1. A method for facilitating earning loyalty points, wherein the loyalty points are associated with a geographic area, said method including: maintaining a database in a computer for storing geographic area loyalty points in a loyalty account corresponding to a participant; receiving purchase data in a transaction file at a server associated with the computer from a point-of-sale terminal, said purchase data including a retailer item identifier and geographical area information; determining an amount of geographic area loyalty points based on said purchase data; updating said loyalty account with said geographic area loyalty points by adding the determined amount of geographic area loyalty points to a preexisting amount of geographic loyalty points in the loyalty account; developing standardized information using the computer by associating said retailer item identifier, said geographical area information, and a manufacturer identifier; and performing data analysis using the computer and using said standardized information.