Providing recommendations to customers

Abstract

Method, system, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed for providing recommendations to customers. Defining steps include establishing a connection with a customer's mobile device, obtaining information about the location of the customer's mobile device, determining recommended goods or services currently offered by one or more business locations, and outputting for display on the customer's mobile device a listing of the recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method for providing recommendations as a concierge service on behalf of a local recommending entity to a customer having a mobile device using a recommendation management system coupled over a network to the mobile device, comprising:
 storing in the recommendation management system a plurality of recommendations approved by respective recommending entities, the plurality of recommendations being for goods or services offered by a plurality of recommended businesses and approved by the respective recommending entities as recommendations for customers of the recommending entities;   obtaining information about a location of a customer's mobile device;   determining using a processor a local recommending entity from the respective recommending entities based on the location of the customer's mobile device;   determining recommended goods or services in the stored recommendations for goods or services offered by a plurality of recommended businesses at one or more different business locations and approved by the local recommending entity associated with the location of the customer's mobile device for display to customers as local recommendations; and   outputting for display as local recommendations on the customer's mobile device a listing of the recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory.   
     
     
         2 . The method recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 defining a list of recommendation categories or subcategories, each category or subcategory assigned to one or more goods or services currently offered by the plurality of recommended businesses at the one or more business locations.   
     
     
         3 . The method recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 defining a set of first authorized users, each first authorized user associated with a recommendation network that includes the local recommending entity and associated recommended businesses.   
     
     
         4 . The method recited in  claim 3 , further comprising:
 adding a recommended business to the recommendation network based on input received from one or more customers; and   associating the added recommended business with one or more categories or subcategories of goods or services.   
     
     
         5 . The method recited in  claim 4 , the adding further comprising:
 receiving input from a second authorized user providing information about a user-recommended business using an interactive console;   generating a request to add the user-recommended business to the recommendation network based on the input provided by the interactive console;   routing the request to add the user-recommended business to a first authorized user of the set of first authorized users of the recommendation management system; and   receiving a set of data approving or declining to approve the request to add the business from the first authorized user.   
     
     
         6 . The method recited in  claim 3 , further comprising:
 determining additional recommended goods or services offered by additional recommended businesses in the recommendation network according to relationships between the local recommending entity and the additional recommended businesses and representatively stored in the recommendation management system; and   outputting for display as local recommendations on the customer's mobile device an additional listing of the additional recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory.   
     
     
         7 . The method recited in  claim 6 , wherein the relationships comprise partnership agreements or promotion agreements. 
     
     
         8 . The method recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 ranking the recommended goods or services currently offered by the plurality of recommended businesses based on proximity to the location of the customer's mobile device.   
     
     
         9 . The method recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a selection from the customer's mobile device requesting a detailed display of information about a particular recommended good or service;   outputting for display on the customer's mobile device a detailed view of the selected recommended good or service alongside information about the corresponding recommended business.   
     
     
         10 . The method recited in  claim 1 , wherein the determining the local recommending entity from the respective recommending entities based on the location of the customer's mobile device comprises automatically determining the local recommending entity in response to receipt of information about a current location of the customer's mobile device obtained from a connection with the customer mobile device and proximity of the current location the customer's mobile device to a location of the local recommending entity. 
     
     
         11 . A recommendation management system for providing recommendations as a concierge service on behalf of a local recommending entity to a customer having a mobile device using a recommendation management system coupled over a network to the mobile device comprising:
 a database that store a plurality of recommendations approved by respective recommending entities, the plurality of recommendations being for goods or services offered by a plurality of recommended businesses and approved by the respective recommending entities as recommendations for customers of the recommending entities;   at least one processor configured to perform operations comprising:
 receiving information about the location of a customer's mobile device; 
 determining using a processor a local recommending entity from the respective recommending entities based on the location of the customer's mobile device; 
 determining recommended goods or services in the stored recommendations for goods or services offered by a plurality of recommended businesses at one or more different business locations and approved by the local recommending entity associated with the location of the customer's mobile device for display to customers as local recommendations; and 
 outputting for display as local recommendations on the customer's mobile device a listing of the recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system recited in  claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
 defining a list of recommendation categories or subcategories, each category or subcategory assigned to one or more goods or services currently offered by the plurality of recommended businesses at the one or more business locations.   
     
     
         13 . The system recited in  claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
 defining a set of first authorized users, each first authorized user associated with a recommendation network that includes the local recommending entity and associated recommended businesses.   
     
     
         14 . The system recited in  claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
 adding a recommended business to the recommendation network based on input received from one or more customers; and   associating the added recommended business with one or more categories or subcategories of goods or services.   
     
     
         15 . The system recited in  claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
 receiving input from a second authorized user providing information about a user-recommended business using an interactive console;   generating a request to add the user-recommended business to the recommendation network based on the input provided by the interactive console;   routing the request to add the user-recommended business to a first authorized user of the set of first authorized users of the recommendation management system; and   receiving a set of data approving or declining to approve the request to add the business from the first authorized user.   
     
     
         16 . The system recited in  claim 13 , further comprising:
 determining additional recommended goods or services offered by additional recommended businesses in the recommendation network according to relationships between the local recommending entity and the additional recommended businesses and representatively stored in the recommendation management system; and   outputting for display as local recommendations on the customer's mobile device an additional listing of the additional recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory.   
     
     
         17 . The system recited in  claim 16 , wherein the relationships comprise partnership agreements or promotion agreements. 
     
     
         18 . The system recited in  claim 11 , further comprising:
 ranking the recommended goods or services currently offered by the plurality of recommended businesses based on proximity to the location of the customer's mobile device.   
     
     
         19 . The system recited in  claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a selection from the customer's mobile device requesting a detailed display of information about a particular recommended good or service;   outputting for display on the customer's mobile device a detailed view of the selected recommended good or service alongside information about the corresponding recommended business.   
     
     
         20 . The system recited in  claim 11 , wherein the determining the local recommending entity from the respective recommending entities based on the location of the customer's mobile device comprises automatically determining the local recommending entity in response to receipt of information about a current location of the customer's mobile device obtained from a connection with the customer mobile device and proximity of the current location the customer's mobile device to a location of the local recommending entity. 
     
     
         21 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
 storing in the recommendation management system a plurality of recommendations approved by respective recommending entities, the plurality of recommendations being for goods or services offered by a plurality of recommended businesses and approved by the respective recommending entities as recommendations for customers of the recommending entities;   obtaining information about a location of a customer's mobile device;   determining using a processor a local recommending entity from the respective recommending entities based on the location of the customer's mobile device;   determining recommended goods or services in the stored recommendations for goods or services offered by a plurality of recommended businesses at one or more different business locations and approved by the local recommending entity associated with the location of the customer's mobile device for display to customers as local recommendations; and   outputting for display as local recommendations on the customer's mobile device a listing of the recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory.   
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 21 , the operations further comprising:
 defining a list of recommendation categories or subcategories, each category or subcategory assigned to one or more goods or services currently offered by the plurality of recommended businesses at the one or more business locations.   
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 21 , the operations further comprising:
 defining a set of first authorized users, each first authorized user associated with a recommendation network that includes the local recommending entity and associated recommended businesses.   
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 23 , the operations further comprising:
 adding a recommended business to the recommendation network based on input received from one or more customers; and   associating the added recommended business with one or more categories or subcategories of goods or services.   
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 24 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving input from a second authorized user providing information about a user-recommended business using an interactive console;   requesting to add the user-recommended business to the recommendation network based on the input provided by the interactive console;   routing the request to add the user-recommended business to a first authorized user of the set of first authorized users of the recommendation management system; and   receiving a set of data approving or declining to approve the request to add the business from the first authorized user.   
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 23 , the operations further comprising:
 determining additional recommended goods or services offered by additional recommended businesses in the recommendation network according to relationships between the local recommending entity and the additional recommended businesses and representatively stored in the recommendation management system; and   outputting for display as local recommendations on the customer's mobile device an additional listing of the additional recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory.   
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 26 , the operations further comprising:
 wherein the relationships comprise partnership agreements or promotion agreements.   
     
     
         28 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 21 , the operations further comprising:
 ranking the recommended goods or services currently offered by the plurality of recommended businesses based on proximity to the location of the customer's mobile device.   
     
     
         29 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 21 , the operations further comprising:
 receiving a selection from the customer's mobile device requesting a detailed display of information about a particular recommended good or service;   outputting for display on the customer's mobile device a detailed view of the selected recommended good or service alongside information about the corresponding recommended business.   
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium recited in  claim 21 , wherein the determining the local recommending entity from the respective recommending entities based on the location of the customer's mobile device comprises automatically determining the local recommending entity in response to receipt of information about a current location of the customer's mobile device obtained from a connection with the customer mobile device and proximity of the current location the customer's mobile device to a location of the local recommending entity.