Abstract: A method comprises receiving, by a computer-based system for processing a transaction, a notification that a transaction account holder has taken an action, taking, in near real time, an action in response to the action taken by the transaction account holder, and/or communicating with a web-client associated with the transaction account holder in response to the action taken by the transaction account holder. The communicating with the web-client may occur in near real time.

Abstract: An information processing system that acquires feedback information from a first user having viewed an advertising activity of a second user, the advertising activity including displaying advertising information on an information processing apparatus possessed by the second user; and updates profile information for determining an effectiveness of the advertising activity based on the received feedback information.

Abstract: A method for targeting marketing for user conversion includes receiving a list of users. Data pertaining to the users is received. A conversion likelihood score representing an estimation of how likely the user would be to converted from a trial user to a paid user is determined for each user. A similarity score representing how similar the users of the pair are to one another is determined for each possible pair of users. A graph in which each node thereof represents each user and edges between the nodes have edge weights representing the determined similarity scores is constructed. Each node is associated with a value representing its conversion likelihood score. A marketing potential score is calculated for each user using both the node-associated-values and the edge weights of the graph. A set of target users having highest marketing potential scores is constructed.

Abstract: A connectivity contextual services ecosystem management system may comprise a connectivity contextual services connectivity system, one or more user devices, and one or more merchant devices. The connectivity contextual services connectivity system may deliver different connectivity contextual services to a user device and/or a merchant device in response to a context environment, in order to provide a user with a customized experience, such as allowing that user to enter into conversations with merchants, view inventory of merchants, and search for merchants with relevant products without entering a physical store.

Abstract: An advertising (“ad”) system allows users to specify a budget for an advertisement (“ad”) campaign including ad requests (“ads”), and the ad system automatically determines bids on a per-impression basis to pace the ad spend according to the budget. The ad system computes a “regret” metric for the ad campaign, which is the total amount over the course of the ad campaign that the advertiser had to pay for presenting an ad above the ideal bid (e.g., the bid that would have captured at least a threshold number of the lowest priced impressions during the ad campaign's life while spending the budget). The ad system may use the regret metric to indicate the performance of the ad campaign, e.g., as feedback for the advertiser.

Abstract: An email payment gateway having electronic commerce (e-commerce) system may send advertisement emails to customers that are registered with the e-commerce system. The advertisement emails may include mailto hyperlinks. Each mailto hyperlink may be associated with a product that is being offered for sale, and each mailto hyperlink describes an email message that may be generated when that hyperlink is selected. When a mailto hyperlink is selected, the generated email message may include one or more parameters related to the product associated with the hyperlink, such as an identifier of the product. The generated email message may then be transmitted to the e-commerce system. The e-commerce system may receive the message and, based on the parameters in the received message, execute a transaction to purchase the identified product on behalf of the customer.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for conversion timing inference. A conversion timing model is model is configured to predict a likelihood of conversion based on an entity's elapsed time since a qualified entry event. The conversion timing model is constructed based on a distribution of the conversion timespans of converters. Each conversion timespan describes a length of time between a qualified entry event and a conversion event for a converted entity. A notification of an opportunity to expose a candidate entity to networked content is received and the likelihood of conversion for the candidate entity is determined by: determining an elapsed time since a qualified entry event for the candidate entity and applying the conversion timing model to the elapsed time. A response to the notification based on the likelihood of conversion for the candidate entity is prepared. Timely responses may include the selection of customized content, customized advertising content or bid values.

Abstract: Techniques for analyzing marketing channels are described. Users are exposed to the marketing channels. User responses (e.g., purchases and no-purchases) to the exposures are tracked. Upon a request from a marketer to analyze an attribution of a marketing channel, the user responses are analyzed. The attribution represents the credit that the marketing channel should get for influencing the users exposed thereto into exhibiting a particular user response (e.g., a purchase). The analysis involves multiple steps. In a first step, a non-parametric estimation is used to generate a value function at a user-level. In a second step, a coalitional game approach is used to estimate the attribution based on the value function. A response is provided to the marketer with data about the attribution.

Abstract: A method comprises transmitting, by a merchant web-client, a signal using a low energy consuming device, wherein the signal may be received by a transaction account holder web-client, wherein the signal may carry content associated with a merchant, and wherein the merchant is associated with the merchant web-client, and/or receiving, by the merchant web-client, a response from the transaction account holder web-client, wherein the response may be transmitted by the transaction account holder web-client to the merchant web-client using the low energy consuming device. The content may comprise an advertisement associated with an item offered for sale by the merchant.

Abstract: To promote an object maintained by a social networking system, an advertiser identifies the object to the social networking system. Based on the user interaction with one or more posts associated with the object, the social networking system selects one or more candidate posts from the one or more posts. Promotion efficacies of each candidate post for a group of users having one or more common demographic characteristics are determined and a candidate post is selected based at least in part on the promotion efficacies. The selected candidate post may be identified to the advertiser or presented to additional users having the common demographic characteristic by the social networking system.

Abstract: A contextual services delivery system may comprise a services repository containing services instructions and a contextual services delivery module. The contextual services delivery module may deliver different contextual services to a smartphone and/or a POS terminal in response to a context environment, in order to provide a user with a customized contextual services experience.

Abstract: Provided is a process of distributing offers to non-location-sensing devices based on a geolocation sensed by another device, the process comprising: obtaining a geolocation of a user from a mobile device of the user; associating the geolocation of the user with an identifier of the user in an offers engine; receiving a request for an offer from another computing device of the user, the request including or prompting obtaining data from the other computing device sufficient to identify the user; retrieving the geolocation of the user obtained from the mobile device by identifying the user with the data from the other computing device sufficient to identify the user account; selecting, with the offers engine, a responsive offer based on the geolocation of the user obtained from the mobile device; and sending the responsive offer to the other computing device of the user.

Abstract: Web marketing channel correlation information for multiple web access sessions is captured using a web sales-capable server. The web marketing channel correlation information includes, for each web access session, a session-originating web marketing channel identifier of a marketing channel that originated the web access session, and at least one cross-session correlation identifier usable to correlate sets of web access sessions and usable to correlate the sets of web access sessions with orders. In association with an order placed by a consumer using the web sales-capable server, an accumulated statistical sales contribution of each marketing channel that originated a correlated set of web access sessions that are correlated with the order is calculated based upon the captured marketing channel correlation information.

Abstract: Web marketing channel correlation information for multiple web access sessions is captured using a web sales-capable server. The web marketing channel correlation information includes, for each web access session, a session-originating web marketing channel identifier of a marketing channel that originated the web access session, and at least one cross-session correlation identifier usable to correlate sets of web access sessions and usable to correlate the sets of web access sessions with orders. In association with an order placed by a consumer using the web sales-capable server, an accumulated statistical sales contribution of each marketing channel that originated a correlated set of web access sessions that are correlated with the order is calculated based upon the captured marketing channel correlation information.

Abstract: Devices, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media for a redemption header for merchant offers, such as online coupons, are provided. In some embodiments, an offers website may provide offers, such as online coupons, in a browser executing on a user device. When a user selects an online coupon, the browser is redirected to a merchant website associated with the online coupon and a coupon code value is copied to a clipboard. Additionally, a redemption header having the coupon code and instructions is added in the merchant webpage. A webpage element for the redemption header, such as an inline frame, is created in the merchant webpage and the redemption header is provided based on an offer identifier stored in a browser-accessible storage item such as a cookie.

Abstract: A first instance of a messenger application having a plug-in communicates with a second instance of the messenger application lacking the plug-in. The plug-in provides enhanced functionality to the first instance of the messenger application, while also providing corresponding functionality to the second instance, which lacks the plug-in. For example, the plug-in may provide rich, non-thread-native content to the first instance, while also providing corresponding thread-native content to the second instance. As another example, the plug-in may obtain data from the second instance and provide tailored advertisements to the second instance based upon that data. An another example, the plug-in may obtain location data from one or more of the instances and provide access to location-specific services that take the location data into account.

Abstract: A content server system provides a client device with content including an audio advertisement with personalized background music. The content server selects a vocal advertisement received from an advertiser for presentation to a user of a client device. The content server obtains content data describing audio content provided to the client device as part of the stream of audio content. The content server obtains content data describing audio content provided to the client device as part of the stream of audio content. The content server identifies candidate background music items and selects background music from the candidate background music items based on the obtained content data. The client device is provided with the selected background music and the selected vocal advertisement. The client device plays an audio advertisement comprising the background music played concurrently with the vocal advertisement.

Abstract: An application on a client device presents a content item to a user with a deep link that includes an application identifier that identifies an additional application on the client device and contains instructions that, when executed by the additional application, present a state of that additional application. When a user selects the deep link in the content item, the client device determines whether the additional application associated with the application identifier is installed on the client device and, if so, launches the additional application and communicates the instructions and a second deep link to the additional application. The second deep link includes an application identifier associated with the application and instructions describing a state of the application when the content item was presented.

Abstract: An application linking framework provides cross-platform mobile application-to-application linking, including allowing linking into particular states in an application via a deep link presented in another application. When a client device receives a content item including a deep link, the client device can also receive a tracking request for tracking user interaction with an application associated with the content item or deep link in the content item via an application linking tool. The tool can also provide suggestions to an application owner of actions to take based on the analytics and can track advertisement conversions across applications.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to generate consumer data are disclosed. An example method of selecting a sample of transaction data corresponding to a membership program includes defining a first type of member of the membership program; defining a second type of member of the membership program; calculating, via a processor, a target for the sample; selecting, via the processor, a first portion of the transaction data for the first type of member in accordance with the target; generating, via the processor, an updated target by recalculating the target with the first portion of the transaction data removed from consideration; and selecting, via the processor, a second portion of the transaction data for the second type of member in accordance with the updated target.