Patent Document ID: 8838499
Application ID: 12323753
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-based method for associating transaction card accounts with at least one of a plurality of life stage segments, wherein the life of a transaction cardholder is divisible into a plurality of life stages, and wherein each of the plurality of life stage segments corresponds to one of the plurality of life stages, said method comprising: storing transaction data for the transaction card accounts within a database including cardholder data relating to each cardholder associated with a transaction card account and purchase data associated with purchases made by the cardholders using the corresponding transaction card; analyzing survey results, using a processing device, to identify common spending behaviors, within a plurality of predefined merchant categories, that are shared by a plurality of cardholders and to further identify spending within the plurality of predefined merchant categories that is shared by transaction cardholders within a life stage target group; creating a merchant category index score of spending by a transaction cardholder within the life stage target group for each of the predefined plurality of merchant categories by comparing spending of the transaction cardholder against a comparison group which includes survey responders that are not within the life stage target group, wherein the merchant category index score illustrates high spending propensities or low spending propensities for each of the predefined plurality of merchant categories; defining definitions of the plurality of life stage segments based on the identified spending behaviors and an occurrence of certain predetermined events occurring in a life of a cardholder, wherein each life stage segment includes cardholders having similar spending behaviors and similar occurrences of the predetermined events; refining the definitions of the plurality of life stage segments, to increase the distinction between life stage segments, by identifying a high indexing purchase category and a low indexing purchase category for each life stage in an iterative process until a differentiating pattern between a high purchase category index score, associated with the high indexing purchase category, and a low purchase category index score, associated with the low indexing purchase category, is obtained; defining a spending profile for each of the plurality of life stage segments; selecting one of the plurality of life stage segments as a life stage target group, the life stage target group including transaction cardholders within at least one of the defined life stage segments for which a marketing campaign is targeted; developing, using the processing device, a survey-based life stage model representing spend behaviors of transaction cardholders within the life stage target group; creating, with the processing device, a transaction data-based life stage model by applying the survey-based life stage model to the transaction data stored within the database associated with transaction cardholders within the life stage target group; storing transaction card purchase data from purchases made by transaction cardholders whose life stage segment is unknown; applying, using the processing device, the transaction-based life stage model to the stored transaction card purchase data from purchases made by transaction cardholders whose life stage segment is unknown to identify transaction cardholders included within the life stage target group; and ranking, using the processing device, the transaction card accounts associated with the transaction cardholders whose life stage segment is unknown based on a likelihood the accounts are included within the life stage target group wherein the ranked transaction card accounts may be used in a marketing campaign.