Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING COMPLIANCE WITH ONE OR MORE
MINIMUM ADVERTISED PRICING POLICIES VIA INTERCONNECTED DATA
STRUCTURES
BACKGROUND
[001] In general, manufacturers set minimum advertised price ("MAP")
policies in an effort to
maintain consistency in pricing. Typically, there are no structured ways to
communicate current
MAP policies or updates to these MAP policies to retailers of the
manufacturer's products. In
addition, manufacturers may or may not have effective programs for policing
MAP policies.
Thus, if MAP policies are not effectively enforced, complying retailers may
become disgruntled
and may even potentially stop complying with the policies. Currently, it takes
manufacturers
significant time and effort to police, monitor, and enforce MAP policies.
Also, it takes retailers a
significant amount of time and effort to stay up to date and to comply with
various
manufacturers' individual MAP policies. Accordingly, there is currently a need
for more
efficient systems and methods for implementing and enforcing MAP policies.
SUMMARY
[002] In particular embodiments, a computer system for facilitating
enforcement of one or more
MAP guidelines for a plurality of products from a manufacturer of the products
by establishing a
direct connection between the manufacturer and each of a plurality of third
party marketplaces
for the transfer of product data and MAP data comprises at least one processor
and memory. In
various embodiments, the computer system further comprises: (1) executable
software
operatively installed on a manufacturer computing device associated with the
manufacturer, the
executable software displaying a user interface, on a display screen of the
manufacturer
computing device, that is adapted to receive, via input on the user interface,
updated product data
and updated MAP data; (2) executable software operatively installed on a
computing device
associated with each of the plurality of third party marketplaces, the
executable software
displaying a user interface, on a display screen of the computing device, that
is adapted to
receive a request to authorize a new seller to list a particular one of the
plurality of products via a
particular one of the plurality of third party marketplaces; (3) a
manufacturer database storing the
product data and the MAP data; and (4) one or more third party retailer
databases associated with
each of the plurality of third party marketplaces and storing corresponding
product data,
corresponding MAP data, and third party manufacturer data. In various
embodiments the system
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
is configured for: (1) establishing a connection between the manufacturer
database and the one or
more third party retailer databases; (2) in response to receiving updated
product data and
updated MAP data from the manufacturer, automatically updating the
corresponding product
data and the corresponding MAP data; (3) in response to receiving the request
to authorize the
new seller to list the particular one of the plurality of products via a
particular one of the plurality
of third party marketplaces, automatically determining whether to authorize
the new seller to list
the particular one of the plurality of products based at least in part on the
corresponding product
data and the corresponding MAP data; (4) in response to determining not to
authorize the new
seller to list the particular one of the plurality of products, modifying the
product data to include
data associated with the new seller as an unauthorized seller; and (5) in
response to modifying
the product data to include data associated with the new seller as an
unauthorized seller,
automatically updating the corresponding product data to include the data
associated with the
new seller as an unauthorized seller.
[003] A computer-implemented method of facilitating enforcement of one
or more MAP
guidelines for a plurality of products from a manufacturer, in various
embodiments, establishes a
direct connection between a manufacturer and a third party marketplace. In
particular
embodiments, the method comprises: (1) receiving, by a processor, a request to
establish a
connection between the manufacturer and the third party marketplace to
facilitate enforcement of
the one or more MAP guidelines form the manufacturer; (2) at least partially
in response to
receiving the request, establishing the connection by a processor, wherein
establishing the
connection comprises: (a) establishing a direct communication channel between
a manufacturer
database storing manufacturer product data for the plurality of products and a
third party retailer
database storing third party retailer product data for the plurality of
products; (b) creating a link,
in memory, between the manufacturer product data and the third party retailer
product data; (c)
enabling the manufacturer to provide the one or more MAP guidelines to the
third party
marketplace via the direct communication channel; and (d) enabling the third
party marketplace
to provide data associated with one or more sellers requesting to sell one or
more manufacturer
products via the third party marketplace to the manufacturer via the direct
communication
channel; (3) receiving, by a processor, the one or more MAP guidelines from
the manufacturer;
(4) in response to receiving the one or more MAP guidelines from the
manufacturer, modifying
the manufacturer product data to include the one or more MAP guidelines; (5)
in response to
2
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
modifying the manufacturer product data to include the one or more MAP
guidelines,
automatically transferring the modified manufacturer product data via the
direct communication
channel and modifying the third party retailer product data to include the one
or more MAP
guidelines; (6) receiving a request from a seller to list one or more
manufacturer products on the
third party marketplace; (7) determining, by a processor, based at least in
part on the third party
retailer product data, whether to enable the seller to list the one or more
manufacturer products
on the third party marketplace; (8) at least partially in response to
determining to enable the
seller to list the one or more manufacturer products, enabling the seller, by
a processor, to list the
one or more manufacturer products on the third party marketplace; and (9)
providing a
notification, by a processor, to the manufacturer from the third party
marketplace detailing the
determination made at Step 7 via the direct communication channel.
[004] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[005] Various embodiments of a system and method for managing compliance
with one or more
MAP policy are described below. In the course of this description, reference
will be made to the
accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
[006] Fig. I is a block diagram of a MAP compliance server in accordance
with an embodiment
of the present system;
[007] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a computer, such as the MAP
compliance server of Fig. I,
that is suitable for use in various embodiments;
[008] Fig. 3 depicts a flow chart that generally illustrates various steps
executed by a MAP
compliance communication module that, for example, may be executed by the MAP
compliance
server of Fig. I;
[009] Fig. 4 depicts a flow chart that generally illustrates various steps
executed by a MAP
compliance policing module that, for example, may be executed by the MAP
compliance server
of Fig. 1;
[0010] Fig. 5 depicts a flow chart that generally illustrates various steps
executed by a MAP
compliance reporting and enforcing module that, for example, may be executed
by the MAP
compliance server of Fig. 1;
[0011] Fig. 6 depicts a flow chart that generally illustrates various steps
executed by a MAP
compliance monitoring module that, for example, may be executed by the MAP
compliance
server of Fig. 1;
3
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
[0012] Fig. 7 depicts an example of a user interface showing a particular
retailer's price grid that
tracks and displays MAP compliance; and
[0013] Fig. 8A ¨ 8C depict examples of a user interface that allow a
retailer to check pricing
against a manufacturer's MAP, check competitor pricing against a
manufacturer's MAP and
submit potential MAP violations to the manufacturer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Various embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter
with reference to the
accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the invention may be
embodied in many
different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set
forth herein.
Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be
thorough and complete,
and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Like numbers refer to
like elements throughout.
Overview
100151 A MAP compliance system according to various embodiments is adapted
to: (A) facilitate
communication of MAP information between manufacturers and retailers; (B)
facilitate policing
of current MAP policies by both manufacturers and retailers; (C) encourage
compliance with
current MAP policies; and (D) facilitate communication between retailers who
are allegedly
violating current MAP policies in order to either end the violation of the
policies or to resolve a
misunderstanding, on behalf of the manufacturer, that the retailer is in
violation of a MAP policy
when, in fact, no violation has occurred.
[0016] In particular embodiments, in facilitating the communication of MAP
information between
manufacturers and retailers, the system is adapted to receive a first set of
data about a particular
MAP for a particular product. The MAP information will include information
such as the
specific product, the specific price, and other information related to when
and how the price can
be changed. After receiving the MAP information, the system is adapted to
store the MAP
information and transmit this information to all retailers currently selling
the particular product.
If the manufacturer updates the MAP policy for a particular product, the
system will receive a
second set of data that includes the updated MAP information. As with the
first set of data, the
system will store and transmit the information pertaining to the second set of
data directly to the
retailers currently selling the particular product. This information may be
transmitted via
4
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
electronic communication such as an instant message, email, or a pop-up
notification on the
retailer's computer.
[0017] The system is also adapted to receive requests from the retailers to
verify current or
proposed pricing schedules for a particular product. The retailers may also
verify pricing
schedules of competitors that are also using the system. In verifying these
pricing schedules, the
system will first receive data relating to the current MAP for a particular
product from a
manufacturer and store this data until a request has been made by a retailer.
Once the retailer
makes a request to confirm the pricing schedule, the system will compare the
retailer's price with
the MAP, as stated by the manufacturer. If the retailer's price is above or
equal to the MAP, the
system will notify the retailer that the retailer's price complies with the
manufacturer's MAP.
However, if the retailer's price is below the MAP, the system will notify the
retailer that the
retailer's price does not comply with the manufacturer's MAP.
[0018] The system is further adapted to allow retailers to police other
retailers' pricing activities.
For example, one retailer may use the system to determine whether its
competitor is meeting or
exceeding the MAP set by the manufacturer for a particular product sold by the
retailers. If the
competitor's price is lower than the manufacturer's MAP, the retailer may use
the system to
notify the manufacturer that the competitor's price does not comply with the
manufacturer's
MAP. The system may then allow the competitor and the manufacturer to resolve
the
discrepancy and potentially notify other retailers of the resolution.
[0019] In addition, the system is further adapted to permit manufacturers
to police retailers'
pricing activities for particular products. For example, the system will
receive a particular
retailer's price for a particular product directly from the retailer's
website. After receiving the
information from the retailer's website, the system may send a notification to
the retailer stating
that the retailer's price for the particular product either does or does not
comply with the
manufacturer's MAP policy. In addition, the system may inform the manufacturer
of non-
complying retailers.
[0020] In various embodiments, the system is configured to enforce MAP
policies by, for
example, facilitating connections between a manufacturer and one or more
retails, distributors, or
other entities in the supply chain of one or more products produced by the
manufacturer. For
example, the system may generate and maintain a database of a plurality of
products produced by
the manufacturer. The database may include, for example, a particular entry
for each particular
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
product (e.g., or model of product) offered by the manufacturer. The system
may, for each of the
particular products, store (e.g., in memory associated with each particular
product) a plurality of
data fields such as, for example: (1) Product Name; (2) Product Descriptions;
(3) Brand Name;
(4) Brand Stock Keeping unit (SKU); (5) MSRP; (6) MAP; (7) One or more names
of prohibited
marketplaces; (8) Closeout status (e.g., whether the item is a closeout item);
(9) Size; (10) gender
designation; (11) Shape; (12) Color; (13) One or more images of the one or
more products (e.g.,
one or more image files, one or more links to one or more hosted images,
etc.); (14) Style Code;
(15) Series; (16) Category; and/or (17) any other data field associated with
the product.
[0021] The system may then, in various embodiments, enable manufacturers to
update data fields
for particular products and, in response, automatically push the updated data
fields to one or
more connected retailers, distributers, etc. In this way, in various
embodiments, the system may
enable manufacturers to approve new connection requests across a vast
distribution network by
generating new data fields for a particular seller (e.g., that indicate via a
Boolean value or other
suitable data entry) that indicate that the particular seller is an approved
retailer. For example, if
a first distributer receives a request from a first seller to purchase a
manufacturer's product for
resale, the first distributer may pass on a connection request from the first
seller to the
manufacturer. The manufacturer may then approve the first seller as an
authorized re-seller by
updating a data structure to include data associated with the first seller for
the particular product.
In response, the system may push the updated data structure to one or more
other distributers
such that future requests by the first seller to purchase inventory from the
one or more other
distributors may occur substantially automatically.
Exemplary Technical Platforms
[0022] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant field, the
present invention may be, for
example, embodied as a computer system, a method, or a computer program
product.
Accordingly, various embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardware
embodiment, or an
embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, particular
embodiments
may take the form of a computer program product stored on a computer-
accessible storage
medium having computer-readable instructions (e.g., software) embodied in the
storage medium.
Various embodiments may take the form of web-implemented computer software.
Any suitable
computer-accessible storage medium may be utilized including, for example,
hard disks,
compact disks, DVDs, optical storage devices, and/or magnetic storage devices.
6
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
[0023] Various embodiments are described below with reference to block
diagrams and flowchart
illustrations of methods, apparatuses (e.g., systems) and computer program
products. It should
be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart
illustrations, and
combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations,
respectively, can be
implemented by a computer executing computer program instructions (e.g., a
computer-
implemented method). These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a
general
purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data
processing apparatus
to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer
or other
programmable data processing apparatus to create means for implementing the
functions
specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
[0024] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-
readable memory
that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to
function in a
particular manner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable
memory produce an
article of manufacture that is configured for implementing the functions
specified in the
flowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be
loaded onto a
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of
operational steps
to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a
computer-
implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the computer or
other
programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified
in the flowchart
block or blocks.
[0025] Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart
illustrations support combinations
of mechanisms for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps
for performing the
specified functions, and program instructions for performing the specified
functions. It should
also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart
illustrations, and
combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, can
be implemented by
special purpose hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified
functions or steps,
or combinations of special purpose hardware and other hardware executing
appropriate computer
instructions.
Example System Architecture
[0026] FIG. I is a block diagram of a System 110 according to a particular
embodiment. As may
be understood from this figure, the System 110 includes one or more computer
networks 115, a
7
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
MAP Compliance Server 100, One or More Retail Servers 130, a Database 140, and
one or more
computing devices such as a retailer computer 152 (e.g., such as a smart
phone, a tablet
computer, a wearable computing device, a laptop computer, etc.), a
manufacturer's computer
154, or a distributor's computer 156. In particular embodiments, the one or
more computer
networks 115 facilitate communication between the MAP Compliance Server 100,
One or More
Retail Servers 130, the Database 140, and the one or more computing devices
152, 154, 156.
[0027] The one or more computer networks 115 may include any of a variety
of types of wired or
wireless computer networks such as the Internet, a private intranet, a mesh
network, a public
switch telephone network (PSTN), or any other type of network (e.g., a network
that uses
Bluetooth or near field communications to facilitate communication between
computers). The
communication link between the MAP Compliance Server 100 and Database 140 may
be, for
example, implemented via a Local Area Network (LAN) or via the Internet.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a computer 120
that can be used within
the System 110, for example, as a client computer (e.g., one of the computing
devices 152, 154,
156 shown in Figure 1), or as a server computer (e.g., MAP Compliance Server
100 shown in
Figure I). In particular embodiments, the computer 120 may be suitable for use
as a computer
within the context of the System 110 that is configured for collecting,
tracking, and storing MAP
compliance data.
[0029] In particular embodiments, the computer 120 may be connected (e.g.,
networked) to other
computers in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, and/or the Internet. As noted
above, the computer
120 may operate in the capacity of a server or a client computer in a client-
server network
environment, or as a peer computer in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network
environment. The
Computer 120 may be a desktop personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top
box (STB), a
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a
server, a network
router, a switch or bridge, or any other computer capable of executing a set
of instructions
(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that computer.
Further, while only a
single computer is illustrated, the term "computer" shall also be taken to
include any collection
of computers that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of
instructions to perform
any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.
[0030] An exemplary computer 120 includes a processing device 202, a main
memory 204 (e.g.,
read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such
as
8
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory 206
(e.g.,
flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storage
device 218,
which communicate with each other via a bus 232.
100311 The processing device 202 represents one or more general-purpose or
specific processing
devices such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit, or the like. More
particularly, the
processing device 202 may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC)
microprocessor,
reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction
word (VLIW)
microprocessor, or processor implementing other instruction sets, or
processors implementing a
combination of instruction sets. The processing device 202 may also be one or
more special-
purpose processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit
(AS1C), a field
programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network
processor, or the
like. The processing device 202 may be configured to execute processing logic
226 for
performing various operations and steps discussed herein.
[0032] The computer 120 may further include a network interface device 208.
The computer 120
also may include a video display unit 210 (e.g., a liquid crystal display
(LCD) or a cathode ray
tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device 212 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor
control device 214
(e.g., a mouse), and a signal generation device 216 (e.g., a speaker).
[0033] The data storage device 218 may include a non-transitory computer-
accessible storage
medium 230 (also known as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or
a non-
transitory computer-readable medium) on which is stored one or more sets of
instructions 222
(e.g., MAP Compliance Communications Module 300, MAP Compliance Policing
Module 400,
MAP Compliance Reporting & Enforcing Module 500, and MAP Price Compliance
Monitoring
Module 600) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions
described
herein. The software 222 may also reside, completely or at least partially,
within the main
memory 204 and/or within the processing device 202 during execution thereof by
the computer
120 ¨ the main memory 204 and the processing device 202 also constituting
computer-accessible
storage media. The software 222 may further be transmitted or received over a
network 115 via
a network interface device 208.
[0034] While the computer-accessible storage medium 230 is shown in an
exemplary embodiment
to be a single medium, the terms "computer-accessible storage medium" and
"computer-readable
medium" should be understood to include a single medium or multiple media
(e.g., a centralized
9
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the
one or more sets of
instructions. The terms "computer-accessible storage medium" and "computer-
readable
medium" should also be understood to include any medium (e.g., non-transitory
medium) that is
capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution
by the computer and
that cause the computer to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the
present
invention. The terms "computer-accessible storage medium" and "computer-
readable medium"
should accordingly be understood to include, but not be limited to, solid-
state memories, optical
and magnetic media, etc.
Exemplary System Methods
[0035] As noted above, a MAP Compliance System according to various
embodiments is adapted
to perform a variety of different functions relating to MAP compliance and the
resolution of
violations of MAP policies. It should be understood by reference to this
disclosure that the
methods describe an exemplary embodiments of method steps carried out by the
present system,
and that other exemplary embodiments may be created by adding other steps, by
removing one
or more of the method steps, or performing one or more of the method steps in
an order other
than the order in which they described in Figures. Exemplary functionality of
certain
embodiments of the system is described below.
MAP Compliance Communication Module
[0036] Figure 3 is a flow chart of operations performed by an exemplary MAP
Compliance
Communication Module 300, which may, for example, run on the MAP Compliance
Server 100,
or any suitable computing device (such as a suitable mobile computing device).
In particular
embodiments, the MAP Compliance Communication Module 300 may facilitate the
storing and
distributing of MAP compliance data.
[0037] In various embodiments, the system begins at Step 310 by receiving a
first set of data that
includes MAP information for a particular product made by a manufacturer, the
MAP
information reflecting at least a portion of a MAP policy established by the
manufacturer. In
particular embodiments, the system may be configured to receive the first set
of data from any
suitable computing device. In various embodiments, the MAP policy may, for
example, have
been established by a manufacturer of the particular product. The MAP policy
may include
MAP information for one or more products made by the manufacturer. The MAP
information
may include information such as price, date, geographic area, etc. for the MAP
of a particular
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
I051-02003-CA
product. In particular embodiments, the MAP information may include, for
example, a MAP for
the particular product for a particular geographical area. In various
embodiments, the MAP
information may include, for example, a MAP for the particular product for a
particular time
period. For example, the MAP for a particular product may be set at $100 for
the period between
June 1 and July 31 and $85 for the period between August 1 and September 30.
[0038] In various embodiments, the system may generate a data structure for
a particular product
of a particular manufacturer, and store in memory associated with the data
structure, one or
pieces of first data for the first product such as: (1) Product Name; (2)
Product Descriptions; (3)
Brand Name; (4) Brand Stock Keeping unit (SKU); (5) MSRP; (6) MAP; (7) One or
more names
of prohibited marketplaces; (8) Closeout status (e.g., whether the item is a
closeout item); (9)
Size; (10) gender designation; (11) Shape; (12) Color; (13) One or more images
(e.g., one or
more image files, one or more links to one or more hosted images, etc.); (14)
Style Code; (15)
Series; (16) Category; and/or (17) any other data field associated with the
product.
[0039] In various embodiments, a particular data structure for a particular
product may be broken
down into a plurality of fields. In such embodiments, the system may store,
within the data
structure, one or more entries for each particular field (e.g., a string,
Boolean value, number etc.).
In various embodiments, the one or more fields may include any of the one or
more pieces of
data described above (e.g., product name, SKU, MAP, etc.).
[0040] Next, at Step 320, the system continues by, at least partially in
response to receiving the
first set of data, storing the first set of data in the memory and
transmitting the first set of data to
a plurality of retailers that are currently selling the particular product. In
various embodiments,
the system may be configured to substantially automatically store and transmit
the first set of
data to the plurality of retailers. In particular embodiments, the system may
be configured to
transmit the first set of data on a particular date, for example, the first
day of every month. In
various embodiments, the system may store the first set of data in memory in a
first data
structure. In such embodiments, the system may further push the stored first
set of data to one or
more databases associated with a plurality of retailers for storage in memory
associated with
each of the plurality of retailers (e.g., on the One or More Retail Servers).
In particular
embodiments, the system is configured to automatically push the first set of
data to any of a
plurality of retailers and/or distributers with whom the manufacturer has
established a connection
(e.g., as will be discussed below).
11
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
[0041] At Step 330, the system receives a second set of data that includes
updated MAP
information for the particular product. For example, the updated MAP
information for the
particular product may raise the MAP from $100 to $110 due to high demand for
the particular
product. In various embodiments, the second set of data may include any
suitable change to the
first set of data, including changes to price, date, geographic area, etc. for
the MAP of the
particular product. In particular embodiments, for example, the manufacturer
may make one or
more changes to a listing for a particular product and/or update one or more
MAP guidelines for
the particular product. The system may, for example, receive the second set of
data in response
to submission of the one or more changes by the manufacturer.
[0042] Continuing at Step 340, the system, at least partially in response
to receiving the second set
of data, stores the second set of data in the memory and transmits the second
set of data to a
plurality of retailers that are currently selling the particular product. In
particular embodiments,
the system modifies the data structure to include the updated data. In various
embodiments, the
system may be configured to substantially automatically store and transmit the
second set of data
to the plurality of retailers. In particular embodiments, the system may be
configured to transmit
the second set of data on a particular date, for example, the first day of
every month. In other
embodiments, the system may substantially automatically transmit the second
set of updated data
to a plurality of connected retailers in response to receiving the second set
of updated data from
the manufacturer. In such embodiments, the system may enable the connected
retailers to
retrieve data for the manufacture's product offerings without having to query
a manufacturer
database for up-to-date product listing or MAP compliance data (e.g., because
the data has been
automatically pushed to a retailer database). Such an arrangement may, in
various embodiments,
conserve computing and networking resources at a time at which the data is
required by the
connected retailers.
MAP Compliance Policing Module
[0043] Figure 4 is a flow chart of operations performed by an exemplary MAP
Compliance
Policing Module 400, which may, for example, run on the MAP Compliance Server
100, or any
suitable computing device. In particular embodiments, the MAP Compliance
Policing Module
400 may store MAP compliance data and inform a user as to whether a particular
price violates a
MAP policy.
12
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
[0044] Beginning at Step 410, the system receives a first set of data that
includes MAP
information for a particular product made by a manufacturer, the MAP
information reflecting at
least a portion of a MAP policy established by the manufacturer. In particular
embodiments, the
system may be configured to receive the first set of data from any suitable
computing device. In
various embodiments, the MAP policy may, for example, have been established by
a
manufacturer of the particular product. In particular embodiments, the MAP
information may
include, for example, a MAP for the particular product for a particular
geographical area. In
various embodiments, the MAP information may include, for example, a MAP for
the particular
product for a particular time period. For example, the MAP for a particular
product may be set at
$150 for the period between June 1 and July 31 and $125 for the period between
August 1 and
September 30. Thus, the first set of data may include information such as
price, date, geographic
area, etc. for the MAP of the particular product.
[0045] At Step 420, the system continues by storing the first set of data
in the memory. In various
embodiments, the system may be configured to substantially automatically store
the first set of
data in the memory.
[0046] Continuing to Step 430, the system receives a request from a user to
confirm that a
particular price for a particular product complies with the MAP policy. In
various embodiments,
the user is a competitor of a retailer that is offering the particular product
at the particular price.
For example, the user may want to confirm that its own price for a particular
product complies
with the MAP policy. In addition, the user may want to confirm that a
competitor's price for a
particular product complies with the MAP policy. In various embodiments, the
request from the
user may be to confirm that a proposed pricing structure would comply with the
MAP policy. In
particular embodiments, the request from the user may also be a request to
notify the
manufacturer of a violation of a MAP policy by the user.
[0047] In various embodiments, the request may include a table of one or
more fields having one
or more Boolean values. In various embodiments, the one more fields may be
substantially
automatically populated based on the received first set of data for a
particular product described
above with respect to the MAP Compliance Communication Module. The one or more
fields
may include, for example, one or more fields such as: (1) is this a listing
for the particular
product; (2) does the listing offer the product below the MAP guideline; (3)
etc. In various
embodiments, the system is configured to automatically determine Boolean
values for the one or
13
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
more fields based on the communicated product data from the manufacturer
(e.g., by comparing
a product description or SKU to the product description or SKU from a product
listing at issue).
[0048] Limiting requests to confirm whether a particular product listing is
in violation of one or
more MAP policies may to tables including one or more fields and associated
Boolean values
may, for example, limit a file size of such requests and improve
responsiveness of manufacturers
by pre-populating requests based on provided data.
[0049] Next, at Step 440, the system, at least partially in response to
receiving the request from
Step 430, uses the first set of data to determine whether the particular price
for the particular
product complies with the MAP policy. In various embodiments, the system may
compare the
particular price with a MAP established by the MAP policy and in response to
the particular
price being greater than or equal to the MAP, determine that the particular
price for the particular
product complies with the MAP policy. In particular embodiments, the system
may compare the
particular price with a MAP established by the MAP policy and in response to
the particular
price being less than the MAP, determine that the particular price for the
particular product does
not comply with the MAP policy.
[0050] The system continues at Step 450 by, at least partially in response
to determining that the
particular price for the particular product complies with the MAP policy,
informing the user that
the particular price for the particular product complies with the MAP policy.
In various
embodiments, the system may inform the user that the particular price for the
particular product
complies with the MAP policy via an electronic communication generated by the
system. In
some embodiments, the electronic communication may be substantially
simultaneously to the
request by the user. In other embodiments, the electronic communication may be
by e-mail, text
message, automated phone call, instant message or by any other suitable means
of electronic
communication.
[0051] At Step 460, the system, at least partially in response to
determining that the particular
price for the particular product does not comply with the MAP policy, informs
the user that the
particular price for the particular product does not comply with the MAP
policy. In various
embodiments, the system may inform the user that the particular price for the
particular product
does not comply with the MAP policy via an electronic communication generated
by the system.
In other embodiments, the system may automatically initiate an enforcement
action against the
seller that is selling the particular product in violation of the MAP policy.
The enforcement
14
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
action may include, for example, stopping sales and/or shipment of one or more
products to the
violating seller, or any other suitable enforcement action. In particular
embodiments, after
informing the user that the particular price does not comply with the MAP
policy, the system
may receive a dispute from the user disputing the violation of the MAP policy.
MAP Compliance Reporting and Enforcing Module
[0052] Figure 5 is a flow chart of operations performed by an exemplary MAP
Compliance
Reporting and Enforcing Module 500, which may, for example, run on the MAP
Compliance
Server 100, or any suitable computing device. In particular embodiments, the
MAP Compliance
Reporting and Enforcing Module 500 may facilitate reporting and enforcing of
MAP policies.
[0053] To begin with, at Step 510, the system provides access, by a
plurality of retailers and at
least one manufacturer, to a centralized computer system. Access to the
computer system may
be provided through the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or any other suitable network
that is adapted
to facilitate communication between the retailers and the at least one
manufacturer.
[0054] Continuing to Step 520, the system receives, via the computer
system, an indication by a
first one of the retailers that a second one of the retailers has potentially
violated a MAP policy
associated with the manufacturer. In particular embodiments, the indication
may be an
electronic communication between the first retailer and the system regarding
the second retailer's
alleged violation of the MAP policy.
[0055] At Step 530, the system, at least partially in response to the
computer system receiving the
indication, uses the computer system to inform the manufacturer that the
second retailer has
potentially violated the MAP policy. In various embodiments, the system may
inform the
manufacturer of the second retailer's violation by electronic communication.
For example, after
receiving the indication ,from the first retailer, the system may send the
first retailer's note
directly to the manufacturer. In other embodiments, the system may inform the
manufacturer
using a pop-up notification, e-mail notification, an instant message, a text
message, an automated
phone message where the user presses a key to indicate that the understand the
message, or any
other suitable means of electronic communication.
[0056] Following Step 530, at Step 540, the system uses the computer system
to facilitate
communication between the second retailer and the manufacturer regarding the
second retailer's
potential violation of the MAP policy. In various embodiments, the system may
facilitate
communication by electronic communication. Such communications may include,
for example:
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
(1) a communication from the manufacturer to the second retailer that includes
the MAP policy
and the alleged violation of the MAP policy including the actual price used by
the second retailer
for the particular product; (2) a communication from the second retailer to
the manufacturer that
includes the second retailer's position as to why the second retailer's
pricing of the particular
product does not violate the manufacturer's MAP policy; and (3) a response to
this
communication from the manufacturer as to whether the manufacturer still
believes, after
reviewing the communication from the second retailer, that the second
retailer's pricing of the
item violates the manufacturer's MAP policy for the particular item. This step
allows the second
retailer and the manufacturer to resolve any alleged MAP violations. Following
the resolution of
the second retailer's alleged MAP violation, in various embodiments, the
system may inform the
first retailer as to the outcome of the communications between the second
retailer and the
manufacturer regarding the second retailer's alleged violation of the MAP
policy.
MAP Compliance Monitoring Module
[0057] Figure 6 is a flow chart of operations performed by an exemplary MAP
Compliance
Monitoring Module 600, which may, for example, run on the MAP Compliance
Server 100, or
any suitable computing device. In particular embodiments, the MAP Compliance
Monitoring
Module 600 may store MAP compliance data, directly monitor compliance with MAP
policies,
and facilitate enforcement of MAP policies.
[0058] In various embodiments, the system begins at Step 610 by receiving a
first set of data that
includes MAP information for a particular product made by a manufacturer, the
MAP
information reflecting at least a portion of a MAP policy established by the
manufacturer. In
particular embodiments, the system may be configured to receive the first set
of data from any
suitable computing device. In various embodiments, the MAP policy may, for
example, have
been established by a manufacturer of the particular product. In particular
embodiments, the
MAP information may include, for example, a MAP for the particular product for
a particular
geographical area. In various embodiments, the MAP information may include,
for example, a
MAP for the particular product for a particular time period. For example, the
MAP for a
particular product may be set at $100 for the period between June 1 and July
31 and $85 for the
period between August 1 and September 30. Thus, the first set of data may
include information
such as price, date, geographic area, etc. for the MAP of the particular
product.
16
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
[0059] At Step 620, the system stores the first set of data in the memory.
In various embodiments,
the system may be configured to substantially automatically store the first
set of data in the
memory.
[0060] Next, at Step 630, the system receives pricing data for the
particular product from a website
associated with a particular retailer. In particular embodiments, the system
may receive general
pricing data from the retailer's website by conducting a search on the
retailer's website for the
particular product from any computer. In various embodiments, the system may
receive pricing
data using a computer located in a particular region to access the website.
For example, some
retailers may offer one or more products at different prices based at least in
part on a location
from which a customer's computer accesses the retailer's website. In such
embodiments, the
system may be configured to provide pricing information to the manufacturer
that includes the
pricing information for the one or more regions or geographic locations.
[0061] Continuing to Step 640, the system, at least partially in response
to receiving the pricing
data, uses the first set of data to determine whether the particular price for
the particular product
complies with the MAP policy. In various embodiments, the system may compare
the particular
price with a MAP established by the MAP policy and in response to the
particular price being
greater than or equal to the MAP, determine that the particular price for the
particular product
complies with the MAP policy. In particular embodiments, the system may
compare the
particular price with a MAP established by the MAP policy and in response to
the particular
price being less than the MAP, determine that the particular price for the
particular product does
not comply with the MAP policy. In various embodiments where the system
obtains different
retailer pricing based on differing geographic access points, the system may
be configured to
check each price against the MAP policy since the MAP policy may contain
different price
points based on geographic location.
[0062] At Step 650, at least partially in response to determining that the
particular price for the
particular product does not comply with the MAP policy, informing the
particular retailer that
the particular price for the particular product does not comply with the MAP
policy. In various
embodiments, the system may inform the user that the particular price for the
particular product
does not comply with the MAP policy via an electronic communication generated
by the system.
In particular embodiments, the system may inform the retailer about all MAP
violations at the
same time, for instance, at the end of every day, or in the alternative, the
system may notify the
17
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
retailers of MAP noncompliance substantially automatically when a price does
not comply. In
various embodiments, the system may bundle all non-complying prices for all
products into a
single notification to the retailer. In other embodiments, the system may show
all prices that
comply with a MAP policy in green and all prices that do not comply with a MAP
policy in red
so that the user can easily distinguish those prices in compliance from those
prices that are out of
compliance. In various embodiments, the system may be configured to
automatically monitor
the particular price for the particular product at present intervals,
continuously or manually. In
any case, the system may be configured to notify the retailer when the system
detects that the
particular price for the particular product is not in compliance with the MAP
policy.
Exemplary User Interface
[0063] Figure 7 depicts a user interface 700 that a user may use to confirm
compliance with one or
more MAP policies. As may be understood from this figure, the interface 700
may include one
or more competitor columns 710 that the user may use to confirm whether one or
more particular
competitors are complying with a particular MAP policy for a particular
product. In particular
embodiments, the interface 700 may further include a color scheme using red
(shown by the
cross hatched lines) for noncompliance and green (shown as shaded) for
compliance, which
corresponds generally to the colors of a stop light, and allow the user to
quickly assess the
overall compliance with a particular MAP policy for a particular product. For
example, the first
row 720 shows that the user's company is currently charging $64.98 for the
product Alkali CA5
Int. Composite Hockey Stick, while the competitor Hockey Time is charging
$79.99 and the
competitor Ice House is charging $64.97 for the product. Also, assume the
manufacturer has set
a MAP of $64.98 in the manufacturer's MAP policy. Because the competitor
Hockey Time's
price is above the particular MAP, the competitor's price is shown shaded.
However, because
the competitor Ice House's price is below the particular MAP, the competitor's
price is shown
with cross hatching. In this way, the user can easily identify pricing that is
compliance and
pricing that violates the manufacturer's MAP.
Exemplary User Experience
MAP Compliance Communication Module User Experience
[0064] The following describes an exemplary user experience using the MAP
Compliance
Communication Module 300. To begin with, a manufacturer will have an
established MAP
18
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
policy that will designate a particular MAP for a particular product. For
instance, the
manufacturer, Acme Bats may have a product, the Bomber 2000, with a nationwide
MAP policy
for the bat of $49.99. The manufacturer, by accessing the MAP Compliance
Server 100 will
enter the MAP policy into the system using their computer (e.g., a
manufacturer's computer,
such as manufacturer computer 154 shown in Figure 1). The system will store
the particular
MAP policy of $49.99 for the Bomber 2000 as well as send out a notification of
the current MAP
via the one or more networks 115 to all the retailers currently selling the
Bomber 2000. The
retailers would then be able to see the MAP for the Bomber 2000 by logging
onto their computer
(e.g., a retailer's computer, such as retail computer 152 shown in Figure 1).
[0065] If the manufacturer decides to update the MAP for the Bomber 2000,
for instance to lower
the price of the MAP, the manufacturer may log onto the system and access the
MAP
Compliance Server 100 in the same way as before. The manufacturer may then
enter the new
MAP policy of $39.99, for example using their computer. Once the manufacturer
has changed
the MAP from $49.99 to $39.99 MAP, the system will automatically send out a
notification of
the new MAP to all the retailers selling the particular product. The retailers
may receive this
notification the next time they log onto the system or via email depending
upon the retailer's
preferences. Using this system, for example, the manufacturer may raise or
lower the MAP,
discontinue using the MAP, or change other specifics related to the MAP such
as geographic
information or dates. Because this is an automatic update to all of the
retailer's user interfaces,
retailers currently selling the particular product will not have to search for
the current MAP for
the particular product.
MAP Compliance Policing Module User Experience
[0066] The following describes an exemplary user experience using the MAP
Compliance
Policing Module 400. Using this module allows retailers looking to raise or
lower the price of a
particular product, for example the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp Hockey Stick, to
confirm that the new
price will comply with the manufacturer's MAP policy. For example, a
particular sporting goods
retailer, Hockey R Us, may wish to sell the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp Hockey Stick
made by the
manufacturer Alkali. Hockey R Us may wish to offer the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp
Hockey Stick at
a very low "loss leader" price in order to attract more customers to its
store. For instance,
Hockey R Us is currently selling the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp Hockey Stick for
$64.98 but would
like to lower its price to attract customers away from its competitor, Hockey
Time. Using this
19
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
system and referring to Figure 8A, an employee of Hockey R Us is able to log
onto the system
using the store's computer (e.g., a retailer's computer, such as retailer
computer 152 shown in
Figure 1) and open a user interface 800. The User interface 800 has a first
section 805 that
allows a retailer to check its compliance with a manufacturer's MAP. In
particular, first section
805 has a product entry field 810, a proposed price entry field 815, a submit
button 820, a MAP
Compliant indicator 825 and a MAP Violation indicator 830. Referring to Figure
8B, the
Hockey R Us employee may then enter the new desired price, $49.99, for the
Alkali CA5 Int.
Comp Hockey Stick into the system and hit the submit button 820. Because the
manufacturer,
Alkali, set the MAP for the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp Hockey Stick at $49.99, the
system will notify
the retailer that the new price complies with the MAP policy highlighting the
MAP Compliant
indicator 825 as shown in the figure. In addition, this module enables the
retailer to enter any
price, whether current, proposed, or that of a competitor, to determine
whether the price
complies. The system also allows the retailer to set up notifications for
instances where the
retailer's price or the competitor's price falls below the manufacturer's MAP.
MAP Compliance Reporting and Enforcing Module User Experience
[0067] The following describes an exemplary user experience using the
MAP Compliance
Reporting and Enforcing Module 500. This feature of a particular embodiment
enables a first
retailer to police the prices used by a second retailer and allows the first
retailer to report a
potential violation of a MAP policy by the second retailer. For example,
Hockey R Us may have
seen an ad by its competitor, Hockey Time, listing the Alkali CAS Int. Comp
Hockey Stick for
$45.99. Because Hockey R Us also sells the Alkali CAS Int. Comp Hockey Stick,
it may wish to
confirm that Hockey Time is complying with Alkali's MAP policy for the Alkali
CA5 Int. Comp
Hockey Stick. Using the system, a Hockey R Us employee may log onto the system
and be
directed to a user interface 800 shown in Figure 8C that has a second section
835 that allows the
user to check the compliance of a competitor to a manufacturer's MAP policy.
Using this user
interface, the Hockey R Us employee may enter the product name, Alkali CA5
Int. Comp
Hockey Stick, in the product name entry field 810. The employee also enters
the competitor's
price, $45.99, in the price field 840 and the competitor's name, Hockey Time,
in the name field
845. Once the data is entered, the user selects the submit button 850 to send
the data to the
system for analysis. In this example, because Hockey Time's price is below
Alkali's MAP for
the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp Hockey Stick, the MAP Violation indicator 860 is
highlighted while
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
the MAP compliance indicator 855 is not. The system may then provide the
option to Hockey R
Us to notify Alkali of Hockey Time's potential violation, or in other
embodiments, the system
may automatically send Alkali the information when a MAP violation is
detected. The system
will then allow Alkali to open up a communication box between itself and
Hockey Time to
resolve the violation. Hockey Time may respond to this communication directly
or may respond
indirectly by changing its price for the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp Hockey Stick.
Once the violation
has been resolved, Alkali may close the communication box and may select
whether it wants to
send the resolution of the violation to the notifying retailer, Hockey R Us.
MAP Compliance Monitoring Module User Experience
[0068] The following describes an exemplary user experience using the MAP
Compliance
Monitoring Module 600. In this embodiment, the system automatically monitors
the pricing of
particular products offered by a particular retailer on the retailer's
website. For example, the
MAP Compliance Server 100 will access the one or more networks 115 and perform
a search for
a specific retailer's website, for instance Hockey R Us and Hockey Time. If
after accessing the
retailers' websites, the system determines that Hockey Time is selling the
Alkali CA5 Int. Comp
Hockey Stick for $45.99 and Hockey R Us is selling the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp
Hockey Stick for
$49.99, while Alkali's MAP policy for the Alkali CA5 Int. Comp Hockey Stick is
$49.99, the
system will automatically generate a notification to Hockey Time and the
communication
process discussed above will ensue until the violation is resolved.
[0069] Finally, a retailer may use the system to retrieve a full listing of
all of its products in a
certain area to make sure that there are no holes in the retailer's inventory.
For instance, using
the user interface 700 shown in Figure 7, Hockey R Us may access the grid
showing all of
Hockey R Us' products in the first column 730, Hockey R Us' prices in the
second column 740,
and all competitors selling the same products in the following columns. After
running the search
for its products, if the first column displays a line for a particular
product, Hockey R Us will be
able to update the pricing for that particular product.
Exemplary Advantages of Various Embodiments
[0070] Certain embodiments may have particular advantages to one or more
retailers or
manufacturers. However, not all advantages will be duly applicable to all
users or in all
situations. The following discusses advantages that may be realized by some
manufacturers
21
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
using particular embodiments. First, the system will allow manufacturers to
detect source MAP
violations, which will help to improve the quality of MAP enforcement and will
make finding
such violations easier for the manufacturers. In addition, certain embodiments
will allow
manufacturers to quickly and effectively update and distribute changes to MAP
policies to all
retailers using a single computer system.
[0071] Similarly, certain embodiments may have particular advantages to one
or more retailers.
For instance, certain retailers may find certain embodiments to be an
effective platform for
reporting competitors' violations of MAP policies. Other retailers may find
that certain
embodiments provide a beneficial platform for quickly and effectively
addressing and resolving
their own potential MAP violations. Still other retailers may find that
certain embodiments
provide an effective platform for keeping up to date on manufacturers' product
lines and MAP
policies. Each of these various advantages will create a more centralized and
more effective
process that will in turn enable better policing, monitoring, communication,
and enforcement
regarding manufacturers' MAP policies.
Alternative Embodiments
[0072] In various embodiments, a manufacturer may face difficulty in
enforcing MAP guidelines,
for example, due to complexity in a supply chain of a particular product that
the manufacturer
sells. For example, a particular manufacturer may sell their products to a
plurality of distributers
who may, in turn, distribute the products to a plurality of sellers. These
sellers may then offer
the products for sale in a plurality of retail stores such as, for example,
online retail stores,
physical storefronts, online marketplaces, etc. In some embodiments, a
manufacturer may be left
attempting to enforce its MAP guidelines against thousands of potential
sellers. In particular
embodiments, a managed MAP enforcement system such as the managed MAP
enforcement
system generally described herein, may further be configured to facilitate
connections among
different parties in a supply chain between and/or among manufacturers,
distributers, sellers,
and/or third party marketplaces (e.g., up and down the supply chain). These
connections may
include, for example, one or more communication channels, one or more data-
sharing channels,
one or more content-sharing channels, creating one or more links with
manufacturer databases,
etc. Such connections may, for example, enable a manufacturer to
systematically police and
enforce its MAP guidelines at all levels of distribution and at every possible
point of sale. The
22
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
system may also help to assure other parties in the supply chain that the MAP
policies are being
enforced.
[0073] Various embodiments of a managed MAP enforcement system may include
functionality in
addition to the functionality described above. For example, in particular
embodiments, a
managed MAP enforcement system may be configured to facilitate a connection
between a
manufacturer of a particular product and a third party marketplace in order to
facilitate
enforcement of one or more MAP guidelines provided by the manufacturer. Such
enforcement
may for example, include facilitating an approval process for sellers and/or
distributers who may
desire to list one or more of the manufacturer's products for sale via the
third party marketplace.
Figure 9 is a flow chart of operations performed by an exemplary MAP
Enforcement via
Connections Module 900, which may, for example, run on the MAP Compliance
Server 100, or
any other suitable computing device. In particular embodiments, the MAP
Enforcement via
Connections Module 900 may facilitate a connection between a manufacturer and
one or more
third party marketplaces, enable the manufacturer to provide one or more MAP
guidelines to the
third party marketplace via the connection, and/or enable the third party
marketplace to provide
to the manufacturer data associated with one or more sellers requesting to
list one or more of the
manufacturer's products via the third marketplace. Although the MAP
Enforcement via
Connections Module 900 is described in the context of a manufacturer and a
third party
marketplace, the module may further be configured to facilitate connections
between a
manufacturer and a distributer, a distributer and a seller, a seller and a
third party marketplace, -
etc.
[0074] Distributers wishing to distribute a manufacturer's product may, for
example, wish to
connect with a manufacturer. In various embodiments, the MAP Enforcement via
Connections
Module 900 may enable a particular distributer to connect with such a
manufacturer, and
demonstrate a record of MAP compliance that the distributer has with other
manufacturers with
which it is connected to help convince the particular manufacturer to utilize
he distributer as an
authorized distributer.
MAP Enforcement via Connections Module 900
[0075] In various embodiments, as shown in Figure 9, the MAP Enforcement
via Connections
Module 900 begins at Step 910 by receiving a request to establish a connection
between a
manufacturer and a third party marketplace to facilitate enforcement of one or
more MAP
23
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
guidelines from a manufacturer. In particular embodiments, the manufacturer
may include any
manufacturer that produces any suitable product that may be offered for sale
(e.g., via a third
party online marketplace or other avenue). In various embodiments, the third
party marketplace
may include any suitable marketplace which may, for example, enable one or
more sellers and/or
distributers to list one or more products for sale (e.g., via an online retail
store). Such third party
marketplaces (e.g., retailers) may include, for example, Amazon.com, Walmart,
Best Buy, eBay,
etc. In various embodiments, the third party marketplace may provide a means
through which a
seller can list a product for sale. In such embodiments, customers who
purchase the product
through the third party marketplace may have their order fulfilled by a seller
that has listed a
product for sale through the third party marketplace. In various embodiments,
the third party
marketplace may enable a plurality of sellers to offer the same product for
sale via the third party
marketplace (e.g., multiple sellers may offer the same make and model of a
toothbrush for sale.
[0076] In various embodiments, the request to establish the connection may
be initiated by the
manufacturer or the third party marketplace. In particular embodiments, the
system may receive
the request through a user interface provided by a third party company that
facilitates
connections between manufacturers and third party marketplaces. In various
embodiments, the
request to create the connection includes a request to initiate free flowing
communication (e.g.,
of data, information, etc.) between the manufacturer and the third party
marketplace. In still
other embodiments, the request to establish the connection may be a request to
access particular
data, or a particular file or data structure (e.g., on a database, server,
etc.).
[0077] Continuing at Step 920, the system, at least partially in response
to receiving the request,
establishes the connection. In various embodiments, establishing the
connection comprises
enabling two way (e.g., or one way) communication between the manufacturer and
the third
party marketplace, for example, via a suitable software application, web
application, or other
application. In various embodiments, the connection is a secure (e.g., or
unsecure) connection
that is configured to facilitate a transfer of data between the manufacturer
and the third party
marketplace. In particular embodiments, establishing the connection comprises
creating a link
between a manufacturer database and a third party marketplace data base. The
manufacture
database may, for example, include product data and associated MAP policies
for the product.
[0078] The product data may include, for example, one or more data fields
such as: (1) Product
Name; (2) Product Descriptions; (3) Brand Name; (4) Brand Stock Keeping unit
(SKU); (5)
24
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
MSRP; (6) MAP; (7) One or more names of prohibited marketplaces; (8) Closeout
status (e.g.,
whether the item is a closeout item); (9) Size; (10) gender designation; (11)
Shape; (12) Color;
(13) One or more images (e.g., one or more image files, one or more links to
one or more hosted
images, etc.); (14) Style Code; (15) Series; (16) Category; and/or (17) any
other data field
associated with the product. In particular embodiments, in response to
establishing the
connection between the manufacturer and the third party marketplace, the
system may be
configured to link the product data stored in the manufacturer database for a
particular product
with product data for the particular product stored in the third party
marketplace database. The
manufacturer may then automatically provide product data updates to the third
party retailer via
the linked databases.
[0079] For example, the system may be configured such that one or more
modification to product
data by the manufacturer in the manufacturer database automatically triggers a
transfer of the
updated data to the third party retailer database and modification of the data
in the third party
retailer database to match the product data in the manufacturer database.
In various
embodiments, automatically modifying corresponding product data in a third
party retailer
database may enable the system to make determinations based on the third party
retailer database
without having to make a database call to the manufacturer database to receive
updated data
(e.g., because the third party retailer database is already up to date). This
may conserve
processing and networking resources at the time of later determinations, for
example, by limiting
third party retailer database updates to off-peak networking times, times of
low processing use,
etc. In particular embodiments, the system may be configured to only transfer
individual fields
that have been modified for the product data to the third party retailer in
response to
modification. This may further limit the use of processing and networking
usage by the system.
[0080] The system may, for example: (1) determine which particular
fields associated with product
data have been modified; (2) transfer data containing the modified field data
to the third party
retailer database via the connection; and (3) modify the data in the third
party retailer database to
include the modified field data (e.g., without having to modify or
unnecessarily transfer any
unmodified data).
[0081] In particular embodiments, establishing the connection comprises
enabling the
manufacturer to provide one or more MAP guidelines to the third party
marketplace. In such
embodiments, the system may be configured to transmit the one or more MAP
guidelines using
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
any suitable technique. In other embodiments, the system may be configured to
provide the one
or more MAP guidelines to the third party marketplace by providing access to
the one or more
MAP guidelines which may, for example, be stored in any suitable location
and/or locations
(e.g., such as on one or more servers).
100821 In particular embodiments, the one or more MAP guidelines may
include any suitable
MAP guidelines such as, for example, any suitable MAP guidelines discussed
above (e.g., a
minimum advertised price for a particular product, one or more restrictions on
bundling a
particular product, regional sales limitations on a particular product, etc.
In still other
embodiments, the one or more MAP guidelines may include one or more guidelines
to grant or
deny permission for a particular seller to sell a particular manufacturer
product (e.g., via a black
list, via a whitelist, or both). In such embodiments, a blacklisted seller may
be a particular seller
that has previously violated one or more MAP guidelines. In various
embodiments, the one or
more seller-specific MAP guidelines may include one or more additional (e.g.,
more stringent)
guidelines on a seller that has previously violated one or more MAP
guidelines. In other
embodiments, the one or more MAP guidelines may include a particular time
limit on how long
a seller must adhere to such seller specific guidelines (e.g., one day, one
month, one year, or any
other suitable period of time). For example, a manufacturer may desire to
prevent a seller that
has violated a MAP guideline on a first third party marketplace from selling
any manufacturer
products on a second third party marketplace for a particular period of time.
[0083] In still other embodiments, the one or more MAP guidelines may
include one or more
questions which a third party marketplace must ask potential sellers in order
to authorize the
potential seller to list a manufacturer product for sale. For example, the one
or more questions
may include one or more questions relating to: (1) a source from which the
potential seller
received the manufacturer product for sale; (2) an amount of stock of the
manufacturer product
the potential seller possesses; (3) whether the potential seller is an
authorized seller of
manufacturer products; (4) what is the region or regions in which the
potential seller is interested
in selling (e.g., country); (5) contact information for one or more agents,
employees, etc. of the
potential seller; etc.
[0084] In various embodiments, the connection includes any suitable
connection such as a
networking link, associative link stored in memory, or any other suitable link
such as any link
described herein. In particular embodiments, the connection may enable a
transfer of data from
26
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
any of a plurality of third party retailers or distributers to the manufacture
(e.g., to a
manufacturer database on a suitable manufacturer server). For example, one or
more third party
retailers may transfer data associated with one or more MAP violations of a
seller that the third
party retailer has collected on behalf of another manufacturer. The
manufacturer may then use
this data to make determinations regarding authorizing new sellers to list
their products. The
manufacturer may also update product information to include such sellers on a
black or white list
and dissemination such information to all third party retailers and
distributers with which the
manufacturer is connected (e.g., by updating the product data in a
manufacturer database to
trigger the system automatically pushing the updated data to connected
retailers and others).
[0085] Returning to Step 930, the system receives the one or more MAP
guidelines from the
manufacturer. The system may then, at Step 940, store the one or more MAP
guidelines in
memory. Next, the system may, at Step 950, receive a request from a seller to
list one or more
manufacturer products on the third party marketplace. Continuing to Step 960,
the system
determines, based at least in part on the one or more MAP guidelines, whether
to enable the
seller to list the one or more manufacturer products on the third party
marketplace. The system
may, for example, determine whether the seller is an authorized or
unauthorized seller of
manufacturer products. In various embodiments, the system may substantially
automatically
determine whether to enable the seller to list the one or more manufacturer
products. In other
embodiments, the system may enable a user to approve or deny a request from a
seller to list a
manufacturer product on the third party marketplace. In such emboldens, the
system may also
generate a recommended action for the user based at least in part on the one
or more MAP
guidelines, and provide that recommendation to the user (e.g., by displaying
the recommendation
on a suitable computing device display).
[0086] In various embodiments, the system determines whether to enable the
seller to list the one
or more manufacturer products on the third party marketplace based in part on
information
derived from a plurality of other third party retailers with which the
manufacturer is connected.
For example, the system may receive additional information about the
requesting seller from one
or more other distributers that have provided product to the seller, one or
more other
marketplaces through which the seller has listed products, etc. In various
embodiments, the
system determines whether to enable the seller to list the one or more
manufacturer products on
the third party marketplace based on whether the seller has listed particular
products using
27
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
provided manufacturer data (e.g., via a direct connection as described
herein). Differences in
product description and other product data in published offers for sale by the
product for the
seller may, for example, cause the system to determine not to enable the
seller to list the one or
more manufacturer products.
[0087] In various other embodiments, the system may be configured to enable
the manufacturer to
update (e.g., alter) the one or more MAP guidelines. In such embodiments, the
system may be
configured to substantially automatically determine whether previously
approved sellers are still
approved under the updated one or more MAP guidelines. The system may, in
various
embodiments rescind approval for sellers that are no longer approved, notify
the third party
marketplace or the manufacturer of the change in status of particular sellers,
or take any other
suitable action.
100881 Continuing to step 970, the system provides a notification to the
manufacturer from the
third party marketplace detailing the determination made at Step 960. In
various embodiments,
the system may further enable the manufacture to overturn or veto the
determination made at
Step 960. For example, the manufacturer may reject a seller that was approved
to list a
manufacturer product for sale via the third party marketplace at Step 960.
[0089] Although the MAP Enforcement via Connections Module 900 is discussed
above with
respect to a manufacturer and a third party marketplace, it should be
understood that the MAP
Enforcement via Connections Module 900, in various embodiments, may be
executed to
establish any suitable connection(s) between and/or among any suitable
manufacturer, any
suitable distributer, any suitable seller, and/or any suitable third party
marketplace.
[0090] Seller Specific MAP Enforcement Module 1000
[0091] As shown in Figure 10, in various embodiments, a manufacturer may
wish to blacklist a
particular seller who may have violated one or more of the manufacture's MAP
guidelines. In
various embodiments, a particular seller may list one or more manufacturer
products for sale via
a plurality of online or other marketplaces. In such embodiments, a
manufacturer may desired a
streamlined way in which to blacklist the seller from selling the
manufacturer's products in any
and all marketplaces (e.g., even if the seller only committed a MAP violation
in one particular
marketplace). In particular embodiments, the system may be configured to
generate a blacklist
based on incidences of MAP non-compliance from sellers and distribute the
blacklist via one or
more connections which the manufacturer has made via the MAP Enforcement via
Connections
28
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
Module 900 described above. The blacklist may be included, for example, in the
one or more
MAP guidelines provided by the manufacturer and received by the system at step
940 described
above.
[0092] When executing the Seller Specific MAP Enforcement Module 1000, the
system begins, at
Step 1010 by receiving one or more seller blacklisting rules. The system may
be configured to
receive the one or more seller blacklisting rules from a particular
manufacturer. In various
embodiments, the one or more seller blacklisting rules may include, for
example, one or more
rules regarding: (1) an allowable number of MAP violations in a particular
time period; (2) a
frequency of determined MAP violations; (3) a severity of a particular MAP
violation; (4) one or
more 'punishments' for a particular MAP violation (e.g., a particular amount
of time a violating
seller should be placed on the blacklist, a particular product for which the
seller should be
blacklisted form selling, etc.); (5) etc.
[0093] Continuing at Step 1020, the system receives an indication of one or
more MAP violations
by a particular seller. The system may receive the indication, for example, in
any suitable
manner disclosed herein (e.g., in response to determining that a particular
product is being
offered for sale in violation of one or more MAP guidelines and/or policies,
via a report provided
by a competitor of the offending seller, or from any other suitable source).
The system then, at
Step 1030, determines, based at least in part on the one or more seller
blacklisting rules and the
one or more MAP violations by the particular seller, whether to blacklist the
particular seller.
Next, at Step 1040, the system, at least partially in response to determining
to blacklist the
particular seller, adds the seller to a blacklist. At Step 1050, the system
continues by storing the
blacklist to memory.
[0094] Illustrative Example
[0095] In a particular example of MAP Enforcement via Connections Module
900 described
above, the system may, fore example, receive a request from a first
manufacturer (e.g., Generic
Toy Company) to establish a connection with an online marketplace (e.g., ABC-
Shopping.com).
In response to the request, the system may establish a connection between
Generic Toy
Company and ABC-Shopping.com through which Generic Toy Company can provide MAP
guidelines for all of Generic Toy Company's products. The MAP guidelines may
include the
name of a particular seller (e.g., MAP Violating Sales Co.) that Generic Toy
Company has found
CA 02942224 2016-09-19
Patent
1051-02003-CA
to have committed repeated MAP violations through other online marketplaces in
the past. The
system may then store the MAP guidelines in memory.
[0096] ABC-Shopping.com may then receive a request from a potential seller
to list a Generic Toy
Company product for sale via ABC-Shopping.com. ABC-Shopping.com may then
request
additional information about the potential seller and determine, based at
least in part on the
additional information and the MAP guidelines, whether to authorize the
potential seller to list
the Generic Toy Company product for sale on ABC-Shopping.com. The system may,
for
example, determine that the potential seller is MAP Violating Sales Co. and
reject the request.
In response to determining that the potential seller is authorized to list the
product based on the
MAP guidelines, the system may then notify the manufacturer. The manufacturer
may then
manually override the decision of the third party marketplace.
Conclusion
[0097] Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come
to mind to one
skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the
teachings presented in
the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, instead
of having a
separate user interface 800 that allows the user to enter pricing to check
compliance with a MAP,
the user may engage the user interface 700 for reporting MAP violations. In
particular, when a
price is shown with cross hatching (e.g., is red), the user may click on that
particular pricing to
send a note to the manufacturer. Additionally, an additional column may be
added to the user
interface 700 that allows a user to input a proposed price for a particular
item, which then causes
the system to check the proposed price against the manufacturer's MAP policy
for that item.
Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to
the specific
embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are
intended to be
included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are
employed herein,
they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purposes
of limitation.
