Inventory analysis device, inventory analysis method, and inventory analysis system

Abstract

According to the invention, the unsalable inventory which should be processed preferentially in the inventory can be mastered. This inventory analysis device is provided with: an inventory index value acquisition unit (12) for acquiring an inventory index value, which is an index value relating to the inventory status of a product; a sales index value acquisition unit (13) that acquires a sales index value, which is an index value relating to the sales status of the product; and an inventory recognition unit 14 that recognizes, as an unsalable inventory, a commodity inventory in which the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold value and the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value. The state of the inventory is identified on the basis of a logical sum of the viewpoint and the viewpoint of whether the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value, not only on the basis of the viewpoint of whether the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold value, but on the basis of the viewpoint of whether the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value. A merchandise inventory in which both the inventory index value and the sales index value show low evaluation values can be grasped as an unsalable inventory to be processed preferentially in the inventory.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to an inventory analysis device, an inventory analysis method, and an inventory analysis system that analyze an inventory status of goods. BACKGROUND

[0002] Generally, a business invests money to manufacture or purchase goods, and obtains new money by selling the goods. The goods that the business temporarily holds for sale are inventory. The continuous accumulation of inventory means that the inventory never turns into cash, and the business cannot obtain new operating money. Therefore, it is important to quickly find inventory that cannot turn into cash, particularly, inventory of goods that cannot be sold (slow-moving inventory), and to be able to sell the inventory.

[0003] In view of the fact that the existence of slow-moving inventory becomes a factor of future impairment losses and reduces profits, an information processing system that assists in suppressing the occurrence of slow-moving inventory and efficiently increasing the profits of a retail store is proposed (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1). In the information processing system described in Patent Literature 1, the risk degree of inventory stagnation is determined based on sales information of an object good in a store, sales information of the object good on an e-commerce site, and the inventory quantity of the object good.

[0004] Specifically, in the information processing system described in Patent Literature 1, when the object good is sold in the store, the predicted consumption period until the inventory quantity is sold out (self-sales consumption period) is predicted, and when the object good is sold on the e-commerce site, the predicted consumption period until the inventory quantity is sold out (market-sales consumption period) is predicted. And, as shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Literature 1, according to the combination of the length of the self-sales consumption period and the length of the market-sales consumption period, it is determined which one of the first to fourth levels the risk degree of inventory stagnation of the object good at the current time point is in. Figure 3

[0005] [BACKGROUND ART DOCUMENTS]

[0006] [Patent Literature]

[0007] [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-33352 SUMMARY

[0008] [PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION]

[0009] According to the technology described in the above Patent Literature 1, it is possible to grasp the risk degree of inventory stagnation. However, the technology information processing system described in Patent Literature 1 only determines that the longer the consumption period (inventory period) is, the higher the risk degree of inventory stagnation is. Therefore, there is a problem that it is not clear what causes the inventory period to be extended, and it is difficult to grasp slow-moving inventory that should be handled with priority. ​

[0010] This invention was made to solve the problems described above, and its purpose is to enable the identification of slow-moving inventory that should be prioritized for disposal.

[0011] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0012] To address the aforementioned problem, this invention acquires an indicator value related to the inventory status of a product, namely the inventory indicator value, and an indicator value related to the sales status of a product, namely the sales indicator value. Product inventory whose inventory indicator value is evaluated as being below the inventory threshold and whose sales indicator value is evaluated as being below the sales threshold is identified as slow-moving inventory.

[0013] [The effects of the invention]

[0014] According to the present invention configured as described, the inventory status is identified not only based on whether the inventory indicator value is evaluated as being below the inventory threshold, but also based on the logical AND of the viewpoint of whether the sales indicator value is evaluated as being below the sales threshold. Therefore, unlike the case where the risk of inventory retention is determined simply based on whether the inventory period is long, it is possible to identify the inventory of goods in which both the inventory indicator value and the sales indicator value show low evaluation values ​​as slow-moving inventory that should be prioritized for disposal. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an inventory analysis system using the inventory analysis apparatus of this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the inventory analysis server in this embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram representing an example of an inventory location mapping.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of how the details window is displayed.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a candidate measure window.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a candidate measure window.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of a candidate measure window.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a candidate measure window.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a candidate measure window.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an example of an inventory location map that visualizes the state changes of symbols.

[0025] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the inventory analysis server in this embodiment.

[0026] Figure 12 This is another example of a display diagram showing the location mapping of inventory. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an inventory analysis system using the inventory analysis apparatus of this embodiment. (See diagram for details.) Figure 1 As shown, the inventory analysis system of this embodiment includes an inventory analysis server 10 (equivalent to an inventory analysis device), a sales information management server 20, an inventory information management server 30, and a workflow management server 40. The inventory analysis server 10 is connected to a sales-related information storage unit 101, an inventory-related information storage unit 102, and a procedure-related information storage unit 103. Furthermore, the inventory analysis server 10 and the workflow management server 40 are connected to a user terminal 50 via a communication network 100, such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. The connection other than the user terminal 50 can be a LAN (Local Area Network), or a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network.

[0028] The sales information management server 20 is a server that manages the sales information of each product. At the time when a product is sold in a certain store or EC website, the sales information management server 20 records the sales information, including the product ID, product name, store ID, store name, website ID, sales date and time, sales price, and sales quantity, as sales performance in a database (not shown).

[0029] Inventory information management server 30 is a server that manages the inventory information of each product. When managing the inventory of a store, the inventory information management server 30 records the purchase information, including the product ID, product name, store ID, store name, purchase date and time, and purchase quantity, as a purchase record in a database (not shown) at the time when a product is purchased from a store. Additionally, at the time when a product is shipped from a store, the server records the shipping information, including the product ID, product name, store ID, store name, shipping date and time, and shipping quantity, as a shipping record in a database (not shown).

[0030] In addition, when managing the stock of the warehouse relating to the goods sold on the EC site, the stock information management server 30 records, as the entry record, in a database not shown, the entry information including the goods ID, the goods name, the warehouse ID, the warehouse name, the entry date and time, the entry quantity, and the like of the goods at the time point of entry of the goods into a certain warehouse. In addition, the stock information management server 30 records, as the withdrawal record, in a database not shown, the withdrawal information including the goods ID, the goods name, the warehouse ID, the warehouse name, the withdrawal date and time, the withdrawal quantity, and the like of the goods at the time point of withdrawal of the goods from a certain warehouse.

[0031] Furthermore, the configuration provided with the sales information management server 20 and the stock information management server 30 is shown here, but is not limited to this configuration. As long as the configuration is capable of grasping the sales information and the stock information of the goods, any server can be used. For example, the configuration can be such that the sales information and the stock information of the goods are managed by a POS (Point of Sale) server introduced in the store. In the POS server, information relating to the purchase or the sales of the goods that changes at any time is held, and the sales information and the stock information of the goods can be grasped by this information. In this case, the POS server assumes the functions of the sales information management server 20 and the stock information management server 30. In addition, the configuration can be such that the sales information and the stock information of the goods are managed by a WMS (Warehouse Management System) server used in the warehouse. In the WMS server, information relating to the entry or the withdrawal of the goods that changes at any time is held, and the sales information and the stock information of the goods on the EC site can be grasped by this information. In this case, the WMS server assumes the functions of the sales information management server 20 and the stock information management server 30.

[0032] The workflow management server 40 performs processing relating to the approval workflow at the time of execution of the measures described later. That is, in the present embodiment, an execution authority can be set for each measure, and when a certain measure is to be executed, the workflow management server 40 performs the process for obtaining the approval of the authority. Furthermore, the approval workflow process can be performed using a well-known technique, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0033] The user terminal 50 and the inventory analysis server 10 exchange information. For example, the user terminal 50 provides the inventory analysis server 10 with information necessary for the inventory analysis server 10 to perform processing. In addition, the user terminal 50 acquires information of results of processing performed by the inventory analysis server 10, and displays the information on a screen of the user terminal 50. Details of these information exchanges will be described later. In addition, the user terminal 50 exchanges information with the workflow management server 40 when performing processing related to an approval workflow. Details of this will be omitted.

[0034] The inventory analysis server 10 acquires sales information and inventory information from the sales information management server 20 and the inventory information management server 30, and performs analysis processing related to inventory of goods using the information. In addition, when a core system (ERP system) of the enterprise is integrated with the sales information management server 20 and the inventory information management server 30, the inventory analysis server 10 can acquire sales information and inventory information from the core system. The inventory analysis server 10 can acquire information at regular intervals set in advance, or at a time when the user terminal 50 instructs to perform analysis processing.

[0035] The inventory analysis server 10 uses various information stored in the sales-related information storage section 101, the inventory-related information storage section 102, and the measure-related information storage section 103 when performing analysis processing of inventory. In these storage sections 101 to 103, in addition to storing information set in advance, information acquired from the sales information management server 20 and the inventory information management server 30, and information generated by the inventory analysis server 10 are stored.

[0036] The sales-related information storage section 101 stores, in addition to sales information acquired from the sales information management server 20, target values (for example, target daily sales) set in advance for sales index values described later, sales target dates, and sales index values (for example, average daily sales) of each of the goods acquired by the inventory analysis server 10. The target daily sales and the sales target dates are information set by the user through operation of the user terminal 50.

[0037] The inventory-related information storage section 102 stores, in addition to inventory information acquired from the inventory information management server 30, target values (for example, target inventory days) set in advance for inventory index values described later, cost of goods, inventory management fees, inventory disposal fees, and inventory index values (for example, inventory days) of each of the goods acquired by the inventory analysis server 10. The target inventory days, the cost of goods, the inventory management fees, and the inventory disposal fees are information set by the user through operation of the user terminal 50.

[0038] The measure-related information storage section 103 stores, in addition to the plurality of pieces of measure information set in advance, information on an executed measure, a measure execution date, a measure execution frequency, a right related to execution of a measure, and the like managed by the inventory analysis server 10. The plurality of pieces of measure information is information indicating measures that are candidates for prompting to the user. The executed measure, the measure execution date, and the measure execution frequency are information that records, as history, a measure implemented by the user and the execution date and the execution frequency thereof. The right related to execution of a measure is information set by the user through an operation of the user terminal 50.

[0039] Figure 2 is a block diagram indicating an example of a functional configuration of the inventory analysis server 10. As shown in Figure 2 the inventory analysis server 10 of the present embodiment is provided with a target setting section 11, an inventory index value acquisition section 12, a sales index value acquisition section 13, an inventory recognition section 14, a mapping section 15, a measure prompting section 16, a selection reception section 17, a measure history recording section 18, and a workflow initiation section 19 as functional configurations.

[0040] The functional blocks 11 to 19 can be configured by any one of hardware, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and software. For example, the functional blocks 11 to 19 are realized by causing a program stored in a RAM or a ROM, a hard disk, or a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory to operate under control of a microcomputer configured by a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like.

[0041] The target setting section 11 sets a target value related to an inventory index value and sets a target value related to a sales index value according to an instruction from a user who operates the user terminal 50. As described above, in the present embodiment, as an example of an inventory index value, an inventory days (a value indicating how many days of sales an amount of inventory goods held as inventory corresponds to) is used. In this case, the target setting section 11 sets a target value of the inventory days (a target inventory days). In addition, in the present embodiment, as an example of a sales index value, an average daily sales amount is used. In this case, the target setting section 11 sets a target value of the average daily sales amount (a target daily sales amount).

[0042] The target setting section 11 stores the set target values in the sales-related information storage section 101 and the inventory-related information storage section 102. In addition, the target setting section 11 reads out the target values from the sales-related information storage section 101 and the inventory-related information storage section 102 and provides them to the inventory recognition section 14 when an analysis processing is instructed from the user terminal 50.

[0043] The inventory index value acquisition section 12 acquires an index value of the inventory status of the product, that is, an inventory index value. Specifically, the inventory index value acquisition section 12 calculates, for each product, a daily average sales amount based on the sales information stored in the sales-related information storage section 101, and calculates an inventory amount of the corresponding inventory quantity based on the inventory information stored in the inventory-related information storage section 102, and acquires an inventory days number by dividing the inventory amount by the daily average sales amount. Further, an inventory turnover days number can be acquired instead of the inventory days number. In this case, it is only necessary to divide an average inventory amount of a period for which the inventory turnover days number is to be calculated by an average sales cost of the period. Further, instead of using an amount such as a sales amount or an inventory amount, the inventory turnover days number can be acquired using a sales quantity of a predetermined period and an average inventory quantity of the period.

[0044] The sales index value acquisition section 13 acquires an index value of the sales status of the product, that is, a sales index value. Specifically, the sales index value acquisition section 13 calculates, for each product, an average daily sales quantity (a daily average sales quantity) based on the sales information stored in the sales-related information storage section 101. Further, the daily average sales amount calculated by the inventory index value acquisition section 12 can be calculated by the sales index value acquisition section 13, and the calculated data can be acquired by the inventory index value acquisition section 12.

[0045] Further, the following example is described here, that is, the inventory index value acquisition section 12 calculates the inventory index value based on the sales information stored in the sales-related information storage section 101 and the inventory information stored in the inventory-related information storage section 102, and the sales index value acquisition section 13 calculates the sales index value based on the sales information stored in the sales-related information storage section 101, but is not limited thereto. For example, the inventory index value and the sales index value can be calculated in the sales information management server 20 and the inventory information management server 30 and stored in the sales-related information storage section 101 and the inventory-related information storage section 102, and the inventory index value acquisition section 12 and the sales index value acquisition section 13 acquire the inventory index value and the sales index value from the sales-related information storage section 101 and the inventory-related information storage section 102.

[0046] The inventory recognition section 14 recognizes the inventory classification of the product into four types according to a combination of whether the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold value and whether the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value. In the present embodiment, as the inventory threshold value, the target inventory days number set by the target setting section 11 for the inventory index value is used. In addition, as the sales threshold value, the target daily sales quantity set by the target setting section 11 for the sales index value is used.

[0047] That is, the inventory identifying section 14 identifies as "inventory to consider restocking" the inventory of a product for which the inventory indicator value acquisition section 12 acquired an inventory period shorter than the target inventory period and the sales indicator value acquisition section 13 acquired an average daily sales amount less than the target daily sales amount. A product classified into this type is a product for which the inventory amount is small and the sales amount is also small. Basically, it can be considered that this is a case in which the sales amount declines after a certain period of time has passed since the product was sold, and thus a product is positioned as one for which it is necessary to consider whether to maintain the status quo and sell the inventory or whether the sales amount will recover if the inventory is replenished.

[0048] In addition, the inventory identifying section 14 identifies as "fast-selling inventory" the inventory of a product for which the inventory indicator value acquisition section 12 acquired an inventory period shorter than the target inventory period and the sales indicator value acquisition section 13 acquired an average daily sales amount greater than the target daily sales amount. A product classified into this type is a product for which the inventory amount is small and the sales amount is large. Basically, it can be considered that this is a case in which the product is highly likely to be a fast-selling product, and thus a product is positioned as one for which it is necessary to consider replenishment in order to prevent opportunity loss due to a shortage.

[0049] In addition, the inventory identifying section 14 identifies as "slow-selling inventory" the inventory of a product for which the inventory indicator value acquisition section 12 acquired an inventory period longer than the target inventory period and the sales indicator value acquisition section 13 acquired an average daily sales amount less than the target daily sales amount. A product classified into this type is a product for which the inventory amount is large and the sales amount is small. Basically, it can be considered that this is a case in which the product is highly likely to be a slow-selling product, and thus a product is positioned as one for which it is necessary to consider measures for conversion into cash in order to prevent a loss.

[0050] In addition, the inventory identifying section 14 identifies as "fast-selling inventory" the inventory of a product for which the inventory indicator value acquisition section 12 acquired an inventory period shorter than the target inventory period and the sales indicator value acquisition section 13 acquired an average daily sales amount greater than the target daily sales amount. A product classified into this type is a product for which the inventory amount is small and the sales amount is large. Basically, it can be considered that this is a case in which the product is highly likely to be a fast-selling product, and thus a product is positioned as one for which it is necessary to consider replenishment in order to prevent opportunity loss due to a shortage.

[0051] The mapping section 15 generates a map in which symbols corresponding to a plurality of products are plotted on a segmented graph of four quadrants corresponding to the four types of classification, based on the inventory indicator values of the plurality of products acquired by the inventory indicator value acquisition section 12 and the sales indicator values of the plurality of products acquired by the sales indicator value acquisition section 13. Also, the generated map is provided to the user terminal 50. Hereinafter, the map generated by the mapping section 15 will be referred to as an "inventory positioning map".

[0052] Figure 3 is a diagram that shows an example of an inventory positioning map. InFigure 3 In the example of FIG. 12, a boundary line is drawn on a two-dimensional map with the inventory days difference obtained by subtracting the actual inventory days from the target inventory days as the vertical axis and the average daily sales difference obtained by subtracting the target daily sales from the actual average daily sales as the horizontal axis, at the position on the vertical axis where the inventory days difference = 0 and at the position on the horizontal axis where the average daily sales difference = 0, thereby constituting a segmented map of four quadrants. The multiple symbols indicated by the circles are the respective products, which are plotted at the coordinate positions of (average daily sales difference, inventory days difference) calculated from the inventory index value and the sales index value of the respective products and the target inventory days and the target daily sales.

[0053] In the case where the inventory positioning map is constituted as in Figure 3 In this case, the product inventory disposed in the first upper left quadrant is "inventory to be considered for restocking", the product inventory disposed in the second upper right quadrant is "popular inventory", the product inventory disposed in the third lower left quadrant is "slow-moving inventory", and the product inventory disposed in the fourth lower right quadrant is "flowing inventory".

[0054] The user can easily grasp which product is the inventory to be prioritized based on the inventory positioning map displayed on the user terminal 50. It goes without saying that the slow-moving inventory that particularly needs to be prioritized can be grasped, and the popular inventory can also be grasped, so the necessity of a product replenishment countermeasure for the popular inventory can also be considered.

[0055] Further, as shown in Figure 4 the map section 15 can also pop up and display the detail information of the product corresponding to the selected symbol when the user performs an operation to select the desired symbol. The detail information of the product includes any information extracted from the sales information, the inventory information, the inventory index value, the sales index value, the execution history of the countermeasure, and the like. Hereinafter, the window that is thus popped up and displayed will be referred to as a "detail window".

[0056] The countermeasure prompting section 16 prompts a candidate countermeasure for improving at least one of the inventory index value and the sales index value with respect to the inventory identified as the slow-moving inventory by the inventory identifying section 14. The content of the prompted candidate countermeasure is set in advance in the countermeasure-related information storage section 103 as countermeasure information. That is, the countermeasure prompting section 16 acquires the countermeasure information from the countermeasure-related information storage section 103 and prompts the candidate countermeasure to the user terminal 50 based on the countermeasure information.

[0057] In the inventory positioning map, the product of the slow-moving inventory disposed in the third lower left quadrant is the inventory that is not generating cash and is idle, and if it continues to be idle, it is highly likely to adversely affect the business. Specifically, the following adverse effects can occur.

[0058] ・Its presence squeezes the back of the warehouse or store, resulting in a decrease in the work efficiency of shelving in the back of the warehouse or store. The decrease in work efficiency also results in an increase in the time required for work, so that other work cannot be performed in the warehouse, or the time for receiving customers to promote sales in the store is reduced.

[0059] ・Storing the goods in the warehouse incurs a storage fee. The longer the goods are stored, the higher the storage fee, which becomes a factor that reduces the profit of the business.

[0060] ・Even if the goods are just stored, they deteriorate over time. Therefore, they cannot be stored permanently, and must be discarded once they deteriorate. In the case of discarding, not only the cost of the goods is wasted, but also an additional discarding fee is incurred.

[0061] Therefore, for the goods that are disposed in the slow-moving inventory area in the inventory positioning map, it is necessary to be converted into cash as soon as possible to reduce the loss of the company. Therefore, the measure prompting section 16 prompts the user terminal 50 with the candidate measures required to be converted into cash for the inventory identified as slow-moving inventory by the inventory identification section 14.

[0062] Figures 5-9 is a diagram showing a prompt example of the candidate measures. In Figure 5 the example shown in FIG. 8, if the operation of the consideration measure button present in the detail window that is displayed by popping up when the required symbol is selected is performed, a list of the candidate measures is displayed by popping up. Hereinafter, the window that is displayed by popping up like this will be referred to as a "candidate measure window".

[0063] In the example of the candidate measure window shown in Figure 5 , the following four items are prompted as candidate measures: confirmation of the display of the goods ("recording of 'goods not shelved'"), confirmation of the sales situation in other stores ("recording of 'being hot in other stores'"), confirmation of the feasibility of price reduction ("recording of 'price reduction needs to be considered'"), and confirmation of the feasibility of discarding ("recording of 'inventory feasibility exists'"). The user selects any one of the four candidate measures. When any one of the candidate measures is selected, the measure prompting section 16 prompts more specific measure examples or information on the materials for review for the selected candidate measure, as shown in Figures 6-9

[0064] Figure 5 The first measure "confirmation of the display of the goods" shown in FIG. 9 is a measure of confirming whether the goods identified as slow-moving inventory are displayed appropriately. In the store, sometimes the goods are placed in the back without being shelved. Therefore, confirmation of whether the display of the goods is originally in a saleable condition is prompted as a candidate measure. In the case where the first candidate measure is selected, the measure prompting section 16 prompts confirmation of whether the goods are placed arbitrarily in the back as a specific measure example, as shown in Figure 6 ​​

[0065] Figure 5 The second measure "confirmation of sales status of other stores" shown is a measure to confirm whether the same product as the product identified as slow-moving inventory in the home store is selling well in other stores. As a candidate measure that can be taken when the product is in a condition where it has been properly displayed but is not selling well, confirmation of the sales status of the product in other stores is prompted. When it is confirmed that the same product is selling well in other stores, it can be confirmed whether there is a countermeasure to increase sales in the home store, with reference to the measures being implemented in other stores.

[0066] In a case where the second candidate measure is selected, as shown in Figure 7 As shown, the measure prompting section 16 prompts the following three as examples of specific measures: change of VMD (Visual Merchandising); promotion on SNS; and inter-store transfer. Change of VMD is a measure to imitate the method of product display in a store where the product is selling well, for example. Promotion on SNS is a measure to imitate the method of posting on SNS by a store where the product is selling well. Inter-store transfer is a measure to attempt to transfer the product between stores when there is no material to imitate. Inter-store transfer is effective when the inventory of the product is being smoothly consumed in other stores or when the inventory is becoming less. Furthermore, when there is an EC site, the measure also includes transfer of the inventory to the EC site.

[0067] Figure 5 The third measure "confirmation of feasibility of price reduction" shown is a measure to consider price reduction of the product identified as slow-moving inventory. As a candidate measure that can be taken when the product has been properly displayed and the sales situation in other stores is also not good or the product cannot be transferred to other stores, confirmation of whether the product should be sold out by price reduction is prompted. In a case where the third candidate measure is selected, as shown in Figure 8 As shown, the measure prompting section 16 prompts the following methods as examples of specific measures: issuance of member-only coupons and execution of price reduction in a closed environment; and sales at a discount of a predetermined amount.

[0068] Figure 5 The fourth measure "confirmation of feasibility of disposal" shown is a measure to consider disposal of the product identified as slow-moving inventory. As described above, if the slow-moving inventory product remains for a long time, it is highly likely to have a negative impact on the business. Therefore, as a candidate measure that can be taken when it is considered that the product cannot be sold out even by price reduction, confirmation of whether the product should be disposed of is prompted.

[0069] Figure 9 An example of a screen when the fourth measure "confirmation of feasibility of disposal" is selected is shown. In Figure 9In the example of the screen, the amount of money that can be lost if the inventory is maintained as is, and the disposal fee that is required when the inventory is disposed of are prompted. The amount of money that can be lost indicates how much the storage fee is required during the storage period if the particular product is continued to be stored as inventory. As for the storage period, it can be arbitrarily set by the user, or the disposal period (sales period, etc. to be described later) specified for each product can be set as the storage period. Furthermore, when the storage fee of the warehouse is determined in accordance with the area of the warehouse (or the area agreed upon in the contract), for example, the area required for the particular product to be placed in the warehouse can be calculated in accordance with the size of the product, and the percentage of the area of the warehouse that it occupies can be calculated, whereby it can be calculated how much the storage fee of the particular product is. By visualizing the amount of money that can be lost and the disposal fee like this, it can be determined whether it is better to dispose of the product at the current stage.

[0070] The user selects any one of the candidate measures (including specific examples of measures) prompted like Figures 5-9 and executes it. As shown in Figures 6-9 , the selection of the measure is performed by checking the check box and operating the selection completion button. The selection reception unit 17 receives the selection of the measure selected by the user in the above manner. Then, in the case where the user has executed the selected measure, the user inputs the name of the executed measure, the date of execution, the person in charge of the execution, and the like from the user terminal 50, and transmits them to the inventory analysis server 10 as measure execution report information.

[0071] The measure history recording unit 18 records the measure (the measure received by the selection reception unit 17) selected and executed by the user from the candidates prompted by the measure prompting unit 16 and the date of execution as measure history information in the measure-related information storage unit 103. That is, the measure history recording unit 18 records the measure selected by the user (if it is a measure that requires approval, the measure that has passed the approval) in the measure-related information storage unit 103. Then, when the measure execution report information is transmitted from the user terminal 50, at least the date of execution is recorded in association with the name of the selected measure in the measure-related information storage unit 103. Furthermore, information included in the measure execution report information can be recorded in addition to the measure name and the date of execution.

[0072] The mapping unit 15 can also visually display the change in the state of the symbol plotted on the inventory positioning map based on the inventory index value and the sales index value before the date of execution and the inventory index value and the sales index value after the date of execution for the product inventory for which the measure has been executed. Figure 10 is a drawing showing an example of the display of the inventory positioning map in which the change in the state of the symbol is visualized. Figure 10 In the example, the positions of the symbols Z1, Z2 corresponding to the two products change to the positions of the symbols Z1', Z2' by the implementation of the measure for the products as indicated by the arrows.

[0073] By generating the inventory positioning map again after the date of execution of the measure, the user can grasp how the positioning of the inventory of the executed measure has changed on the map. By confirming the change in the positioning, the user can confirm whether the measure was effective. Basically, in the case where the arrow points in the direction toward the upper right, the inventory index value and the sales index value approach the target values, respectively, that is, the inventory situation and the sales situation improve, and it can be judged that the measure has achieved an effect. On the other hand, in the case where the arrow does not point in the direction toward the upper right, it can be judged that the measure has no effect or a very small effect. In this case, the user can select and execute other measures by selecting the candidate measures window shown in Fig. 9. Figure 5

[0074] Further, when the inventory positioning map is generated after the execution of the measure, it is also possible to extract only the slow-moving inventory of the goods and perform mapping. Figure 10 The display example as described above is shown. Alternatively, it is also possible to perform mapping only for the goods of the executed measure. Alternatively, it is also possible to perform mapping of the goods after screening by the measure (for example, only the goods of which the VMD is changed, only the goods for which the coupon is issued, and the like). By performing mapping of the goods after screening by the measure, the user can easily grasp which measure has a higher tendency of effect. Further, by collecting data on the effect of the measure in advance, it is possible to determine which measure is effective in which situation, and thus it is helpful for the execution of the measure in the future. Here, it is possible to evaluate all the measures in which the arrow points in the direction toward the upper right as "effective". Alternatively, it is also possible to evaluate only the measures corresponding to the arrows having a length of a predetermined value or more in the arrow pointing in the direction toward the upper right as "effective". This is not limiting, and the definition of "effective" can be arbitrarily set. The measures evaluated as "effective" are recognized as having an effect.

[0075] As for the execution of the measure, it is desirable that the user can decide who is given the authority of which measure. In the present embodiment, it is possible to set information on the implementation authority in the candidate measures prompted by the measure prompting section 16 in the user terminal 50, transmit the set information to the inventory analysis server 10, and record it in the measure-related information storage section 103. The information on the implementation authority is information indicating who is the authority of which measure.

[0076] ​The workflow start unit 19 starts the workflow management server 40 to execute an approval workflow corresponding to the implementation authority set to the selected measure when the user selects a measure from the candidates (when the selection of the measure is accepted by the selection acceptance unit 17). Thus, when the user selects a measure, if the measure requires approval, the approval workflow of the workflow management server 40 is automatically started. For example, in the case where the clerk selects a price reduction measure based on the sales and inventory status of the product, the application workflow for the price reduction is automatically circulated to the superior, and it is possible to determine whether the price reduction is permitted through a predetermined approval route. When the execution of the selected measure is approved, the measure history recording unit 18 stores the information of the measure name in the measure-related information storage unit 103.

[0077] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the inventory analysis server 10 of the present embodiment thus configured. Further, it is assumed that the target daily sales and the target inventory days have been set before the execution of the flowchart of Figure 11 .

[0078] Figure 11 In the flowchart, the inventory analysis server 10 determines whether there is a creation instruction of the inventory positioning map from the user terminal 50 (step S1). In the case where there is a creation instruction, the inventory index value acquisition unit 12 acquires inventory information from the inventory-related information storage unit 102, and the sales index value acquisition unit 13 acquires sales information from the sales-related information storage unit 101 (step S2). Then, the inventory index value acquisition unit 12 calculates the inventory days as the inventory index value for each product, and the sales index value acquisition unit 13 calculates the average daily sales as the sales index value for each product (step S3).

[0079] Next, the inventory recognition unit 14 recognizes the inventory of the product into four types (inventory considering restocking, best-selling inventory, slow-selling inventory, and flowing inventory) according to the combinations of whether the inventory days are longer than the target inventory days and whether the average daily sales are less than the target daily sales (step S4). Further, the mapping unit 15 generates an inventory positioning map in which symbols corresponding to a plurality of products are displayed on a four-quadrant region corresponding to the classification of the four types, based on the differences between the inventory days and the average daily sales of the plurality of products and the target inventory days and the target daily sales (step S5), and displays it on the user terminal 50 (step S6).

[0080] At this time, the mapping unit 15 refers to the measure history information in the measure-related information storage unit 103 to determine whether there are any products for which measures have been implemented. If there are products for which measures have been implemented, for that product, based on the inventory index values ​​and sales index values ​​before the measure implementation date and the inventory index values ​​and sales index values ​​after the measure implementation date, the status changes of the symbols drawn on the inventory location mapping map are visually displayed. In addition, the status changes of the symbols can also be displayed only when the user performs a predetermined operation on the user terminal 50.

[0081] Here, the mapping unit 15 determines whether an operation to select any symbol on the inventory location mapping map has been performed (step S7). If no symbol selection operation has been performed, the process ends. Figure 11 The flowchart shown illustrates the processing. On the other hand, if an operation to select any symbol is performed, as... Figure 4 As shown, the mapping unit 15 pops up a details window that displays the details of the product corresponding to the selected symbol (step S8).

[0082] Next, the measure prompting unit 16 determines whether the "Consider Taking Measures" button in the details window has been selected (step S9). If the "Consider Taking Measures" button has not been selected, the process ends. Figure 11 The flowchart shown illustrates the processing. On the other hand, if the "Consider Taking Action" button has been selected, as... Figure 5 As shown, the measure prompt section 16 pops up a window displaying candidate measures (step S10).

[0083] Here, the measure prompting unit 16 determines whether any candidate measure has been selected from the candidate measure window (step S11). If no candidate measure has been selected, the process ends. Figure 11 The flowchart shown illustrates the processing. On the other hand, when candidate measures are selected, such as... Figures 6-9 As shown, more specific examples of measures or information on review materials are provided for the selected candidate measures (step S12).

[0084] Then, the selection and acceptance unit 17 determines whether any measure has been selected (step S13). If no measure has been selected, the process ends. Figure 11 The flowchart shown is processed. On the other hand, when any measure is selected, the workflow initiation unit 19 starts the workflow management server 40 to execute the approval workflow corresponding to the implementation authority set for the selected measure (step S14).

[0085] Then, the measure history record unit 18 queries the workflow management server 40 to check whether the measure execution has passed approval in the approval workflow (step S15). Here, the process ends when the workflow management server 40 notifies that the measure execution has not passed approval.Figure 11 The processing of the flowchart shown. Further, in this case, it is also possible to proceed to step S10. On the other hand, when the workflow management server 40 notifies that the measure execution has been approved, the measure history recording section 18 records the measure that has been approved as measure history information in the measure-related information storage section 103 (step S16). Further, in a case where the implementation authority is not set for the selected measure, the processing of steps S14, S15 is skipped and step S16 is proceeded to.

[0086] Then, the measure history recording section 18 determines whether or not the measure execution report information has been transmitted from the user terminal 50 (step S17). In a case where the measure execution report information has been transmitted, the information of the execution date included therein is recorded as the measure history information of the selected measure in the measure-related information storage section 103 (step S18). Through the above steps, the processing of the flowchart shown is ended. Figure 11 The processing of the flowchart shown.

[0087] As explained in detail above, in the present embodiment, the inventory indicator value (inventory days) related to the inventory status of a plurality of goods is acquired, and the sales indicator value (average daily sales) related to the sales status of the plurality of goods is acquired, and the goods inventory for which the inventory indicator value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold value (target inventory days) and the sales indicator value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value (target daily sales) is recognized as a slow-moving inventory.

[0088] According to the present embodiment configured as such, not only based on the viewpoint of whether or not the inventory indicator value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold value, but also based on the viewpoint of the logic and of whether or not the sales indicator value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value, the status of the inventory is recognized, and thus, unlike the case where the risk degree of the inventory is determined simply based on whether or not the inventory period is long, it is possible to grasp the goods inventory for which both the inventory indicator value and the sales indicator value show low evaluation values as the slow-moving inventory that should be handled with priority among the inventories.

[0089] In addition, in the present embodiment, the inventory threshold value and the sales threshold value used for recognizing the slow-moving inventory are set to target values related to the inventory indicator value and the sales indicator value, and thus, it is possible to recognize the slow-moving inventory by judging whether or not the inventory indicator value and the sales indicator value are evaluated to be lower than the target values, respectively, based on the target values. Also, with respect to the goods recognized as the slow-moving inventory, by presenting the candidate measures, it is possible to assist in bringing at least one of the inventory indicator value and the sales indicator value close to the target value.

[0090] In addition, in the present embodiment, the merchandise inventory is classified into four types, and an inventory positioning map in which symbols corresponding to the plurality of merchandise are presented on a segmented graph of four quadrants corresponding to the four types of classification is generated and presented to the user. Thus, the merchandise identified as slow-moving inventory can be easily grasped at a glance. At the same time, the inventory considering the purchase, the best-selling inventory, and the moving inventory can also be easily grasped, so that the user can easily respond, such as considering measures required for each inventory.

[0091] In addition, in the present embodiment, with respect to the slow-moving inventory that particularly requires priority response, a candidate measure for improving at least one of the inventory index value and the sales index value is presented. Thus, the user can easily consider measures for converting the slow-moving inventory into cash. In addition, in the present embodiment, in a case where the user has executed the measure, an inventory positioning map that visualizes the change in the positioning of the symbol before and after the date of measure execution is generated and displayed, so that it can be confirmed whether the measure has an effect.

[0092] Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the number of days of inventory or the number of days of inventory turnover is used as the inventory index value is described, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the number of inventory, the amount of inventory, the inventory turnover rate, or the like can be used as the inventory index value. In addition, in the present embodiment, an example in which the average daily sales amount is used as the sales index value is described, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the sales amount, the gross profit amount, the regular price absorption rate (ratio of the amount of sales without price reduction or the like to the purchase amount), or the like of the merchandise can be used as the sales index value.

[0093] Alternatively, whether the sales deadline set for the merchandise is approaching can be used as the sales index value. For example, in the case of food, the best consumption deadline or the effective deadline can be set as the sales deadline. In the case of clothing and the like, the end of the season (for example, the end of February for winter goods) can be set as the sales deadline. With respect to merchandise for which the sales deadline is approaching but the inventory is large, the possibility of slow-moving is high. In the case of food, it can directly lead to disposal due to expiration. Therefore, for example, the number of days remaining until the sales deadline can be used as the sales index value, and the merchandise inventory for which the value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold and the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold can be identified as slow-moving inventory.

[0094] Additionally, when generating an inventory location map, users can arbitrarily change the period used to calculate average daily sales. For example, they can specify a period from the start of sales (the date the store received the goods) to the point when the inventory location map was generated to calculate average daily sales. Alternatively, they can specify a period such as the month or week prior to generating the map to calculate average daily sales. By making the period variable when generating the inventory location map, it is possible to arbitrarily specify and confirm long-term or recent trends.

[0095] Alternatively, the processing of the inventory identification unit 14 or mapping unit 15 can be performed in the following two cases: storing inventory of goods sold in the store's back office; and storing inventory of goods sold on the EC website in the warehouse. Additionally, if... Figure 12 As shown, symbols related to store inventory and symbols related to warehouse inventory can also be displayed simultaneously on the inventory location map, and the two symbols can be displayed in a way that is visually distinguishable. Figure 12 In the diagram, a circle filled in the middle indicates content related to store inventory, while an unfilled circle indicates content related to warehouse inventory.

[0096] By generating this inventory location mapping map, it is possible to compare and review the distribution of inventory types of goods sold in the store with the distribution of inventory types of goods sold on the EC website. Additionally, it is possible to identify goods that are not selling well in the store but are selling well overall, or goods that are selling well on the EC website but not overall, and to review inventory status by comparing store sales with overall sales or comparing EC website sales with overall sales.

[0097] in addition, Figures 4-10 The product details window displays items in SKU (Stock Keeping Unit, the smallest unit for counting the number of items in inventory management), but the product unit is not limited to SKU. For example, SKUs can be categorized into multiple levels of categories, and these categories can be displayed as product units. This allows for processing similar products in groups and provides insight into the inventory status of each group.

[0098] In addition, in the embodiment, an example in which the inventory positioning map in which the symbols are presented at the coordinate positions specified based on the inventory index values and the sales index values of the plurality of goods is generated and presented is described, but the present application is not limited thereto. That is, the four types of inventories identified by the inventory identification unit 14 are not necessarily presented in the form of the inventory positioning map. For example, it can be configured to display the goods in a list classified by the inventory types. However, the inventory positioning map is generated and presented, which is more advantageous in that the inventory status can be more intuitively grasped than in the case of the list display. In particular, the more the number of goods, the easier it is to grasp the inventory status by the inventory positioning map. In addition, in the case where the inventory positioning map is generated, for example, by further superimposing and displaying the approximation formula calculated based on the coordinate positions of the plurality of goods, and analyzing the coefficient of the approximation formula or the distance between the approximation formula and the coordinate positions of the arbitrary goods, it is easy to more intuitively grasp the inventory status, and it is easy to select the goods that need to be preferentially handled or to consider the measures to be implemented, and it is easy to set the target at the time of implementation of the measures.

[0099] On the other hand, in the case of the list display, the candidate measures can be displayed at the same time, and the measure to be implemented this time can be selected from the list. In addition, after the measures are executed, the measure execution report information can be input from the list, and the measures implemented in the past can be displayed on the list. In the case of the list, by inputting the measure execution report information from the list, the input work becomes easy compared to the case where the measure execution report information is input from the detail window for each good. In addition, it is possible to filter by the measures, so that it is easier to grasp the goods for which the same measures have been executed.

[0100] In addition, in the embodiment, an example in which the goods inventory is classified and identified into four types according to the combination of whether the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold value and whether the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value is described, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, only the dead stock inventory that should be particularly preferentially handled can be identified. That is, the inventory identification unit 14 can identify only the goods inventory for which the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than the inventory threshold value and the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value as the dead stock inventory.

[0101] In addition, in the embodiment, an example in which the information of the candidate measures presented by the measure presentation unit 16 is determined in advance is described, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the content of the presented candidate measures can be changed according to the coordinate positions on the inventory positioning map specified based on the inventory index values and the sales index values. In addition, for the goods for which the measures have been executed, the change pattern of the coordinate positions on the inventory positioning map specified based on the inventory index values and the sales index values before and after the measure execution date (for example, Figure 10the direction or size of the arrow), the content of the suggested measures is changed. In addition, as described above, the effect of the past measures can also be determined in advance, and the measures expected to easily obtain the effect can be preferentially displayed based on the determination result. For example, measures evaluated as "effective" can be preferentially displayed as measures expected to easily obtain the effect. The preferential display refers to a display method in which the user can easily recognize, such as display at the top, emphasis by bold or highlight, or the like.

[0102] In addition, in the embodiment, Figure 10 In the embodiment, the state change of the symbol is visualized, but when the changed symbol is selected, a check box in which the user can select the effect of the measure can be displayed as a detail window. The check box is prepared in advance with items such as "effect large", "effect medium", "effect small", and the user selects the check box based on the degree of the state change of the symbol. The selection result is transmitted to the measure-related information storage section 103 and saved as the evaluation information of the effect in association with the name of the executed measure or the like. As a result, in the measure-related information storage section 103, the past executed measures and their effects are accumulated as the measure history information. The measure suggestion section 16 can also analyze the degree of the effect of the past executed measures based on the evaluation information stored in the measure-related information storage section 103 as the measure history information, and preferentially display the measures calculated to have a higher effect. The measures having a higher effect can be, for example, measures in which the item of "effect large" is selected. Alternatively, evaluation values can be set in advance for "effect large", "effect medium", and "effect small", respectively, and the score can be calculated by a predetermined function based on the evaluation values respectively selected when a certain measure is executed a plurality of times or when a certain measure is executed for a plurality of products, and when the score is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the certain measure is evaluated as a measure having a higher effect. In addition, instead of the user inputting the effect using the check box, the degree of the effect can be automatically determined based on the moving amount of the state change of the symbol (the amount of inclination or the length of the arrow) in the embodiment. Figure 10 In the embodiment, the state change of the symbol is visualized, but when the changed symbol is selected, a check box in which the user can select the effect of the measure can be displayed as a detail window. The check box is prepared in advance with items such as "effect large", "effect medium", "effect small", and the user selects the check box based on the degree of the state change of the symbol. The selection result is transmitted to the measure-related information storage section 103 and saved as the evaluation information of the effect in association with the name of the executed measure or the like. As a result, in the measure-related information storage section 103, the past executed measures and their effects are accumulated as the measure history information. The measure suggestion section 16 can also analyze the degree of the effect of the past executed measures based on the evaluation information stored in the measure-related information storage section 103 as the measure history information, and preferentially display the measures calculated to have a higher effect. The measures having a higher effect can be, for example, measures in which the item of "effect large" is selected. Alternatively, evaluation values can be set in advance for "effect large", "effect medium", and "effect small", respectively, and the score can be calculated by a predetermined function based on the evaluation values respectively selected when a certain measure is executed a plurality of times or when a certain measure is executed for a plurality of products, and when the score is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the certain measure is evaluated as a measure having a higher effect. In addition, instead of the user inputting the effect using the check box, the degree of the effect can be automatically determined based on the moving amount of the state change of the symbol (the amount of inclination or the length of the arrow) in the embodiment.

[0103] In addition, regarding the analysis of the degree of the effect of the past executed measures, the object can also be selected from among a single product, a group of products in which a plurality of similar products are aggregated, or all products including all the products handled. In addition, the effect can be scored, and the size of the score can be used as the judgment criterion. In this case, the score of the measure that obtains an effect closer to the target value can be set to be higher, and the score can be determined based on the length of the arrow toward the center point. Furthermore, the weight of the single product or the group of products can be changed. This is because it is also conceivable that the effect of the measure differs depending on the product, and it is considered that it is effective to take the optimal measure suitable for the single product or the group of products.

[0104] In addition, in the embodiment, an example in which the candidate measures are prompted only for the merchandise inventory identified as slow-moving inventory is described, but in addition thereto, candidate measures can be prompted for merchandise classified into inventory to be considered for restocking, best-selling inventory, and moving inventory. In this case, for the four types of inventory classified by the inventory identifying section 14, candidate measures for bringing at least one of the inventory index value and the sales index value closer to the target value (bringing the arrangement position of the symbol closer to the central coordinate position in the inventory positioning map) are prompted. In addition, moving inventory has a possibility of becoming slow-moving inventory when sales decrease because the inventory quantity is large. Therefore, when sales decrease and the inventory days have a tendency to further increase, attention can also be called to. Furthermore, with respect to best-selling inventory, when the arrow is directed to the left direction in the state change shown in Figure 10 the inventory positioning map, the possibility of becoming inventory to be considered for restocking is hidden, so attention can also be called to.

[0105] As one of the candidate measures for bringing the target value closer, changing the target value can also be included. For example, when the symbols of a plurality of merchandise arranged on the inventory positioning map are distributed more in the upper right region as a whole, it is considered that the target value related to the inventory index value and the target value related to the sales index value can both be set lower than the appropriate value. Conversely, when the symbols of a plurality of merchandise arranged on the inventory positioning map are distributed more in the lower left region as a whole, it is considered that the target value related to the inventory index value and the target value related to the sales index value can both be set higher than the appropriate value. In addition, when the symbols of a plurality of merchandise are distributed more in the upper region, the lower region, the left region, or the right region as a whole, it is considered that any one of the target value related to the inventory index value and the target value related to the sales index value can be set higher or lower than the appropriate value. In this case, changing the target value is also prompted as one of the candidate measures.

[0106] In addition, in the embodiment, the inventory threshold value and the sales threshold value are set respectively, but these threshold values can also be set in a plurality of stages. For example, by preparing two inventory threshold values (a value of a level to be noted and a value at which a countermeasure needs to be taken immediately) and two sales threshold values (a value of a level to be noted and a value at which a countermeasure needs to be taken immediately), the types of inventory classified by the inventory identifying section 14 will reach eight. By subdividing the types, candidate measures can also be subdivided according to the type, so that more appropriate candidate measures can be prompted to the user.

[0107] In addition, in the embodiment, an example in which, as the inventory threshold value and the sales threshold value, the target value set for the inventory index value and the target value set for the sales index value are used is described, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, a value calculated statistically for the merchandise (for example, an average value or the like) can also be used as the inventory threshold value and the sales threshold value.

[0108] In addition, in the embodiment, the measures prompting section 16, the measures history recording section 18, and the workflow start section 19 are not necessarily constituted, and any one or more of them can be omitted.

[0109] Furthermore, the embodiments have shown only one example of embodying the present application, and the technical scope of the present application should not be limited by the example. That is, the present application can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or the main features thereof.

[0110] [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 10 Stock analysis server (stock analysis device)

[0112] 11 Target setting section

[0113] 12 Stock index value acquisition section

[0114] 13 Sales index value acquisition section

[0115] 14 Stock identification section

[0116] 15 Mapping section

[0117] 16 Measures prompting section

[0118] 17 Selection reception section

[0119] 18 Measures history recording section

[0120] 19 Workflow start section

[0121] 20 Sales information management server

[0122] 30 Stock information management server

[0123] 40 Workflow management server

[0124] 50 User terminal

[0125] 101 Sales-related information storage section

[0126] 102 Stock-related information storage section

[0127] 103 Measures-related information storage section

Claims

1. An inventory analysis device, characterized by Possessing: a stock index value acquisition section that acquires an index value related to the stock status of a product, namely a stock index value; a sales index value acquisition section that acquires an index value related to the sales status of the product, namely a sales index value; and a stock identification section that identifies the stock of the product whose stock index value is evaluated to be lower than a stock threshold value and whose sales index value is evaluated to be lower than a sales threshold value as a slow-moving stock.

2. The stock analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that: the stock threshold value is a target value set for the stock index value, the sales threshold value is a target value set for the sales index value. the stock identification section classifies and identifies the stock of the product into four types according to the combination of whether the stock index value is evaluated to be lower than the stock threshold value and whether the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than the sales threshold value.

3. The inventory analysis device of claim 1 or 2, wherein: Further possessing a mapping section that generates a mapping chart in which a symbol corresponding to the product is displayed on a four-quadrant segmented chart corresponding to the four types of classification, based on the stock index value and the sales index value of the product.

4. The inventory analysis device of claim 3, wherein: Further possessing a measure suggestion section that suggests a candidate measure for improving at least one of the stock index value and the sales index value, for the stock identified as the slow-moving stock by the stock identification section.

5. The inventory analysis apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by: the stock threshold value is a target value set for the stock index value, 6. The inventory analysis device of claim 3, wherein: the sales threshold value is a target value set for the sales index value, and the stock analysis device further possesses a measure suggestion section that suggests a candidate measure for bringing at least one of the stock index value and the sales index value closer to the target value, for the four types of stock classified by the stock identification section. Further possessing:

7. The inventory analysis device of claim 4, wherein a measure suggestion section that suggests a candidate measure for improving at least one of the stock index value and the sales index value, for the stock identified as the slow-moving stock by the stock identification section; and a measure history recording section that records as history the measure selected and executed by the user from among the candidates suggested by the measure suggestion section; the mapping section visualizes the state change of the symbol plotted on the segmented chart by displaying it, for the stock of the product for which the measure is executed, based on the stock index value and the sales index value before the execution date and the stock index value and the sales index value after the execution date. Further possessing a measure history recording section that records, for the measure selected and executed by the user from among the candidates suggested by the measure suggestion section, whether or not there is an improvement or the degree of improvement in at least one of the stock index value and the sales index value as evaluation information related to the effect of the measure, 8. The inventory analysis device of claim 5, wherein: the measure suggestion section analyzes the degree of the effect of the measure executed in the past based on the evaluation information stored by the measure history recording section, and preferentially displays a candidate measure that is likely to achieve a higher effect. ​ 9. The inventory analysis device of claim 7, wherein: The measure history recording section records, as evaluation information relating to the effect of the measure, whether or not there is an improvement in at least one of the inventory index value and the sales index value, or the degree of improvement, for a measure selected by the user from among the candidates prompted by the measure prompting section and executed, The measure history recording section records evaluation information input by the user based on the change in the state of the symbol displayed on the segment chart by the mapping section, The measure prompting section analyzes the degree of effect of a measure executed in the past based on the evaluation information stored by the measure history recording section, and preferentially displays a candidate measure that is likely to achieve a higher effect.

10. The inventory analysis device of claim 9, wherein: The measure prompting section preferentially displays, as the candidate measure that is likely to achieve a higher effect, a measure for which a score calculated by a predetermined function based on the evaluation information stored by the measure history recording section is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

11. The inventory analysis device of claim 7, wherein: The measure prompting section analyzes the degree of effect of a measure executed in the past based on the change in the state of the symbol, and preferentially displays a candidate measure that is likely to achieve a higher effect.

12. The inventory analysis device of claim 8, wherein: The measure prompting section analyzes the degree of effect of a measure executed in the past for a unit selected from among a single item, a group of similar items in which a plurality of similar items are aggregated, or all items including all items handled.

13. The inventory analysis apparatus of claim 5, wherein: Information relating to implementation authority is set for the candidate measures prompted by the measure prompting section, and The inventory analysis device further includes a workflow initiation section that initiates an approval workflow corresponding to the implementation authority set for the selected measure when the user selects any measure from among the candidates.

14. An inventory analysis method characterized by comprises the steps of: An inventory index value acquisition section and a sales index value acquisition section of a computer acquire an index value relating to the inventory status of an item, i.e., an inventory index value, and an index value relating to the sales status of the item, i.e., a sales index value; and An inventory identification section of the computer identifies as a slow-moving inventory an inventory of an item for which the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than an inventory threshold value and the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than a sales threshold value.

15. An inventory analysis system characterized by comprises: An inventory index value acquisition section that acquires an index value relating to the inventory status of an item, i.e., an inventory index value; A sales index value acquisition section that acquires an index value relating to the sales status of the item, i.e., a sales index value; and An inventory identification section that identifies as a slow-moving inventory an inventory of an item for which the inventory index value is evaluated to be lower than an inventory threshold value and the sales index value is evaluated to be lower than a sales threshold value.

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