VENDOR COMPARISON, ADVERTISING AND SWITCHING

摘要

Computer-implemented methods and systems provide, at a virtual point-of- payment ("POP") at which a user is paying for goods or services, or when the user is recording a payment or otherwise using a financial management system , information for one or more alternative vendors from which the user may obta in the same or similar products. When the user employs the system to pay a bill , record a payment, or access a payee list, the system displays user-selectabl e vendor approval/disapproval icons (335, 340, e.g., "thumbs up"/"thumbs down" ) for the user to rate the vendor, products or transaction. If the user select s the "thumbs down" icon to express displeasure with a current vendor (or, alternatively, whenever a payment is recorded or a payee list accessed), a list of alternative vendors selected from a vendor database (440) is displayed, along with corresponding offerings, prices, user ratings (by othe r users), logos and other graphical information. Users can switch vendors (100 2) by clicking or otherwise signaling their selection of a new vendor. Vendor switching is simplified by storing and transmitting, to the new vendor, user account information necessary to enable the new vendor to effectuate the switch-over. Vendors pay for inclusion in the vendor database, for advertisi ng to targeted user groups, and for preferential placement. Customer account an d spending information is aggregated for analysis and targeted marketing. The invention provides broad-based user registration and targeted advertising.