System for implementing a network-based user referral program

Abstract

A system for implementing a referral program includes a referral tracking system capable of tracking referrals of users from participant sites to a merchant site, and capable of determining whether such referrals result in purchases. The referral program participants may select particular catalog items to recommend, and may provide encoded links on their sites to the corresponding catalog pages of the merchant site. The system may include a report generation system that provides the participants with activity reports regarding the referral and purchase activity attributable to such links.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a first server system that hosts a first site in a first network domain, the first site comprising an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages corresponding to respective catalog items, the item detail pages associated with corresponding uniform resource locators, said first site including functionality for users to select and purchase catalog items;   a second server system that hosts a second site in a second network domain, the second site associated with a referral program participant, the second site comprising a page that includes a user-selectable link to an item detail page of the first site, the item detail page corresponding to a particular catalog item, the link comprising a uniform resource locator corresponding to the item detail page, the uniform resource locator comprising an identifier of the catalog item and an identifier of the referral program participant, the page additionally including information provided by the referral program participant about the catalog item, said information being distinct from content included on the item detail page; and   a referral tracking system that is responsive to user selection of the link by recording a referral event in association with the identifiers of the referral program participant and catalog item, the referral tracking system additionally configured to determine whether the referral event results in a purchase transaction on the first site.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the information provided by the referral program participant comprises a review by the referral program participant of the catalog item. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the referral tracking system is configured to maintain, in association with an electronic shopping cart of a user who accesses the first site via the link, information that associates the referral program participant with a catalog item added to the electronic shopping cart by the user. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the referral tracking system is configured to separately record, for each of a plurality of catalog items selected for purchase by a user, a respective identifier of a referral program participant associated with the user's selection of the catalog item, such that different referral program participants can be credited for different item purchases by the user. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a report generation system that uses information recorded by the referral tracking system to generate, for the referral program participant, an activity report that indicates at least (1) how many referral events resulted from the link over a selected time period, and (2) a quantity of purchases resulting from said referral events. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the report generation system is configured to include in the activity report anonymous demographic data about users referred to the first site by the second site, said anonymous demographic data based on user shipping addresses maintained by the first server system. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second site comprises a plurality of links to respective item detail pages of the electronic catalog, and the report generation system is configured to include in the activity report separate activity data for each of said links. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an automated enrollment system that provides an interface for users to enroll with the first site as referral program participants, said automated enrollment system configured to assign respective referral program participant identifiers to the referral program participants, and to send to the referral program participants instructions for incorporating their referral program participant identifiers into links to item detail pages of the electronic catalog. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the automated enrollment system is configured to use information provided by a referral program applicant regarding a candidate participant site to assess whether the candidate participant site qualifies for referral program participation. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the automated enrollment system is configured to scan text of an enrollment application for pre-specified words and phrases, and to flag the enrollment application for human review when such a word or phrase is found. 
     
     
         11 . A system that hosts a site of a referral program participant, the system comprising:
 a server that comprises computer hardware, said server configured to provide network-based access to pages of the site of the referral program participant; and   non-transitory computer storage that stores a page of the site, the page including an item-specific referral link to a catalog page of an electronic catalog hosted by a merchant site that is separate from the referral program participant site, said catalog page corresponding to a particular catalog item, the referral link comprising a destination uniform resource locator that includes an identifier of the catalog item and an identifier of the referral program participant, the page of the referral program participant site additionally including information provided by the referral program participant about the catalog item, said information being distinct from content included on the catalog page.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the information provided by the referral program participant comprises a review by the referral program participant of the catalog item. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the information provided by the referral program participant comprises a recommendation by the referral program participant of the catalog item. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , in combination with a referral tracking system configured to use information encoded in the destination uniform resource locator, including the identifier of the catalog item and the identifier of the referral program participant, to track referral events. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a report generation system which uses activity data recorded by the referral tracking system to generate an activity report indicating (1) how many referral events resulted from the item-specific referral link over a specified time period, and (2) a quantity of purchases resulting from such referral events. 
     
     
         16 . Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that directs a computing system to perform a process that comprises:
 detecting a first referral event in which a user follows a first referral link on a first site of a first referral program participant to a catalog page of a merchant site;   generating a first shopping cart entry associated with the first referral event, wherein generating the first shopping cart entry comprises recording an identifier of the first referral program participant and an identifier of a first catalog item selected by the user for purchase;   detecting a second referral event in which said user follows a second referral link on a second site of a second referral program participant to a catalog page of the merchant site;   generating a second shopping cart entry associated with the second referral event, wherein generating the second shopping cart entry comprises recording an identifier of the second referral program participant and an identifier of a second catalog item selected by the user for purchase; and   executing a single check-out transaction in which the user purchases at least the first and second catalog items on the merchant site, wherein executing the single check-out transaction comprises (1) using the first shopping cart entry to credit an account of the first referral program participant for the purchase of the first catalog item, and (2) using the second shopping cart entry to credit an account of the second referral program participant for the purchase of the second catalog item.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer storage of  claim 16 , wherein the first referral link points to a catalog page that is specific to the first catalog item, and the second referral link points to a catalog page that is specific to the second catalog item. 
     
     
         18 . Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that directs a computing system to perform a process that comprises:
 transmitting instructions to a referral program participant for generating item-specific referral links to item detail pages of a merchant site that hosts an electronic catalog, said instructions enabling the referral program participant to generate item-specific referral links that are encoded with an identifier of the referral program participant;   recording a referral event in which a user follows an item-specific referral link from a site of the referral program participant to an item detail page of the merchant site, said item-specific referral link comprising an identifier of a particular catalog item and an identifier of a referral program participant, wherein recording the referral event comprises recording the identifiers of the catalog item and the referral program participant in association with an identifier of the user;   determining, based on monitored actions of the user on the merchant site, whether the referral event results in a purchase transaction by the user;   when the referral event results in a purchase transaction, crediting an account of the referral program participant; and   generating an activity report for the referral program participant, the activity report indicating how many referral events resulted from the item-specific referral link and how many item purchases resulted from the referral events.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer storage of  claim 18 , wherein determining whether the referral event results in a purchase transaction comprises recording the identifier of the referral program participant in an electronic shopping cart entry of the user. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer storage of  claim 18 , wherein the instructions are automatically transmitted to the referral program participant by an automated enrollment system.