Passive shopping service optimization

A server device comprising:

• a memory to store instructions;
• and
• a processor configured to execute the instructions to implement:
• a watch list database configured to store, for a user, a watch list of items;
• a watch list manager configured to:
• receive a request to add an item to add to the watch list;
• receive a price associated with the item;
• and
• receive a schedule associated with the item, the schedule indicating a date range for monitoring the item;
• a contact manager configured to:
• receive a privacy level assigned to the item by the user;
• identify a contact associated with the user, wherein the contact has been designated by the user to receive information about the item based on the assigned privacy level;
• and
• add the item to the identified contact's watch list, in response to identifying the contact;
• a vendor monitor configured to:
• identify a vendor offer associated with the item and associated with a particular vendor, where the vendor offer is less than or equal to the received price and the received schedule;
• and
• a user interface to:
• provide a notification to the user, wherein the notification includes information about the identified vendor offer.

One or more computer-readable memory devices storing instructions executable by one or more processors, the one or more computer-readable memory devices comprising:

• one or more instructions to receive, from a user, a request to add an item to a watch list associated with the user;
• one or more instructions to receive, from the user, a price associated with the item;
• one or more instructions to receive, from the user, a schedule associated with the item;
• one or more instructions to receive a privacy level assigned to the item by the user;
• one or more instructions to identify a contact associated with the user, wherein the contact has been designated by the user to receive information about the item based on the assigned privacy level;
• one or more instructions to add the item to the identified contact's watch list, in response to identifying the contact;
• one or more instructions to identify a plurality of vendor offers associated with the item and associated with particular vendors, where each one of the plurality of vendor offers includes a price that is less than or equal to the received price associated with the item, the identifying being based on the schedule associated with the item;
• one or more instructions to generate rank scores for the plurality of vendor offers based on one or more criteria;
• and
• one or more instructions to provide the watch list to the user, wherein the watch list includes the plurality of vendor offers sorted based on the generated rank scores.