US Patent 9532172 Zone-based away messages

One embodiment provides a system for generating shopping incentives for users based on purchasing patterns of the users. The system performs operations including determining one or more zones within a venue based on wireless signals transmitted by one or more wireless sensors. The operations further include, for at least one zone, determining a current state associated with the zone, monitoring the zone, and, in response to detecting a device entering the zone, notifying the device of the current state associated with the zone. Each zone is assigned to a zone owner. A current state associated with a zone is based on a real-time location of a device carried by the zone owner.