A computer-implemented method is disclosed. The method includes using reverse geo-coding to determine user transaction locations for a user, determining a number of user transactions for the user that correspond to each of a plurality of statistical area levels, determining a subdivision of each of the plurality of statistical area levels that has the highest number of domestic card present transactions for the user, identifying an effective area of influence (EAI) for the user, based on a determination of a statistical area level that has the highest number of domestic card present transactions for the user, and accessing geographically classified statistics from public data sources related to one or more of the plurality of the statistical area levels. A location based market recommendation is generated based on the geographically classified statistics and the effective area of influence.

This application relates to apparatus and methods for automatically determining and providing recommendations of items to advertise customers. In some examples, a computing device generates feature data based on historical website interaction data, historical transaction data, and item categorical data. The computing device trains each of a plurality of machine learning models based on the generated feature data. The computing device may then receive a plurality of recommended items to advertise in association with an anchor item. The computing device may execute the trained machine learning process to generate prediction data associated with a future time period. The prediction data may identify a number of times each recommended item may be purchased during the future time period. The computing device may then rank the plurality of recommended items based on the prediction data. In some examples, the computing device filters the plurality of recommended items based on item categories.

Embodiments of a system method and computer program product for selecting an advertisement and presenting it to a user are described. Products and services offered by various merchants are read using a merchant specific catalog and stored in a common format. Categories for such products and services are normalized and virtual categories are created using various product attributes. Visual creatives, termed as ad-templates are created to control the visual and interactive aspects of the ad, including ad-size, color, as well as product attributes that are displayed in the ad. Ad-templates may be constrained to specific products or product categories. A learning algorithm uses an adaptive sampling process to sample various products, product categories and ad-templates independently for different learning units such as individual users, groups of users determined by some demographics, individual web pages and groups of web pages grouped using various similarity criteria. The performance of the ad is measured using various learning statistics, such as the click-through-rate, conversion rate, etc. The learning algorithm uses the learning statistics to optimize the return for the advertiser by favoring the products or categories that perform better on one or more specified criteria.

A method, which comprises determining a logical identifier used for communication over a network portion managed by a service provider and transmitting to a computing apparatus adapted to effect online transactions involving a payer and a payee an indication of the service provider having agreed to act as the payer for at least one online transaction requested by a requesting device that uses the logical identifier. Also, a method, which comprises determining a logical identifier used to identify a device during a request for an online transaction; identifying, based on the logical identifier, a third party that has agreed to act as a payer for the online transaction; providing a user of the device with an opportunity to confirm the third party as the payer for the online transaction; and completing the online transaction based on input from the user.

An e-commerce method involves on-line viewing of a first article through a linking node for virtual merging on another structure. A particular application of the invention is directed to on-line apparel shopping involving a matching scheme using data provided with images to be merged. In a particular example, on-line viewing of one article, such as clothing, on another structure, includes creating an item from image-data corresponding to an article selected by an on-line viewer from an on-line viewer site with an image of a structure selected by the on-line viewer, and indicating whether the article and the structure satisfy a criterion such as color or style. The computers are coordinated to provide the merged image data for viewing by the buyer, with a revenue generating feature that generates fees for at least one of the buyer and a seller associated with one of the seller websites, and charges the at least one of the buyer and the seller for the generated fees.

In general, in one aspect, a method includes compiling user interaction statistics for a set of content items displayed in association with a first target media document having a non-textual portion, at least some of the content items associated with one or more keywords, based on the interaction statistics, associating the first target media document with at least some of the keywords associated with the content items, and based on a common attribute of the first target media document and a second target media document having a non-textual portion, associating the second target media document with at least some of the keywords assigned to the first target media document. Other aspects include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs stored on computer storage devices.

A method and system for directing a browser or browsing application associated with a user to a targeted web site after the user performs at least two activations or “clicks” of his pointing device. The first “click” is typically on a communication provided by the system, serving as an intermediary, and the second “click” is typically on a first data object or web page of the intermediary, before the browser of the user is redirected to a second data object or targeted web page, typically associated with a party unrelated to the party or entity controlling the system.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, for providing content. A method includes receiving a request for an advertisement to be displayed in a slot associated with a third-party content site; identifying a relevant advertisement to be provided in the slot; determining information to be included in an annotation associated with the advertisement, the annotation including customized information to be presented along with the advertisement; providing the advertisement responsive to the request including providing the annotation along with a control for re-publishing the advertisement along with the relevant advertisement; receiving user input selecting the control and designating the advertisement for re-publishing to a group, the group being designated by the user; and targeting additional content to the group based on the received user input.

Systems and methods are presented for managing the cadence (e.g., frequency or rate) that electronic promotion correspondence is sent to a consumer. A system may access a target cadence indicator associated with a consumer that indicates of a target rate for sending electronic promotion correspondence to the consumer. The system may also determine an actual cadence indicator for the consumer over a predetermined period of time and analyze a potential electronic promotion correspondence for sending to the consumer. The system determines whether to send the electronic correspondence to the consumer based on the target cadence indicator, the actual cadence indicator, and the analysis of the electronic promotion correspondence.

A system for targeted communication includes a computer processor and a platform configured to perform transactions between first users and second users. A management server is separate from the platform. The management server includes a first management application used by the first users and configured to generate a first user profile for each of the first users and a second management application used by the second users. The second management application, logically separate from the first management application, is configured to generate a second user profile for each of the second users. The management server also includes a third application configured to permit the first application to communicate with the second application through the third application and to enable targeted communication, between the first users and the second users, based on the first user profile and the second user profile.