screen .

Figure 2B is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 2A with a human finger interacting with the user interface.

Figure 3 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a splash screen.

Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a sign-in screen.

Figure 5 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a sign-up screen.

Figure 6 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of an optional second sign-up screen.

Figure 7 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a login screen.

Figure 8 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a locating screen.

Figure 9 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a results screen.

Figure 10 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a merchant screen.

Figure 11 is a front elevation view embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of menu options .

Figure 12 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a user activity instruction screen.

Figure 13 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a consumer activity confirmation screen.

Figure 14 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a posting screen.

Figure 15 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a posting results screen.

Figure 16 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of an account status screen.

Figure 17 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a redemption screen.

Figure 18 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a redemption confirmation screen.

Figure 19 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a broadcast screen.

Figure 20 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a favorites screen.

Figure 21 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of an invitation screen.

Figure 22 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a settings screen.

Figure 23 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of an account settings screen.

Figure 24 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a password settings screen.

Figure 25 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1 displaying an embodiment of a search parameter screen.

Figure 26 is a flow chart of a method according to the present invention.

Figure 27 is a front elevation view of an internet capable electronic device displaying a consumer incentive definition screen.

Figure 28 is a front elevation view of an internet capable electronic device displaying a merchant post screen.

Figure 29 is a front elevation view of an internet capable electronic device displaying a push notification screen.

Figure 30 is a front elevation view of an internet capable electronic device displaying a demographics screen.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention.

Figure 1 provides an embodiment of an electronic handheld device 100 held in a human hand 2. The device 100 preferably is battery powered and has a user interface 102, which allows a user to information from and control at least some operation of the device 100. The device 100 preferably includes a microprocessor (not shown) , which facilitates the transfer of electronic data between the user interface and a communications interface, such as a far-field radio frequency (RF) interface (e.g., cellular modem), or a near-field RF interface (e.g., Bluetooth®), or a cabled interface (e.g. universal serial bus (USB)) . The device 100 preferably includes memory (not shown) , accessible by the microprocessor, and may include random access memory (RAM) and/or nonvolatile memory (e.g. flash memory) .

The user interface 102 may include a display screen 110, such as a touch screen (capacitive sensing display), as is known in the art. The user interface 102 may further include one or more hardware buttons 130, which may have permanent functionality, such as a power button. Additionally or alternatively, one or more hardware buttons 130 may have varying functionality, depending upon other aspects of the user interface 102, such as graphics displayed on the display 110, thereby rendering the hardware buttons 130 "softkeys."

Figure 2A depicts a home screen 20 of a user interface displayed on the screen 110 of the electronic device 100. The interface 20 includes a plurality of graphical representations or icons 200 available for selection by a user. A computer application according to the present invention may be launched by the selection of one of the icons 200, which may be achieved through a direct user interaction with the display 110 or through direct user interaction with one or more of the buttons 130. Figure 2B shows a finger 4 on a human hand 2 interacting with the capacitive display 110 on the device 100 to select an icon 202 to launch a computer application on the device 100 or to enter such application which may be running in the background.

After the computer application is launched or entered, a splash screen 300 may be displayed, such as that shown in Figure 3. The splash screen 300 may be static, and include a graphic 302, or it may be dynamic, such that there are words and/or images in motion displayed on the screen 110. The splash screen 300 may be displayed for a predetermined period of time, or for a period of time depending upon the operation of the software application. In other words, the splash screen 300 may be displayed for a set time, such as 3 seconds, regardless of the state of the software application. Additionally or alternatively, the splash screen 300 display may be controlled by application state. For instance, if the software application takes time to load data into working memory, or takes time to transmit and/or receive geolocation data, such as GPS data, then the splash screen 300 may be displayed until such activity is complete and the application is ready for user interaction.

A sign-in screen 304 is shown in Figure 4. This screen 304 is displayed to a user to indicate that the software application is ready for use. This screen may not be displayed upon startup of the application if, for example, the user was previously logged in, exited the application, and then re-entered the application. If this sign-in screen 304 is not displayed, then the user may be taken directly to a locating screen 346, a results screen 400, an account status screen 480, or favorites screen 518, as further described below. On the sign-in screen 304, one or more options may be provided to the user. A sign-up option 306 may be provided, intended to be used by users of the device 100 that have not previously established an account with the application. One or more login options 308, 310 may be provided for returning users. A first login option 308 may ut previous account association established by the user with another software application, such as a social network. A second login option 310 may utilize an application- specific login process, which may be used once the signup option 306, or optional internet sign-up process, has been used to establish a user account.

Figures 5 and 6 depict an embodiment of a sign-up process, which may be prompted by a user selection of the sign-up option 306. On a first sign-up screen 312, a user may be prompted to input (preferably by utilizing a user input mechanism such as a QWERTY keyboard 314 displayed on the screen 110) an e-mail address 316, define a password 318, confirm the password 320, and select a proceed option 322 to go to the next sign-up step. A step-back option 324 may also be provided to take the user back to the sign-in screen 304. A second, optional sign-up screen 326 is shown in Figure 6. This screen 326 may provide an opt-in or opt-out option 327 for selecting marketing preferences, and one or more demographic data fields, such as a male/female sex selector 328, an age input box 330, and/or a zip code input box 332, for example. To complete the sign-up process, a user may then select an option 334 to proceed. Data may be input into the demographic data fields by using a QWERTY keyboard 314, such as that shown in Figure 5, which may be displayed upon the user selection of one of the fields. Also provided on this optional, second sign-up screen 326 may be a step-back option 324 and/or a skip option 336. If a user selects the step-back option 324, the screen will return to whatever screen was previously displayed, namely the first sign-up screen 312 in this case. The skip option 336 allows a user to refrain from entering demographic data and complete the sign-up process. The sign-up process is completed by the computer application on the device 100 that acci network, such as the Internet, and registers in a remote database the e-mail address 316 and password entered 318 and confirmed 320 by the user. Also in the remote database, a repository account is established and associated with the user e-mail address 316.

Once a user is registered through the sign-up process just discussed, or another process by which a username (e.g. e-mail address) is associated with a password and a repository account created, a user may log into the application. Figure 7 provides an embodiment of a login screen 338, which may be displayed as a result of a user selecting the login option 310 from the sign-in screen 304. The login screen 338 includes prompts for a username 340, such as an e-mail address, and a password 342, which may be entered by using a displayed QWERTY keyboard 314. Once the username 340 and password 342 have been entered, a user may proceed to log in by selecting a login option 344. After the login process (and/or after the sign-up process previously described) a location process may occur manually or automatically and a locating screen 346 may be displayed to indicate that the computer application is searching for data. The locating screen 346 may include dynamic or static image elements 348. The location process generally involves access to a remote database to retrieve and display names of individuals or businesses within a predetermined geographical radius of the device 100. The located individuals or businesses may have registered and created consumer incentives to be displayed to a user through the software application running on the device 100, as more fully described below. Alternatively, after login and/or sign-up, some other screen may be displayed, such as the results screen 400, the account status screen 480, or the favorites screen 518, as further described below.

A results screen 400 is shown in Fi< This screen 400 is generated as a result of the locating process. The screen 400 preferably provides a list of merchants by name 402 (possibly with associated logo 404) that fit the search parameters specified by the user. The results are preferably organized in increasing distance 406 form the location of the device 100. Further, an indication 408 of a number of consumer incentives presently being offered by the respective merchant is displayed. A menu option 410 provides access to different features, as described below, and a relocate option 412 is provided to refresh search results. In this manner, a user may scroll through the search results to determine whether any desirable nearby merchant is offering any consumer incentives. If the user selects a merchant, the screen changes to a merchant screen 414, as shown in Figure 10. On the merchant screen 414, factual information about the selected merchant may be displayed, such as a map 416 of the geographical location of the merchant and contact information 418, such as postal address and/or telephone number, and/or a link to the merchant's website. Also on the merchant screen 414, there is preferably a list 420 of the consumer incentives presently being offered by the selected merchant. Each incentive in the list 420 preferably includes a title 422, a description 424, and an optional photograph or other image 426. The merchant screen 414 may further include a favorites tag 428, which will allow a user to add the respective merchant to a list of preferred merchants (e.g., a favorites list) that the user may wish to associate with his or her username to allow for quick access thereto. A menu option 410 provides access to different features, as described below, and a step-back option 324 will return the user to the results screen 400.

Figure 11 shows a menu screen that displayed if a user selects the menu option 410. The options displayed as a result of such selection may include a search option 430, an account status option 432, a favorites option 434, an invitation option 436 and an account settings option 438. The search option 430 allows a user to search for nearby merchants according to search parameters to be entered by a user, such as type of merchant (e.g. restaurant, tavern, etc.) or name of merchant, for examples. The account status option 432 directs the user to the account status screen 480, as more fully described below. The favorites option 434 allows a user to see a subset of merchants that have been tagged or otherwise indicated by the user as being preferred merchants that the user may want to access quickly. The invitation option 436 provides the user with the ability (through the invite screen 520, described below) to invite other people to download and use the software application for themselves. Finally, the settings option 438 will allow a user to manage his or her account settings through a settings screen 526, described below.

Referring again to Figure 10, if a user selects a consumer incentive from the list 420, the user may be taken to an incentive stepwise screen set, starting with a user activity instruction screen 440, as shown in Figure 12. On the user activity instruction screen 440, a user instruction 442 is textually displayed. The user instruction 442 may comprise the description 424 of the incentive selected from the list 420. The instruction 442 may be an instruction to the user of the device 100 to, for example, take a photo of any food item ordered from a merchant' s food menu (then post it to a social media website as next described) . Additionally or alternatively, the instruction 442 may include an instruction to physically perform sc

(e.g., standing on one leg near the merchant's signage, collecting items from around town, etc.) and then taking a photograph, preferably with the device 100, for confirmation of completion of the act, and posting it to social media. A user may proceed to the next step in the incentive process by selecting a next option 444 on the activity instruction screen 440, which may launch a photographic software application on the device 100 to allow the user to snap a photo to comply with the provided instruction 442 or to confirm compliance with the provided instruction 442. A user activity confirmation screen, such as that 448 shown in Figure 13, will request confirmation 452 of a photograph 450 to be selected by the user to complete the incentive process. The user may confirm the photo 450 by selecting a continue option 454. If the photo 450 is not desirable to the user, the user may select a cancel option 456, which will relaunch the camera software application so as to allow the taking of a subsequent photo, and the confirmation 452 will then be displayed again. After a photo confirmation has occurred, a posting screen 460 will be displayed, an example of which is shown in Figure 14. The posting screen 460 confirms the photo 462 to be publicized, displays an associated textual message 464, and provides a publication selection 466. The textual message 464 may be static or dynamic. In a preferred embodiment, the message 464 is static and was predetermined and approved by the merchant as described below. The publication selection 466 provides a user with options as to how the user would like to publish the photo 462 and message 464 to other people. There are several options, which may be defined by a respective merchant, and may even be governed by the terms of the incentive selected from the list 420. One option is to post the picture and text message 464 to one ( social media sites, such as FACEBOOK®, TWITTER®, and/or PINTEREST®. Another option may be to send a multimedia text message to all or some of the user's personal contact list that is maintained on the device. Once a user has made a publication selection 466, which may include multiple avenues of distribution, the user may select a post option 468, which will cause the photo 462 and text message 464 to be published according to the user's publication selection and/or the merchant's preferred publication methods. An optional posting results screen 472 may then be displayed to confirm to the user that the post that was created was transmitted to the selected publication avenue. As a result of the post, the consumer incentive selected from the list 420 is then deposited in the repository account associated with the active software application username as a redeemable certificate. Once the post is complete, a user may proceed to view the repository account contents or status or exit the software application. The status view or exit may occur automatically after selection of the post option 468, or the user may be presented with an option to view account status 476 or exit 478 the application.

An account status screen 480 is shown in Figure 16. This screen 480 depicts redeemable certificates that have been placed in the repository account associated with the active software application username and password. In other words, a list 482 of certificates available for redemption is provided. Each certificate displays the respective merchant name and title 484 and the distance 486 to the merchant from the present location of the device 100. Optionally, an expiry period 488 may be provided for one or more of the certificates, the passage of which will nullify the certificate, which is preferably then automa removed from the repository account. This period 488, as more fully described below, may be specified by the respective merchant. The list 482 may be sorted alphabetically by merchant name, by distance 486, or by expiry period 488, in increasing or decreasing alphanumeric order.

To redeem a certificate or value thereof, a user selects one of them from the list 482, which will bring up a redemption screen 490, as shown in Figure 17. The redemption screen 490 includes a copy of the photograph 492 that was posted by the user that caused the certificate to be associated therewith, and indications 494 of which publication avenues were used. The screen 490 may further include redemption instructions 496 and a redeem option 498. Upon selection of the redeem option 498, an optional redemption confirmation screen 500 may be displayed, as shown in Figure 18. The redemption confirmation screen 500 may be displayed to ask the user whether the user wishes to redeem 502, because the effect of redemption is removal of the certificate from the list 482 of available redeemable certificates. Accordingly, to proceed, the user may confirm 504 or cancel 506. If the user confirms redemption 504, the respective certificate will be removed from the user's repository account.

Figure 19 displays an embodiment of a broadcast screen 508. This optional screen may be displayed automatically after a user completes the posting screen 460, or in conjunction with the posting results screen 472, and may provide a plurality of broadcast options 510,512,514 for a user to publicize the fact that a new certificate was received by the user. A skip option 516 may be provided to allow a user to bypass the broadcast.

A favorites screen 518 is shown in Fig

This screen 518 may be accessed by a user selecting the favorites option 434 from the menu 410 previously described. In this view, merchant names 402 are listed with an associated geographical distance 406 from the device 100 and an associated numerical indication 408 of the number of potential incentives being offered by the merchant .

An invitation screen 520 is shown in Figure

21. This optional screen 520 may be accessed by a user selecting the invite option 436 from the menu 410 previously described. In this view, a plurality of invitation options 522,524 may be provided to enable the user to send an invitation to others through a social networking site 522 or through a personal contact address or phone number 524 stored on the device 100. The invitation would include a description and a hyperlink that would enable the recipient of the recipient of the invitation to download, install, and/or use the software application herein described with reference to Figures 1- 25.

A settings screen 526 is shown in Figure 22. This optional screen 520 may be accessed by a user selecting the settings option 438 from the menu 410 previously described. In this view, a user is provided options to manage account information associated with the user's username. A first account information option 528 will guide a user to an account settings screen 536 as shown in Figure 23. On this screen, basic information about the user account may be reviewed and edited, such as the user's given name 538, surname 540, and/or contact information such as e-mail address 542. A save option 544 will associate the data in the fields or options on the screen 536 with the user's username, and will return the user to the settings screen 526. A password option 530 provided on the settings screen 526 will gu user to a display of a password screen 546 as shown in Figure 24. Here, the user is prompted to enter the current, or old, password 548, a new password 550, and to confirm the new password 552. A save option 554 will associate the data in the fields or options on the screen 546 with the user's username, and will return the user to the settings screen 526. A search parameter option 532 provided on the settings screen 526 will guide the user to a display of a search parameter screen 556 as shown in Figure 25. The search parameter screen 556 may provide one or more search parameter fields 558 to alter the locating process. As shown, one parameter may be the search radius within which a user desires to search for potential consumer incentives. That is, the user may specify a geographical distance radius from the device 100 within which the user would like to view incentive location results. It is to be understood that the data entry in the settings screens, or elsewhere in the software application, may be carried out through the use of a QWERTY keyboard 314 as shown in Figure 5, for example .

A method according to the present invention is shown in Figure 26. In a first step 2610, potential incentives are received from, and as defined or approved by, a merchant. Potential incentives may be received in any number of ways, whether in writing, verbally, or as electronic submissions, such as by completion of an electronic information form on an Internet website. Potential incentives may be defined one-at-a-time or in groups. When specified, a potential incentive may be assigned an incentive identification number or other unique identifier.

Associated with the unique identifier may be one or more of the following: an image, such as a photograph or other artwork, title or terms of inc expiration date, redemption period, description, incentive steps, default post message, and a dissemination selection. Figure 27 depicts an electronic tillable form 1000 provided on an Internet website that a merchant may use to define a potential incentive for distribution. By selecting a first option 1010, a merchant may select an image, such as an electronic photograph or other artwork, to include and be associated with the potential incentive. The image may or may not be directly related to the redemption steps, described below .

In a title text input box 1020, the merchant may specify a title or nickname of a potential incentive. For example, the merchant may specify that the potential incentive, if redeemed by following the incentive steps, will provide a consumer with "10% off any [product] " where the product may be a foodstuff or sundry offered for sale by the merchant. Alternatively, rather than specify terms of the incentive, a title may be specified by the merchant, such as "Free Sandwich!" or "Check This Out!", the terms of which may then be specified in a "description" field, as described below.

In an optional expiration text input box 1030, a merchant may specify an expiration date, the end of which will deactivate the potential incentive and remove it from any incentives being offered to consumers. Optionally, a redemption period may be specified by the merchant in a period text input box 1040. The redemption period may be a predetermined time (e.g., number of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years) measured from the time that a potential incentive becomes a redeemable certificate associated with a consumer account. For instance, if a consumer executes the incentive steps prior to the expiration date 1030, the redeemable certificate created thereafter wi available for redemption through the consumer account for a time equal to the redemption period 1040.

A description text box 1050 may be provided for a merchant to further specify details of the potential incentive. The amount of information that may be entered into the description text box 1050 may be limited, such as by limiting the number of alpha-numeric characters that may be entered therein (e.g. 140 characters), which may be tailored to a particular electronic dissemination service or website. For example, if an electronic dissemination service (e.g., TWITTER®) has a limit on the number of alpha-numeric characters that may be transmitted in a single message using the service, then the description field may be so limited, if potential incentives are intended to be distributed through such service.

One or a plurality of incentive steps 1060 may be specified by a merchant. The incentive steps 1060 preferably include a requirement for a consumer to physically undertake some activity, more preferably at a particular location, and publicizing the activity or some representation thereof. Additionally, a record (e.g., text, photo, video, audio) of the consumer activity may be created and publicized. For example, as a first incentive step, a consumer may be required to take a photograph (e.g., with the consumer device 100) of an item at a merchant's place of business. Then, as another incentive step, the photograph may be publicized through one or more electronic dissemination services, such as TWITTER®, FACEBOOK®, PINTEREST®, etc. The merchant has the option of specifying a default message in a default message field 1070 and selecting one or more preferred dissemination or publication avenues or methods 1080. When the merchant has completed defining the potential incentive, an add option 1090 may be selected.

In a second step 2620, potential incentives are presented to a consumer by way of a consumer device 100, preferably an electronic, battery-operated device, such as a mobile telephone, laptop computer, tablet computer, or pager. The second step 2620 of presentation of potential incentives may be spurred by one or more of several triggering events. For instance, a consumer may search for merchants that are geographically proximate to the consumer that are offering potential incentives. Additionally or alternatively, a consumer may search for merchants of a particular type (parametric search) , and/or by using keywords that are entered by a consumer on the mobile device. Additionally or alternatively, potential incentives may be delivered to a consumer device after or upon the device 100 entering a certain geographical area. A system remote from the device 100 receives a request for information. The system calculates or is informed of the geolocation of the device 100 and determines consumer incentives offered by merchants within a geographical radius of the device 100. As described above, a listing of merchants and number of incentives is provided to the user.

In a third step 2630, the related potential incentive is associated with a user account as a redeemable certificate. This redeemable certificate is preferably associated with a username after confirmation or received representation of user compliance with incentive instructions. Such compliance may include an upload of a photograph and/or text information to an internet social media site. Such upload may be linked to a respective merchant account by the system.

In a fourth step 2640, a redemption instruction or request is received from a consumer or user device 100. This redemption instruction, once received, preferably causes a removal 2650

association of the respective redeemable certificate or incentive with the consumer's identification (username) by the application or system.

Turning now to Figures 28-30, other merchant displays are shown on an internet capable device. In Figure 28, a merchant post screen 1100 is shown. Generally, the merchant post screen 1100 includes a list 1110 of compliance confirmations associated with a respective merchant and/or incentive. The posts may include a photo 1120 or other compliance confirmation, a message 1130, a posted date 1140 and an optional ban option 1150 to allow a merchant to prevent the same user from posting additional posts to be associated with the merchant. This ban option 1150 may be especially useful if the message portion 1130 is not predetermined by the merchant, but rather allowed to be edited by a user during the posting process, previously described.

Figure 29 provides an optional notification screen 1200 that may be displayed to a merchant on an Internet capable device. The screen 1200 may display a balance of notifications 1210 available for a respective merchant (i.e., the merchant logged into the system) to send over a predetermined time period. For instance, a merchant may be allowed a predetermined number of notifications available to be sent to users every day, week, month, or year. A submit option 1230 is provided to disseminate the specified notification 1220. Notifications will be sent to all users that have selected or identified the merchant as a favorite (using favorite option 428) on their device 100. The merchant may specify a notification 1220 to be sent, such as a textual and/or graphical message, to be transmitted by e- mail or directed to or associated with the user accounts having favorited such merchant.

Figure 30 depicts an optional demog screen 1300 that may be displayed to a merchant on an Internet capable device. The merchant may be able to filter the demographic data the merchant would like to see, such as by limiting to a particular location 1310, such as by city or zip code. The merchant may also filter on demographic data of user characteristics 1320,1330,1340, such as selecting only those users who opted-in to receive marketing materials, or by restricting age results for females 1330 and/or males 1340. Once the demographic filter is set to the merchant's liking, a run report option 1350 will cause a report listing 1370 to appear on the screen 1300. The report listing 1370 may list all users that fall within the selected demographics, such as by listing the users' names, e-mail addresses, sexes, and ages. An export option 1360 may also be provided so as to allow a merchant to export the report listing 1370 to a desired file type, such as a comma-separated variable (CSV) file to be read and loaded into a spreadsheet or database .

As used herein, when referring to geolocation, or geographical location, of a device 100, it is generally understood that methods of geolocation are well known, and embodiments of the invention herein should not be limited to any particular type. Methods of geolocation include use of global positioning systems, cellular triangulation, and observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) .

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention.