Co-branded internet service provider and retailer internet service site with retailer-offered incentives for member use

Abstract

A method for a retailer having an Internet shopping website to sell merchandise over the Internet. The method includes using a retailer server computer to manage access to the Internet shopping website of the retailer including providing members access to the Internet shopping website of the retailer via a co-branded Internet site primarily relating to non-retail activities of a first entity, wherein the members are subscribers of the co-branded Internet site. Using the retailer server computer further includes providing members with a discount on any purchases made using the Internet shopping website only when the members access the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site. Providing members with the discount includes taking the discount off a price charged for any purchases made using the Internet shopping website only when the members access the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for a retailer having an Internet shopping website to sell merchandise over the Internet, the method comprising:
 using a retailer server computer to manage access to the Internet shopping website of the retailer including:
 providing members access to the Internet shopping website of the retailer via a co-branded Internet site primarily relating to non-retail activities of a first entity, wherein the members are subscribers of the co-branded Internet site; and 
 providing members with a discount on any purchases made using the Internet shopping website only when the members access the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site, wherein providing members with the discount includes taking the discount off a price charged for any purchases made using the Internet shopping website only When the members access the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first non-retail entity is an Internet Service Provider. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the co-branded Internet site includes a graphical user interface of the Internet Service Provider and one or more links to the Internet shopping site of the retailer. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the members are paid subscribers of the co-branded Internet site 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the discount is available to members accessing the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site for only a limited period of time following each of the members initial subscription to the co-branded Internet site. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the discount is available to each of the members accessing the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site as long as each corresponding member continues to be a paid subscriber of the co-branded Internet site. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising providing members an opportunity to purchase a subscription of the co-branded Internet site. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an amount of the discount for each of the members is determined based on how long each of the members has subscribed to the co-branded Internet site, and the longer each member has subscribed to the co-branded Internet site, the larger the corresponding discount. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an amount of the discount for each of the members is determined based on a quantity of past purchases made by each of the members at the Internet shopping site only when the Internet shopping site was accessed via the co-branded Internet site. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein using the retailer server further includes providing the members with early on-fine access to advertising notifications as compared with non-members, wherein the advertising notifications provide advance notice of one or more of sales and promotions being offered by the retailer on the Internet shopping website. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing hyperlinks to informational content on the Internet selected to be of interest to members in a retailer demographic group. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the informational content includes informational messages created by the retailer solely for access by members who accessed the Internet shopping site via the co-branded Internet site, and the hyperlinks are provided on the co-branded Internet site. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the informational content includes content borrowed from content otherwise available from one or more of the retailer and the first entity elsewhere on the Internet. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the information content is presented to correspond with retail items offered for retail sale on the Internet shopping site and is presented on a common web page with the retail items corresponding therewith as part of the Internet shopping site. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein using the retailer server includes pre-populating online member calendars available from the first entity with electronic calendar entries for upcoming retailer events. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the retailer events are incentives to access and shop on the Internet shopping site of the retailer through a co-branded Internet site. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising distributing at retailer locations client software for accessing the co-branded Internet site. 
     
     
         18 . A method for a retailer having an Internet shopping website to sell merchandise over an Internet, the method comprising:
 using a server to provide members access to the Internet shopping website of the retailer via a co-branded Internet site primarily relating to non-retail activities of a first entity, wherein the members are paid subscribers of the cobranded Internet site;   providing members with a discount on any purchases made using the Internet shopping website only when the members access the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site; and   providing hyperlinks of informational content selected to be of interest to members in a retailer demographic group.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the first non-retail entity is an Internet Service Provider, the co-branded Internet site includes a graphical user interface of the Internet Service Provider and one or more links to the Internet shopping site of the retailer, and the co-branded Internet site prominently displays brand indicia for each of the Internet Service Provider and the retailer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the providing members with the discount includes subtracting the discount from a price of any purchases made using the Internet shopping website only when the members access the Internet shopping website via the co-branded Internet site.