Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM FOR
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS INTERACTION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 11/553,362, entitled
"AFFILIATE NETWORK E-COMMERCE SYSTEM," filed on October 26, 2006,
which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/758,431, entitled
"CATALYST HUB INTEGRATION ENGINE," filed on January 11, 2006, the
contents of both of which are incorporated herein as if set forth in full.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to a social networking infrastructure
and associated e-commerce sites or platforms, e.g., accessible via the
internet, and in
particular to a social networking platform, and associated structure and
methodology,
for consolidating tiered vertical market spaces by connecting multiple vendors
to
target audiences through an affiliate network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Social networking and e-commerce have become two important but,
heretofore, distinct applications of the internet. Social networking is a
combination of
relatively new technologies, and social practices, that allow for individuals
to expand
their spheres of personal and professional connections through online
interactions.
For example, an individual may register with one or more social networking
sites to
establish groups of friends or others with common interests to facilitate
social
interaction. In some case, such social networking sites are used to expand an
individual's base of business contacts that may advance that individual's
career. In
any event, such social networking sites have been viewed as a tool to advance
social
interaction between individuals or groups of individuals, whatever their
particular
goals might be. Generally, e-commerce refers to commercial transactions that
are
consummated electronically, e.g., via the internet or through other
communication
mechanisms such as a private network for mobile devices. For example, it is
now
common for consumers to search for products of interest on-line. Once a
suitable site
has been identified, the consumer can select products to be added to a "cart."
The
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consumer can continue to add items to the cart until all products of interest
available
via the site have been selected. The consumer can then execute a check-out
process,
which may involve directly or indirectly entering delivery address and payment
information. The order is then generally fulfilled by a vendor who attends to
delivery
of the products to the specified delivery address.
Early e-commerce activities were typically limited to direct transactions
between a vendor (manufacturer or retailer) and a consumer. More recently,
some e-
commerce sites have begun to function as portals or transaction
clearinghouses. That
is, a consumer can use such portal sites to purchase a variety of products
from a
variety of vendors. Thus, a consumer might visit a portal site to purchase a
book,
some pillows and a pair of shoes. This has been promoted to consumers as a
convenience in that consumers can take advantage of one stop shopping. The
early
success of some of these sites has persuaded many vendors to partner with the
sites.
Meanwhile, sustaining growth has required the portals to continually expand
the
group of vendor partners and range of product offerings.
While the portal site functions as a clearinghouse for transactions in this
model, it is noted that network remains essentially a vendor-consumer
marketplace,
generally without the participation of any third parties. Indeed, the absence
of third
parties, intermediaries or affiliates has been asserted as an important
efficiency of the
e-commerce model. The portal site has the potential to provide business
services, such
as resource sharing, that become more powerful to all businesses participating
in
various vertical market spaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors have recognized that social networking and e-
commerce, previously distinct if not conflicting applications, can be combined
to
provide great advantages to businesses and their customers. In this regard,
the
inventors have recognized that conventional e- commerce models do not address
certain needs of consumers, vendors and other interested parties. For example,
with
portal sites perpetually expanding their vendor partners and product
offerings, visitors
to these sites are sometimes exposed to a bewildering array of options that
can make
the process of identifying products of interest quite difficult. But perhaps
more
fundamentally, it has been recognized that the two-party market model, which
has
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been the cornerstone of e-commerce, fails to fully take advantage of the
potentially
complementary business relationships of tiered vertical market spaces; or
potential
market spaces where the owners of marlcet spaces share information, resources,
vendors, products, advertisers, networks and customers to the benefit of all
pai-ties.
The business-to-business aspect of the relationship between the various market
spaces
has previously been ignored in the social networking arena. The business as an
entity,
communicating and participating in business social network has not previous
been
explored. Indeed, in the business world the business model of competition with
other
parties is the norm. This invention not only challenges this model; it also
provides
mechanisms whereby businesses encounter both social networking and economic
benefits through a shared network approach.
Some examples illustrate such tiered market spaces and the potentially
complementary relationships in such spaces. One example of a tiered market
space is
fitness or wellness industries as exemplified by the yoga industry. This
industry may
be conceptualized as including vendors of yoga related products (e.g., yoga
mats,
books, videos, and complementary health and spiritual products), service
providers
such as yoga studios, and consumers such as students and practitioners. Other
examples of tiered vertical markets include the bicycle industry (which
involves,
among other things, manufacturers, bike shops and consumers) and the real
estate
industry (which involves sellers, real estate agents, related service
providers, vendors
of home products such as appliances, and buyers).
It will be appreciated that the conceptualization of the number of tiers and
the
vertical relationship of such tiers is somewhat flexible. Regardless of the
conceptualization, complementary business interests result from a common
target
consumer class and/or unifying subject matter. Thus, in the yoga industry
example,
students of local yoga studios are likely purchasers of yoga related products
and vice
versa. Bicycle manufacturers may benefit from the presence of local bike shops
who
can provide expertise and test-rides, while bike shops may have the
opportunity to sell
accessories and services to end users of bicycles. This social relationship
between
vendors can become a valuable asset to other businesses participating in the
social
network.
Therefore this invention presents the opportunity for the individual business
/
market space to itself benefit from the capability to connect multiple vendors
to an
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affiliate-based collective (i.e. yoga studios and their customers, bilce
stores and their
customers, etc.) and simultaneously the opportunity for the individual
business /
market space to benefit from the capability to connect with and share vendors,
products, advertisers and even customers with other individual businesses and
marlcet
places who connect with and use the social networking platform for business-to-
business trading purposes. In other words, each "portal" becomes not only a
stand-
alone business entity, but rather an entity that is connected to and can
benefit from the
larger network of portals / market spaces. Further, the economic benefits of
sharing
information, resources, vendors, products and customers is inherent in the
unique
functionality and processes of the invention.
While these potentially complementary relationships may be observed by
perceptive analysts, in some cases, these parties may not be organized in any
meaningful way to define a market space where the potentially complementary
relationships can be realized. In any event, such market spaces generally have
not
been realized in the e-market context where the reigning paradigm is direct
vendor-
consumer transactions.
The present invention addresses these needs and objectives by providing a
social networking business-to-business environment where an e-commerce
platform
or system and associated functionality consolidates an existing or potentially
tiered
vertical market space by connecting multiple market spaces / portals and their
vendors
and products to a target audience or consumer class through an affiliate
network. In
this manner, market spaces / portals (e.g. bike market space or yoga market
space);
affiliates (e.g., bike shops or yoga studios) and vendors (manufacturers or
sellers of
bicycles or yoga-related products) can be linked to an e-commerce platform in
a
manner that promotes realization of potentially complementary relationships.
For
example, the market spaces / portals may contain vendors and products that are
complementary such as, in the case of a bike market space and yoga market
space, an
energy bar vendor/product or a sports drink vendor/product. Further, the
affiliate
network (bike stores, yoga studios) can drive e-commerce traffic to the e-
commerce
platform where vendors' products and/or services are available. Affiliates can
receive
content from the e-commerce platform, for example, related to the relevant
industry
(e.g., bike training tips, yoga educational materials and spiritual resources
or
information about mortgage options, interest rates or mortgage calculators,
etc.).
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Such content may expedite affiliate site construction, and enhance the value
of the
affiliate site to their customer base. Additionally, when consumers are
referred (e.g.,
linked) to the market space / portal / e-commerce site by a referring
affiliate, affiliate
branding may be included in connection with the e-commerce platform, and
referral
fees may be provided to the affiliate, thereby generating a further revenue
stream for
the affiliate. Consumers benefit from enhanced site content, exposure to
complementary products and services of likely interest, and one-stop shopping
without the bewildering array of unrelated options. Businesses can participate
on
many levels in the manner and options in which they choose to share resources.
For
example, the social network can facilitate sharing of vendor relationships,
services
provided (such as banking or merchant accounts), customer mailing lists, and
production. There is an unlimited set of resources that can be established for
a
business-to-business relationship enhanced through the social network
established by
the invention.
The social networking business-to-business platform provides functionality
that can increase traffic and visibility of the affiliate web site.
Specifically, any
number of Internet domain names owned by the social networking business-to-
business platform user which may, but do not have to be, directly relevant to
the
vertical market space (i.e., for the yoga industry example, www.heropose.corn,
www.childrensvogasite.com, 'www.yoga;fortheworld.com, etc.; for the bike
industry
example, www.tlxeworldotbikes.com, wwnv.bikeracing.corn etc.) can be entered
into
the system. Any new affiliate is automatically listed and linked on these
Internet
domain name pages/web sites. This can improve visibility and traffic to the
affiliate's
web site by a targeted set of consumers in the vertical market. It will be
appreciated
that increasing the number of domain names associated with a site increases
the
likelihood of the site being found by relevant users. Indeed, users frequently
simply
type domain names in their browsers which they feel are related to their topic
of
interest. The present invention automates this process of listing multiple
domain
names and linking the names with affiliate web sites in a vertical market.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method and
apparatus ("utility") is provided related to operation of a social networking
business-
to-business platform with an affiliate network. The utility involves
identifying a
tiered vertical market defined by a market space where the tiered vertical
market
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includes vendors of products and/or services within the market space,
consumers of
the products and/or services and potential affiliates having a business
interest
coniplementary to an industry of the market space. The utility further
involves
establishing a social networking business-to-business platform that can be
linked to
affiliate platforms of the potential affiliates and to vendor platforms of the
potential
vendors and linking the e-commerce platform to a number of the affiliate
platforms
and a number of the vendor platforms. The social networking business-to-
business
platform is then operative for receiving an order including product order
information
from one of the consumers where the order is directed to the social networking
business-to-business platform via a referring affiliate platform. The product
order
information identifies for purchase one or more of the products or services
from one
or more of the linked vendors. The social networking business-to-business
platform
is further operative to communicate with the referring affiliate platform
and/or one of
the linked vendors in relation to fulfillment of the order. For example, the
social
networking business-to-business platform may transmit order information to all
appropriate vendors and may communicate (e.g., immediately or periodically)
account
information to the referring affiliate platform regarding remuneration to the
referring
affiliate associated with the order.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a utility is
provided related to operation of an affiliate platform in connection with an
affiliate
network as part of the social networking business-to-business platform. The
utility
involves operating an affiliate platform to access a social networking
business-to-
business platform of an affiliate network and establish a link between the
platforms.
For example, the affiliate platform may be operated to execute an affiliate
registration
process in this regard. The affiliate platform can then be operated to
communicate
with the social networking business-to-business platform. A variety of such
communications may occur. For example, the affiliate platform may communicate
branding information to the social networking business-to-business platform
and/or
receive content, such as affiliate branded content, from the social networking
business-to-business platform. Moreover, the affiliate platform may refer a
consumer
to the social networking business-to-business platform. '
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a utility is provided
related to operation of a vendor platform in connection with an affiliate
network. As
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discussed above, the vendor platform is associated with a vendor of specialty
products
that can be marketed to consumers via a social networking business-to-business
platform of an affiliate network. The utility involves operating the vendor
platform to
access the social networking business-to-business platform and establish a
link
between the vendor platform and the social networking business-to-business
platform.
The vendor platform can then be operated to communicate with the social
networking
business-to-business platform, e.g., in relation to one or more transactions
involving
products of the vendor. For example, the vendor platform may transmit product
offering and/or availability information to the social networking business-to-
business
platform. Additionally or alternatively, the vendor platform may receive order
information, account information and the like from the social networking
business-to-
business platform. Vendors, their products and associated revenue streams from
sales
may be shared among businesses who use the social networking business-to-
business
platform for the creation of discrete market spaces / portals.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a utility
is
provided related to operation of a consumer platform (e.g., a desktop or
laptop
computer or other mobile devices) in connection with an affiliate network. The
utility
involves accessing the social networking business-to-business platform and
accessing
an affiliate platform associated with the social networking business-to-
business
platform. These accessing operations may be performed in any order. For
example,
the consumer may access the affiliate site and then use a link associated with
the
affiliate platform to access the social networking business-to-business
platform.
Conversely, the consumer may access the social networking business-to-business
platform and then link to the affiliate platform. The utility further involves
submitting
product order information via the social networking business-to-business
platform,
where the product order information identifies one or more products of one or
more of
the linked vendors.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, branding
information (e.g., a trademark or other identifying information) is exchanged
between
platforms of an affiliate network so as to enable co-branding of site content.
As
discussed above, the affiliate network includes vendors, consumers and
affiliates
integrated with respect to a social networking business-to-business system. It
is noted
that conventional e-commerce systems, e.g., portal sites with a number of
partnering
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vendors, may identify the vendor source of products, but generally do not
involve co-
branding of vendor sites or allow vendors to co-brand content at the e-
commerce site.
Indeed, because the business models of such conventional e-commerce site are
largely
dependent on drawing traffic to, and retaining traffic on, such sites, there
is a
significant incentive to uniquely impress the e-commerce site identity upon
visitors,
and not cultivate a multi-entity network identification. The social networking
business-to-business platform allows for this conventional model to be greatly
expanded in such a way that has not been previously possible.
By contrast, in connection with a social networking business-to-business
affiliate network as contemplated by the present inventors, co-branding of
content and
exchanging branded content is accommodated and encouraged. For example, upon
referral of a consumer from an affiliate platform to the social networking
business-to-
business platform, affiliate branding information may be displayed in
connection with
the social networking business-to-business platform, e.g., indicating that the
social
networking business-to-business platform is "being brought to you" by the
referring
affiliate. Conversely, the affiliate platform may be labeled as being "powered
by" the
social networking business-to-business platform. As a further example, content
downloaded to an affiliate platform by the social networking business-to-
business
platform may be branded with branding information of the affiliate. In such
cases, a
corresponding utility involves exchanging branding information between
platforms of
an affiliate network, and, based on the exchanged branding information,
providing
content identified by the exchanged branding information at one of the
platforms.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, location-specific
information is provided to consumers via an affiliate network. In the
conventional
direct consumer-vendor e-commerce paradigm, the location of the consumer is
generally given little consideration. However, in the context of a social
networking
business-to-business platform, it has been recognized that location
information may
be useful to identifying local affiliates, events and other items of interest.
The present
aspect of the invention uses consumer location information to provide local
information not available via conventional e-commerce systems. A corresponding
utility involves: establishing a social networking business-to-business
platform in
connection with an affiliate network; obtaining, via the social networking
business-to-
business platform, consumer identification information and consumer location
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information regarding a consumer; and using the consumer location information
to
provide location specific information to the consumer. For example, a consumer
having an interest in the market space targeted by the social networking
business-to-
business platform may register to receive a newsletter and, in connection with
such a
registration process, may provide location information such as an address,
city or zip
code. The social networking business-to-business system may then provide
affiliate
contact information, event information or other information based on the
consumer's
location for any related information maintained in the social networking
business-to-
business platform that consumer has an interest in and is made available
throughout
the network.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, an
affiliate
network is used to enable targeted advertising. It will be appreciated that
some portal
sites have become so generalized with respect to product offerings as to
significantly
impair the ability of advertisers to obtain targeted commercial impressions.
By
contrast, the very nature of an affiliate network draws consumers having a
common
interest and, in some cases, additional common demographic classifications.
Moreover, as noted above, location information can be associated with at least
some
consumers of an affiliate network (e.g., based on a newsletter registration or
transaction-related information). The affiliate network thus provides enhanced
opportunities for targeted advertising. An associated utility involves:
establishing an
affiliate network that is part of the social networking business-to-business
platform
related to a defined industry; providing an advertisement in connection with
one or
more platforms of the affiliate network; and billing for delivery of the
advertisement
based on targeted commercial impressions. For example, such billing may be
based
on visits to the one or more platforms and/or clicks on the advertisement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and further
advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following detailed
description, taken
in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates a number of market spaces organized in accordance with the
present invention;
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Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of an affiliate network in accordance with the
present invention;
Fig. 2B illustrates the social networking business-to-business platform
environment of the present invention;
Fig. 2C illustrates the interconnected nature and inherent sharing of vendors,
advertisers, affiliates and customers between tiered vertical market spaces
that are
connected via the social networking business-to-business platform.
Figs. 4A-4E illustrate a number of sites provided in connection with a social
networking business-to-business platform in accordance with the present
invention;
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a database system associated with a
social networking business-to-business e-commerce platform in accordance with
the
present invention; and
Figs. 6-34 are screen shots illustrating the structure and functionality of a
social networking business-to-business platform in accordance with the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a social networking for business-to-business
platform for connecting businesses, consumers, vendors and affiliates through
a
network of resources. An industry or industry segment can thereby be
integrated
around a social networking for business-to-business platform. In the following
description, the invention is set forth in the context of certain exemplary
market
spaces, such as the yoga industry, for purposes of illustration. However, it
will be
appreciated that the invention is applicable to a broad variety of market
spaces and
allows an unlimited number of businesses to participate in the social
networking
platform.
The social networking for business-to-business platform of the present
invention can be used to integrate a number of market spaces. In Fig. 1, a
number of
market spaces participating in the social networking for business-to-business
platform
are generally identified by the reference numbers 100, 102 and 104. It will be
appreciated that any number of market spaces may be supported in this regard.
For
example, the market spaces 100, 102 and 104 may comprise yoga industry,
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industry and real estate industry market spaces as discussed above. However,
the
present invention is not limited to any particular industry.
As shown in Fig. 1, the market spaces 100, 102 and 104 are integrated around
liubs 108, 112 and 116. For example, these hubs 108, 112 and 116 may be e-
market
platforms, each of which participates in the social networking for business-to-
business
platform, as described in more detail below. Each hub 108, 112 or 116 connects
consumers 109, 113 or 117 to vendors 106, 110 and 114 via a network that
further
includes a number of affiliates 107, 111 and 115. In the case of the yoga
industry
example, as will be discussed in considerable detail below, the vendors may be
vendors of yoga related products, the consumers may be consumers of yoga
related
products and the affiliates may be yoga studios or others with a complementary
business interest, e.g., a consumer base that overlaps that of the vendors to
a
significant degree. It is noted that, while it is useful to define such market
spaces 100,
102 and 104, such spaces 100, 102 and 104 are generally not fully isolated
from each
other. Thus, for example, consumers of yoga related products may also be
consumers
of bicycles or the real estate industry. Similarly, a given entity may find it
useful to
be a part of multiple affiliate networks. For example, a fitness center or a
vendor of
supplements for athletes may be affiliated with a yoga industry affiliate
network and a
bicycle industry affiliate network. This is generally indicated in Fig. 1 by
way of
dashed lines extending across the various market spaces 100, 102 and 104.
Fig. 2A further illustrates the components of a typical affiliate network 200
and examples of the types of information and links that may be shared between
such
components within the social networking for business-to-business platform. The
illustrated network 200 includes consumer platforms 220, vendor platforms 230
and
affiliate platforms 240, all interconnected via a social networking for
business-to-
business platform 210. The consumer platforms 220 are the data network devices
used by individual consumers and may include, for example, personal computers,
laptops, PDA's, data-enabled mobile phones or the like. The vendor platforms
230
may be servers or other e-commerce platforms of the individual vendors. As
will be
discussed in more detail below, such vendors generally register to become a
part of
the affiliate network 200. The platform 210 is the server or other platform
used to
integrate the relevant market space, as will be described in more detail
below. The
affiliate platforms 240 are the servers or other platforms associated with the
individual
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affiliates. Again, the affiliates generally register to become a part of the
affiliate
network 200, as will be described below. Although these various platforms are
referred to herein as being individual platforms, it will be appreciated that
the
functionality associated with any one of these platforms may be spread across
multiple machines at multiple locations and across multiple social networking
for
business-to-business platforms as will be readily appreciated by those skilled
in the
field.
The illustrated social networking for business-to-business platform 210
includes a number of web pages that may include content 213 of interest to the
consumers 220, as well as a marketplace 212 by which consumers 220 can
purchase
products from the various vendors 230. In addition, the platform 210 may
include a
number of links 214 of potential interest to the consumers 220, such as links
to the
affiliate platforms 240. In addition, the links 214 may provide information
about
events of interest, educational materials, communications from vendors and/or
customers and/or affiliates and/or businesses, newsletter registration
pages.and the
like.
In a preferred implementation of the present invention, branding information
may be shared between one or more of the platforms 210, 230 and 240 of the
affiliate
network 200 and across the social networking for business-to-business
platform. In
this manner, a network identity is cultivated. In this regard, the social
networking for
business-to-business platform 210 further includes affiliate brand information
211.
Thus, for example, when a consumer is referred to the social networking for
business-
to-business platform 210 from an affiliate platform 240, individual web pages
of the
platform 210 may display affiliate branding information such as, "Brought to
you by
[affiliate name]" and include test, graphics, multimedia or other content that
brands
the e-commerce platform of the affiliate. Similarly, when a consumer 220
visits an
affiliate platform 240, individual web pages of the affiliate platform 240 may
include
network branding information 241 such as, "Powered by [affiliate network
name]."
The illustrated affiliate platform 240 thus includes network branding
information 241
as discussed above, affiliate branded content 242 and links 243 all generated
by
platform and contained within the social networking for business-to-business
platform.
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One of the advantages of the network 200 for affiliates is the opportunity to
obtain affiliate branded content 242 from the social networking for business-
to-
business platform 210. Thus, content may be pushed to the affiliate platform
240, or
otherwise obtained at the affiliate platform 240 from the social networking
for
business-to-business platform 210. This content may be branded with the
affiliate
branding information. In this manner, affiliates can quickly populate an
affiliate web
site with high quality information of likely interest to consumers 220 of the
network
200. The illustrated affiliate platform 240 further includes links 243,
including, for
example, links to other platforms of the affiliate network 200, as well as to
other sites
of likely interest to the consumers 220.
Another benefit of the social networking for business-to-business platform
210 is the opportunity for affiliates to automatically be listed and linked on
multiple
domains that are connected via the social networking for business-to-business
platform using an administration site and may have, but are not required to
have,
intrinsic value and recognition as part of the tiered vertical market (i.e.
ht!p://Wwvv.heropose.com for a yoga implementation); and may have, but are not
required to have, content that has value for the consumers in the tiered
vertical market
(i.e., content about how to perform a specific yoga pose). The social
networking for
business-to-business platform 210 allows a domain, registered and owned by the
social networking for business-to-business platform operator, to be populated
with
high quality, relevant content or no content at all. The operator might simply
want to
associate the domain to the social networking for business-to-business
platform.
Thus, the illustrated network 200 enables affiliates to have a more effective
internet
presence, in addition to a variety of other advantages, as will be discussed
in more
detail below. In the illustrated implementation, each of the domains 250 may
have
network brand information 251, affiliate branded content 252 and links 253
similar to
that of the affiliate platforms 240 as discussed above.
The consumer platforms 220 may provide a variety of information 260 to the
social networking for business-to-business platform 210. This information may
include information identifying the consumer 220, product ordering information
and
link selections. In addition, the present invention provides a variety of
enhanced
functionality based on knowing the location of individual consumers. In this
regard,
location information such as an address, partial address or zip code may be
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transmitted from the consumer platforms 220 to the social networking for
business-to-
business platform 210.
The consumer platforms 220 also receive a variety of information from the
social networking for business-to-business platform 210. For example, the
consumers
may receive order confirmation information in connection with an order placed
via
the platform 210. In addition, the consumers may receive content made
available at
the social networking for business-to-business platform 210. In addition,
newsletters
and other information may be transmitted to the consumer platforms 220 from
the
platform 210 and/or the consumer platform may transmit information to the
social
networking for business-to-business platform. For example, a web log (blog)
may be
integrated within the system.
The vendor platforms 230 may receive a variety of information 262 from the
social networking for business-to-business platform 210, such as order
information
and account information. For example, when a customer places an order via the
social networking for business-to-business platform 210 for multiple products
from
multiple vendors, the platform 210 may transmit the relevant order information
to
each of the relevant vendor platforms 230. The social networking for business-
to-
business platform 210 can then be used as a clearinghouse to collect payments
for
orders. Consequently, the social networking for business-to-business platform
210
keeps account of payments due to the various vendors. Related account
information
and payments may be transmitted periodically to the vendor platforms 230 or
the
vendor platforms 230 may be operated to access account information from the
social
networking for business-to-business platform 210.
The vendor platforms 230 also provide a variety of information 263 to the
platform 210. For example, this information 263 may include product
information
and product availability information. Thus, it will be appreciated that
product
information is provided to the social networking for business-to-business
platform
210 in order to allow the platform 210 to provide information about available
products to consumers visiting the site 210. The vendor platforms 230 may
further
transmit order availability information (available, back-ordered, etc.) sua
sponte or in
response to receiving order information from the social networking for
business-to-
business platform 210.
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The affiliate platforms 240 may transmit a variety of information 264 to the
social networking for business-to-business platform 210. This information may
include number of consumers visiting the social networking for business-to-
business
platform via the affiliate platform, consumer 220 and product ordering data at
the time
of a sale in the social networking for business-to-business platform,
registration
information and affiliate branding information. With regard to registration
information, as noted above, affiliates generally register to be included in
the affiliate
network 200. Moreover, as discussed above, an advantage of the affiliate
network
200 for affiliates is that affiliate brand information 211 may be displayed in
connection with the social networking for business-to-business platform 210 at
least
in events where consumers are referred to the social networking for business-
to-
business platform 210 from an affiliate platform 210. Moreover, affiliates can
receive
affiliate branded content 242 from the social networking for business-to-
business
platform 210. In this regard, affiliate branding information may be uploaded
to the
social networking for business-to-business platform 210 from the affiliate
platforms
240 to enable such functionality.
In addition, a variety of information 265 may be transmitted from the social
networking for business-to-business platform 210 to the affiliate platforms
240 and
affiliate domains 250. As discussed above, network branding information 241
and
251 may be displayed in connection with web pages at the affiliate platforms
240 and
affiliate domains 250. Accordingly, network branding information may be pushed
to
the platforms 240 and domains 250. Additionally, affiliate branded content may
be
pushed from the social networking for business-to-business platforms 240 to
the
affiliate platforms 240 and affiliate domains 250. Additional communications
may
occur between the various platforms 210, 220, 230, 240 and 250. For example, a
consumer may directly access a vendor platform 230, an affiliate platform 240
or an
affiliate domain 250. Indeed, one of the advantages of the network 200 is that
traffic
is driven to the social networking for business-to-business platform 210 from
at least
the affiliate platforms 240 and affiliate domains 250.
At the core of the social networking for business-to-business platform in the
illustrated implementation is a powerful online engine or catalyst hub
integration
(CHI) engine. The CHI engine enables rapid deployment of an integrated online
market space for any vertical tiered market. The CHI engine seamlessly
connects
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vendors, affiliates and consumers with content, products and advertising in a
comprehensive online market space. Each vendor has access to a secure online
environment to monitor and process orders and update product inventory.
Customers
receive automated messages regarding their orders and any back-ordered
products.
Affiliates receive detailed reports about both the use of the affiliate web
site to send
both traffic and sales to the social networking for business-to-business
platform and
all related earnings from this activity. All of these functions are
implemented via an
architecture involving object-oriented programming and an extensive library of
code
that can be adapted to perform common functions for each market space
application.
The object-oriented programming entails a number of objects that can assume
attributes as required for specific market space applications. In this manner,
an entire
market space that connects multiple vendors, consumers and affiliates can be
integrated in a matter of days.
Thus, in the embodiments discussed herein, the social networking for
business-to-business platform implements the CHI engine. The CHI engine
includes
the logic for generating and controlling a number of sites. These sites are
accessed by
various parties interested in the market space, such as vendors, affiliates,
consumers
and advertisers.
These relationships are illustrated in Fig. 2B. As shown, the CHI engine 280
provides the embodiment of an e-commerce site 281 that can be accessed by
consumers 282 using consumer platforms, for example, to shop for products or
obtain
information. It will be appreciated that this site may be presented to
consumers
differently (e.g., with or without affiliate branding) depending, for example,
on
whether the site was accessed directly or via an affiliate platform. The
engine 280
further provides an affiliate site 283 that can be accessed by affiliates 284
associated
with affiliate platforms and affiliate platform sites. For example, the
affiliate site 283
may be accessed to upload branding information or obtain account information.
A vendor site 285, provided by engine 280, may be accessed by vendors 286
associated with vendor platforms. The vendors 286 may access the vendor site
285,
for example, to provide product availability information or obtain account
information. The engine 280 further provides an advertiser site 287 that may
be
accessed by advertisers 288 associated with advertiser platforms and
advertiser
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platform sites. The advertisers 288 may access the advertiser site 287, for
example, to
upload ad copy or obtain up-to-date campaign information.
The illustrated engine 280 further establishes and supports affiliate domains
that can be used to drive consumers to affiliate platforms. For example, a
substantial
list of affiliate domains may be compiled for a given market space, and those
domains
may be linked to affiliates to increase affiliate platform traffic. The
administration
site 290, provided by engine 280, is a central point where connections between
the
various parties are established; content, advertising, products and payments
are
managed and activities reported.
With regard to Fig. 2B, it is noted that while most interactions are two-way
in
nature, some, such as consumers moving to domain name pages, then to affiliate
branded sites, are one-way flows. Consumers may flow seamlessly back and forth
between either affiliate branded sites and the e-commerce site or between
domain
name pages and the e-commerce site or between other e-commerce sites
participating
in the social network for business-to-business platform. While most consumer
interactions are outgoing (from the consumer), the administration site does
send
information to the consumer.
A social network for business-to-business interaction environment 291 is
illustrated in Fig. 2C. The illustrated environment 291 includes an
interconnected
web of tiered vertical market spaces (TVMSs) 292. Although only shown in
relation
to one TVMS 202 for clarity of illustration, each TVMS 292 may include
associated
advertisers 296, affiliates 295, consumers 294 and vendors 293. Thus, each
TVMS
292 can function as a stand-alone system or, alternatively, can share
information,
resources, vendors, products, advertisers, consumers, etc., with other
TVMSs292
The CHI engine environment is schematically illustrated in Fig. 3. As shown,
the CHI engine 300 is at the core of the environment and interconnects vendors
302
and consumers 304. The CHI engine 300 further is operative to implement
industry-
related activities 306, such as managing affiliate communications, pushing
content to
affiliate platforms and managing advertising in connection with the e-commerce
sites
and the social network for business-to-business platform . Finally, the CHI
engine
300 handles a number of administrative functions 308, such as processing
orders,
managing account information and generating reports for vendors and affiliates
throughout the social network for business-to-business platform.
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The social network for business-to-business platform, wliich implements the
CHI engine, thus provides a number of sites, including an advertiser site, a
vendor
site, an affiliate site, a consumer site and an administrative site. These are
graphically
illustrated in Figs. 4A - 4E. Fig. 4A illustrates an advertiser site 400. The
illustrated
advertiser site 400 may include marketing information 402 and related contact
information. For example, the marketing information may include information of
interest to advertisers or potential advertisers, such as the advantages of
the affiliate
network environment in terms of generating targeted commercial impressions, as
well
as information regarding the number of visits and demographics of consumers of
the
relevant affiliate network. The contact information may direct advertisers to
network
administration personnel who can assist advertisers in designing and
implementing an
advertising campaign via the affiliate network. The illustrated advertiser
site 400
further includes a login screen where advertisers can login to obtain secure
information regarding their accounts as well as to manage accounts, add,
delete or
modify advertising strategies. After logging in, advertisers can obtain
reporting
information 404, which may include, for example, information regarding the
number
of targeted commercial impressions delivered, the demographics of the audience
reached, advertising costs, etc. The advertisers can also access a utility 405
for
uploading banners or other advertising content. It will be appreciated that
the
advertising content may be in the form of text, graphics, full emulsion video,
sound,
etc. Further, the advertiser site may connect advertisers to one or multiple
tiered
vertical market spaces, all managed by the CHI Engine, for direct-to-targeted-
market
advertising opportunities within the social network for business-to-business
platform.
Fig. 4B illustrates a vendor site 410 associated with the e-commerce platform.
The vendor site 410 includes an introductory page 411 where vendors or
potential
vendors can enter or review basic vendor information such as a vendor name,
address,
contact information and the like. The illustrated vendor site 410 further
includes a
login utility 412 that can be used to access secure information. Once a vendor
is
logged in via the login utility 412, the vendor can access a variety of secure
information such as account information 413 and product availability
information
414. For example, a vendor may review the account information 413 to obtain
information about orders and pending orders. In addition, the vendor may add,
delete
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or modify product availability information 414 for all e-commerce sites
participating
in the social network for business-to-business platform.
Fig. 4C illustrates an affiliate site 420, in this example, a studio site,
associated
with an e-commerce platform. The illustrated affiliate site 420 includes a
home page
421 that may display, for example, login and marketing information. The
marketing
information may include any information of potential interest to affiliates
such as
information regarding online network traffic, network changes and promotions.
The
login utility can be used to enable affiliate sites to login to access secure
functions. In
this regard, a login recovery utility 443 handles errors in connection with
the login
process and assists users having difficulty with the login procedure.
Once an affiliate has logged in, the affiliate may access an affiliate
dashboard
422, which provides access to a variety of functions including e-mail
campaigns 423,
reporting 424, a banner builder utility 425, account information 426, customer
support
427 and an upgrade service 428. The e-mail campaigns 423 provide a mechanism
by
which affiliates can contact consumers and potential consumers with
information
regarding, for example, promotions and events. The reporting function 424
enables
affiliates to obtain report information regarding a variety of activities such
as financial
information 431, performance information 432 and information regarding e-mail
campaigns 433. The financial information 431 may include reports identifying
commissions on sales from the e-commerce platform, banner click-through
commissions in connection with a pay-pe'r-click implementation and the like.
The
performance information 432 can provide various information for evaluating the
performance of banner ads as well as the number of hits on various
informational
pages. The e-mail campaign information 433 may provide reports identifying the
number of subscribers who have agreed to receive e-mail information as well as
views to the underlying information from which the reports were generated.
The banner builder utility 425 can be used by affiliates to upload banner ads
or
other ads to the e-commerce site. In this regard, the banner builder utility
425 may
include an online builder utility 429 that can be used by studio operators to
build
banner ads. In addition, the banner builder utility 425 may include a utility
430 for
uploading pre-made banner ads or other advertisements.
The affiliate can also access account information 426, including balance
information 434 regarding, for example, a balance of commissions owed to the
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affiliate, payment history information 435 showing payments made to the
affiliate, a
management utility 436 that can be used to add, delete or modify name, address
and
other identification information, and a logo upload utility 437 for uploading
an
affiliate logo or other branding information to the e-commerce platform.
The affiliate can further access a customer support utility 427 for
implementing a variety of customer support functions. In the illustrated
implementation, this customer support utility 427 is forms-based such that
affiliate
sites can obtain a variety of customer support information by way of entering
information on appropriate forms. Finally, via the affiliate dashboard 422,
the
affiliates can access a utility 428 for managing the affiliate's relationship
with the
affiliate network. In this regard, the affiliate networks may include a
variety of levels
at which affiliates can participate. By using the utility 428 the affiliates
can upgrade
or otherwise modify this relationship.
From the home page 421, perspective affiliates can also access information
relevant to making a determination to join the affiliate network. Such
information
includes testimonials 444, examples and demos 445 showing how the affiliate
network functions, and a product tier grid 446 showing the products that are
available
via the social network for business-to-business platform network and the
vertical
structure of the product space.
If a prospective affiliate then elects to join the social network for business-
to-
business platform network, the affiliate can access the create login utility
442. From
this login utility 444, the affiliate can access a sign-up form by which the
affiliate
enters registration information including, for example, name, contact and
account
information. The affiliate can then access a services selection form 439 by
which the
affiliate can elect from a number of options as to how the affiliate will
participate in
the network. In this regard, the affiliate may identify content to be pushed
to an
affiliate platform, identify an appropriate tier within the market space for
placement
of the affiliate, select functionality such as dynamic web site building, etc.
It should
be noted that these various affiliate options are themselves fully
customizable in terms
of the offering and the pricing by the e-commerce platform managed by the CHI
engine and included as part of the social network for business-to-business
platform. In
cases where a subscription fee is required from affiliates, the affiliate can
then access
a payment form 438. After payment has been completed, the affiliate will be
directed
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to a receipt page 440, which provides receipt information as well as providing
a web
master pass phrase, affiliate number and other information.
With this web master pass phrase, affiliates can access a web master utility
447. This utility generally will require a login procedure where the affiliate
can enter
the web master pass phrase to gain access to web master content. The affiliate
can
then access an article index generator 448, which provides a variety of web
master
information.
Fig. 4D illustrates a consumer site that may be accessed in connection with
the
e-commerce platform via the social network for business-to-business platform.
The
illustrated site includes a home page 451. From the home page 451, the
consumer can
access a variety of different utilities. In this regard, the home page 451 may
include a
link banner 452 with links to a variety of affiliates or vendors of the
network. By
activating one of these links, the consumer will land at the referred merchant
or
affiliate 453. Alternatively, from the home page 451 the consumer may elect to
shop
for products within the specialized product space of the affiliate network. In
this
regard, the consumer may click on a featured product to access product detail
454.
Alternatively, the consumer may initiate shopping by viewing product
categories 455.
The user may then navigate through a variety of product screens to identify a
product
of interest. The consumer can then click on the product to view product detail
454. If
the consumer elects the product being viewed, that product will be added to
the
consumer's cart 456. As shown in Fig. 4D, a consumer may also add a featured
product or product from the product category view directly to the cart without
viewing the product detail. A cart management utility 457 is also provided
that
allows a consumer to delete items from the cart, change the quantity of any
item and
see products categorized by vendor.
From the home page 451 the consumer can also obtain information about a
newsletter, for example, including information of interest to consumers such
as
product offerings, events, educational materials and the like. In this regard,
the user
may access a newsletter detail page 458 to obtain detailed information about
the
newsletter as well as sign up fields for the newsletter. For example, these
fields may
allow the consumer to enter an e-mail address or other identification
information
together with location information for the subscriber, such as zip code
information.
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The user can then access a confirmation page 459 that confirms the newsletter
sign-up
information and automatically redirects the consumer back to the home page
451.
In the illustrated implementation, from the home page 451 the user can also
access an affiliate search utility 463. It should be noted that in any
particular vertical
market the search and results may specifically relate to affiliates in that
vertical
market participating in the social network for business-to-business platform.
This
utility 463 assists consumers in identifying local yoga studios, as an example
vertical
market affiliate. The search results may identify studios based on location.
In
addition, studios may subscribe to different tiers within the network. In this
regard,
there may be, for example, three subscription levels. Thus, a tier 3 studio
may be
prioritized or placed at the top of the relevant studio listings. Tier 2
studios may be
placed in the middle of the listings, and tier 1 studios may be placed at the
bottom.
Optionally, non-affiliated studios may be identified though generally with a
lower
ranking in the search results. An advance search utility 462 may be provided
that
enables a search for studios based on additional criteria such as type of
studio,
location, class type, name search or the like. The illustrated home page 451
further
includes links to advertisers, vendors and studios.
Fig. 4E illustrates an affiliate that may be provided in connection with the e-
commerce platform participating in the social network for business-to-business
platform. The illustrated administration site 470 includes an entry page 471.
For
example, login and security information may be entered on the entry page 471
to
obtain secure access to administrative functions. From the entry page 471, an
authorized operator may access an affiliate (in this implementation "studio")
database
472. The database includes information concerning affiliates such as name,
address,
account numbers, studio types, location, tier level, etc. Utilities are
provided in
connection with this database for adding studios 473 and for editing or
deleting
studios 474. From the entry page 471, an authorized operator can also access a
store
management utility 475. The store management utility 475 includes category
management information 476 and product management information 477. The
category management information 476 allows the operator to add, modify or
delete
the categories associated with stores and products. The product management
information 477 includes information identifying the products that are
available for
sale at the e-commerce platform, availability and back-order information and
the like,
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as well as making that information available to other e-commerce platforms
participating in the social network for business-to-business platform.
Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a database system 500 associated with the
social networlc for business-to-business platform. A studio table 501 includes
information identifying affiliate studios as well as contact information,
password
information, service tier information and a variety of other information
regarding
individual studios. An address table 502 includes addresses and associated
contact
information for various participating entities of the affiliate network. A
cart table 503
logs information for individual shopping carts used by consumers visiting the
e-
commerce platform participating in the social network for business-to-business
platform. The vendor table 504 includes identification, account and other
information
for vendors of the affiliate network. The events table 505 includes a number
of fields
identifying information regarding events that can be accessed via the e-
commerce
platform. The products table 506 include product information, such as SKUs,
vendor
identification categories, cost information, tax information and the like. The
categories table 507 includes information identifying the categories of
products
available at the e-commerce site. Order items table 508 logs information
regarding
items ordered by a consumer. The cart items table 509 logs information
regarding
items added to a cart by a visiting consumer. The order tables 510 include
information regarding an order, including, for example, a billing address, a
product
total, a shipping total and the like. The newsletter types table 511
identifies the types
of newsletters that are available via the e-commerce site. The newsletter sign-
up table
512 collects information regarding newsletter type, e-mail addresses, zip
codes and
other information related to newsletter delivery. Finally, the tax lookup
table 513 logs
information useful in determining an applicable tax related to an order. The
connections between the various fields are indicated by arrows in Fig. 5.
Thus, it will
be appreciated that fields from certain tables are used to populate fields of
related or
overlapping databases configured for the social network for business-to-
business
platform.
The structure and functionality of the social network for business-to-business
platform and the affiliate network can be further understood by reference to
the screen
shots of Figs. 6 - 34. Fig. 6 is a screen shot illustrating search results in
an online
directory. It is anticipated that the e-commerce platform being generated by
the CHI
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Engine in this particular implementation will become a popular resource for
persons
interested in various vertical market industries. As discussed above,
affiliates, in one
implementation, may be required to pay a fee in connection with joining the
affiliate
network. Moreover, there may be an option for affiliates to join at different
tier
levels. An advantage of becoming an affiliate is that affiliates will receive
preferred
placement in an online directory, as illustrated in Fig. 6.
As discussed above, an affiliate network brand name may be displayed in
connection with affiliate sites. Fig. 7 illustrates how this branding
information may
appear in one example. In this case, the affiliate site includes the
identification
"presented by GreatYoga.com."
The affiliate network also provides a powerful mechanism for advertising. In
particular, it is possible to accurately target commercial impressions, as the
e-
commerce site will gather consumers having an interest in a common market.
Moreover, it is possible to target advertising based on location. As noted
above,
subscribers to newsletters may enter a zip code or other location information
that
allows consumers to be located. Moreover, location information may be
collected in
connection with offers, at least for consenting consumers. Advertisers can
then use
the social network for business-to-business platform to send e-mails for
activities such
as workshops, conference or studio specials to consumers within a specific
radius of a
defined location. This is an extremely valuable service for direct and timely
marketing for vendors, affiliates and other advertisers., Advertising
campaigns not
only appear on the e-commerce platform but also appear on any private label
content
that is served to an affiliate site as well as all participating e-commerce
platforms
within the social network for business-to-business platform. An example of
this is
shown in Fig. 8.
As discussed above, subscribers to a newsletter may be prompted to enter
identification information, as well as location information, when subscribing
to
receive a newsletter. For example, the location information may be obtained by
way
of a zip code entered as part of the newsletter's registration process. An
associated
registration graphical user interface is illustrated in Fig. 9.
Figs. 10 and 11 show order confirmation information that is provided to
consumers upon placing an order via the social network for business-to-
business
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platform. Specifically, Fig. 10 shows an order confirmation printable page,
and Fig.
11 shows an e-mail that is delivered to the consumer.
Fig. 12 shows a vendor notification that is delivered to a vendor in
connection
with an order. As noted above, a single order may include multiple products
from
multiple vendors. Accordingly, multiple notifications may be provided to
multiple
vendors in connection with an order. Fig. 12 illustrates an e-mail
notification that
may be sent to a vendor in this regard. This e-mail may be used by the vendor
for its
records and for fulfillment purposes. The automatically generated vendor e-
mail also
includes a direct link to the vendor site where the vendor can notify the
social
network for business-to-business platform when an order has been fulfilled or
backordered.
Fig. 13 illustrates a user interface that may be provided in connection with
the
vendor dashboard. In particular, the illustrated web page includes a login
interface for
vendors to login to the vendor dashboard system. Once the vendor has entered
the
vendor dashboard, the vendor can access a current order screen, as shown in
Fig. 14.
This screen shows orders that remain unfulfilled. As shown in Fig. 15, the
vendor can
check either the shipped box or the back-ordered box on the current order
screen to
update order information. The CHI engine automates a process wherein if the
vendor
indicates an order is fulfilled the social network for business-to-business
platform and
administration site are so notified. At such time that all vendors on a
specific
consumer order (i.e., one consumer order may represent products and services
from
multiple vendors) indicate either fulfillment or backorder; the consumer's
credit card
is charged. This functionality ensures that the consumer's credit card is
never charged
until there is confirmation of fulfillment or backorder; thereby providing a
significant
level of consumer protection. Further, if a vendor indicates backorder (i.e.
product or
service not currently available for fulfillment) the CHI engine automatically
takes this
product and service off the order so that the order may be processed and
automatically
notifies the consumer of the backorder status and that they are not being
charged for
said product or service. Once an order is complete and payment has been
obtained
from the consumer, for example, by charging the consumer's credit card,
payments
may be made to vendors. For example, this may be accomplished by way of fully
automated electronic payment. The administration site provides for complete
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reporting on vendor payments to be make, history of vendor payments made with
date
stamp; method of payment, etc.
The vendor can also use the vendor dashboard to check past orders. In this
regard, the screen of Fig. 16 allows the vendor to check orders from today,
for the
past seven days, for the month to date and for the year to date or to create a
custom
field. The vendor dashboard also allows vendors to manage their products. In
this
regard, the vendor can search for a specific product by SKU, name or category
or all
products can be displayed. Fig. 17 shows a product listing. It is noted that
the "in
stock" column in Fig. 17 has a check box. If the vendor has a significant
quantity of
the product, the vendor can leave it unchecked, and the product will continue
to be
listed for purchase on the social network for business-to-business platform.
If it is a
specialty product or a product on which the vendor is running low on
inventory, a
quantity number can be entered into the text field. At such time that
inventory
reaches zero, the product or service is automatically removed from
availability on the
social network for business-to-business platform; visually represented by an
"out-of-
stock" graphic.
The vendor dashboard can also be used to obtain sales reports. Using these
reports, the vendor can view sales for the day, for the week to date, for the
month to
date, the year to date and can obtain information regarding retail costs,
wholesale
costs and commissions for the time period, as well as the average time to
fulfillment.
A sample screen shot in this regard is shown in Fig. 18. If the vendor is
interested in
what products are selling the best, the vendor can view products listed by
clicking on
the best selling products link. Fig. 19 shows what a corresponding screen
looks like.
A variety of screens are also provided related to the affiliate site. Fig. 20
illustrates an affiliate logon page, including information as well as login
fields and
newsletter reminder fields. After logging in, the affiliate proceeds to the
affiliate
main page, as illustrated in Fig. 21. From the main page, the affiliate is
able to track
commissions, visits, update studio information and access the code for
affiliate's web
site.
From the main page, if the affiliate clicks on the link "GreatYoga.com
content," the affiliate can view specific pre-generated code to use at the
affiliate site.
It is noted that the pre-generated code includes the affiliate's ID number. In
this
regard, there are several code options available to suit the affiliate's
specific needs.
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The affiliate can add content to a specific category (like mediation), a
specific Asana
or the affiliate can have all of the GreatYoga.com content available on its
site. An
example of the navigation bar code is shown in Fig. 22.
An iFrame code, or another code that might provide this type of functionality,
allows the affiliate to create a space on its site to display content pushed
from the e-
commerce platform. Alternatively, only a menu bar may be pushed from the
social
network for business-to-business platform to the affiliate site. It is noted
that, by
using the iFrame options to push content to the affiliate site, the affiliate
may receive
a higher ranking from search engines. Fig. 23 shows an affiliate site,
including the
navigation bar. Alternatively, the affiliate site may receive a navigation bar
that
includes the content, as shown in Fig. 24. Another option is to receive a
banner on the
affiliate site and not include the affiliate network navigation bar. Fig. 25
illustrates
examples of banners for affiliates.
Affiliates can also use the social network for business-to-business platform
to
access reports. In this regard, Fig. 26 illustrates an affiliate main page.
From the
main page, to view a report, the affiliate can simply select a time frame for
which the
report is desired and click the "view report" button. A report will then be
provided as
illustrated in Fig. 27. This includes a report summary as well as report
details that
include the number of products purchased through the affiliate site, the total
earnings
so far for the period and details on the specific products purchased. The
affiliate main
page (Fig. 26) can also be used to update affiliate (studio) information by
clicking on
the "update studio information" button.
As discussed above, one significant feature of the affiliate network is that
the
affiliate logo or brand information is maintained throughout the social
network for
business-to-business platform when consumers are referred to the social
network for
business-to-business platform from the affiliate platform. Thus, for example,
if a
yoga student clicks through from an affiliate (studio) site to purchase
something or
view content at the e-commerce platform (GreatYoga.com web site) is
participating in
the social network for business-to-business platform, the affiliate's
(studio's) site
logo, or the studio name and address, will appear on the e-commerce platform
(GreatYoga.com) home page. The affiliate can preview how this will appear or
upload a logo or other branding information by clicking on the "updated studio
logo"
button on the affiliate main page. Fig. 28 shows a sample page in this regard.
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Commissions may be paid to affiliates electronically on a periodic basis,
e.g.,
quarterly. Finally, to log out from the affiliate site, the affiliate can
click the "log out"
button on the affiliate main page.
The CHI engine enables any market space to create an online affiliate
network, which pushes both traffic and sales through the e-commerce platform
participating in the social network for business-to-business platform. The CHI
engine
also provides the processes to allow an affiliate to register to become an
affiliate of
any desired affiliate network. When an affiliate registers, they receive a
unique code
they place on their web site that identifies them and enables the CHI engine
to push
content directly to their existing site. In addition, the affiliate can access
the secure
affiliate administration system as discussed above. Fig. 29 illustrates an
affiliate
administration site. Fig. 30 provides another example illustrating use of the
affiliate
brand in connection with the e-commerce platform. Fig. 38 illustrates an
administration site for selecting push content to be pushed to an affiliate
site. Fig. 32
shows push content as displayed at the affiliate site.
As discussed above, affiliates may be automatically linked to multiple URLs.
That is, the CHI engine permits the social network for business-to-business
platform
manager, via the Administration Site, to add a number of discrete web page
domain
names or URLs into a database. These domain names need to be registered and
owned by the e-commerce platform manager, owner or licensee. The e-commerce
platform manager, owner or licensee can then create content, which is pushed
to these
domains, and when an affiliate joins the market space created by the CHI
engine, their
web site domain address is automatically listed and linked on each of these
domains.
This serves multiple purposes. First, it helps provide an additional level of
visibility
to the affiliate. Any time a visitor goes to any of the other domains, they
can find and
jump directly to the affiliate's site. Moreover, many internet users open
their
browsers and directly type in web addresses they feel will provide useful
results. The
CHI engine enables affiliates to effectively use any number of domain names
they
register so as to drive traffic both to the affiliate network but also to the
affiliate.
Moreover, search engines may use a system that calculates the number of domain
names or sites that link to a site to determine their placement in the results
pages. So,
the noted system may help affiliates get a better ranking in the search
engines. Fig. 33
illustrates a process for adding an managing multiple domains. Finally, Fig.
34
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WO 2007/082274 PCT/US2007/060407
illustrates how the CHI engine connects and manages domain pages witli content
in
affiliate links.
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for
purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not
intended
to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations
and
modifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill and knowledge
of the
relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments
described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known of
practicing
the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention
in such, or
other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular
application(s) or use(s) of the present invention. It is intended that the
appended
claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted
by the
prior art.
29
