Architecture and methods for generating intelligent offers with dynamic base prices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for generating intelligent offers with base prices are provided. In one embodiment, a promotion generator receives a current product base price, and also receives or calculates a remaining promotional program budget, a remaining promotional program duration, and a minimum discounted price for the product using the current product base price and any available previous base price data for the promoted product, creating or updating a predictive model of future product base prices.

1 . A computer-implemented method for calculating a price for a product, the method comprising:
 calculating cost of promotion as a budget for a time period t equal to unit sales during the time period t multiplied by a base price for the time period t multiplied by a discount percentage for the time period t, wherein the base price for any given time period t differs from another given time period t; and   managing the discount percentage for each time period t to ensure a sum of the cost of promotion over n time periods does not exceed a total budget and any given discount percentage does not drop below a minimum threshold.   
     
     
         2 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  further comprising calculating total sales of promoted product by summing over n time periods the unit sales during the time period t. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the discount percentage is calculated by a predictive technique and at least one optimization technique. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 12  wherein the predictive technique includes at least one of Markov chains and machine learning. 
     
     
         14 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 12  wherein the at least one optimization technique includes at least one of combinatorial optimizations and linear programming. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  wherein the base price for any given time period t is a function of commodity price fluctuation. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  further comprising calculating a net price for a given time period t as one minus the discount percentage for time period t multiplied by the base price for time period t. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 16  further comprising ensuring the net price for any given time period t is greater than a minimum price threshold. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17  further comprising calculating a second optimized percentage discount subject to the minimum price threshold. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1  further comprising deploying a promotion using the discount percentage over the n time periods. 
     
     
         20 . A computer program product stored on non-transitory computer memory which when executed on a computer system performs the steps of:
 calculating cost of promotion as a budget for a time period t equal to unit sales during the time period t multiplied by a base price for the time period t multiplied by a discount percentage for the time period t, wherein the base price for any given time period t differs from another given time period t; and   managing the discount percentage for each time period t to ensure a sum of the cost of promotion over n time periods does not exceed a total budget and any given discount percentage does not drop below a minimum threshold.   
     
     
         21 . The computer program product of  claim 20 , which when executed on the computer system further performs the steps of calculating total sales of promoted product by summing over n time periods the unit sales during the time period t. 
     
     
         22 . The computer program product of  claim 20 , wherein the discount percentage is calculated by a predictive technique and at least one optimization technique. 
     
     
         23 . The computer program product of  claim 22 , wherein the predictive technique includes at least one of Markov chains and machine learning. 
     
     
         24 . The computer program product of  claim 22 , wherein the at least one optimization technique includes at least one of combinatorial optimizations and linear programming. 
     
     
         25 . The computer program product of  claim 20 , wherein the base price for any given time period t is a function of commodity price fluctuation. 
     
     
         26 . The computer program product of  claim 20 , which when executed on the computer system further performs the steps of calculating a net price for a given time period t as one minus the discount percentage for time period t multiplied by the base price for time period t. 
     
     
         27 . The computer program product of  claim 26 , which when executed on the computer system further performs the steps of ensuring the net price for any given time period t is greater than a minimum price threshold. 
     
     
         28 . The computer program product of  claim 27 , which when executed on the computer system further performs the steps of calculating a second optimized percentage discount subject to the minimum price threshold. 
     
     
         29 . The computer program product of  claim 20 , which when executed on the computer system further performs the steps of deploying a promotion using the discount percentage over the n time periods.