WO2008009055A1 - Electronic system for estimating the commercial value of an information provider - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic system (10) for use in a service environment, such as a shopping centre, having an information provider (12) at an information provider location and a plurality of service providers (17), such as retail outlets, banks, etc, at service provider locations. The information provider provides users thereof with information relating to potential transactions with the service providers, such as their name or location. The electronic system has a first recording means (14) for recording first identification data and enquiry data at the information provider location, and second recording means (16) for recording second identification data at each of the service provider locations. The electronic system also includes a data processing means (22) for comparing the identification data, and for attributing a commercial value to the information provider if a user is identified, by the relevant first and second identification data, at both the information provider location and a service provider location, and the enquiry data meets predetermined parameters.

Description

AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF AN INFORMATION PROVIDER

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is related to information means, and more particularly to an electronic system and an associated method for estimating the commercial value of given information means.

BACKGROUND ART

Electronic information kiosks have become increasingly utilised in retail precincts and shopping centres. Traditionally, it has been difficult to estimate the exact impact of an information kiosk on the retail outlets in a particular area. At present, to estimate the commercial value of such kiosks, the assistance of the retailers in the area is required. Obtaining information from a large number of retailers can be difficult. A further difficulty is presented by the fact that kiosk providers often seek to derive remuneration based on confirmed revenue increases achieved by retail outlets due to the services provided by such kiosks. However, it is often against the commercial interests of the retailers to provide supporting information to the kiosk providers to enable such providers to determine the remuneration that they are entitled to receive from the retail outlets. Accordingly, there is a need for a system which more accurately determines the commercial value of kiosks or other similar information providers, and which is relatively easy to introduce and maintain. There is also a need for a system which stores information relating to the value of the commercial transactions that arise due to referrals made by such kiosks to retail outlets and referrals which involve other relevant parties such as financial transaction card providers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an electronic system for use in a service environment in which there is an information provider at an information provider location and a plurality of service providers at service provider locations, wherein the information provider is adapted to provide, in relation to each user thereof,

Substitute Sheet (Rule 26) RO/ATJ enquiry data in the form of information relating to potential transactions with said service providers, and the electronic system is for attributing a commercial value to the information provider, the electronic system comprising: a first recording means for recording first identification data provided by a said user at said information provider location and further enquiry data relating to said user; second recording means for recording second identification data provided by a said user at each of said service provider locations; and data processing means for comparing first identification data with second identification data, and for attributing a predetermined value to said information provider in the event that there is a match between particular first identification data, and second identification data provided at a particular service provider, and that the enquiry data in relation to the particular user that provided said particular first identification data meets predetermined parameters.

In a preferred embodiment, the information provider comprises an electronic kiosk.

In a preferred embodiment, said predetermined parameters include that said enquiry data comprises information about said particular service provider.

In a preferred embodiment, said enquiry data comprises at least one of: the location of the particular service provider; the identity of the particular service provider; and details of products provided by the particular service provider.

In a preferred embodiment, said predetermined parameters include that said enquiry data comprises details of a transaction made by said particular user at said particular service provider.

In a preferred embodiment, said enquiry data comprises details of a financial transaction card to be used by said particular user at said particular service provider.

In a preferred embodiment, said information which said information provider is adapted to provide comprises at least one of: the location of at least one service provider in said service environment; information about promotions offered in said service environment in relation to events; information about promotions offered in said service environment in relation to services; and information about promotions offered in said service environment in relation to products.

In a preferred embodiment, the first and second recording means are capable of recording said first and second identification data, respectively, by reading information from at least one of: financial transaction cards, credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, smart cards, RPID, Bluetooth, mobile phones, personal identification devices and biometric devices.

In a preferred embodiment, the second recording means is adapted to electronically process transactions effected with financial transaction cards and transmit, to the data processing means, information on the monetary amount of such transactions.

In a preferred embodiment, the first and second recording means are adapted to record the times that the first and second identification data, respectively are recorded.

In a preferred embodiment, the data processing means is adapted to attribute said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said value is a function of time that has passed since a predetermined event.

In a preferred embodiment, the data processing means is adapted to attribute said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said value is a function of time that has passed between a time that first identification data in relation to a said user is recorded by said first recording means and a time that second identification data in relation to that same user is recorded by said second recording means.

In a preferred embodiment, the data processing means is adapted for attributing said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said predetermined value is based on a proportion of users of the information provider that have, within a predetermined amount of time since using said information provider, made a transaction at a said service provider details of which were included in said enquiry data.

In a preferred embodiment, the data processing means is for attributing said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said predetermined value is based on a proportion of users of the information provider that have, within a predetermined amount of time since using said information provider, made a transaction in accordance with details included in said enquiry data.

In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined value is based on the monetary amount of transactions made by users at said service providers where the enquiry data in relation to each of said users includes information about the particular service provider at which that user made said transaction, where each such transaction was made within a predetermined time period after the respective user used the information provider.

In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined value is based on the monetary amount of transactions made by users at said service providers, where the transaction made by each of said users was made in accordance with details included in the enquiry data in relation to that user, and where each such transaction was made within a predetermined time period after the respective user used the information provider.

In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of preliminary values are determined for information providers over a period of time including a plurality of units of time, and the predetermined value is the average of said preliminary values per single unit of time.

In a preferred embodiment, the second recording means is adapted for recording, and transmitting to the data processing means, transaction data related to transactions made at said service providers, said transaction data including at least one of: information about purchased products; information about purchased services; information about financial transaction cards used in such transactions.

In a preferred embodiment, the information provider is adapted to provide information to users about incentive offers wherein the fulfilment of said incentive offers is conditional on users providing said identification data by way of a predetermined type of identification means at each of said first and second recording means or on users using a particular type of financial transaction card to make transactions at said service providers, and wherein said processing means is adapted to determine, based on the type of identification means used by users and the type of financial transaction cards used by users to make said transactions, whether such incentive offers are fulfilled. In a preferred embodiment, at least one said service providers in said service environment has access to enquiry data stored in said data processing means.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for use with an electronic system according to any of the preceding claims, being a method for receiving remuneration by a provider of a said information provider, the method comprising: i. determining an amount of said remuneration based on at least one of: a. an aggregate monetary value of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the respective service providers at which those users made such transactions, b. a total number of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, c. a total number of times that the first recording means has recorded first identification data by means of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, and d. the monetary amount of an incentive offer in relation to which information is provided to users by the information provider, where such incentive offer relates to use of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card; and ii. receiving at least part of said amount of remuneration from at least one said service provider.

In a preferred embodiment, step ii. includes receiving a portion of said amount of remuneration from the provider of the at least one type of financial transaction card.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method for use with an electronic system according to the first aspect of the invention or preferred embodiments thereof, being a method for receiving remuneration by a provider of a said information provider, the method comprising: i. determining an amount of said remuneration based on at least one of: a. an aggregate monetary value of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the respective service providers at which those users made such transactions, b. a total number of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, c. a total number of times that the first recording means has recorded first identification data by means of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, and d. the monetary amount of an incentive offer in relation to which information is provided to users by the information provider, where such incentive offer relates to use of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card; and ii. receiving at least part of said amount of remuneration from the provider of the at least one type of financial transaction card.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of allocating remuneration, the method comprising: providing an electronic system according to the first aspect of the invention or preferred embodiments thereof; causing the processing means to determine an amount of remuneration for a provider of the information provider, wherein said amount of remuneration is based on a predetermined percentage of the monetary amount of transactions made by users at said service providers wherein the period between the time that each said user provided that user's first identification data at said information provider and that user's second identification at a respective service provider, is less than a predetermined length of time, and wherein the enquiry data in relation to that user included details of that respective service provider; and allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider. 7 001001

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In a preferred embodiment, said step of allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider includes allocating at least part of that amount from at least one of the respective service providers at which said users made said transactions.

In a preferred embodiment, said step of allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider includes allocating that amount from the provider of a financial transaction card used in at least one of said transactions.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of allocating remuneration to a provider of an information provider in a service environment which includes an electronic system according to the first aspect of the invention or preferred embodiments thereof, the method comprising: causing the processing means to estimate a commercial value of the information provider based on predetermined criteria; causing the processing means to determine an amount of remuneration having a predetermined relationship to said estimated commercial value; allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider.

In a preferred embodiment, said step of causing the processing means to estimate a commercial value includes causing the processing means to estimate a plurality of values at particular times over a predetermined period of time, and to estimate said commercial value as an average of said plurality of values.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided an electronic system for use in a service environment in which there is an information provider at an information provider location and a plurality of service providers at service provider locations, wherein the information provider is adapted to provide, in relation to each user thereof, enquiry data in the form of information relating to potential transactions with said service providers, and the electronic system is for attributing a commercial value to the information provider, the electronic system comprising: a first recording means for recording first identification data provided by a said user at said information provider location and further enquiry data relating to said user; second recording means for recording second identification data provided by a said user at each of said service provider locations; and data processing means for attributing a predetermined value to said information provider based on said first identification data, said second identification data and said enquiry data.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention there is provided a method of using an electronic system according to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising: recording first identification data of each of a plurality of users of said information provider with said first recording means; recording enquiry data associated with each of said plurality of users with said first recording means; recording second identification data of each of said plurality of users with said second recording means; attributing a value to said information provider by said processing means according to predetermined criteria based on said first identification data, said second identification data and said enquiry data.

In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term "comprising" has the non-exclusive meaning of the word, in the sense of "including at least" rather than the exclusive meaning in the sense of "consisting only of. The same applies with corresponding grammatical changes to other forms of the word such as "comprise", "comprises" and so on.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of an electronic system in a predetermined area, for determining a commercial value of an information provider within that area.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 7 001001

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown an electronic system 10 for determining a commercial value of an information provider which is located within a predetermined area 11 and which is for providing information to users about services available in that area. In the preferred embodiments as described below, the information provider is in the form of an electronic information kiosk 12 (preferably a stand-alone computer device), the predetermined area is a shopping centre, and the services include commercial services typically found in such environments such as retail outlets, banks, automatic bank teller machines and so on. For convenience, the providers of such services are referred to below as "service providers".

In particular, the kiosk 12 is installed at a particular location in the shopping centre and is configured to refer users, who are typically consumers, to the service providers within the shopping centre.

The electronic system 10 includes an electronic data recording means 14 located at the information provider and further electronic data recording means 16 for recording data at the locations of each of the service providers 17 in the shopping centre.

In response to enquiries made by users at the kiosk 12, the kiosk can provide information to such users on the location of particular service providers such as retail stores in the shopping centre, or information on particular product categories and the location of retail outlets dealing in those product categories. The kiosk 12 may, for example, also provide information about special offers at particular retail outlets or offers from relevant parties such as providers of financial transaction cards.

The electronic data recording means 14, in a preferred embodiment, is in the form of a card reader, and is configured to obtain identification data in relation to a user of the kiosk 12 by reading a financial transaction card provided by the user. In other embodiments, the electronic system 10 may include other types of components for obtaining identification data, such as loyalty cards, smart cards, RFID, personal identification devices or biometric data devices. Bluetooth or mobile phones can also be used to provide identification date of users. Where reference is made to identification data in relation to a user, for practical purposes this need not necessarily be data which uniquely identifies the user (such as biometric data), but includes data that has the practical effect of identifying the user - such as data obtained from items carried by the user such as cards, mobile phones, and so on, as mentioned above.

The information kiosk 12 is also configured to obtain data related to the specific enquiries of users, for example, the particular retail outlets that the users have enquired about, specific products offered by retail outlets, and so on. As discussed further below, this data, which, together with the information provided to the user by the kiosk, is referred to below as "enquiry data", is important in order to confirm that a user has been referred to a particular service provider (such as a retail store) by the kiosk 12, or directed to specific product offers made by such service providers, or even that the kiosk has encouraged a user to use a particular financial transaction card to effect a purchase at a service provider.

The identification data of each user of the kiosk 12 and the respective enquiry data provided by that user can be recorded in the kiosk and transmitted, as associated data, to a processing system 22 forming part of the electronic system 10.

Alternatively, the enquiry data from each user can be transmitted to the processing system 22 independently of the identification data. In this case, the associated relationship between the identification data of a particular user and the enquiry data of that user can be established by the fact that the identification data and enquiry data were acquired by the kiosk 12 at substantially the same time.

The collected data stored in the processing system 22 can be accessible by one or more of the following categories of parties, depending on the requirements of the embodiment in question: the provider of the kiosk 12, the service providers, the shopping centre management and other providers such as financial card providers who are responsible for facilitating financial transactions in the shopping centre.

Accordingly, these categories of parties may be able to access the whole of the data stored in the processing system 22 or only relevant portions of it, depending on the purpose for which the data is needed. For example, the management of a respective retail outlet can use real time enquiry data from the processing system 22 to identify products of particular interest to consumers, or they can receive alerts about impending customer visits, or they can vary product offer, or note fluctuations in the level of consumer interest at various times of the day and, based on this, manage staffing levels accordingly.

The kiosk 12 can be configured to only provide relevant information to a user if the user presents suitable identification data. However, in a more preferred embodiment, the kiosk is configured to encourage users to provide such identification data, for example by offering the users an incentive for doing so. Such an incentive can be in the form of a discount or special offer which may be conditional on the user providing such identification data at both the kiosk 12 and at a service provider 17, by means of a specific type of identification means, such as a financial transaction card. The discount or special offer may also be product specific or made dependent on the use of a particular type of financial transaction card being used in a purchase transaction.

The use of a particular type of financial transaction card can be one of the requirements for securing a discount or special offer, with another requirement for that discount or offer being the use of a particular type of identification means to provide the identification data. Alternatively, there may be a completely separate discount or offer available on use of a particular type of financial transaction card.

Incentives need not be in the form of discounts or special product offers, but can take other forms, such as bonus financial transaction card points, discounted third party services, entry into prize draws and so on.

The electronic data recording means 16 for recording data at the locations of the service providers 17 are, in a preferred embodiment, in the form of card readers and are configured for acquiring identification data of users at these locations.

In other embodiments, existing electronic reading devices typically used at commercial outlets, such as existing EFTPOS devices or other electronic facilities used for financial transaction card payments, can be used for acquiring the identification data. In yet another embodiment, purpose-built electronic systems can be installed for this purpose.

When a user (such as a consumer) effects a transaction at a service provider within the shopping centre, the identification data provided by the user is also transmitted to the data processing system 22. This identification data is compared with the identification data recorded at the kiosk 12 to establish whether the same user has been identified at both the kiosk and the particular service provider. If this is the case, then second identification data is treated as being associated with the enquiry data that was acquired at the kiosk 12 from that particular user.

Further processing, based on a match between identification data acquired from a user at a particular service provider and identification data acquired from a user at the kiosk 12, is only carried out if the enquiry data associated with that user at the kiosk related to the same retail outlet. The processing of such data can, for example, provides a useful indication of the percentage of consumers visiting a particular retail outlet that have been directed to that outlet by the information kiosk 12.

The data acquired from a consumer at a service provider, apart from including just the identification data of that consumer, can also include information of the particular product that has been purchased and of the particular financial transaction card used in the transaction. This data can be compared with the enquiry data obtained from the same user at the kiosk 12 and data relating to incentives offered to the user at the kiosk. Depending on the nature of such products or cards used, and incentives offered, the data processing system 22 can then bring to fruition such incentives by, for example, giving the user a discount on a particular price, issuing a redeemable voucher, and so on.

In one embodiment, the electronic system 10 is configured to just record that a user has visited the kiosk 12 and provided his identification and enquiry data, and that that user has also visited a service provider such as a retail outlet and provided his identification data there as well, following a referral to that outlet by the kiosk, without recording the exact time of these events. The identification data collected at the kiosk 12 and at the services providers over a day, a week or any other suitable period, can then be compared and used to attribute a commercial value to the information kiosk 12. For example, the commercial value may be defined by a simple ratio of the number of users visiting a particular retail outlet, to the number of people that have been referred to that outlet by the kiosk 12.

However, in a preferred embodiment, the electronic data recording means 14 and 16 at the kiosk 12 and service providers 17, respectively, obtain not only the identification data of users, but also the exact time of obtaining the data.

This allows a commercial value to be attributed to the referral made by the kiosk 12 to a particular service provider, as a function of time. For example, data can be used to estimate the average time that elapses between an enquiry of a user at the kiosk 12 and a transaction by the same user at a particular service provider such as a retail outlet. The number of users referred by the kiosk 12 to a particular service provider that actually visit that provider can be analysed as a function of the time that has elapsed since the time of the referral. This can provide a useful indication of how effective of the kiosk 12 is in making referrals to service providers, in relation to the time between the referral and the visit of the user to the service provider.

The use of the electronic system 10 can provide a basis for compensating the provider of the kiosk 12 in different ways. One example involves directly allocating a percentage of the proceeds of sales at a particular service provider to the kiosk provider where, for example, the transaction at that service provider has occurred within a given length of time from the time that the user made the enquiry at the kiosk 12 where such a transaction was induced by a referral made by the kiosk.

According to another embodiment, the compensation allocated to the kiosk provider is made by service providers recommended to the user, where the transactions completed at such service providers are as a result of such recommendations. In this case, the value of the compensation to the kiosk provider can be based on the value of sales generated at such service providers as a consequence of the kiosk's recommendations.

According to yet another embodiment, the compensation allocated to the provider of the kiosk 12 is based on the calculated commercial value of the kiosk. This value, in turn, can be based on the proportion of users of the kiosk 12 that have subsequently conducted transactions at the respective service providers. The commercial value, and hence the compensation allocated to the kiosk provider, can also be based on the amount of money spent over a predetermined period of time at the respective service providers by users that have been previously identified at the kiosk 12. It is envisaged that a combination of the above criteria can also be used to estimate the commercial value of the kiosk 12 and to allocate compensation to the kiosk provider.

It is also possible to base the compensation on an estimated average commercial value of the kiosk 12, over a given period of time. Such averaging can compensate for fluctuations in data, and can thus represent a more consistent estimate of the actual commercial value of the kiosk 12. It can therefore also provide a useful means for determining suitable compensation for the kiosk provider.

Criteria for deeming whether a customer of a service provider has visited that service provider as a result of a referral by the kiosk 12, can be determined by agreement between the relevant parties. For example, it may be agreed that, if a customer visits the respective service provider within a predetermined time after having been referred to it by the kiosk 12, that visit is deemed to be as a result of that referral.

As mentioned previously, according to a preferred embodiment, financial transaction cards are used as the means of providing the identification data. This is preferred due to the fact that financial transaction card readers are already in use in most commercial outlets.

In light of this, the electronic system 10 may be relatively easy to implement as a user can simply swipe his financial transaction card at the kiosk 12 to provide his identification data. When the same user then concludes a transaction at a particular service provider, such as a retail outlet, to which he has been referred by the kiosk 12, and uses that financial transaction card for the transaction, the user's identification data is obtained once again from the card.

This can encourage and hence increase the use of a particular type of financial transaction card, and this, in turn, can be of value to the provider of that type of card. This may pave the way for the kiosk provider, or a service provider or any other relevant party to enter into an agreement with the provider of the financial transaction card, to obtain financial compensation from that provider for the increase use of the card in question. Similar considerations may apply where other forms of identification means are used, such as loyalty cards, mobile phones, and so on.

The electronic system 10 can be is relatively easy to implement and use, especially when it makes use of existing devices in retail outlets and other service providers, such as EFTPOS readers, financial transaction card readers, and so on. It also offers useful means of attributing a value to the kiosk 12 which can form the basis of the provider of the kiosk receiving financial compensation from both associated service providers and providers of financial transaction cards or other identification means used by the system.

It should be appreciated that the disclosed electronic system is not limited to the particular embodiments described, but may be embodied in other forms as would be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, while the information provider is described above in the form of the kiosk 12, other types of information provider may be used, such as computers or even simple visual devices such as posters which are used in association with card readers or other input devices. In addition, the information provider may be adapted to provide information not only about the location, services and products provided by surrounding service providers such as retail outlets, but also on other services such as events.

Claims

1. An electronic system for use in a service environment in which there is an information provider at an information provider location and a plurality of service providers at service provider locations, wherein the information provider is adapted to provide, in relation to each user thereof, enquiry data in the form of information relating to potential transactions with said service providers, and the electronic system is for attributing a commercial value to the information provider, the electronic system comprising: a first recording means for recording first identification data provided by a said user at said information provider location and further enquiry data relating to said user; second recording means for recording second identification data provided by a said user at each of said service provider locations; and data processing means for comparing first identification data with second identification data, and for attributing a predetermined value to said information provider in the event that there is a match between particular first identification data, and second identification data provided at a particular service provider, and that the enquiry data in relation to the particular user that provided said particular first identification data meets predetermined parameters.

2. An electronic system according to claim 1, wherein the information provider comprises an electronic kiosk.

3. An electronic system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said predetermined parameters include that said enquiry data comprises information about said particular service provider.

4. An electronic system according to claim 3, wherein said enquiry data comprises at least one of: the location of the particular service provider; the identity of the particular service provider; and details of products provided by the particular service provider.

5. An electronic system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said predetermined parameters include that said enquiry data comprises details of a transaction made by said particular user at said particular service provider.

6. An electronic system according to claim 5, wherein said enquiry data comprises details of a financial transaction card to be used by said particular user at said particular service provider.

7. An electronic system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said information which said information provider is adapted to provide comprises at least one of: the location of at least one service provider in said service environment; information about promotions offered in said service environment in relation to events; information about promotions offered in said service environment in relation to services; and information about promotions offered in said service environment in relation to products.

8. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second recording means are capable of recording said first and second identification data, respectively, by reading information from at least one of: financial transaction cards, credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, smart cards, RFID, Bluetooth, mobile phones, personal identification devices and biometric devices.

9. An electronic system according to claim 8, wherein the second recording means is adapted to electronically process transactions effected with financial transaction cards and transmit, to the data processing means, information on the monetary amount of such transactions.

10. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second recording means are adapted to record the times that the first and second identification data, respectively are recorded.

11. An electronic system according to claim 10 wherein the data processing means is adapted to attribute said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said value is a function of time that has passed since a predetermined event. 01001

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12. An electronic system according to claim 10 or claim 11 wherein the data processing means is adapted to attribute said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said value is a function of time that has passed between a time that first identification data in relation to a said user is recorded by said first recording means and a time that second identification data in relation to that same user is recorded by said second recording means.

13. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data processing means is adapted for attributing said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said predetermined value is based on a proportion of users of the information provider that have, within a predetermined amount of time since using said information provider, made a transaction at a said service provider details of which were included in said enquiry data.

14. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data processing means is for attributing said predetermined value to said information provider wherein said predetermined value is based on a proportion of users of the information provider that have, within a predetermined amount of time since using said information provider, made a transaction in accordance with details included in said enquiry data.

15. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined value is based on the monetary amount of transactions made by users at said service providers where the enquiry data in relation to each of said users includes information about the particular service provider at which that user made said transaction, where each such transaction was made within a predetermined time period after the respective user used the information provider.

16. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined value is based on the monetary amount of transactions made by users at said service providers, where the transaction made by each of said users was made in accordance with details included in the enquiry data in relation to that user, and where each such transaction was made within a predetermined time period after the respective user used the information provider.

17. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of preliminary values are determined for information providers over a period of time including a plurality of units of time, and the predetermined value is the average of said preliminary values per single unit of time.

18. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claim, wherein the second recording means is adapted for recording, and transmitting to the data processing means, transaction data related to transactions made at said service providers, said transaction data including at least one of: information about purchased products; information about purchased services; information about financial transaction cards used in such transactions.

19. An electronic system according to claim 18, wherein the information provider is adapted to provide information to users about incentive offers wherein the fulfilment of said incentive offers is conditional on users providing said identification data by way of a predetermined type of identification means at each of said first and second recording means or on users using a particular type of financial transaction card to make transactions at said service providers, and wherein said processing means is adapted to determine, based on the type of identification means used by users and the type of financial transaction cards used by users to make said transactions, whether such incentive offers are fulfilled.

20. An electronic system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one said service providers in said service environment has access to enquiry data stored in said data processing means.

21. A method for use with an electronic system according to any of the preceding claims, being a method for receiving remuneration by a provider of a said information provider, the method comprising: i. determining an amount of said remuneration based on at least one of: a. an aggregate monetary value of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the respective service providers at which those users made such transactions, b. a total number of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, c. a total number of times that the first recording means has recorded first identification data by means of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, and d. the monetary amount of an incentive offer in relation to which information is provided to users by the information provider, where such incentive offer relates to use of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card; and ii. receiving at least part of said amount of remuneration from at least one said service provider.

22. A method according to claim 21 wherein step ii. includes receiving a portion of said amount of remuneration from the provider of the at least one type of financial transaction card.

23. A method for use with an electronic system according to any of claims 1 to 20, being a method for receiving remuneration by a provider of a said information provider, the method comprising: i. determining an amount of said remuneration based on at least one of: a. an aggregate monetary value of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the respective service providers at which those users made such transactions, b. a total number of transactions made by said users at said service providers by way of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card where said enquiry data relating to said users includes details of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, c. a total number of times that the first recording means has recorded first identification data by means of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card, and d. the monetary amount of an incentive offer in relation to which information is provided to users by the information provider, where such incentive offer relates to use of the at least one particular type of financial transaction card; and ii. receiving at least part of said amount of remuneration from the provider of the at least one type of financial transaction card.

24. A method of allocating remuneration, the method comprising: providing an electronic system according to any one of claims 1 to 20; causing the processing means to determine an amount of remuneration for a provider of the information provider, wherein said amount of remuneration is based on a predetermined percentage of the monetary amount of transactions made by users at said service providers wherein the period between the time that each said user provided that user's first identification data at said information provider and that user's second identification at a respective service provider, is less than a predetermined length of time, and wherein the enquiry data in relation to that user included details of that respective service provider; and allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider.

25. A method of allocating remuneration according to claim 24 wherein said step of allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider includes allocating at least part of that amount from at least one of the respective service providers at which said users made said transactions.

26. A method of allocating remuneration according claim 24 or claim 25 wherein said step of allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider includes allocating that amount from the provider of a financial transaction card used in at least one of said transactions.

27. A method of allocating remuneration to a provider of an information provider in a service environment which includes an electronic system according to any one of claims 1 to 20, the method comprising: causing the processing means to estimate a commercial value of the information provider based on predetermined criteria; causing the processing means to determine an amount of remuneration having a predetermined relationship to said estimated commercial value; allocating that amount of remuneration to the provider of the information provider.

28. A method of allocating remuneration according to claim 27, wherein said step of causing the processing means to estimate a commercial value includes causing the processing means to estimate a plurality of values at particular times over a predetermined period of time, and to estimate said commercial value as an average of said plurality of values.

29. An electronic system for use in a service environment in which there is an information provider at an information provider location and a plurality of service providers at service provider locations, wherein the information provider is adapted to provide, in relation to each user thereof, enquiry data in the form of information relating to potential transactions with said service providers, and the electronic system is for attributing a commercial value to the information provider, the electronic system comprising: a first recording means for recording first identification data provided by a said user at said information provider location and further enquiry data relating to said user; second recording means for recording second identification data provided by a said user at each of said service provider locations; and data processing means for attributing a predetermined value to said information provider based on said first identification data, said second identification data and said enquiry data.

30. A method of using an electronic system according to claim 1, the method comprising: recording first identification data of each of a plurality of users of said information provider with said first recording means; recording enquiry data associated with each of said plurality of users with said first recording means; recording second identification data of each of said plurality of users with said second recording means; attributing a value to said information provider by said processing means according to predetermined criteria based on said first identification data, said second identification data and said enquiry data.