AUTOMATICALLY HANDLING ELECTRONIC ORDERS
20220391966 · 2022-12-08
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
G06Q30/0627
PHYSICS
G06Q20/02
PHYSICS
International classification
Abstract
A method for automatically handling electronic orders is disclosed. The method includes receiving an order indication indicating an electronic order for an item by a customer. The method further includes determining a security value based on the order indication and initiating a transfer of at least one digital valuable from a first account associated with the customer to a second account based on the security value. In this manner, a seller of the item is provided with a security or a deposit in the form of the digital value. A system implementing the method is also disclosed.
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for automatically handling electronic orders, comprising receiving an order indication indicating an electronic order for at least one item by a customer; determining a security value based on the order indication; and initiating a transfer of at least one digital valuable from a first account associated with the customer to a second account based on the security value.
2. Computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a completion indication indicating whether delivery and/or payment of the at least one item have been completed successfully; and initiating a reversal of the transfer of the at least one digital valuable based on the completion indication.
3. Computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the first account associated with the customer and/or the second account are associated with at least one subscriber identity module, SIM.
4. Computer-implemented method according, wherein the second account is associated with a plurality of SIMs.
5. Computer-implemented method according to claim 4, wherein at least two SIMs of the plurality of SIMs are associated with different telephone numbers.
6. Computer-implemented method according to claim 4, wherein at least two SIMs of the plurality of SIMs are associated with an identical telephone number, preferably a virtual telephone number.
7. Computer-implemented method according to claim 4, wherein the digital valuable transferred to the second account is distributed among the plurality of SIMs.
8. Computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the initiating the transfer of the at least one digital valuable comprises: transmitting a request for the transfer of the at least one digital valuable to a mobile network operator and/or to the customer.
9. Computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one digital valuable comprises prepaid credit, in particular prepaid airtime credit.
10. Computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one digital valuable comprises a cryptocurrency.
11. Computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the security value is further based on at least one first predetermined criterion.
12. Computer-implemented method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one first predetermined criterion comprises at least one of: a price of the at least one item, a size of the at least one item, a weight of the at least one item, a difficulty of packaging the at least one item, a cost of delivery of the at least one item, a cost of returning the at least one item, a resale value of the at least one item, a credit score of the customer, whether the first account is the customer's own account, a credit risk profile of the customer.
13. Computer-implemented method according to claim 11, further comprising accessing a database in which the at least one first predetermined criterion is stored.
14. A system for automatically handling electronic orders, comprising: means for receiving an order indication indicating an electronic order for at least one item by a customer; means for determining a security value based on the order indication; and means for initiating a transfer of at least one digital valuable from a first account associated with the customer to a second account based on the security value.
15.-20. (canceled).
21. A computer-implemented method for automatically handling electronic orders, comprising: processing a payment for an electronic order for at least one item by a customer at a drop-off location; and forwarding the payment at least partially to a second account.
22. Computer-implemented method according to claim 21, wherein the drop-off location is determined using a method comprising: receiving an order indication indicating an electronic order for at least one item by a customer; and determining the drop-off location for the at least one item based on the order indication.
23. Computer-implemented method according to claim 21, further comprising transmitting a completion indication indicating whether delivery and/or payment of the at least one item have been completed successfully upon the processing the payment.
24.-25. (canceled).
Description
4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0042] Possible examples of the present invention will be described in more detail in the subsequent detailed description with reference to the following figures:
[0043]
[0044]
[0045]
[0046]
5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF POSSIBLE EXAMPLES
[0047] For the sake of brevity only a few examples will be described in the following. The skilled person will recognize that the specific features described with reference to these examples may be modified and combined differently and that individual features may also be omitted if they are not essential. The general explanations in the sections above will also be valid for the following more detailed explanations.
[0048]
[0049]
[0050]
[0051] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various means, as well as the method steps described herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, e.g. to implement the functionality described herein mainly with reference to method steps. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the disclosure. The methods, sequences or algorithms described herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.
[0052]
[0053] In the following, the operation of an exemplary system according to the present invention will be described in detail. In this example, the present invention is employed by a payment service provider, i.e., by an entity that is different from the online shop at which the customer electronically orders the desired item, which shall be assumed to be a Bluetooth speaker costing USD 15.00 including shipping here. However, in other examples, the present invention may also be employed by an online shop directly. Moreover, a deposit shall be provided in the form of a mobile prepaid airtime credit.
[0054] On day one, the following happens:
1. The customer finds the Bluetooth speaker in an online shop and begins the checkout process.
2. He specifies a shipping address which may be assumed to be his home address. However, generally, a customer may specify any, arbitrary shipping address, the present invention does not impose any restrictions in this regard.
3. The customer lives in an area in which traditional COD is not available, e.g., due to lacking infrastructure.
4. When the customer reaches the payment section during the checkout process, thus, several modes of payment are presented, including of course a credit card, but the traditional COD option is greyed out.
5. However, the customer can instead select “enhanced COD” and also does so.
6. The customer may then be transferred to a different website, e.g., the website of the payment service provider. In other examples, the customer may not be transferred or redirected, though. Rather, the payment service provider may be embedded in the online shop, for example. Either way, the system receives the corresponding order indication.
7. The system then determines a security value based on the order indication, specifically, it begins the process of calculating the amount of prepaid airtime credit that shall be transferred as a deposit to a second account, i.e., an account associated with the online shop and/or the payment service provider.
8. The system determines that USD 5.00 worth of prepaid airtime credit be used as deposit. The customer agrees by clicking on a button, e.g., on the payment service provider's website he was redirected to. Then, the system causes a text to be sent to the customer's mobile phone asking if he agrees to transfer USD 5.00 worth of prepaid airtime credit to the second account. The customer agrees. The system proceeds to take USD 5.00 worth of airtime deposit for the Bluetooth speaker. Here, it is assumed that the customer had already registered with the online shop and/or with the payment service provider and has furnished them with personal information including his mobile phone number. In other examples, the customer may be asked to type in his telephone number. Further, in other examples, the deposit need not be paid necessarily by the customer himself. It could be his friend or a family member, for example. It is noted that whether he pays the deposit himself or not may have an impact on the determination of the security value, i.e., the amount of prepaid airtime credit deemed necessary as deposit as explained elsewhere.
9. The order is placed at this point. The delivery should be expected, e.g., in three days.
10. The payment service provider pays the online shop USD 15.00, the full price of the Bluetooth speaker with shipping.
[0055] Subsequently, e.g., three days later, the following happens:
1. The delivery man arrives at the customer's doorstep. In other examples, the electronically ordered at least item, i.e., the Bluetooth speaker, may be delivered to a drop-off location different from the customer's home. The customer would then have to go there in order to obtain the Bluetooth speaker.
2. The customer checks that the Bluetooth speaker is in good order and then pays USD 15.00 in cash. The delivery man, or the operator of the drop-off location, respectively, acknowledges and may also print out a receipt. In addition, a completion indication is sent to the system, indicating that the item has been delivered and paid for.
3. Immediately, the prepaid airtime credit worth USD 5.00 is returned to the customer's account, or to any other account that was used for the deposit. That is, the system initiates a reversal of the transfer of the at least one digital valuable based on the completion indication.
[0056] While the average prepaid airtime credit balance of a prepaid mobile subscriber in developing markets such as the Philippines may be below the average online sales transaction, this may not affect the applicability of the present invention. Typically, there is a vast number of venues that are able to sell prepaid airtime credit for cash. In the case of the Philippines, there are several hundred thousand agents of prepaid airtime in comparison to only a handful of traditional convenience stores like 7-11 types. Hence, if need be, a customer lacking prepaid airtime credit to meet the determined amount may easily walk to, e.g., a neighborhood convenience store, or approach a nearby person agent to purchase additional prepaid airtime credit.
[0057] The objective of the determination of the security value, that may also be driven by artificial intelligence, is to strike a balance between driving sales of the respective online shop (and, e.g., a commission that may be earned by a payment service provider enabling the online store to offer the method according to the present invention) by extending credit to customers versus being overly conservative in the determination (i.e., the security value may be determined too high such that it dissuades a potential customer from ordering).
[0058] If the customer fails to pay and the second account is immediately associated with the payment service provider, the payment service provider may sell the transferred prepaid airtime credit through trade or directly to other mobile subscribers. Thereby, the payment service provider may receive approximately 80 to 85% of the notional amount of the prepaid airtime credit. Similarly, an online shop may monetize on the forfeited prepaid airtime credit if it employs the present invention itself or if the second account is (also) associated with the online shop. The online shop may then use the proceeds to pay for restocking and returns.
[0059] The present invention may use artificial intelligence, big data analytics and similar technologies to determine the security value, i.e., e.g., the value of prepaid airtime to be deposited by the customer. As a general rule, the value must be significant enough to compel the customer or a family member to be at the agreed upon drop-off location, e.g., at home, and pay for the item upon delivery, or, in the case of delivery to centralized drop-off locations, to compel the shopper to go out of his way to visit these locations to pay and pick up his purchase. That is, amongst other things, the chances that the customer fails to consummate the transaction and hence forfeits his deposit may be taken into consideration.
[0060] The key factors or drivers that influence the determination of the security value may comprise: [0061] value of the item being purchased or ordered, respectively; all things equal, the more valuable the item, the higher the deposit amount, [0062] combination of items being purchased, i.e., e.g., their aggregate value, [0063] packaging dimensions and weight and whether the one or more item may safely be shipped in its original packaging, [0064] handling and delivery costs up to the customer or an agreed-upon drop-off location; vice versa the cost of taking back the item for restocking or possible reselling (possibly with a discount); the more expensive these things are, the larger the security value, [0065] credit score(s) of the customer, [0066] whether the customer will pay for the item himself; all things equal, if the at least one digital valuable is transferred from an account immediately associated with the customer, which may be considered indicative of more certainty of the order, the lower the security value, [0067] whether proper ID has been furnished in the past, [0068] credit risk profile of the shopper; this may for instance be based at least in part on a psychographic analysis of the customer with data taken from a wide variety of sources, including previous purchases by him and similar types of customers, indications of work status and household income, mobile phone behavior (possibly including information that may be shared by the corresponding MNO) and/or social media activity; generally, Information that suggests a person will likely pay up yields a lower security value.
[0069] Given that online shops and/or payment service providers earn from repeat users and/or fees that may be paid from the online shop to the payment service provider, the determination of the security value may generally be biased towards lower values.
[0070] Typically, to share or transfer prepaid airtime credit, a mobile user may for example text a series of commands, possibly including the amount of airtime credit that is to be sent, to, e.g., a shortcode.
[0071] There are a number of ways in which the transfer of prepaid airtime credit may be initiated according to the present invention:
[0072] First of all, the transfer may be initiated directly through the corresponding MNO's Intelligent Network(for billing and related)/Business Support Systems/Operations Support Systems (IN-BSS-OSS) system. A system according to the present invention may instruct the MNO to transfer the prepaid airtime credit from the customer's prepaid mobile account to a second account. The second account may be unlike the prepaid accounts held by common MNO subscribers. Such accounts may be referred to as “master dealer” wallet accounts. Such master dealer wallet accounts hold prepaid airtime credit that can be easily resold directly to MNO subscribers. The rules and economics that govern the selling (or reselling) of prepaid airtime credits from master dealer wallet accounts may be similar to, if not identical to, how the MNO's on-ground dealer agents sell prepaid airtime credit and earn from it. In this sense, when prepaid airtime credit is transferred from a customer's prepaid account to the second account, the prepaid airtime credit is transformed back into so-called “dealer airtime credits”. This approach may hence be used without necessitating any changes to the current sales model adopted by the MNO's with their existing agents.
[0073] An alternative approach to transferring prepaid airtime credits from a customer that is an MNO subscriber to a second account could also take in the form of a Value Added Service (VAS) charge or an Operator Billing charge against the customer's prepaid account. The MNO would then top up the second account with the same amount the same way an MNO may top up the master dealer wallet accounts of their on-ground dealer agents. The effect is the same as the process described before. This approach may have the added benefit of not having to modify much the MNO's current systems. The disadvantage, however, is that not being integrated directly into the MNO's IN, the transfer process can suffer from system latencies and other inefficiencies. This may cause delays in processing transactions or outright failure in executing the transfer. This problem may be particularly pertinent when volume increases.
[0074] Secondly, initiating the transfer may involve so-called SIM banks or modem banks. While the approaches described before are efficient and robust, implementing them may take time and may involve significant expenditures in equipment and software development. SIM banks or modem banks provide a way to overcome these issues, their use requires limited, if any at all, MNO approval. SIM banks or modem banks can host hundreds or even thousands of SIMs, with each SIM representing an actual MNO subscriber account. Each of these SIMs are associated with a corresponding prepaid account that is capable of receiving prepaid airtime credit transferred from customers for escrow or deposit purposes. With the right algorithm, one SIM or the associated account, respectively, may be capable of serving hundreds of customers a day.
[0075] These transfers of prepaid airtime credit may be triggered by a wide range of wireless devices, from point of sale (POS) terminals to kiosks to simple 2G-only mobile phones. Tools for transferring prepaid airtime credits may, by now, be accessible to all MNO subscribers. Traditionally, prepaid airtime credit is shared or transferred by simple text- based and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)-based commands, easily automated by computers linked up to SIM banks or modem banks.
[0076] Upon completion of orders, i.e., when delivery and/or payment have been successfully completed, the transferred prepaid airtime credit is transferred back to the customer. The prepaid airtime credit can be returned from any of the SIMs or accounts associated with the SIM bank.
[0077] There is, however, a potential problem with using SIM banks or modem banks. Essentially, they are designed for consumers, not for enterprises and as such are subject to denial-of-service attacks. Moreover, the telephone numbers associated with the SIMs are exposed, visible to users, although this potential problem may be somewhat mitigated by the ability to rotate the use of SIMs. Furthermore, using actual telephone numbers to conduct business may appear to many as unprofessional, unlike using, e.g., a dedicated shortcode. Hence, virtual telephone numbers may be created that may accept prepaid airtime transfers, as well. Such virtual telephone numbers may shorten or mask the telephone numbers associated with the underlying SIMs and may be chosen by online shops or the clients of a payment service provider, respectively, themselves. It may be possible to have several SIMs and/or corresponding prepaid accounts masked by a single vanity number (with proper arrangement with the host MNO). The algorithm for how received airtime is distributed among the SIMs could be based on some sort of prioritization or simply dictated by a round robin scheme.
[0078] The present invention may also allow to exploit “sharing economy” schemes, in particular that there has been a growing number of individuals recently who are allowing their homes to become drop-off locations for another, e.g., neighbors, for a fee.
[0079] A system, online shop, payment service provider or any other entity employing the present invention may also enable individuals, small businesses and shop owners to apply to become a drop-off location, easily and even remotely. As a drop-off point, they agree to accept deliveries from online merchants, hold packages for pickup or even deliver to, e.g., homes of customers, accept cash payments and remit the payments to, e.g., the online shop or the payment service provider. For their services, the operators of these drop-off locations may be entitled to earn fees and commissions.
[0080] Artificial intelligence may drive decisions on which drop-off points are promoted to customers shopping online, including the ones that could no longer receive packages. This may take into consideration a number of factors including, but not limited to, capacity to hold more packages, convenience by which they can be reached by both merchants and customers, transaction history, security of the drop-off locations, risk that packages could be stolen, cash taken as well as the need to spread packages or orders, respectively, across many drop-off locations, though covering areas in proximity.
[0081] There are many ways by which, e.g., a payment service operator may earn from the present invention. These include but are not limited to the following: [0082] Charging merchant fees that may be similar to how credit card companies earn from purchases made using the corresponding credit card. Typically ranging from 3% to 5% of the purchase amount, such fees may be borne by sellers/merchants, though sometimes, they may be passed on to customers. Depending on whether the entity employing the present invention is exclusively a payment service provider or whether it also handles delivery, these fees may be higher than those charged by credit card companies since the entity may be handling fulfillment as well as taking on the credit risk. Moreover, such entities may, in some examples, share their earnings with operators of drop-off locations, whether they be large mall networks or neighborhood convenience stores retrofitted to be drop-off locations using an aspect of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention may provide online merchants/sellers, such as online shops, with an immense value as they may be enabled to reach more customers who, otherwise, would not have had the means to pay for electronically ordered items or those who are not in traditionally deliverable/serviceable locations. Merchants/sellers may also dramatically reduce the incidence of cancellations and no-shows, and in the event customers in fact do not show up, they may have funds to help pay for the expense of recalling a product or reselling a product at a discount. Therefore, charging merchants/sellers higher fees than how credit card companies may be reasonable. [0083] Charging customers handling fees. [0084] Extending credit to customers as they build their shopping history and as more may be learnt about them, e.g., how much they earn, whether they own their own home or not, and similar indicators of financial well-being. Interest may be charged, and a flexible amortization schedule may be provided. [0085] Reselling forfeited prepaid airtime credit, possibly with a trade commission of 15%. The determination of the security value may be set up in such a way that reselling forfeited prepaid airtime credit would more than make up for the cost of restocking, returns, and reselling at a discount. [0086] Microfinancing drop-off locations. For instance, owners of small shops signed up as drop-off location may borrow cash to finance their inventory. For example, instead of expecting full remittance of cash payments received for online purchases, a portion of thereof could be left with the owners with the understanding that there will be charged interest and they have to abide by an amortization schedule. More generally, microfinance companies are constantly searching for ways to extend their reach, to be more cost efficient, to be smarter and to better identify whom they should extend credit to. The logistics of sending cash and collecting from hundreds to thousands of smaller shops present constant challenges. However, small shops serving as drop-off locations according to the present invention may be receiving cash payments from customers electronically ordering items, possibly even to a larger degree than from selling the goods present at the shop themselves. Microfinance companies may simply exploit the means of remitting cash from these shops established for handling electronic orders according to the present invention. We note that Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning techniques are at the heart of determining whether the small shops and drop off center owners could avail of this type of financing and if so, how much, and over what amortization periods.
[0087] The present invention may be applied in a wide range of goods as, more generally, it is a means to compel parties to come through with an agreement.
[0088] This may be illustrated using the example of ticket sales for movies. Some cinemas allow reservations on the promise that the buyer will show up before screening and pay cash at the counter upon pick-up. If a customer fails to do so, that is sales forgone. Cinema operators may block this customer for future bookings unless a penalty is paid. However, this may easily be circumvented by registering another email address, another prepaid mobile account/number, or another social media account (used for login).
[0089] The present invention may solve this problem by making sure that the penalty for not showing up is paid immediately, as may be illustrated with the help of the following example:
1. The moviegoer goes to the cinema's website to place reservations for a certain number of seats for a particular screening.
2. A security value is calculated, e.g., using artificial intelligence or simply as a percentage of the price of the tickets. A digital valuable, e.g., prepaid airtime credit, is transferred from a first account associated with the customer to a second account, possibly associated with the cinema.
3. The moviegoer then must show up at the cinema at the latest, e.g., 30 minutes before screening, to pay for the tickets. In some examples, the actual time by which he must show up could vary depending on how in-demand the tickets are. Blockbusters, full-house, and special screenings could stipulate 30 minutes, while screenings with modest occupancy may not even impose a deadline at all.
4. If the moviegoer fails to show up on time, he forfeits the prepaid airtime credit which has a certain value and may be resold to mobile subscribers.
[0090] A similar system could be set up for services and other perishable items including, but not limited to, food deliveries, spa reservations, repair services, shared cab rides, or any other time-bound services.
[0091] In some examples, a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, Ethereum(TM) and Facebook(TM)'s upcoming Libra(TM) may be used as digital valuable. While cryptocurrencies are notorious for being volatile in terms of their value or exchange rate with mainstream monies, this is less important when utilizing them for deposits rather than actual payment.
[0092] More generally, any digital valuable that may be easily transferred electronically and remotely. Moreover, it should also be fungible and able to store value.
[0093] To enhance trust, the present invention may additionally comprise distributed ledger technology such as a blockchain. For example, the whole process of receiving an order indication indicating an electronic order for at least one item by a customer, determining a security value based on the order indication and initiating a transfer of at least one digital valuable from a first account associated with the customer to a second account based on the security value may be tracked using such distributed ledger technology.
[0094] The customer then for instance visits the drop-off location and checks out the electronically ordered item. If the shopper approves of the item, he then pays the merchant fully in cash. The blockchain-enabled system is informed thereof, for example via a corresponding completion indication, and then proceeds to initiate the reversal of the transfer of the digital valuable, i.e., it initiates the release of the prepaid airtime credit back to the customer.
[0095] The process described here is how “smart contracts” are enforced by blockchain-enabled technology.
[0096] If the product does not conform to, e.g., what was advertised, the customer indicates so. A person at the drop-off location, which may be a trusted third party agreed upon in advance, confirms this. Also in this case, the blockchain-enabled system notes this, for example via a corresponding completion indication, and initiates the release of the prepaid airtime credit back to the customer. The merchant may then have to worry about how to get back the package and assumes all costs associated therewith.
[0097] However, if the customer does not show up at the drop-off location within a reasonable period of time, e.g., 72 hours upon delivery at the drop-off location, the person at the drop-off point notes this. In turn, the blockchain-enabled system notes this, for example via a corresponding completion indication, and proceeds to direct the prepaid airtime credit to an account associated with the merchant. At this point, the merchant may monetize the prepaid airtime credit himself or he may also sell it to the payment service provider that enabled the transfer of prepaid airtime credit in the first place.
[0098] Distributed ledger technology may also be used to track seller and customer activities. This may provide a meaningful rating system for both customers and merchants in which it is not necessary to make public all the details of past dealings. Rather, just enough information may be made public to build one's credibility, e.g., how long has the party been dealing in the marketplaces, how often do they transact, the amounts, the types of items, the comments placed by one party for another, etc. This information may also be relevant in determining the security value.
[0099] This, on the other hand, is how blockchain-enabled technology can be used to authenticate and assist various entities in building their reputation as seller, drop off host, and buyer.
[0100] Generally, the present invention may be adapted to the needs of arbitrary entities. Order indications according to the present invention may comprise any amount of information. Determining the security value may be based on any criteria that may be weighted according to the needs and goals of the user. Any digital valuable that may be remotely and electronically transferred may be used.
[0101] Specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail with reference to specific examples to illustrate aspects of the invention. However, it will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.