Patent ID: 8595048

Claim:
A method, comprising: determining, by a processing device, a first transaction price paid by a customer to consummate a first transaction in which a first unit of a first product and a first unit of a second product are purchased, wherein the first transaction price comprises a sum of a first price paid for the first unit of the first product and a second price paid for the first unit of the second product; determining, by the processing device and in accordance with a predetermined statistical confidence level threshold, an average amount by which the prices of the first units of the first and second products are expected to vary in the future; determining, by the processing device and based on the average amount by which the prices of the first units of the first and second products are expected to vary in the future, a price to charge the customer to lock-in the first transaction price for a future transaction in which second units of the first and second products are to be purchased; determining, by the processing device and by comparing the determined lock-in price to a predetermined threshold, whether to offer the customer the opportunity to pay the lock-in price to lock-in the first transaction price for the future transaction in which second units of the first and second products are to be purchased; and offering, in the case that it is determined that the determined lock-in price is less than the predetermined threshold, the customer the opportunity to pay the lock-in price to lock-in the first transaction price for the future transaction in which second units of the first and second products are to be purchased.