Cross-site online shopping assistant

Abstract

Computer-implemented techniques are described herein for assisting consumers in automatically locating and systematically applying discount codes to electronic commerce platforms in order to obtain reduced prices. Such technology functions as a shopping assistant for online shopping. More specifically, one or more discount codes associated with an electronic commerce platform can be automatically located, evaluated against item(s) selected for purchase by a consumer, and then analyzed to determine the best result for the consumer. Information about the utility of the discount codes may also be recorded to machine-readable storage for further analysis.

1 . A computer-implemented method for applying discount codes to an electronic commerce platform on behalf of a consumer, the method comprising:
 monitoring, by a browser extension installed on a web browser, content of network-accessible interfaces associated with an electronic commerce platform that are accessed by a consumer via the web browser;   based on said monitoring, determining, by the browser extension, that the consumer has accessed a checkout interface of the electronic commerce platform;   retrieving, by the browser extension from a remote server, a machine-readable list of discount codes for the electronic commerce platform and configuration information specifying how to apply the machine-readable list of discount codes to the checkout interface;   creating, by the browser extension, a digital button that is dynamically presented on the checkout interface;   continually monitoring, by the browser extension, for interactions with the digital button;   upon determining the consumer has interacted with the digital button, automatically and systematically applying, by the browser extension, the machine-readable list of discount codes on behalf of the consumer;   determining, by the browser extension, which of the discount codes, if any, were successful;   tracking an impact of each successful discount code to identify a best discount code having a largest impact; and   applying the best discount code to one or more items that have been selected for purchase by the consumer in order to reduce a total price to be paid by the consumer for the one or more items.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that the consumer has accessed the checkout interface of the electronic commerce platform comprises:
 examining the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) content of each network-accessible interface accessed by the consumer; and   based on said examining, automatically detecting an interface element that is indicative of the checkout interface,   wherein the interface element is a selector element or a form box for submitting discount codes.   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable list of discount codes and the configuration information are retrieved by the browser extension from the remote server responsive to determining that the consumer has accessed the checkout interface. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable list of discount codes and the configuration information are retrieved by the browser extension from the remote server responsive to determining that the consumer has accessed any network-accessible interface associated with the electronic commerce platform. 
     
     
         5 . A system for systematically applying discount codes to an electronic commerce platform, the system comprising:
 a display configured to present an interface associated with an electronic commerce platform to a user;   an input device configured to allow the user to interact with the electronic commerce platform via the interface;   a processor communicatively coupled to the input device and a memory, the processor operable to execute instructions stored in the memory; and   the memory storing specific instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 enable the user to access the interface associated with the electronic commerce platform via a web browser; 
 execute a browser extension that causes a button to be dynamically presented on the interface; 
 retrieve a machine-readable list of discount codes for the electronic commerce platform and configuration information specifying how to apply the machine-readable list of discount codes to the electronic commerce platform from a remote server; 
 continually monitor for user interactions with the button; 
 upon determining the button has been selected by the user, automatically and systematically apply the machine-readable list of discount codes on behalf of the user; 
 determine which of the discount codes, if any, were successful; 
 track an impact of each successful discount code to identify a best discount code having a largest impact; and 
 apply the best discount code to one or more items offered for sale by the electronic commerce platform that have been selected for purchase by the user in order to reduce a total price to be paid by the user for the one or more items. 
   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the specific instructions further cause the processor to:
 generate a visual indicator that is presented on the interface while the machine-readable list of discount codes is being systematically applied,   wherein the visual indicator illustrates how much progress has been made.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the impact is measured by reduction in price for the one or more items selected for purchase by the user. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 5 , where the configuration information regarding how to apply the discount codes is mapped to a specific electronic commerce platform or a specific set of electronic commerce platforms. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor and the memory are located on a same computing system, which also includes the display and the input device. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor, the memory, or both are located on a distinct computing system remote from the user's local computer system that includes the display and the input device. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 5 , where a result of applying each discount code is recorded and optionally used to determine a best combination of one or more discount codes to apply that result in a lowest price. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein any discount codes that were not determined to be successful are removed from the machine-readable list. 
     
     
         13 . A system for collecting and recording data from one or more consumers about results of applying discount codes to an electronic commerce platform, the system comprising:
 a processor operable to execute instructions stored in a machine-readable data storage; and   the machine-readable data storage, which includes information regarding the electronic commerce platform to which the discount codes can be applied and specific instructions for analyzing results of systematically applying the discount codes, wherein the specific instructions are configured to:
 receive the results from one or more computing systems associated with the one or more consumers, the results indicating whether a particular discount code was successful; 
 process and analyze the results; 
 determine, from the results, whether the particular discount code is currently functional; and 
 if the particular discount code is functional,
 determine, from the results, an impact of applying the particular discount code to the electronic commerce platform on behalf of a consumer. 
 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the specific instructions are further configured to:
 build a sorted list of discount codes for the electronic commerce platform that is organized by one or more dimensions,   wherein the one or more dimensions include items previously purchased by the one or more consumers from the electronic commerce platform, data previously collected about effectiveness of the discount codes, or both.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , where the results are collected to interpret a current status of the particular discount code. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to send at least some results from automatically and systematically applying the discount codes to the user's local computing system. 
     
     
         17 . A computer-implemented method for systematically applying discount codes to an electronic commerce platform on behalf of a consumer, the method comprising:
 allowing a consumer to access an interface associated with an electronic commerce platform on a computing device having a display;   retrieving a list of discount codes associated with the electronic commerce platform;   executing a browser extension that causes a button to be dynamically presented on the interface;   causing, upon the button being selected by the consumer, at least some of the discount codes to be automatically and systematically applied without any further input from the consumer;   determining which of the discount codes, if any, were successful in reducing a price for an item selected for purchase by the consumer;   identifying a particular discount code causing the largest reduction in price for the item; and   applying the particular discount code to the item selected for purchase by the consumer in order to reduce a total price to be paid by the user for the item.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 generating and presenting a visual indicator on the interface while the list of discount codes is being systematically applied.   
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 18 , wherein the visual indicator illustrates how much progress has been made, whether any discount codes have been determined to be successful, reduction in total price, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 tracking an impact of each successful discount code, wherein the impact is measured by the reduction in the price for the item;   modifying the list of discount codes by removing any discount codes that are not successful in reducing the price for the item; and   reordering the modified list of discount codes by prioritizing the impact.   
     
     
         21 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the list of discount codes is retrieved from a local storage of a computing device operated by the user, a remote storage accessible to the computing device across a network, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the interface associated with the electronic commerce platform is accessible via a web browser or an application. 
     
     
         23 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 22 , wherein the web browser and the application are configured for a mobile computing device. 
     
     
         24 . The computer implemented method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 retrieving configuration information specifying how to apply the list of discount codes to the electronic commerce platform,   wherein the configuration information specifies how to simulate a user interaction with the electronic commerce platform that will prompt a response from the electronic commerce platform indicating an impact of each discount code.