Patent ID: 8484064
Filing Date: 2013-07-09
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for promoting and booking services, the method comprising: hosting a service booking application that provides at least one user interface for searching and booking available services; storing in a database information about a secured financing transaction pursuant to which a service promoter provides funds to a service provider in exchange for promoting to the at least one user interface a plurality of service offers from the service provider, wherein the database is in communication with a processor, the stored information includes at least the amount of provided funds, the number of available service offers, and the cost of each service offer to the service promoter, and the plurality of service offers includes one or more types of services; promoting one or more service offers, from the plurality of available service offers, at a variable discount price that is optimized for profit generation, wherein the discount price of the service offer is varied based on a total number of remaining available service offers, a number of remaining available service offers of each type of service, an expected demand for service offers at various price levels, an opportunity cost of providing the service offer, and a booking volume-forecast based on at least the traffic volume from the at least one user interface; booking, via the processor, a service appointment for a user with a service provider based on a promoted service offer in response to an indication from the at least one user interface; adjusting the number of available service offers in the database based on the number of service offers corresponding to the number of booked service appointments booked by the at least one user interface, wherein the variable discount price is re-optimized periodically as service appointments are booked from the at least one user interface; and deducting from the amount of provided funds the amount of total cost of service offers corresponding to the number of booked service appointments.