Importance

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Abstract

An Internet-based consumer service marketing, merchandising and education/information system which enables service-providers, retailers and their respective agents, and consumers to carry out service-related functions along the demand side of the retail chain. A central USN/SM/SN/URL RDBMS stores a central database of USN/SM/SN/URL links, wherein the USN represents a Universal Service Number assigned to a particular service offered by a service-provider, the SM represents a Service Mark used in connection with the particular service, the SD is representative of one or more Universal Resource Locators pointing to information resources on the WWW relating to the particular service. A first subsystem enables a service-provider's marketing, brand and/or service managers to create and manage a local database of USN/SM/SN/URL links related to the consumer services of the service-provider being offered for sale in both physical and/or electronic marketplaces, and periodically transport the local database of USN/SM/SN/URL links to the central USN/SM/SN URL RDBMS by electronic data transport techniques. The local database of USN/SM/SN/URL links is managed with a local USN/SM/SN/URL RDBMS, and selected by the service-provider's marketing, brand and/or service managers so as to create a desired brand image for each consumer service of the service-provider. A second subsystem enables consumers to access one or more USN/SM/SN/URL links in the central USN/SM/SN/URL RDBMS, to request and obtain information about a service-provider's consumer service so as to make informed/educated purchases along the demand side of the retail chain. A third subsystem enables service-providers and their advertising and marketing agents to access one or more USN/SM/SN/URL links in the central USN/SM/SN/URL RDBMS, to display consumer service advertisements to consumers, at or near the point of purchase or sale within both physical and/or electronic retail shopping environments so as to project the desired brand image to consumers. A fourth subsystem enables retailers and their marketing and promotional agents to access one or more USN/SM/SN/URL links in the central USN/SM/SN/URL RDBMS, to promote consumer services to consumers, at or near the point of purchase or sale within both physical and/or electronic retail shopping environments so as to promote the sale of such services.

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First Claim