Patent Publication Number: US-2019180350-A1

Title: Method and system for a mass purchasing platform

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a platform enabling a mass market purchase, specifically a platform that enables merchants to reach out to consumers interested in a mass market purchase to facilitate such a purchase by use of authorization holds and subsequent transactions if a sufficient number of consumers commit to the purchase. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Consumers often visit merchants, both at a physical storefront and via web pages and other remote, electronic methods, interested in a type of product without being certain as to their intent to make a purchase. The consumer may browse the merchant&#39;s wares to see what they have in stock, and, in many cases, keep a keen eye on the price of such wares. If the consumer is not satisfied with the selection of products or, more often than not, the price at which such products are offered, the consumer may leave. In these instances, the merchant may be unaware of the reason for the consumer&#39;s departure, if they were aware of the consumer&#39;s visit at all. It can thus be very difficult for a merchant to identify when they lose out on these types of sales, which may happen with an alarming regularity. 
     In many cases, consumers may visit a merchant and decline to purchase a product because the price is too high. Generally, a merchant prices its product at a value that they feel will be most profitable for them in the long run; if some consumers are not willing to spend the amount it is often outweighed by the number of consumers willing to pay the set price. However, it can be difficult, or even impossible, for the merchant to identify the actual number of consumers that decline to purchase the product due to price, or more importantly identify a price at which such consumers would be willing to make the purchase. Merchants may be willing to allow consumers to purchase a product at a lower price than originally set, provided they had assurance that they would sell a sufficient amount to make the price adjustment worthwhile. At times, consumers may talk to each other (e.g., neighbors, coworkers or businesses) to arrange for a joint purchase to reach for a bulk discount, but these are haphazard and communication intensive. 
     These problems present real business and technological problems for the merchant, which can be solved by technological solutions in accordance with some exemplary embodiments of the system and method disclosed below. Currently there appears to be no systems that are capable of making such a prospective deal between merchants and consumers. For instance, Groupon® currently sells vouchers for meals and other services, but requires that consumers pay in advance even if a voucher is not honored, requiring the consumer to then seek a refund, which may discourage some consumers. As a result, merchants continue to lose out on potential business, and consumers are unable to leverage their position to get a better deal on such products because of the inefficiency of how this might be communicated, tracked and the sale arranged and the products distributed. Thus, there is a need for a technological system to provide a mass market purchase platform that can facilitate such types of sales. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a description of systems and methods for mass market purchases. A merchant indicates to the platform a discounted price for a product that they are willing to accept provided a minimum number of consumers is willing to purchase the product at the discounted price. The platform reaches out with alerts or postings to consumers to find out which are willing to commit to purchasing the product at the discounted price, placing payment card authorization holds on their accounts for the discounted price. If the minimum number of consumers is met during a predetermined period of time during which the deal is open, the mass market deal may be considered accepted and fulfilled. The platform may proceed with payment transactions for each of the consumers via the previously set authorization holds, resulting in the minimum number of purchases being made at the discounted price. The result is that the merchant has a sufficient number of sales that made offering the discount worthwhile, while the consumers get to take advantage of the discount. The platform thus facilitates purchases that would not have happened otherwise, satisfying both consumers and merchants alike. 
     A method for facilitating a mass market purchase includes: electronically transmitting, by a transmitting device of a processing server, an offer notification to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the offer notification includes at least a minimum acceptance number, product information, and a transaction amount; receiving, by a receiving device of the processing server, an offer acceptance from one of the plurality of computing devices, wherein the offer acceptance includes at least payment credentials associated with a transaction account; initiating, by a transaction processing module of the processing server, placement of an authorization hold on the transaction account associated with the payment credentials included in the received offer acceptance, wherein the authorization hold is for at least the transaction amount; repeating the receiving and initiating steps a number of times for offer acceptances received by additional computing devices of the plurality of computing devices; and if the number of times is at least the minimum acceptance number, initiating, by the transaction processing module of the processing server, a payment transaction for each of the received offer acceptances for payment of the transaction amount from the respective transaction account using the included payment credentials based on the corresponding authorization hold, or if the number of times is less than the minimum acceptance number, initiating, by the transaction processing module of the processing server, clearing of the authorization hold corresponding to the respective offer acceptance for each of the received offer acceptances. 
     A system for facilitating a mass market purchase includes: a transmitting device of a processing server configured to electronically transmit an offer notification to a plurality of computing devices, wherein the offer notification includes at least a minimum acceptance number, product information, and a transaction amount; a receiving device of the processing server configured to receive an offer acceptance from one of the plurality of computing devices, wherein the offer acceptance includes at least payment credentials associated with a transaction account; a transaction processing module of the processing server configured to initiate placement of an authorization hold on the transaction account associated with the payment credentials included in the received offer acceptance, wherein the authorization hold is for at least the transaction amount, wherein receiving an offer acceptance and initiating placement of an authorization hold are repeated a number of times for offer acceptances received by additional computing devices of the plurality of computing device, and if the number of times is at least the minimum acceptance number the transaction processing module of the processing server is further configured to initiate a payment transaction for each of the received offer acceptances for payment of the transaction amount from the respective transaction account using the included payment credentials based on the corresponding authorization hold, or if the number of times is less than the minimum acceptance number the transaction processing module of the processing server is further configured to initiate clearing of the authorization hold corresponding to the respective offer acceptance for each of the received offer acceptances. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The scope of the present disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a high level system architecture for a mass market purchase platform in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the processing server of the system of  FIG. 1  for the facilitating of mass market purchases in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram illustrating a process for the providing of a platform used to develop mass market purchases using the processing server of  FIG. 2  in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram illustrating a process for the facilitation of a mass market purchase using the processing server of  FIG. 2  in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for facilitating a mass market purchase in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating a computer system architecture in accordance with exemplary embodiments. 
     
    
    
     Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments are intended for illustration purposes only and are, therefore, not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the disclosure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Glossary of Terms 
     Payment Network—A system or network used for the transfer of money via the use of cash-substitutes for thousands, millions, and even billions of transactions during a given period. Payment networks may use a variety of different protocols and procedures in order to process the transfer of money for various types of transactions. Transactions that may be performed via a payment network may include product or service purchases, credit purchases, debit transactions, fund transfers, account withdrawals, etc. Payment networks may be configured to perform transactions via cash-substitutes, which may include payment cards, letters of credit, checks, transaction accounts, etc. Examples of networks or systems configured to perform as payment networks include those operated by MasterCard®, VISA®, Discover®, American Express®, PayPal®, etc. Use of the term “payment network” herein may refer to both the payment network as an entity, and the physical payment network, such as the equipment, hardware, and software comprising the payment network. 
     Payment Rails—Infrastructure associated with a payment network used in the processing of payment transactions and the communication of transaction messages and other similar data between the payment network and other entities interconnected with the payment network that handles thousands, millions, and even billions of transactions during a given period. The payment rails may be comprised of the hardware used to establish the payment network and the interconnections between the payment network and other associated entities, such as financial institutions, gateway processors, etc. In some instances, payment rails may also be affected by software, such as via special programming of the communication hardware and devices that comprise the payment rails. For example, the payment rails may include specifically configured computing devices that are specially configured for the routing of transaction messages, which may be specially formatted data messages that are electronically transmitted via the payment rails, as discussed in more detail below. 
     Transaction Account—A financial account that may be used to fund a transaction, such as a checking account, savings account, credit account, virtual payment account, etc. A transaction account may be associated with a consumer, which may be any suitable type of entity associated with a payment account, which may include a person, family, company, corporation, governmental entity, etc. In some instances, a transaction account may be virtual, such as those accounts operated by PayPal®, etc. 
     Merchant—An entity that provides products (e.g., goods and/or services) for purchase by another entity, such as a consumer or another merchant. A merchant may be a consumer, a retailer, a wholesaler, a manufacturer, or any other type of entity that may provide products for purchase as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. In some instances, a merchant may have special knowledge in the goods and/or services provided for purchase. In other instances, a merchant may not have or require any special knowledge in offered products. In some embodiments, an entity involved in a single transaction may be considered a merchant. In some instances, as used herein, the term “merchant” may refer to an apparatus or device of a merchant entity. 
     Issuer—An entity that establishes (e.g., opens) a letter or line of credit in favor of a beneficiary, and honors drafts drawn by the beneficiary against the amount specified in the letter or line of credit. In many instances, the issuer may be a bank or other financial institution authorized to open lines of credit. In some instances, any entity that may extend a line of credit to a beneficiary may be considered an issuer. The line of credit opened by the issuer may be represented in the form of a payment account, and may be drawn on by the beneficiary via the use of a payment card. An issuer may also offer additional types of payment accounts to consumers as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art, such as debit accounts, prepaid accounts, electronic wallet accounts, savings accounts, checking accounts, etc., and may provide consumers with physical or non-physical means for accessing and/or utilizing such an account, such as debit cards, prepaid cards, automated teller machine cards, electronic wallets, checks, etc. 
     Acquirer—An entity that may process payment card transactions on behalf of a merchant. The acquirer may be a bank or other financial institution authorized to process payment card transactions on a merchant&#39;s behalf. In many instances, the acquirer may open a line of credit with the merchant acting as a beneficiary. The acquirer may exchange funds with an issuer in instances where a consumer, which may be a beneficiary to a line of credit offered by the issuer, transacts via a payment card with a merchant that is represented by the acquirer. 
     Payment Transaction—A transaction between two entities in which money or other financial benefit is exchanged from one entity to the other. The payment transaction may be a transfer of funds, for the purchase of goods or services, for the repayment of debt, or for any other exchange of financial benefit as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. In some instances, payment transaction may refer to transactions funded via a payment card and/or payment account, such as credit card transactions. Such payment transactions may be processed via an issuer, payment network, and acquirer. The process for processing such a payment transaction may include at least one of authorization, batching, clearing, settlement, and funding. Authorization may include the furnishing of payment details by the consumer to a merchant, the submitting of transaction details (e.g., including the payment details) from the merchant to their acquirer, and the verification of payment details with the issuer of the consumer&#39;s payment account used to fund the transaction. Batching may refer to the storing of an authorized transaction in a batch with other authorized transactions for distribution to an acquirer. Clearing may include the sending of batched transactions from the acquirer to a payment network for processing. Settlement may include the debiting of the issuer by the payment network for transactions involving beneficiaries of the issuer. In some instances, the issuer may pay the acquirer via the payment network. In other instances, the issuer may pay the acquirer directly. Funding may include payment to the merchant from the acquirer for the payment transactions that have been cleared and settled. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art that the order and/or categorization of the steps discussed above performed as part of payment transaction processing. 
     System for Mass Market Purchases 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a system  100  for the facilitation of mass market purchases between consumers and merchants via a mass market purchase platform designed to match consumers desiring a discounted price for a product to merchants willing to accept such a price at a specified volume that uses authorization holds to ensure consumer participation. 
     The system  100  may include a processing server  102 . The processing server  102 , discussed in more detail below, may be configured to provide a platform that facilitates mass market purchases between a plurality of consumers  104  and a merchant system  106 . The mass market purchase may be a purchase of one or more products by a minimum number of consumers  104  at a discounted price, such that participation by the minimum number of consumers  104  is sufficient enough for the merchant associated with the merchant system  106  to be satisfied with selling the product(s) at the discounted price. 
     In the system  100 , mass market purchases may be set up at the behest of either the consumers  104  or the merchant system  106 . In latter instances, the merchant system  106  may electronically transmit a proposed mass market purchase to the processing server  102  using a suitable communication network and method, such as via an application programming interface operated by the processing server  102 . The proposed mass market purchase may include information identifying the product or products that are available in the purchase, the discounted price that the merchant is willing to accept, and the minimum number of consumers  104  that may be required to commit to the purchase for the purchase to be carried out. 
     In other instances, consumers  104  may communicate their desire to purchase one or more products at a discounted price to the processing server  102  via computing devices  108  associated therewith. The computing devices  108  may be any types of computing devices suitable for performing the functions discussed herein, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, tablet computers, cellular phones, smart phones, smart watches, smart televisions, wearable computing devices, implantable computing devices, etc. Communications between the computing devices  108  and the processing server  102  may utilize any suitable communication network and method, such as an application program executed by the computing device  108  and associated with the processing server  102 , application program interfaces operated by the processing server  102 , web pages, etc. The consumers  104  may submit the desires to the processing server  102 , which may identify the product(s) and indicate that they are willing to purchase the product(s) at a discounted price. In some cases, the consumers  104  may provide the actual price or a range of prices that they are willing to accept. In such instances, the processing server  102  may communicate such data to a merchant system  106 , providing the merchant with the number of consumers  104  that have indicated a desire to purchase product(s) at a discounted price and, if available, the pricing information. The merchant system  106  may then design a mass market purchase offer around the consumers&#39; desires. 
     In some embodiments, the processing server  102  may be configured to provide such information to a plurality of different merchant systems  106 . In such embodiments, merchant systems  106  may bid or otherwise compete for the mass market purchase. For instance, merchant systems  106  may submit bids to the processing server  102  with their desired criteria (e.g., discounted price and minimum number of consumers), where the processing server  102  may then select a bid accordingly. For example, the processing server  102  may select the bid that provides the greatest discount, the bid that requires the smallest number of participant consumers  104 , or a combination thereof. In some cases, the mass market purchase may be auctioned out to merchants, with the merchants offering an amount of funds or a portion of the profits from the mass market purchase to win the bid. 
     Once an offer for mass market purchase has been submitted to the processing server  102  by a merchant system  106 , the offer may be communicated to consumers  104  by the processing server  102 . The processing server  102  may electronically transmit offer notifications to a plurality of computing devices  108  that are associated with consumers  104  that may be willing to participate in the mass market purchase. Such consumers  104  may be identified based on their communicated desire, use of an application program associated with the processing server  102 , visitation to a web page that includes the offer notification, or other suitable method. The offer notification may include at least information identifying the product(s) that are being offered, the discounted price, and the minimum number of consumers  104  that must commit to the mass market purchase for the purchase to be honored. In some cases, the offer notification may indicate the number of consumers  104  that have already accepted the offer if such data is available. In some embodiments, such a number may be updated in real-time as a consumer  104  accesses the offer notification via their computing device  108 . 
     If a consumer  104  is interested in the mass market purchase, they may use their computing device  108  to commit to the purchase. As part of the commitment, the consumer  104  may, using their computing device  108 , submit payment credentials to the processing server  102  that are associated with a transaction account that is to be used to fund a payment transaction for their participation in the mass market purchase. In the system  100 , an issuing institution  110  may issue a transaction account to a consumer  104  that can be used to fund payment transactions. Issuing institutions  110  may be any type of institution, such as a financial institution (e.g., an issuing bank), that is configured to issue transaction accounts to consumers  104  that are able to fund payment transactions. As part of the issuing of a transaction account, the issuing institution  110  may provide payment credentials to the consumer  104 , such as in the form of a physical payment card, a virtual payment card (e.g., to a computing device  108 ), or other suitable form. The consumer  104  may provide these payment credentials to the processing server  102  via their computing device  108  if interested in the mass market purchase. Payment credentials may include any necessary data for ensuring that a payment transaction can be processed that is funded by the corresponding transaction account, such as a primary account number, name, expiration date, security code, etc. 
     When the processing server  102  receives an offer acceptance from a consumer  104 , an authorization hold may be placed on the transaction account that corresponds to the supplied payment credentials for the transaction amount that satisfies the proposed mass market purchase (e.g., the discounted price, plus any taxes and fees, if applicable). The processing server  102  may generate a transaction message that is submitted to a payment network  112  via payment rails associated therewith, where the transaction message is configured to place an authorization hold on the transaction account for the transaction amount. In some embodiments, the transaction message may be compliant with one or more standards governing the exchange of financial transaction messages, such as the International Organization of Standardization&#39;s ISO 8583 or ISO 20022 standards. In such embodiments, the transaction message may include a message type indicator indicating that an authorization hold is to be placed. The payment network  112  may process the transaction message using traditional methods and systems, which may include communicating the transaction message and/or data included therein to the issuing institution  110  that issued the transaction account indicated by the payment credentials included in the transaction message (e.g., identified via an issuer identification number). The issuing institution  110  may then place an authorization hold on the transaction account for the stated transaction amount. The payment network  112  may inform the processing server  102  of the successful placing of the hold on the transaction account. In some cases, the processing server  102  may provide a notification to the computing device  108  upon successful placement of the authorization hold. 
     The processing server  102  may continue to receive offer acceptances from the computing devices  108  while the mass market purchase remains available for acceptance. In some embodiments, the offer may only remain open for a predetermined period of time, which may be set by the processing server  102  or by the merchant system  106  in the submission of the mass market purchase. For example, the merchant may require that the minimum number of consumers  104  accepts the offer in a two week period. In other embodiments, the mass market purchase may remain available until the minimum number of consumers  104  has accepted the offer. 
     In cases where the mass market purchase may expire, once criteria has been met that triggers expiration of the mass market purchase (e.g., the predetermined period of time has passed), the processing server  102  may clear the authorization holds placed on the transaction accounts for the consumers  104  that accepted the offer. The processing server  102  may submit a transaction message to the payment network  112  for each of the offer acceptances that is configured to clear the corresponding authorization hold once processed by the payment network  112  using traditional methods and systems. The processing server  102  may also submit a notification to the computing device  108  associated with each offer acceptance indicating that the mass market purchase offer has expired and their authorization hold cleared. In some instances, the notification may indicate a reason for the expiration, and may also indicate the number of consumers  104  that had accepted the offer. For example, the consumers  104  that accepted the offer may learn that they were very close to fulfilling the minimum number set by the merchant, and may indicate a desire to accept a mass market purchase at a slightly higher price that would satisfy the merchant or encourage the remaining number of consumers  104  to participate, such that the merchant system  106  may submit a new mass market purchase request to the processing server  102 . 
     In cases where the minimum number of consumers  104  have accepted the offer, the mass market purchase may be carried out. The processing server  102  may generate and submit a transaction message to the payment network  112  via payment rails associated therewith for each of the consumers  104  that accepted the offer, where the transaction message refers to the previous, corresponding authorization hold and indicates that the payment transaction should be processed. The payment network  112  may then process the payment transaction using traditional methods and systems, which may result in payment of the amount of the authorization hold to a transaction account associated with the merchant system  106 . The mass market purchase may be thus carried out, where the minimum number of consumers  104  purchases the product(s) at the discounted price, where each consumer  104  is committed to the purchase prior to it being made, and where the merchant is guaranteed of consumer participation provided the minimum number of consumers  104  is met. 
     In some embodiments, a merchant may set up tiers of consumer participation and corresponding discounted price amounts. For instance, the merchant system  106  may submit a mass market purchase offer to the processing server  102  that includes the minimum number of consumers and a transaction amount, but also includes a secondary number of consumers that is greater than the minimum number of consumers along with a corresponding secondary transaction amount that is less than the initial transaction amount. In such a case, if the number of consumers  104  that accepts the offer prior to the deadline (e.g., predetermined period set by the merchant system  106 ) reaches the secondary number, the consumers  104  may get the product(s) at the greater discounted price. In some such cases, the mass market purchase may be designed such that the greater discount is only provided to the first minimum number of consumers  104  that accept the offer or those that accept the offer prior to an earlier predetermined period has expired, such as to encourage early acceptors to help the offer gain traction. In some instances, secondary prices may have a secondary period of time associated therewith, where the secondary number of consumers  104  or the minimum number of consumers  104  must accept the offer prior to expiration of the secondary period of time, shorter than the overall period of time, for the secondary price to be used. While the use of two minimum numbers of consumers  104 , two transaction amounts, and two periods of time are described, there may be no limit to the number of each criteria included in a mass market purchase offer. For instance, there may be ten, twenty, one hundred, etc. levels of participation that may result in different discounts. 
     The methods and systems discussed herein provide for a platform operated by the processing server  102  that can facilitate mass market purchases between consumers  104  and merchant systems  106 . The use of authorization holds ensures a commitment to a potential mass market purchase by a consumer  104  that provides assurance to a merchant system  106  that the required number of sales will occur if a sufficient number of consumers  104  commits. At the same time, the use of an authorization holds provides a consumer  104  with an opportunity to cancel their participation, if necessary, and also ensures that their money will not be lost if the mass market purchase does not occur (e.g., they will only pay for the product if they can get it at the agreed-upon price). In cases where multiple tiers of an offer may be used, consumers  104  may receive even greater discounts based on their commitment to the mass market purchase. Thus, the processing server  102  provides benefits to both consumers  104  and merchants alike, providing a service to both that does not currently exist on the market. 
     Processing Server 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of a processing server  102  in the system  100 . It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art that the embodiment of the processing server  102  illustrated in  FIG. 2  is provided as illustration only and may not be exhaustive to all possible configurations of the processing server  102  suitable for performing the functions as discussed herein. For example, the computer system  600  illustrated in  FIG. 6  and discussed in more detail below may be a suitable configuration of the processing server  102 . 
     The processing server  102  may include a receiving device  202 . The receiving device  202  may be configured to receive data over one or more networks via one or more network protocols. In some instances, the receiving device  202  may be configured to receive data from merchant systems  106 , computing devices  108 , payment networks  112 , and other systems and entities via one or more communication methods, such as radio frequency, local area networks, wireless area networks, cellular communication networks, Bluetooth, the Internet, etc. In some embodiments, the receiving device  202  may be comprised of multiple devices, such as different receiving devices for receiving data over different networks, such as a first receiving device for receiving data over a local area network and a second receiving device for receiving data via the Internet. The receiving device  202  may receive electronically transmitted data signals, where data may be superimposed or otherwise encoded on the data signal and decoded, parsed, read, or otherwise obtained via receipt of the data signal by the receiving device  202 . In some instances, the receiving device  202  may include a parsing module for parsing the received data signal to obtain the data superimposed thereon. For example, the receiving device  202  may include a parser program configured to receive and transform the received data signal into usable input for the functions performed by the processing device to carry out the methods and systems described herein. 
     The receiving device  202  may be configured to receive data signals electronically transmitted by merchant systems  106  that are superimposed or otherwise encoded with mass market purchase requests. Such requests may include product information, at least one discounted transaction amount, and at least one minimum number of consumers. In some cases, a request may also include at least one of: one or more predetermined periods of time, additional numbers of consumers, additional discounts, or combinations thereof. The receiving device  202  may also be configured to receive data signals electronically transmitted by computing devices  108 , which may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with offer acceptances, which may include at least payment credentials associated with a transaction account. In cases where the processing server  102  may have multiple mass market purchase offers being offered at a time, an offer acceptance may also include a unique identification value that is associated with a mass market purchase offer for use in identification thereof, such as an identification number, referred to herein as an offer identifier. The receiving device  202  may also be configured to receive data signals electronically transmitted by payment networks  112 , which may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with transaction messages, which may be transmitted via payment rails associated with the payment network  112 , and may include notifications or responses regarding authorization holds, clearing of holds, and processing of payment transactions. 
     The processing server  102  may also include a communication module  204 . The communication module  204  may be configured to transmit data between modules, engines, databases, memories, and other components of the processing server  102  for use in performing the functions discussed herein. The communication module  204  may be comprised of one or more communication types and utilize various communication methods for communications within a computing device. For example, the communication module  204  may be comprised of a bus, contact pin connectors, wires, etc. In some embodiments, the communication module  204  may also be configured to communicate between internal components of the processing server  102  and external components of the processing server  102 , such as externally connected databases, display devices, input devices, etc. The processing server  102  may also include a processing device. The processing device may be configured to perform the functions of the processing server  102  discussed herein as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. In some embodiments, the processing device may include and/or be comprised of a plurality of engines and/or modules specially configured to perform one or more functions of the processing device, such as a querying module  214 , transaction processing module  216 , generation module  218 , etc. As used herein, the term “module” may be software or hardware particularly programmed to receive an input, perform one or more processes using the input, and provides an output. The input, output, and processes performed by various modules will be apparent to one skilled in the art based upon the present disclosure. 
     In some embodiments, the processing server  102  may include an offer database  206 . The offer database  206  may be configured to store a plurality of offer profiles  208  using a suitable data storage format and schema. The offer database  206  may be a relational database that utilizes structured query language for the storage, identification, modifying, updating, accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein. Each offer profile  208  may be a structured data set configured to store data related to a mass market purchase offer. An offer profile  208  may include, for instance, an offer identifier associated with the related offer, the minimum number of consumers  104 , the transaction amount, product information, and any additional criteria provided by the merchant system  106 , such as predetermined periods of time, additional numbers of consumers  104 , additional transaction amounts, etc. In some cases, an offer profile  208  may also include the number of consumers  104  that have already accepted the offer, and data associated with the authorization holds placed as a result of the acceptances, such as transaction identifiers, payment credentials, or any other data that may be used to initiate the corresponding payment transactions or clear the authorization holds, as applicable. 
     The processing server  102  may include a querying module  214 . The querying module  214  may be configured to execute queries on databases to identify information. The querying module  214  may receive one or more data values or query strings, and may execute a query string based thereon on an indicated database, such as the offer database  206 , to identify information stored therein. The querying module  214  may then output the identified information to an appropriate engine or module of the processing server  102  as necessary. The querying module  214  may, for example, execute a query on the offer database  206  to identify an offer profile  208  included therein that includes a specific offer identifier included in an offer acceptance received by the receiving device  202 , such as for identification of merchant account credentials and a transaction amount for use in submitting a transaction message to the payment network  112  for placement of an authorization hold. 
     The processing server  102  may also include a transaction processing module  216 . The transaction processing module  216  may be configured to perform functions of the processing server  102  related to the initiation and processing of electronic payment transactions, as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. The transaction processing module  216  may be configured to, for example, generate transaction messages that are compliant with standards governing the exchange of transaction messages, such as the ISO 8583 or ISO 20022 standards, which may be submitted to payment networks  112  via payment rails associated therewith that are configured to place authorization holds on transaction accounts, clear already placed authorization holds, and process payment transactions corresponding to already placed authorization holds. 
     The processing server  102  may also include a generation module  218 . The generation module  218  may be configured to generate data for use by the processing server  102  in performing the functions discussed herein. The generation module  218  may receive instructions as input, may generate data based on the instructions, and may output the generated data to another module or engine of the processing server  102 . In some cases, data may be included in the instructions for use by the generation module  218  in generating the requested data, and or may be identified by the generation module  218  (e.g., by instructing the querying module  214 ) as required to satisfy the instructions. The generation module  218  may be configured to, for example, generation offer notifications, transaction messages, notifications of cleared authorization holds or processed payment transactions, etc. 
     The processing server  102  may also include a transmitting device  222 . The transmitting device  222  may be configured to transmit data over one or more networks via one or more network protocols. In some instances, the transmitting device  222  may be configured to transmit data to merchant systems  106 , computing devices  108 , payment networks  112 , and other entities via one or more communication methods, local area networks, wireless area networks, cellular communication, Bluetooth, radio frequency, the Internet, etc. In some embodiments, the transmitting device  222  may be comprised of multiple devices, such as different transmitting devices for transmitting data over different networks, such as a first transmitting device for transmitting data over a local area network and a second transmitting device for transmitting data via the Internet. The transmitting device  222  may electronically transmit data signals that have data superimposed that may be parsed by a receiving computing device. In some instances, the transmitting device  222  may include one or more modules for superimposing, encoding, or otherwise formatting data into data signals suitable for transmission. 
     The transmitting device  222  may be configured to electronically transmit data signals to merchant systems  106  that are superimposed or otherwise encoded with notifications regarding consumer  104  acceptance of a mass market purchase offer. For instance, the processing server  102  may inform the merchant system  106  when an acceptance occurs, may provide regular updates on the number of acceptances, may inform the merchant system  106  when a minimum number of acceptances has been reached, and may provide the merchant system  106  with notifications regarding processed payment transactions and/or cleared authorization holds. The transmitting device  222  may also be configured to electronically transmit data signals to computing devices  108 , which may be superimposed or otherwise encoded with offer notifications, which may include at least a minimum acceptance number, product information, and a transaction amount, or with notifications regarding authorization holds, cleared authorization holds, processed payment transactions, or other messages as discussed herein. The transmitting device  222  may also be configured to electronically transmit data signals to payment networks  112  via payment rails associated therewith that are superimposed or otherwise encoded with transaction messages, such as for the placing or clearing of authorization holds and the processing of payment transactions corresponding to authorization holds. 
     The processing server  102  may also include a memory  224 . The memory  224  may be configured to store data for use by the processing server  102  in performing the functions discussed herein, such as public and private keys, symmetric keys, etc. The memory  224  may be configured to store data using suitable data formatting methods and schema and may be any suitable type of memory, such as read-only memory, random access memory, etc. The memory  224  may include, for example, encryption keys and algorithms, communication protocols and standards, data formatting standards and protocols, program code for modules and application programs of the processing device, and other data that may be suitable for use by the processing server  102  in the performance of the functions disclosed herein as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. In some embodiments, the memory  224  may be comprised of or may otherwise include a relational database that utilizes structured query language for the storage, identification, modifying, updating, accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein. The memory  224  may be configured to store, for example, transaction formatting rules, mass market purchase bid selection criteria, etc. 
     Process for Distributing a Mass Market Purchase Offer 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a process executed by the processing server  102  for the creation and distribution of an offer for a mass market purchase in the system  100  of  FIG. 1 . 
     In step  302 , the receiving device  202  of the processing server  102  may receive consumer information from a plurality of different consumers  104  (e.g., via computing devices  108  associated therewith) that may include data regard consumer desires with respect to product purchases. The information may include, for instance, indications of one or more products that the consumer  104  may wish to purchase, and prices or price ranges that would encourage consumer  104  participation in a mass market purchase. In step  304 , the processing server  102  may aggregate the information received from consumers  104 , to identify potential mass market purchasing opportunities, such as by aggregating the consumer prices or price ranges for a specific product or set of products. 
     In step  306 , the transmitting device  222  of the processing server  102  may electronically transmit the aggregated consumer information to one or more merchant systems  106 . The merchant systems  106  may receive the data and may design mass market purchase offers that would satisfy consumer desires and be suitable for the merchant. In step  308 , the receiving device  202  of the processing server  102  may receive a mass market purchase offer from one or more merchant systems  106 . Each offer may include product information associated with one or more products to be purchased in the offer, a minimum acceptance number of consumers  114  required to accept the offer for it to be honored, and a transaction amount that represents a discounted price for the product(s) that the consumers  104  would pay if the sufficient number of consumers  104  commits. In instances where multiple offers may be received from one or more merchant systems  106 , the processing server  102  may be configured to select one offer to distribute to consumers  104  based on the criteria set forth therein, such as discussed above. For example, merchant systems  106  may bid or a mass market purchase offer that is most advantageous for consumers  104  may be identified. 
     Once a single mass market purchase offer has been received or identified, then, in step  310 , the transmitting device  222  of the processing server  102  may electronically transmit an offer notification to a plurality of different consumers  104 . The offer notification may include at least the product information, minimum acceptance number, and transaction amount. The offer notification may also include any additional criteria applicable to the mass market purchase offer, such as one or more predetermined period of time, additional acceptance numbers, additional transaction amounts, etc. In cases where an offer may be assigned an offer identifier, the offer notification may also include the offer identifier associated therewith for use in identification of subsequent communications. 
     Processing of Mass Market Purchases 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a process  400  for the processing of mass market purchases via the use of authorization holds for the facilitation of mass market purchases between consumers  104  and merchant systems  106  in the system  100  of  FIG. 1  as executed by the processing server  102 . 
     In step  402 , the transmitting device  222  of the processing server  102  may distribute offer notifications for a mass market purchase offer to a plurality of computing devices  108  using suitable communication networks and methods, such as via an application program executed by the computing devices  108 . The offer notification may include at least the product information, minimum acceptance number, and transaction amount and may also include an offer notification, as applicable, and any additional criteria applicable to the mass market purchase offer, such as one or more predetermined period of time, additional acceptance numbers, additional transaction amounts, etc. Each computing device  108  may receive the offer notification and may display the corresponding data to the consumer  104  and prompt the consumer  104  for acceptance of the offer and input and/or selection of payment credentials if acceptance is desired. 
     In step  404 , the processing server  102  may determine if a predetermined period of time set forth for acceptance of the mass market purchase offer by the corresponding merchant system  106  has expired. If the time has not yet expired, then, in step  406 , the receiving device  202  of the processing server  102  may receive offer acceptances from computing devices  108  for the mass market purchase offer. Each offer acceptance may include at least an offer identifier associated with the offer being accepted, if applicable, and payment credentials associated with a transaction account to be used to fund the purchase by the respective consumer  104 . In step  408 , the generation module  218  of the processing server  102  may generate a transaction message for each offer acceptance that is configured to place an authorization hold on the transaction account corresponding to the received payment credentials for the transaction amount set forth in the mass market purchase offer (e.g., identified in an offer profile  208  of the offer database  206  of the processing server  102  using the offer identifier), which may be submitted to the payment network  112  via payment rails associated therewith by the transmitting device  222  of the processing server  102  and processed accordingly thereby. The process  400  may then return to step  404  to determine if the period of time has expired. 
     Once the period of time expires, as determined in step  404 , then the processing server  102  may determine if the minimum acceptance number set forth in the mass market purchase offer (e.g., identified in an offer profile  208  of the offer database  206  of the processing server  102  using the offer identifier) has been met based on the number of received offer acceptances and successfully placed authorization holds. If the minimum acceptance number has not been met, then, in step  412 , the generation module  218  of the processing server  102  may generate transaction messages that are configured to clear the previously placed authorization holds, which may be submitted to the payment network  112  via payment rails associated therewith by the transmitting device  222  of the processing server  102 . In step  414 , the transmitting device  222  may electronically transmit notifications to the computing devices  108  associated with the consumers  104  that had previously accepted the mass market purchase offer that notify the consumer  104  that the minimum acceptance number had not been reached and their authorization hold cleared. In some cases, the notification may include the number of acceptances that had been received. The mass market purchase offer may then be closed. In some cases, the merchant system  106  may be contacted to set up a new, alternative mass market purchase offer. 
     If, in step  410 , the processing server  102  determines that the minimum acceptance number had been met, then, in step  416 , the processing server  102  may identify the transaction amount to be used for the mass market purchase offer. The querying module  214  of the processing server  102  may execute a query on the offer database  206  of the processing server  102  to identify an offer profile  208  associated with the mass market purchase offer (e.g., using the offer identifier) and identify a transaction amount included therein. In cases where an offer may have multiple transaction amounts associated therewith, such as based on multiple acceptance numbers, the querying module  214  may identify the transaction amount that is to be applicable to the mass market purchase based on the number of acceptances or other criteria as set in the offer profile  208 . 
     Once the transaction amount has been identified, then, in step  418 , the generation module  218  of the processing server  102  may generate transaction messages that are configured to process payment transactions corresponding to the previously placed authorization holds, which may be submitted to the payment network  112  via payment rails associated therewith by the transmitting device  222  of the processing server  102  and processed by the payment network  112  accordingly for payment of the identified transaction amount from the respective transaction account to a transaction account associated with the merchant system  106 . The process  400  may then proceed to step  414 , where the transmitting device  222  may electronically transmit notifications to the computing devices  108  associated with the consumers  104  that had accepted the mass market purchase offer to notify the consumer  104  that the mass market purchase offer had been met and processed, which may also include the transaction amount at which the offer was processed. In some cases, a notification may also be electronically transmitted to the merchant system  106  regarding completion of the mass market purchase offer, which may include the total number of acceptances. 
     Exemplary Method for Facilitating a Mass Market Purchase 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a method  500  for the facilitation of a mass market purchase via the use of authorization holds that ensure commitment to consumer participation in a mass market purchase offered by a merchant. 
     In step  502 , an offer notification may be electronically transmitted by a transmitting device (e.g., the transmitting device  222 ) of a processing server (e.g., the processing server  102 ) to a plurality of computing devices (e.g., computing devices  108 ), wherein the offer notification includes at least a minimum acceptance number, product information, and a transaction amount. In step  504 , an offer acceptance may be received by a receiving device (e.g., the receiving device  202 ) of the processing server from one of the plurality of computing devices, wherein the offer acceptance includes at least payment credentials associated with a transaction account. 
     In step  506 , placement of an authorization hold on the transaction account associated with the payment credentials included in the received offer acceptance may be initiated by a transaction processing module (e.g., the transaction processing module  216 ) of the processing server, wherein the authorization hold is for at least the transaction amount. In step  508 , the receiving and initiating steps may be repeated a number of times for offer acceptances received by additional computing devices of the plurality of computing devices. 
     If the number of times the receiving and initiating steps are repeated is at least the minimum acceptance number, then, in step  510 , a payment transaction may be initiated by the transaction processing module of the processing server for each of the received offer acceptances for payment of the transaction amount from the respective transaction account using the included payment credentials based on the corresponding authorization hold. If the number of times the receiving and initiating steps are repeated is less than the minimum acceptance number, then, in step  512 , the transaction processing module of the processing server may initiate clearing of the authorization hold corresponding to the respective offer acceptance for each of the received offer acceptances. 
     In one embodiment, the offer notification may further include an expiration date. In a further embodiment, the receiving and initiating steps may be repeated by the processing server until the expiration date. In some embodiments, the offer notification may further include a secondary acceptance number and a secondary transaction amount less than the transaction amount, and if the number of times is at least the secondary acceptance number, the payment transaction for each of the received offer acceptances may be initiated for the secondary transaction amount in place of the transaction amount. 
     In one embodiment, the method  500  may further include receiving, by the receiving device of the processing server, at least the minimum acceptance number, transaction amount, and merchant account credentials from a merchant computing system (e.g., the merchant system  106 ), wherein each payment transaction is for payment of the transaction amount to a transaction account associated with the merchant account credentials. In a further embodiment, the minimum acceptance number and transaction amount may be received from the merchant computing system prior to electronic transmission of offer notifications. In some embodiments, the offer notification may be electronically transmitted to each of the computing devices as a push notification to an application program executed by the respective computing device. In one embodiment, the offer notification may be electronically transmitted to each of the computing devices in web page data for display in a web page on the respective computing device. 
     Computer System Architecture 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a computer system  600  in which embodiments of the present disclosure, or portions thereof, may be implemented as computer-readable code. For example, the processing server  102  of  FIG. 1  may be implemented in the computer system  600  using hardware, software, firmware, non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon, or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. Hardware, software, or any combination thereof may embody modules and components used to implement the methods of  FIGS. 3-5 . 
     If programmable logic is used, such logic may execute on a commercially available processing platform configured by executable software code to become a specific purpose computer or a special purpose device (e.g., programmable logic array, application-specific integrated circuit, etc.). A person having ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that embodiments of the disclosed subject matter can be practiced with various computer system configurations, including multi-core multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, computers linked or clustered with distributed functions, as well as pervasive or miniature computers that may be embedded into virtually any device. For instance, at least one processor device and a memory may be used to implement the above described embodiments. 
     A processor unit or device as discussed herein may be a single processor, a plurality of processors, or combinations thereof. Processor devices may have one or more processor “cores.” The terms “computer program medium,” “non-transitory computer readable medium,” and “computer usable medium” as discussed herein are used to generally refer to tangible media such as a removable storage unit  618 , a removable storage unit  622 , and a hard disk installed in hard disk drive  612 . 
     Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in terms of this example computer system  600 . After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art how to implement the present disclosure using other computer systems and/or computer architectures. Although operations may be described as a sequential process, some of the operations may in fact be performed in parallel, concurrently, and/or in a distributed environment, and with program code stored locally or remotely for access by single or multi-processor machines. In addition, in some embodiments the order of operations may be rearranged without departing from the spirit of the disclosed subject matter. 
     Processor device  604  may be a special purpose or a general purpose processor device specifically configured to perform the functions discussed herein. The processor device  604  may be connected to a communications infrastructure  606 , such as a bus, message queue, network, multi-core message-passing scheme, etc. The network may be any network suitable for performing the functions as disclosed herein and may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless network (e.g., WiFi), a mobile communication network, a satellite network, the Internet, fiber optic, coaxial cable, infrared, radio frequency (RF), or any combination thereof. Other suitable network types and configurations will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. The computer system  600  may also include a main memory  608  (e.g., random access memory, read-only memory, etc.), and may also include a secondary memory  610 . The secondary memory  610  may include the hard disk drive  612  and a removable storage drive  614 , such as a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flash memory, etc. 
     The removable storage drive  614  may read from and/or write to the removable storage unit  618  in a well-known manner. The removable storage unit  618  may include a removable storage media that may be read by and written to by the removable storage drive  614 . For example, if the removable storage drive  614  is a floppy disk drive or universal serial bus port, the removable storage unit  618  may be a floppy disk or portable flash drive, respectively. In one embodiment, the removable storage unit  618  may be non-transitory computer readable recording media. 
     In some embodiments, the secondary memory  610  may include alternative means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into the computer system  600 , for example, the removable storage unit  622  and an interface  620 . Examples of such means may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (e.g., as found in video game systems), a removable memory chip (e.g., EEPROM, PROM, etc.) and associated socket, and other removable storage units  622  and interfaces  620  as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. 
     Data stored in the computer system  600  (e.g., in the main memory  608  and/or the secondary memory  610 ) may be stored on any type of suitable computer readable media, such as optical storage (e.g., a compact disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.) or magnetic tape storage (e.g., a hard disk drive). The data may be configured in any type of suitable database configuration, such as a relational database, a structured query language (SQL) database, a distributed database, an object database, etc. Suitable configurations and storage types will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. 
     The computer system  600  may also include a communications interface  624 . The communications interface  624  may be configured to allow software and data to be transferred between the computer system  600  and external devices. Exemplary communications interfaces  624  may include a modem, a network interface (e.g., an Ethernet card), a communications port, a PCMCIA slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via the communications interface  624  may be in the form of signals, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. The signals may travel via a communications path  626 , which may be configured to carry the signals and may be implemented using wire, cable, fiber optics, a phone line, a cellular phone link, a radio frequency link, etc. 
     The computer system  600  may further include a display interface  602 . The display interface  602  may be configured to allow data to be transferred between the computer system  600  and external display  630 . Exemplary display interfaces  602  may include high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), digital visual interface (DVI), video graphics array (VGA), etc. The display  630  may be any suitable type of display for displaying data transmitted via the display interface  602  of the computer system  600 , including a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, capacitive touch display, thin-film transistor (TFT) display, etc. 
     Computer program medium and computer usable medium may refer to memories, such as the main memory  608  and secondary memory  610 , which may be memory semiconductors (e.g., DRAMs, etc.). These computer program products may be means for providing software to the computer system  600 . Computer programs (e.g., computer control logic) may be stored in the main memory  608  and/or the secondary memory  610 . Computer programs may also be received via the communications interface  624 . Such computer programs, when executed, may enable computer system  600  to implement the present methods as discussed herein. In particular, the computer programs, when executed, may enable processor device  604  to implement the methods illustrated by  FIGS. 3-5 , as discussed herein. Accordingly, such computer programs may represent controllers of the computer system  600 . Where the present disclosure is implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into the computer system  600  using the removable storage drive  614 , interface  620 , and hard disk drive  612 , or communications interface  624 . 
     The processor device  604  may comprise one or more modules or engines configured to perform the functions of the computer system  600 . Each of the modules or engines may be implemented using hardware and, in some instances, may also utilize software, such as corresponding to program code and/or programs stored in the main memory  608  or secondary memory  610 . In such instances, program code may be compiled by the processor device  604  (e.g., by a compiling module or engine) prior to execution by the hardware of the computer system  600 . For example, the program code may be source code written in a programming language that is translated into a lower level language, such as assembly language or machine code, for execution by the processor device  604  and/or any additional hardware components of the computer system  600 . The process of compiling may include the use of lexical analysis, preprocessing, parsing, semantic analysis, syntax-directed translation, code generation, code optimization, and any other techniques that may be suitable for translation of program code into a lower level language suitable for controlling the computer system  600  to perform the functions disclosed herein. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art that such processes result in the computer system  600  being a specially configured computer system  600  uniquely programmed to perform the functions discussed above. 
     Techniques consistent with the present disclosure provide, among other features, systems and methods for facilitating a mass market purchase. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed system and method have been described above it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the disclosure, without departing from the breadth or scope.