With an offer server computer system: receiving a first digital image file; receiving a first mapping of product codes to audience segment identifiers; receiving a temporary price reduction offer dataset; mapping a target identifier for an end user device of a consumer to an audience segment identifier; in response to determining, based on the audience segment identifier, that the TPR offer dataset has a product code and a retailer identifier that map to the audience segment identifier, and an effective date value that includes a current date value, and the retailer identifier corresponds to a retailer location within a specified distance of a then-current location of the end user computing device: creating and storing a digital offer dataset comprising both the first digital image file and a second digital image file that presents data elements of the TPR offer dataset; causing transmission of the dataset to the end user device.

With an offer server computer system: receiving a first digital image file, a first mapping of product codes to audience segment identifiers, and a temporary price reduction (TPR) offer dataset; mapping a target identifier for an end user device of a consumer to an audience segment identifier; in response to determining, based on the audience segment identifier, that the TPR offer dataset has a product code and a retailer identifier that map to the audience segment identifier, and an effective date value that includes a current date value, and the retailer identifier corresponds to a retailer location within a specified distance of a then-current location of the end user computing device: creating and storing a digital offer dataset comprising both the first digital image file and a second digital image file that presents data elements of the TPR offer dataset; causing transmission of the dataset to the end user device.

A method for allocating virtual articles comprises: receiving at least two acquisition requests directed at a virtual article packet, and respectively recording receiving times of the acquisition requests, wherein the virtual article packet comprises one or more virtual article sub-packets; allocating acquisition sequence numbers respectively to the acquisition requests according to a sequential order of the receiving times of the acquisition requests; and allocating the virtual article sub-packets according to the acquisition sequence numbers for the acquisition requests corresponding to the acquisition sequence numbers, and sending virtual articles in the virtual article sub-packets to users corresponding to the acquisition requests.

Features are disclosed for providing items from an item store to an item store consumer. An item store organizer can request an item store from an item redemption system based on item store parameters. The item store organizer can receive a single use token from the item redemption system to provide initial access to the item store. The item redemption system can validate the item store consumer based on the single use token. The item redemption system can further validate redemption requests from the item store consumer based on the item store parameters. The item redemption system can fulfill the redemption request based on payment information of the item store organizer and shipping information of the item store consumer. The item redemption system can transmit redemption information to the item store organizer based on fulfilling the redemption request.

A system and method of determining a policy to prevent fading drivers is described. The system and method creates virtual trajectories of incentives such as coupons offered to drivers in a transportation hailing system and corresponding states of drivers in response to the incentives. A joint policy simulator is created from an incentive policy, a confounding incentive policy, and an incentive object policy to generate the simulated actions of drivers in response to different incentives. The rewards of the simulated actions of the drivers is determined by a discriminator. The incentive policy for preventing fading drivers is optimized by reinforcement learning based on the virtual trajectories generated by the joint policy simulator and discriminator.

Disclosed is a method of providing information by an electronic apparatus, the method including acquiring information on an item selected by a user, acquiring account information of the user including information on a plurality of payment methods registered by the user, acquiring benefit information related to a payment of the item with respect to at least one payment method among the plurality of payment methods, and providing information on a first payment method selected from the plurality of payment methods based on benefit information of the at least one payment method and first benefit information provided in association with the first payment method.

In some examples a payment processing system processes transactions between a merchant and customers during a time period, and may determine financing terms including a redemption amount to offset discounts given by the merchant for the transactions during the time period. The payment processing system may identify an amount of the discount given by the merchant to respective customers for the transactions and payment amounts received from the respective customers. In addition, the payment processing system may deposit an amount in an account associated with the merchant. For instance, the amount may be based at least on the redemption amount determined based on the discounts given by the merchant for the transactions during the time period.

Embodiments of the present specification provide methods for performing marketing cost control by using a deep reinforcement learning system. One method includes the following: determining a cost of a marketing activity; determining a reward score of reinforcement learning that is negatively correlated with the cost; and returning the reward score to a smart agent of a deep reinforcement learning system, for the smart agent to update a marketing strategy, wherein the smart agent is configured to determine a marketing activity based on the marketing strategy and status of an execution environment of the deep reinforcement learning system.

An autonomous vehicle control system includes a first autonomous vehicle control center at a first location, and a second autonomous vehicle control center at a second location. The system also includes a controller configured to receive a first data input from the first autonomous vehicle control center and indicative of a first characteristic of the first autonomous vehicle control center, to receive a second data input from the second autonomous vehicle control center and indicative of a second characteristic of the second autonomous vehicle control center, and to receive a third data input indicative of an autonomous vehicle transport request or an autonomous vehicle storage request. The controller is also configured to select the first autonomous vehicle control center or the second autonomous vehicle control center based at least in part on the first data input, the second data input, and the third data input. Further, the controller is configured to instruct fulfillment of the autonomous vehicle transport request or the autonomous vehicle storage request based on the selection.

Techniques are provided for determining, by a coupon distributor, a value for a coupon of a product or service that will be provided by a coupon provider. The coupon provider provides, to the coupon distributor, one or both of a budget value that indicates an amount the coupon provider is willing to pay the coupon distributor for distributing the coupon, and a redemption rate that indicates one or more target redemption rates. The coupon provider uses a coupon value equation to calculate the coupon value based on a budget value and a redemption rate. The coupon provider might estimate that no coupon value will allow the coupon provider to stay within the budget and ensure that the actual redemption rate will be close to a particular redemption rate, which may or may not be specified by the coupon distributor.