System and method for managing and redeeming offers with a location-based service

Abstract

A location-based service is provided that may be integrated with venue systems, credit card processing systems, and/or loyalty systems for purposes of increasing the likelihood that offers will be accepted and sales of products and services will be made. Such a system according to various embodiments may leverage a social network of the user, and extend particular brand loyalties throughout the social network. That is, certain offers may be passed among users of the social network, permitting others to take advantage of offers thereby increasing the brand awareness and loyalty of particular venues. Further, according to certain embodiments, because an offer management and redemption system may be integrated with a location-based service, offers may be extended at or near the venue location. To this end, users may be provided one or more tools for accepting, purchasing and/or redeeming offers.

1 . A method for processing an offer, the method comprising acts of:
 receiving, in a distributed computer system of a location-based service, a location of a mobile device associated with the user;   determining a location-based service identity of the user;   defining, in the distributed computer system of a location-based service, a plurality of offers that may be accepted by users of the location-based service; and   responsive to the received location and parameters associated with the location-based service identity of the user, targeting at least one of the plurality of offers to the user.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining a social relation of the user to one or more other users in a social network. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining an interest of the one or more other users in the social network. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining a rating of the at least one offer by the one or more other users in the social network. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the act of targeting is responsive to an act of determining a popularity of the at least one offer. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the act of targeting is responsive to the user activating a selection indicating that the user desires to receive targeted offers. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of offers is received from a third party offer service. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of offers is defined by a venue operator within a management interface of the location-based service. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of offers is received from an external system via an API of the location-based service. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising acts of determining a ranking of the plurality of offers and displaying, in the interface of the mobile device, the determined ranking of the plurality of offers. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the act of determining a ranking is responsive to an act of determining a relation of the user to one or more other entities defined within a social network. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the act of determining a ranking of the plurality of offers is responsive to an act of determining an action or relation of the one or more other entities within the social network to at least one of the plurality of offers. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the act of determining a ranking is responsive to an act of determining one or more parameters relating to the user. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the one or more parameters includes at least one of a group comprising:
 loyalty metrics relating to the user;   behavioral information of the user;   purchasing behavior of the user;   offer acceptance information relating to the user; and   demographic information relating to the user.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the ranking is determined, at least in part, based on a location of the mobile device associated with the user and respective locations of venues associated with the plurality of offers. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising an act of determining that the determined location of the mobile device is proximate to a venue at which at least one of the plurality of offers may be accepted.