Internet-based customer referral system

A method of selling items with the assistance of associates, the method comprising:

• providing a Web site system that includes a browsable catalog of items and provides services for allowing customers to electronically purchase the items;
• providing a database which contains information about a plurality of associates that select and recommend items from the catalog within respective areas of expertise, at least some of the associates operating associate Web sites that include item-specific links to the Web site system;
• receiving from a computer of a customer a request message which contains an associate identifier and an item identifier and extracting the associate and item identifiers from the message, the request message generated in response to selection by the customer of a link of an associate Web site, the link provided in conjunction with a recommendation of the item by an associate;
• transmitting to the customer's computer a Web page which corresponds to the item identifier extracted from the request message;
• transacting a sale of the item and/or other items of the catalog with the customer through the Web site system;
• using the associate identifier extracted from the request message and the database to identify the associate;
• and
• compensating the associate for the sale.

A method of selling items with the assistance of associates, the method comprising:

• providing a Web site system that includes a browsable catalog of items and provides services for allowing customers to electronically purchase the items;
• transmitting to a user a business agreement which specifies legal terms for operating as an associate that refers customers to the Web site system in exchange for compensation;
• transmitting to the user an associate enrollment application which is adapted to be completed and electronically submitted to apply to operate as an associate;
• electronically receiving a completed enrollment application from the user;
• processing the completed enrollment application;
• storing user information contained within the completed enrollment application and an associate identifier within a computer memory;
• electronically providing to the user instructions for generating hypertextual documents with item-specific links that, when selected by a customer, cause the user's associate identifier and an identifier of a recommended item to be transmitted to the Web site system in a request message;
• and
• in response to a referral of a customer which results in a purchase of one or more items from the Web site system, determining compensation for the user for the referral.

A method of facilitating electronic purchases of items, comprising:

• providing a Web site system that includes a browsable catalog of items and provides services for allowing customers to electronically purchase items from the catalog;
• providing a system for allowing associates to operate associate Web sites that display selected items of the catalog and refer customers to the Web site system in exchange for compensation;
• tracking a customer's selections of a plurality of items of the catalog from multiple different associate Web sites, wherein different items of the plurality are selected by the customer from different associate Web sites;
• maintaining a record of the plurality of items selected by the customer within a shopping cart data structure within a computer memory of the Web site system;
• with the Web site system, transacting a sale of the plurality of items recorded within the shopping cart data structure to the customer;
• and
• in response to the sale, determining, for each of the associate Web sites from which the items were selected, compensation for a corresponding associate.

A method of selling items from a catalog of items with the assistance of associates, the catalog accessible to users of a merchant Web site system which provides services for allowing users to electronically purchase items from the catalog, the method comprising:

• enrolling a plurality of associates using an online registration system;
• initiating electronic transfers to the associates of instructions for creating Web pages with links that are formatted to enable referrals of customers from Web sites of the associates to the merchant Web site to be tracked;
• tracking referrals of customers from the Web sites of the associates to the merchant Web site system;
• and
• determining compensation for the associates for the referrals of customers that result in purchases of items from the catalog.

A method of operating a virtual store to sell items in association with a merchant that operates a merchant Web site, the method comprising:

• providing an associate Web site which is separate from the merchant Web site;
• selecting from an electronic catalog of the merchant Web site a subset of items of the catalog to display within the associate Web site, the subset including at least one item;
• for each item of the subset, incorporating into the associate Web site (a) a description and/or graphical representation of the item, and (b) a link which permits a user of the associate Web site to access the merchant Web site to purchase the item, the link formatted such that selection of the link by the user causes a computer of the user to generate a request message which includes an item identifier and an associate identifier;
• and
• receiving compensation for at least one referral of a user to the merchant Web site that results in a sale, the referral resulting from selection of the link.

A method of assisting in sales of items from a catalog of items of a merchant Web site system, the method comprising:

• completing and electronically submitting an online application to apply to operate as a referral source that refers customers to the merchant Web site system in exchange for compensation for referrals that produce sales;
• electronically receiving instructions for creating Web pages with links that are formatted to permit the tracking of customer referrals to the merchant Web site system;
• providing a Web site which is separate from the merchant Web site system;
• incorporating into the Web site at least one Web page according to the instructions, the Web page including a link that is formatted to permit tracking of customer referrals to the merchant Web site system;
• and
• receiving compensation for at least one customer referral to the merchant Web site system that results in a sale of one or more items from the catalog, the customer referral resulting from selection by a customer of the link.

A computer-implemented system which implements a program in which associates of a merchant electronically refer customers to a Web site of the merchant, the system comprising:

• an associate registration system which implements an electronic application process to at least partially automate enrollment of associates, the associate registration system providing associates electronic access to instructions for forming Web pages with links that are formatted to permit tracking of customer referrals to the Web site;
• a referral processing system which tracks referrals of customers to the Web site from associates using associate identifiers contained within request messages, the request messages generated by customer computers in response to selection of links provided by the associates according to the instructions;
• and
• a compensation system which determines and maintains records of compensation for the respective associates for the customer referrals that result in purchases of items from a catalog of the Web site.