System and method for offering targeted discounts to customers

A system for presenting special offers to customers of a chain of stores, the special offers including customized targeted offers for specific customers, the system comprising:

• a plurality of store level computers, respective store level computers being associated with respective stores, the computers respectively including a database containing customer account information, and a database of special offers including customized targeted offers to be made to selected customer accounts on the basis of targeted offer targeting parameters;
• a supervisory computer networked to the store level computers, the supervisory computer periodically downloading special offers to the store level computers;
• a plurality of cards, each card having thereon machine readable information for associating the card with particular customer account information and with a particular store in the chain;
• and
• a plurality of customer interfaces, respective customer interfaces being located in respective stores and being in communication with the store level computer associated with that store, the interfaces having respective card readers including means for receiving the cards, for reading the machine readable information on the card, for sending information from the card to the store level computer associated with that store;
• the store level computers respectively including means for accessing information about the special offers available to the customer associated with the card in response to the card reader sending decoded information to the computer, for generating a customized list of special offers available to that particular customer;
• offer communicator means for communicating respective individualized lists of special offers to customers who access the customer interface;
• means for defining, using the supervisory computer, categories of products, and means for providing category exclusivity, wherein the system only permits special offers for one brand of product per category.

A system for a chain of stores for presenting customized special offers to customers, the special offers including targeted offers to a customer selected from a plurality of customers, the system comprising:

• a plurality of store level computers, respective store level computers being associated with respective stores, the store computers respectively including a database containing customer account information providing information specific to individual customers including information regarding customer purchases, the store level computers respectively including a database containing special offers including at least one targeted offer which is to be made to selected customer accounts on the basis of targeted offer targeting parameters;
• a plurality of cards, each card having thereon machine readable information associating the card with a particular customer account and with a particular store in the chain;
• regional computers networked to groups of store level computers, the regional computers periodically downloading special offers to the store level computers, groups of store level computers defining respective chains of stores;
• a supervisory computer networked to the regional computers, the regional computers periodically downloading special offers to the store level computers;
• a plurality of customer interfaces, respective customer interfaces being located in respective stores and being in communication with the store level computer associated with that store, the customer interfaces having respective card readers including means for receiving the cards, for reading the machine readable information on the cards, for sending the read information to the store level computer associated with that store;
• a plurality of offer communicator means, respective offer communicator means being located in respective stores and being in communication with the store level computer associated with that store, respective offer communicator means being housed with respective customer interfaces;
• means for accessing customer account information for a particular customer in response to the card reader sending read information to a store level computer, for generating an individualized list of special offers available to that particular customer, and for sending the list of special offers to the offer communicator housed with the card reader that sent the read information;
• the customer interfaces respectively including means for communicating respective individualized lists of special offers to customers who access the customer interfaces;
• check-outs, including respective bar code readers, connected to respective store level computers, the bar code readers reading the cards in addition to products, the system including means for associating a purchased item with a customer account if one of the cards is scanned by the bar code reader in sequence with scanning of products, for storing customer purchase information in the database in the store level computer;
• and
• means for uploading from the store level computers to the regional computers data identifying purchases made by individual customers;
• means for defining, using the supervisory computer, categories of products, and means for providing category exclusivity within a chain, wherein the system only permits special offers for one brand of product per category in that chain.

A system for presenting customized special offers to customers, the special offers including targeted offers to a customer selected from a plurality of customers, and for collecting purchasing behavior information concerning the customers, the system comprising:

• at least one computer including a database containing customer account information providing information specific to a particular customer account;
• said at least one computer also including a database containing special offers including at least one targeted offer which is to be made to selected customer accounts on the basis of targeted offer targeting parameters;
• means for identifying a customer, said means for identifying a customer being connected to communicate information to said at least one computer to associate a customer with a particular customer account;
• a customer interface in communication with said at least one computer to transfer data therebetween;
• said at least one computer including means for generating a customized customer offer list available to that particular customer account which includes at least one said special offer;
• at least one offer communicator for communicating said customer offer list to the customer for which it is generated;
• at least one check-out at which the customer presents purchased item information indicating items being purchased by the customer;
• said at least one computer including means for sending information from the customized customer offer list to the at least one check-out;
• said at least one computer further including means for collecting customer purchase information which is indicative of items being purchased by the customer via the check-out;
• said at least one computer still further including means for editing said customer account information to reflect items purchased by the customer;
• means for defining categories of products, and means for providing category exclusivity, wherein the system only permits special offers for one brand of product per category.

A system for presenting special offers to customers of a chain of stores, the special offers including customized targeted offers for specific customers, the system comprising:

• a plurality of store level computers, respective store level computers being associated with respective stores, the computers respectively including a database containing customer account information, and a database of special offers including customized targeted offers to be made to selected customer accounts on the basis of targeted offer targeting parameters;
• a supervisory computer networked to the store level computers, the supervisory computer periodically downloading special offers to the store level computers;
• means for identifying a customer, said means for identifying a customer being connected to communicate information to at least one of said store level computers to associate a customer with a particular customer account;
• a plurality of customer interfaces, respective customer interfaces being located in respective stores and being in communication with the store level computer associated with that store, and for sending information to the store level computer associated with that store;
• the store level computers respectively including means for accessing information about the special offers available to the customer, and for generating a customized list of special offers available to that particular customer;
• offer communicator means for communicating respective individualized lists of special offers to customers who access the customer interface;
• means for defining, using the supervisory computer, categories of products, and means for providing category exclusivity, wherein the system only permits special offers for one brand of product per category.

A system for a chain of stores for presenting customized special offers to customers, the special offers including targeted offers to a customer selected from a plurality of customers, the system comprising:

• a plurality of store level computers, respective store level computers being associated with respective stores, the store computers respectively including a database containing customer account information providing information specific to individual customers including information regarding customer purchases, the store level computers respectively including a database containing special offers including at least one targeted offer which is to be made to selected customer accounts on the basis of targeted offer targeting parameters;
• regional computers networked to groups of store level computers, the regional computers periodically downloading special offers to the store level computers, groups of store level computers defining respective chains of stores;
• a supervisory computer networked to the regional computers, the regional computers periodically downloading special offers to the store level computers;
• a plurality of customer interfaces, respective customer interfaces being located in respective stores and being in communication with the store level computer associated with that store;
• means for identifying a customer, said means for identifying a customer being connected to communicate information to at least one of said store level computers to associate a customer with a particular customer account;
• a plurality of offer communicator means, respective offer communicator means being located in respective stores and being in communication with the store level computer associated with that store, respective offer communicator means being housed with respective customer interfaces;
• means for accessing customer account information for a particular customer, for generating an individualized list of special offers available to that particular customer, and for sending the list of special offers to the offer communicator means;
• the customer interfaces respectively including means for communicating respective individualized lists of special offers to customers who access the customer interfaces;
• check-outs, connected to respective store level computers, the system including means for associating a purchased item with a customer account, and for storing customer purchase information in the database in the store level computer;
• and
• means for uploading from the store level computers to the regional computers data identifying purchases made by individual customers;
• means for defining, using the supervisory computer, categories of products, and means for providing category exclusivity within a chain, wherein the system only permits special offers for one brand of product per category in that chain.