Portable computing devices such as smartphones and tablet computers have become a prevalent fixture of modern life. Smartphones, such as the iPhone, Android phones, and Blackberries, have been adopted by a broad audience of users due to the devices' usefulness and entertainment value. Similarly, tablet computers, such as the iPad, the Kindle Fire, and the Nook Tablet, have become popular devices. As with smartphones, a wide range of users are attracted to tablet computers' for their ease of use and varied functionality.
The Internet is a ubiquitous feature of modern life. In addition to communication and entertainment purposes, users employ the Internet to purchase products from online merchants. Web sites such as Amazon.com, Amazon Marketplace, Buy.com, Overstock.com, online versions of bricks-and-mortar retailers (e.g., BestBuy.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, etc.) and others offer users an accessible avenue for purchasing goods and services from nearly any type of computer, including portable computing devices.
Although it is possible to conduct a purchase with an online merchant via portable computing devices, it is often a cumbersome and limited procedure when compared to conducting a purchase by way of a standard computing device, such as a desktop or a laptop. Most portable electronic devices are equipped with touchscreen interfaces and, while a touchscreen may function well for a wide range of purposes, it can be difficult to use for online purchases. For example, a lack of tactile feedback can make typing on a touchscreen keyboard difficult. This can be particularly frustrating when entering complicated information, such as financial information, a shipping address, etc. when making an online purchase.
To account for this, many online merchants allow users to store personal data (e.g., financial account information, shipping addresses, etc.) in a user account, often called an “electronic wallet.” Because the online merchant, and in turn the electronic wallet, is accessible from any Internet-capable device, a user may enter account data via a one device (e.g., a desktop computer) and later access it via another one (e.g., a smartphone). As most online merchants are not affiliated with one another, a user has to store his personal data with each merchant. Having to enter personal data each time a new electronic wallet is needed can be frustrating and off-putting.
Applications designed specifically for portable computing devices, called “apps,” offer users a more convenient way to conduct online purchases via such devices, but apps often sacrifice functionality in order to offer convenience. Users may be required to establish one payment method and one fulfillment preference (e.g., a default shipping address and/or shipping method). While this makes conducting purchases easier, it does not provide the flexibility often desired. For example, a user may wish to have rush delivery, but may not readily select that option via an app. Even if the app allows the user to select other personal data for a transaction, it may require the user perform several steps to do so, thereby eliminating much of the app's convenience. In order to use apps that are specific to a particular merchant (e.g., Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.), users must store their personal data with each merchant. Apps that enable a user to search products offered by multiple merchants do not relieve this problem. For example, although Google Shopper enables a user to search multiple merchants, once one is selected, the user is taken to the online merchant's mobile Web page, where the user either has to have previously stored personal data or must enter it to complete the purchase.
What is lacking is a mechanism that enables an individual to use a portable computing device to purchase goods or services offered by multiple online merchants in a convenient fashion. What is also needed is a convenient mechanism that enables an individual to employ stored personal data to conduct purchases with multiple online merchants without having to store his personal data with each online merchant. Furthermore, what is needed is a mechanism that enables an individual to change payment and/or fulfillment options readily when conducting a purchase with an online merchant via a portable computing device.