Socially-mediated flash sales

An apparatus to facilitate performing a flash sale transaction of a computer-implemented virtual game, the apparatus comprising:

• a storage module to store transaction details for the flash sale transaction received from a merchant server, the transaction details indicating at least an item for sale, invitation requirements applicable to a first player of the virtual game and including a physical location of the first player, and transaction requirements applicable to participants of the flash sale transaction, the transaction requirements including participant presence at a specified location;
• a transaction-processing module to selectively provide, based on physical location associated with the first player, an invitation request to the first player of the virtual game;
• and
• a communication mechanism to receive an acceptance response from at least a minimum number of players of the virtual game that are needed to complete the flash sale transaction, the minimum number of players being within a social graph of the first player and having received the transaction details for the flash sale from the first player, the transaction-processing module being further configured to complete the flash sale transaction based on determining that the minimum number of players have satisfied the transaction requirements and store transaction data to be communicated to the merchant server, the transaction data associated with the players that have participated in the flash sale transaction, wherein the minimum number of players includes:
• a second player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction directly by the first player;
• and
• at least one third player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction indirectly by the second player.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed using one or more processors performs operations for facilitating the processing of a flash sale transaction, the operations comprising:

• storing flash sales transaction details received via a network from a merchant server;
• in response to an event notification in a virtual game of a first player, accessing the transaction details for the flash sale transaction, the transaction details indicating at least an item for sale, invitation requirements applicable to the first player of the virtual game and including a physical location of the first player, and transaction requirements applicable to participants of the flash sale transaction, the transaction requirements including participant presence at a specified location;
• based on the physical location associated with the first player, selectively providing an invitation request to the first player;
• receiving an acceptance response from at least a minimum number of players of the virtual game that are needed to complete the flash sale transaction, the minimum number of players being within a social graph of the first player and having received the transaction details for the flash sale from the first player;
• using at least one processor, completing the flash sale transaction based on determining that the minimum number of players have satisfied the transaction requirements and wherein the minimum number of players includes:
• a second player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction directly by the first player;
• and
• at least one third player of the virtual game that is invited to the flash sale transaction indirectly by the second player;
• and
• storing transaction data to be communicated to the merchant server, the transaction data associated with the players that have participated in the flash sale transaction.