Multi-tier pricing of individual products based on volume discounts

Abstract

A point of sale system or other computer system stores a product pricing database in which a full price and discount prices corresponding to one or more discount pricing tiers are stored for each product available for sale. Each of the discount prices for a given product has an associated threshold purchase total that has to be satisfied before the discount price is applied to a transaction. When a transaction occurs, the purchase total for the transaction is first calculated on the basis of full retail prices for the products and the purchase total for the transaction is compared with one or more threshold purchase totals which correspond to the discount pricing tiers. If a discount pricing tier is applicable (e.g. the calculated purchase total for the transaction is at least equal to a threshold purchase total), the appropriate discount prices for each product in the transaction are retrieved and used to calculate a reduced purchase total for the transaction. Qualification for discount pricing can also be based on, for example, a customer's purchasing history, or the number of a certain type of product included in the transaction instead of the purchase total of a transaction.

1 . A method of operating a shopping Web site, the method comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at a Web server computer an access attempt from a customer device used by a customer;    responding to the access attempt by sending to the customer device display data, the display data representing information to be displayed on a monitor component of the customer device, the information to be displayed on the monitor component including:    (a) a plurality of product entries, each of the product entries including (i) product information indicative of a product available for sale via the Web site and (ii) pricing information indicative of a plurality of prices applicable to the product indicated by the product information of the respective product entry, each of the prices corresponding to a respective pricing tier; and    (b) a monetary amount that indicates to the customer an additional amount to be spent to qualify for one of the respective pricing tiers.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at the Web server computer a product identifier indicated by the customer device, the product identifier representing a product selected for purchase by the customer; and    sending updated display data to the customer device to update the additional amount to be spent to qualify for the respective pricing tiers.    
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2  wherein the receiving step includes receiving data transmitted via the Internet.  
     
     
         4 . A Web server computer arranged to host a shopping Web site and programmed to: 
 receive an access attempt from a customer device used by a customer; and    respond to the access attempt by sending to the customer device display data, the display data representing information to be displayed on a monitor component of the customer device, the information to be displayed on the monitor component including:    (a) a plurality of product entries, each of the product entries including (i) product information indicative of a product available for sale via the Web site and (ii) pricing information indicative of a plurality of prices applicable to the product indicated by the product information of the respective product entry, each of the prices corresponding to a respective pricing tier; and    (b) a monetary amount that indicates to the customer an additional amount to be spent to qualify for one of the respective pricing tiers.    
     
     
         5 . A method of operating a catalog order-taking facility, comprising the steps of: 
 providing an order-taking system, the system including database means for storing a database and a plurality of customer service stations connected to the database means, the database including a plurality of product entries, each of the product entries including data indicating a product available for sale from a catalog and pricing information for the product, the pricing information including a first price for the product and a second price for the product which is lower than the first price;    receiving at the facility a telephone call from a customer;    during the telephone call, receiving communications from the customer indicating at least one initial product that the customer desires to purchase from the catalog, thereby receiving an indication of a transaction;    entering into one of the customer service stations at least one initial product identifier which represents the at least one initial product indicated by the communications;    calculating an initial purchase total for the transaction using a first prices for the at least one initial product represented by the entered at least one initial product identifier;    subtracting the initial purchase total from a threshold purchase total to produce an additional amount;    displaying the additional amount on a monitor component of the one of the customer service stations into which the at least one initial product identifier was entered; and    communicating the additional amount to the customer during the telephone call.    
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , further comprising the steps of: 
 during the telephone call and after the communicating step, receiving further communications from the customer indicating at least one more product that the customer desires to purchase from the catalog;    entering into the one of the customer service stations at least one more product identifier which represents the at least one more product indicated by the further communications;    recalculating the initial purchase total for the transaction using a first price for the at least one product represented by the at least one more product identifier and a the first price for the initial product represented by the at least one initial product identifier;    determining whether the recalculated initial purchase total is at least equal to the threshold purchase total; and    if the recalculated initial purchase total is at least equal to the threshold purchase total, calculating a reduced purchase total for the transaction represented by all of the entered product identifiers based on second prices for the products.    
     
     
         7 . A method of operating a shopping Web site, the method comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at a Web server computer an access attempt from a customer device used by a customer;    responding to the access attempt by sending to the customer device display data, the display data representing information to be displayed on a monitor component of the customer device, the information to be displayed on the monitor component including:    (a) a plurality of product entries, each of the product entries including (i) product information indicative of a product available for sale via the Web site and (ii) pricing information indicative of a plurality of prices applicable to the product indicated by the product information of the respective product entry, each of the prices corresponding to a respective pricing tier; and    (b) a monetary amount that indicates to the customer an additional amount to be spent to qualify for one of the respective pricing tiers.    
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 7 , further comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at the Web server computer a product identifier indicated by the customer device, the product identifier representing a product selected for purchase by the customer; and    sending updated display data to the customer device to update the additional amount to be spent to qualify for the respective pricing tiers.    
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 7  wherein the receiving step includes receiving data transmitted via the Internet.  
     
     
         10 . A Web server computer arranged to host a shopping Web site and programmed to: 
 receive an access attempt from a customer device used by a customer; and    respond to the access attempt by sending to the customer device display data, the display data representing information to be displayed on a monitor component of the customer device, the information to be displayed on the monitor component including:    (a) a plurality of product entries, each of the product entries including (i) product information indicative of a product available for sale via the Web site and (ii) pricing information indicative of a plurality of prices applicable to the product indicated by the product information of the respective product entry, each of the prices corresponding to a respective pricing tier; and    (b) a monetary amount that indicates to the customer an additional amount to be spent to qualify for one of the respective pricing tiers.    
     
     
         11 . A method of operating a catalog order-taking facility, comprising the steps of: 
 providing an order-taking system, the system including database means for storing a database and a plurality of customer service stations connected to the database means, the database including a plurality of product entries, each of the product entries including data indicating a product available for sale from a catalog and pricing information for the product, the pricing information including a first price for the product and a second price for the product which is lower than the first price;    receiving at the facility a telephone call from a customer;    during the telephone call, receiving communications from the customer indicating at least one initial product that the customer desires to purchase from the catalog, thereby receiving an indication of a transaction;    entering into one of the customer service stations at least one initial product identifier which represents the at least one initial product indicated by the communications;    calculating an initial purchase total for the transaction using a first prices for the at least one initial product represented by the entered at least one initial product identifier;    subtracting the initial purchase total from a threshold purchase total to produce an additional amount;    displaying the additional amount on a monitor component of the one of the customer service stations into which the at least one initial product identifier was entered; and    communicating the additional amount to the customer during the telephone call.    
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , further comprising the steps of: 
 during the telephone call and after the communicating step, receiving further communications from the customer indicating at least one more product that the customer desires to purchase from the catalog;    entering into the one of the customer service stations at least one more product identifier which represents the at least one more product indicated by the further communications;    recalculating the initial purchase total for the transaction using a first price for the at least one product represented by the at least one more product identifier and a the first price for the initial product represented by the at least one initial product identifier;    determining whether the recalculated initial purchase total is at least equal to the threshold purchase total; and    if the recalculated initial purchase total is at least equal to the threshold purchase total, calculating a reduced purchase total for the transaction represented by all of the entered product identifiers based on second prices for the products.