Method and System for Facilitating a Transaction

Abstract

Provided is a system for facilitating a transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer. The system includes at least one transaction portal located in a network environment, where the at least one transaction portal associated with at least one consumer affinity. The consumer affinity is an entity, a cause, an affiliation, an organization, a concept, a benefit, an association and/or a sponsor or any combination thereof. The system further includes a communication system for facilitating the transmission of data between the transaction portal, the at least one merchant, the at least one consumer, an entity associated with the consumer affinity or any combination thereof. Also provided is a matching system, a method for facilitating a transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer and a method for facilitating a credit-based transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer.

1 . A system for facilitating a transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer, the system comprising:
 at least one transaction portal located in a network environment, the at least one transaction portal associated with at least one consumer affinity comprising at least one of the following: an entity, a cause, an affiliation, an organization, a concept, a benefit, an association, a sponsor or any combination thereof; and   a communication system configured to facilitate the transmission of data between the transaction portal, the at least one merchant, the at least one consumer, an entity associated with the consumer affinity or any combination thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the entity associated with the consumer affinity obtains at least one of the following: a percentage of the transaction amount, a portion of proceeds from the transaction, a donation, a fee, money, a benefit, sponsorship or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a transactional system configured to initiate the transaction between parties in the network environment, facilitate the transaction between parties in the network environment, consummate the transaction between parties in the network environment or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising a transaction database comprising at least one of the following: transaction data, merchant data, consumer data, credit issuer data, credit product data, consumer affinity data, tracking data or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising an affinity database comprising at least one of the following: consumer affinity data, matching data, entity data, cause data, affiliation data, organization data, concept data, benefit data, association data, sponsor data, percentage data, portion data, donation data, fee data, money data, benefit data, sponsorship data or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising program instructions configured to, based upon data in the transaction database and the affinity database: (a) determine a percentage of the transaction amount; (b) determine a portion of the proceeds from the transaction; (c) determine a donation amount; (d) determine a fee amount; (e) determine a monetary amount; (f) determine a benefit; and/or (g) determine a sponsorship amount; or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising program instructions configured to transmit or communicate the benefit or amount established in steps (a)-(g) from the transaction portal to the entity associated with the consumer affinity. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transaction is a credit-based transaction between the at least one merchant and the at least one consumer. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one transaction portal is in communication with credit system of a credit issuer. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the credit issuer is associated with the consumer affinity. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a membership database comprising at least one of the following: membership data, member data, user data, terms data, conditions data, status data, payment data or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one transaction portal comprises a payment interface configured to facilitate payment of a membership fee. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising program instructions configured to communicate information to at least one member based upon data in the membership database. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the information is in the form of a notification of the location of the transaction portal. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one transaction portal is at least one of the following: in an Internet-based network environment, in the form of a downloadable program, in the form of an executable program, in the form of an application service provider model, in the form of a scripted program, in the form of a remotely accessible program, in the form of a user interface or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one transaction portal is accessible over the network environment from a network-enabled computing device. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the network-enabled computing device comprises a kiosk situated in a publicly accessible area. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an affinity database comprising at least one of the following: consumer affinity data, matching data, entity data, cause data, affiliation data, organization data, concept data, benefit data, association data, sponsor data, percentage data, portion data, donation data, fee data, money data, benefit data, sponsorship data or any combination thereof; and   a merchant database comprising at least one of the following: merchant data, credit issuer data, credit product data, consumer affinity data, target data, matching data or any combination thereof.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising programming instructions configured to establish a relationship between the at least one merchant and the entity associated with the consumer affinity based upon data in the affinity database and the merchant database. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transaction portal is in the form of a networked transaction interface presentable to a user. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the networked transaction interface is in the form of at least one webpage configured to present data in a plurality of predetermined areas on the page. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the areas comprise at least one of the following: branded portions or links, terms portions or links, conditions portions or links, transaction portions or links, catalog portions or links, merchant portions or links, payment portions or links, link portions or links, informational portions or links, login portions or links, search portions or links or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         23 . A matching system, comprising:
 an affinity database comprising consumer at least one of the following: affinity data, matching data, entity data, cause data, affiliation data, organization data, concept data, benefit data, association data, sponsor data, percentage data, portion data, donation data, fee data, money data, benefit data, sponsorship data or any combination thereof;   a merchant database comprising at least one of the following: merchant data, credit issuer data, credit product data, consumer affinity data, target data, matching data or any combination thereof; and   programming instructions configured to establish a relationship between at least one merchant, at least one credit issuer, at least one credit product or any combination thereof and an entity associated with the consumer affinity based upon data in the affinity database and the merchant database.   
     
     
         24 . A method for facilitating a transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer, comprising:
 associating the transaction with at least one consumer affinity comprising at least one of the following: an entity, a cause, an affiliation, an organization, a concept, a benefit, an association, a sponsor or any combination thereof; and   based upon the transaction, providing, to an entity associated with consumer affinity at least one of the following: a percentage of the transaction amount, a portion of proceeds from the transaction, a donation, a fee, money, a benefit, sponsorship or any combination thereof.   
     
     
         25 . A method for facilitating a credit-based transaction between at least one merchant and at least one consumer, comprising:
 associating a credit issuer and/or a credit product with at least one consumer affinity comprising at least one of the following: an entity, a cause, an affiliation, an organization, a concept, a benefit, an association, a sponsor or any combination thereof;   associating the transaction with the credit issuer and/or credit product; and   based upon the transaction, providing, to an entity associated with consumer affinity at least one of the following: a percentage of the transaction amount, a portion of proceeds from the transaction, a donation, a fee, money, a benefit, sponsorship or any combination thereof.