User initiated monitoring of e-commerce websites and email offers

Abstract

A system and method for creating a watchlist of products relating to any type of item/service/event for which any type of purchase may be made by a user. The system permits a user to access a website and identify items of the website that are of interest and other users (or friends) and associate one or more users with one or more items in the watchlist. The system stores the identified items and friends in a watchlist for later retrieval, review, transmission or action by the user. The system may periodically inform the user of any changes to the items of interest or any changes in purchases made by the users friends to items in the watchlist. Items may alternatively be added from multiple websites, multiple emails or automatically by the system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A communication system that utilizes Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to facilitate electronic commerce (e-commerce), the system comprising:
 a communication interface that is communicatively coupled to a user device via a network;   a memory;   a processor that is communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein the processor:   receives, using the communication, a user input to select an item,   automatically creates a watchlist when at least one item is selected by the user,   creates a list including an identifier that is associated with at least one of the items,   receives, using the communication interface, a criteria for sending emails including information related to at least one item of the watchlist, and   sends, using the communication interface, a SMTP email message including a link to an email address of the user based on the criteria, wherein the criteria includes:
 to email the watchlist to the user on at least one condition selected, 
 to search and email at least one item that is similar to at least one item selected by a user, 
 to search and email at least one item that is similar to at least one item associated, 
 to generate and send an email advertisement subject to change in at least one descriptor associated with the item selected by the user, and 
 to generate and send an email advertisement subject to change in at least one descriptor associated with the item associated. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the item is selected by the user via a website. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the item is selected by the user via an initial SMTP email sent to the user. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the items of the watchlist are from a single website 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the items of the watchlist are from multiple websites. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the identifier identifies at least one friend and the friend is associated with the at least one of the items. 
     
     
         7 . A method that utilizes Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to facilitate electronic commerce (e-commerce), the method comprising:
 receiving, by a processor via a communication interface, a user input to select an item;   automatically creating, by the processor, a watchlist when at least one item is selected by the user;   creating, by the processor, a list including an identifier is associated with at least one of the items;   receiving, by the processor via the communication interface, a criteria for sending emails including information related to at least one item of the watchlist; and   sending, by the processor via the communication interface, a SMTP email message including a link to an email address of the user based on the criteria, wherein the criteria includes:
 to email the watchlist to the user on at least one condition selected, 
 to search and email at least one item that is similar to at least one item selected by a user, 
 to search and email at least one item that is similar to at least one item associated, 
 to generate and send an email advertisement subject to change in at least one descriptor associated with the item selected by the user, and 
 to generate and send an email advertisement subject to change in at least one descriptor associated with the item associated. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the item is selected by the user via a website. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the item is selected by the user via an initial SMTP email sent to the user. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the items of the watchlist are from a single website 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the items of the watchlist are from multiple websites. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the identifier identifies at least one friend and the friend is associated with the at least one of the items. 
     
     
         13 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the processor to:
 receives, using a communication interface that is communicatively coupled to the processor, a user input to select an item,   automatically creates a watchlist when at least one item is selected by the user,   creates a list including an identifier is associated with at least one of the items,   receives, using the communication interface, a criteria for sending emails including information related to at least one item of the watchlist, and   sends, using the communication interface, a SMTP email message including a link to an email address of the user based on the criteria, wherein the criteria includes:
 to email the watchlist to the user on at least one condition selected, 
 to search and email at least one item that is similar to at least one item selected by a user, 
 to search and email at least one item that is similar to at least one item associated, 
 to generate and send an email advertisement subject to change in at least one descriptor associated with the item selected by the user, and 
 to generate and send an email advertisement subject to change in at least one descriptor associated with the item associated. 
   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the item is selected by the user via a website. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the item is selected by the user via an initial SMTP email sent to the user. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the items of the watchlist are from a single website 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the items of the watchlist are from multiple websites. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the identifier identifies at least one friend and the friend is associated with the at least one of the items.