Information processing apparatus and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus and program allowing for setting up a requested time slot of delivery matched with the convenience of a customer by easier operation to understand.SOLUTION: A shopping supporting apparatus (information processing apparatus) comprises an order-information acquiring section that acquires order information related to a commodity which a customer desires to purchase, a possible date-and-hour of delivery output section that outputs for display possible date and time slot of delivery of the commodity to a customer terminal possessed by the customer, a desired date-and-hour of delivery acquiring section that acquires the date and time slot of delivery desired by the customer, a permissible range of hour acquiring section that acquires a permissible range of hour which the customer permits for a time slot of delivery, and an incentive calculating section (discount amount setting section) that sets up a discount amount of the commodity depending on the permissible range of hour acquired by the permissible range of hour acquiring section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, a delivery management device that supports the leveling of logistics volume has been known (for example, Patent Document 1). The delivery management device disclosed in Patent Document 1 aims to level out logistics volume by providing a benefit according to the availability at the delivery date and time specified by the customer.

[0003] Such a delivery management device can also be applied to a shopping agent service that purchases products such as groceries and daily necessities requested by a customer on behalf of the customer, delivers the purchased products to the customer, and receives the product price and a commission from the customer.

[0004] Such services allow customers to change their desired date and time, so it is desirable that they be as easy to operate as possible. However, in Patent Document 1, the availability before and after the customer's desired delivery time is unknown, so when setting the desired delivery time, the customer must check the special offers. Furthermore, the disclosure of Patent Document 1 does not allow the customer to set the desired delivery time in detail to suit their convenience. Therefore, a device with greater operability was desired. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing device and a program that enable a customer to set a desired delivery time slot that suits their convenience with easier operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device of the embodiment includes an order information acquisition unit, an available delivery date and time presentation unit, a desired delivery date and time acquisition unit, an acceptable time range acquisition unit, and a discount amount calculation unit. The order information acquisition unit acquires order information related to a product that a customer wishes to purchase. The available delivery date and time presentation unit presents the available delivery date and delivery time period for the product to the customer. The desired delivery date and time acquisition unit acquires the customer's desired delivery date and delivery time period. The acceptable time range acquisition unit acquires the acceptable time range that the customer is willing to accept for the delivery time period. The discount amount calculation unit calculates the discount amount for the product according to the acceptable time range acquired by the acceptable time range acquisition unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a shopping agent system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a shopping support device included in the shopping agent system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of the product master. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the order data. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the schedule management file. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a customer terminal included in the shopping agent system. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the shopping agent system. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the customer terminal for selecting a desired delivery time slot. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for setting an allowable time range, which is displayed on a customer terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing in which the shopping agent system according to the embodiment sets the desired delivery date and time and the allowable time range for an ordered product. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a shopping agent system 10 will be described.

[0009] (Outline of the shopping agent system) A shopping agent system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the shopping agent system according to the embodiment.

[0010] The shopping agent system 10 is a system that purchases products such as groceries and daily necessities requested by a customer on behalf of the customer and delivers the purchased products to the customer. In the shopping agent system 10, a shopping support device 20 and a customer terminal 40 are connected via a network N. The network N is, for example, the Internet. The shopping support device 20 and the network N, and the customer terminal 40 and the network N are connected via a wireless LAN, a public line, or the like.

[0011] The shopping support device 20 acquires a product order and a desired delivery date and time from the customer's customer terminal 40. The shopping support device 20 also outputs information indicating the availability of delivery for the time periods before and after the desired delivery date and time, i.e., information indicating whether there is availability to accept delivery, to the customer terminal 40. The shopping support device 20 also acquires from the customer terminal 40 an allowable time range for the desired delivery date and time set by the customer, i.e., a time range in which the desired delivery time can be relaxed. The shopping support device 20 then sets a discount amount for the ordered product based on the allowable time range acquired from the customer terminal 40 and presents it to the customer terminal 40. The shopping support device 20 also acquires payment instructions for the ordered product from the customer terminal 40 and performs payment processing. The shopping support device is, for example, a server device installed in each store or on the cloud. The shopping support device 20 is an example of an information processing device in the present disclosure.

[0012] The customer terminal 40 outputs to the shopping support device 20 the details of the ordered items set by the customer's operation, the desired delivery date and time, and the allowable time range for the desired delivery date and time. The customer terminal 40 also obtains from the shopping support device 20 information indicating the delivery acceptance status for the time period before and after the desired delivery date and time, i.e., information indicating whether there is availability to accept deliveries. The customer terminal 40 also obtains the allowable time range for the desired delivery date and time in response to the customer's operation and outputs this to the shopping support device 20. The customer terminal 40 also obtains from the shopping support device 20 the discount amount for the ordered items set in accordance with the allowable time range. The customer terminal 40 also causes the shopping support device 20 to make payment for the ordered items. The customer terminal 40 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, or a terminal device such as a personal computer.

[0013] In general, in such shopping proxy systems, for example, there tends to be a high number of reservations for delivery time slots before mealtimes, and a low number of reservations for delivery time slots after mealtimes. However, because the human resources providing shopping proxy services are constant regardless of the delivery time slot, a mismatch occurs between the number of reservable delivery time slots and the number of people wishing to use the shopping proxy service. The shopping proxy system 10 of the present disclosure reduces the mismatch between the number of reservable delivery time slots and the number of people wishing to use the shopping proxy service with simple operations as described below (see Figures 8 and 9).

[0014] (Hardware configuration of shopping support device) The hardware configuration of the shopping support device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the shopping support device provided in the shopping agent system.

[0015] The shopping support device 20 has a configuration in which a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication controller 24 are interconnected by an internal bus 23.

[0016] The control unit 21 controls the overall operation of the shopping support device 20. The control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 211, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 212, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 213. The CPU 211 is connected to the ROM 212 and the RAM 213 via internal buses such as an address bus and a data bus. The CPU 211 loads various programs stored in the ROM 212 and the storage unit 22 into the RAM 213. The CPU 211 controls the operation of the shopping support device 20 by operating in accordance with the various programs loaded into the RAM 213. In other words, the control unit 21 has the configuration of a typical computer.

[0017] The storage unit 22 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD. Alternatively, the storage unit 22 may be a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off. The storage unit 22 stores a control program 221, a product master 222, an order file 223, and a schedule management file 224.

[0018] The control program 221 is a program that controls the overall operation of the shopping support device 20. The control program 221 may be provided in a state stored in the storage unit 22, or may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD. The control program 221 may also be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network and downloaded via the network. Furthermore, the control program 221 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0019] The product master 222 is a master file that stores product information such as product names and prices of products for sale. The product master 222 stores various types of product information in association with product codes. The contents of the product master are updated as needed, so the shopping support device 20 updates the contents of the product master 222 to the latest state by, for example, obtaining the latest product master from a store server (not shown) via the communication controller 24. The data structure of the product master 222 will be described in detail later (see FIG. 3).

[0020] The order file 223 is a file that stores order information indicating the details of an order in association with an order code that uniquely identifies an order from a customer. The data structure of the order file 223 will be described in detail later (see FIG. 4).

[0021] The schedule management file 224 is a file that stores order information for delivery requests on specific dates in association with those dates. The data structure of the schedule management file 224 will be described in detail later (see FIG. 5).

[0022] The control unit 21 performs various communications with the customer terminal 40 via the communication controller 24. The contents of the information received by the shopping support device 20 and the customer terminal 40 are as described above.

[0023] (Product master data structure) The data structure of the product master 222 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the product master.

[0024] The product master 222 is a master file that stores various product information in association with a product code that uniquely identifies the product. The product information stored in the product master 222 includes, for example, a category name, a product name, a price, and additional information.

[0025] The category name stores the name of the category to which the product belongs, such as food, daily necessities, etc.

[0026] The product name is the name of the product.

[0027] The price is the price of the product. The regular price is stored in the price column, but a special sale price may be stored during a sale.

[0028] The additional information is other information related to the product, such as information indicating that the product has an age restriction for purchase, information related to the consumption tax rate, etc.

[0029] The information stored in the product master 222 is not limited to the above, and other information may be stored.

[0030] (Order file data structure) The data structure of the order file 223 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the order file.

[0031] The order file 223 stores order information indicating the contents of an order, in association with an order code that uniquely identifies the order from the customer. The order information includes the order date, product information, incentives, total price, payment method, delivery information, option information, etc.

[0032] The order date is the date and time when the product was ordered from the customer terminal 40.

[0033] The product information is information related to the ordered product, and includes the product code, quantity, unit price, and subtotal.

[0034] The product code is identification information such as a JAN code that uniquely identifies a product.

[0035] The quantity is the order quantity for each product.

[0036] The unit price is the price per item.

[0037] The subtotal is the sum of the quantity and unit price for each product.

[0038] The incentive indicates the content of a benefit to be given to the customer, calculated by the shopping support device 20 according to the allowable time range for delivery of the ordered product set by the customer. The incentive may be, for example, a discount amount. The method for calculating the incentive will be described in detail later (see FIG. 7).

[0039] The total amount is the sum of the subtotals of all ordered items minus the incentive discount amount.

[0040] The payment method is the payment method specified by the customer. The shopping support device 20 supports payment methods such as credit card payment, code payment, and point payment. Credit card payment is a payment method that uses a credit card held by the customer. Code payment is a payment method that makes payment using, for example, a payment app pre-installed on the customer terminal 40. Point payment is a payment method that allows a customer who has registered as a member of the shopping agent system 10 to use points earned based on their usage of the system to pay for the purchase.

[0041] The delivery information is information related to the delivery time specified by the customer, and includes the delivery date, delivery time slot, delivery destination, and delivery person.

[0042] The delivery date is the date selected on the customer terminal 40 for delivery.

[0043] The delivery time slot is information indicating a time range for desired delivery, set on the customer terminal 40. That is, the delivery time slot includes a start time and an end time.

[0044] The delivery destination includes an address and telephone number indicating the destination of delivery of the product. The shopping support device 20 acquires information related to the delivery destination from, for example, a customer code. Furthermore, for customers using the shopping agent system 10 for the first time, the customer is prompted to enter information related to the delivery destination into the customer terminal 40 when ordering a product.

[0045] The delivery person is identification information (e.g., a delivery person code) that is assigned to deliveries of items ordered by the order code and that uniquely identifies the delivery person.

[0046] The option information includes, for example, a selection of delivery method, a method of handling when an ordered item is out of stock, a method of handling when a discounted item is available, and the like.

[0047] The selection of delivery method is information related to the delivery method of the product. Specifically, the customer can select whether to have the product left at the delivery site or whether to have it handed over to them directly.

[0048] The method of action when an ordered item is out of stock is information that indicates what to do when the ordered item is out of stock at the store. Specifically, the customer can choose to cancel the order for the item, purchase a substitute item, or have the store inquire about the item themselves.

[0049] The method of handling when a discounted product is available is information related to the method of handling when the ordered product is priced lower than the price registered in the product master. Specifically, when a product that is close to its expiration date or use-by date is being discounted, or when a discount is being offered as a limited time sale, the customer can select whether or not to select the product.

[0050] When ordering a product, the customer can select these optional information items on the customer terminal 40.

[0051] The information stored in the order file 223 is not limited to the above, and other information may be stored. For example, if a customer is a registered member, the order file 223 may store a customer code that uniquely identifies the customer. The order file 223 may also store contact information for the customer, such as an email address or telephone number.

[0052] (Data structure of schedule management file) The data structure of the schedule management file 224 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the schedule management file.

[0053] The schedule management file 224 stores order information for delivery requests on specific dates in association with the due dates. The order information stores information such as the number of orders that can be accepted, order code, number of orders, and availability for each time period.

[0054] The time period is a time period obtained by dividing the available delivery time in one day into, for example, one-hour increments. For example, if the available delivery time in one day is from 11:00 to 20:00, the time period is set in one-hour increments, such as 11:00 to 12:00, 12:00 to 13:00, ..., 19:00 to 20:00.

[0055] The number of orders that can be accepted is the number of deliveries that can be made in advance for each time period. The number of orders that can be accepted is set appropriately depending on the number of delivery personnel.

[0056] The order code is an order code that identifies an order for which delivery is desired during each time period. If a customer sets desired delivery times across multiple time periods, the same order code is stored across multiple different time period columns in the schedule management file 224.

[0057] The number of orders is the total number of orders for each time period.

[0058] The availability is information that indicates the ratio of the number of orders to the number of orders that can be accepted in each time period. The availability may be stored as a specific percentage (%), or the calculated percentage may be compared with a preset threshold and stored as a symbol such as ◯ (available), △ (limited availability), × (no availability), etc.

[0059] The contents stored in the schedule management file 224 are updated as orders are received.

[0060] The information stored in the schedule management file 224 is not limited to the above information, and other information may be stored.

[0061] (Customer terminal hardware configuration) The hardware configuration of the customer terminal 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a customer terminal provided in the shopping agent system.

[0062] The customer terminal 40 has a configuration in which a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a peripheral device controller 44, and a communication controller 45 are interconnected by an internal bus 43.

[0063] The control unit 41 controls the overall operation of the customer terminal 40. The control unit 41 includes a CPU 411, a ROM 412, and a RAM 413. The CPU 411 is connected to the ROM 412 and the RAM 413 via internal buses such as an address bus and a data bus. The CPU 411 loads various programs stored in the ROM 412 and the storage unit 42 into the RAM 413. The CPU 411 controls the operation of the customer terminal 40 by operating in accordance with the various programs loaded into the RAM 413. In other words, the control unit 41 has the configuration of a typical computer.

[0064] The storage unit 42 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD. Alternatively, the storage unit 42 may be a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off. The storage unit 42 stores a control program 421 and an order file 422.

[0065] The control program 421 is a program that controls the overall operation of the customer terminal 40. The control program 421 may be provided in a state stored in the storage unit 42, or may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD. The control program 421 may also be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network and downloaded via the network. Furthermore, the control program 421 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0066] The order file 422 is a file in the same format as the above-mentioned order file 223. However, the difference is that the order file 223 stores order information for an unspecified number of customers, whereas the order file 422 stores only order information for orders placed from the customer terminal 40.

[0067] The control unit 41 is connected to a display device 441 and an operation device 442 via a peripheral device controller 44 .

[0068] The display device 441 outputs to the customer various information related to the shopping agent system 10. The display device 441 is, for example, a liquid crystal monitor or an organic EL monitor.

[0069] The operation device 442 acquires various operation instructions from the customer for the shopping agent system 10. The operation device 442 is, for example, a touch panel stacked on the display device 441.

[0070] The control unit 21 also performs various communications with the shopping support device 20 via the communication controller 45. The content of the information received by the customer terminal 40 and the shopping support device 20 is as described above.

[0071] (Functional configuration of the shopping agent system) The functional configuration of the shopping agent system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the shopping agent system.

[0072] First, we will explain the functional configuration of the shopping support device 20. The control unit 21 of the shopping support device 20 loads and runs a control program 221 in RAM 213, thereby realizing as functional units the order information acquisition unit 31, available delivery date and time output unit 32, desired delivery date and time acquisition unit 33, allowable time range acquisition unit 34, incentive calculation unit 35, and payment processing unit 36 ​​shown in Fig. 7. Note that all or part of these functional units may be realized by dedicated hardware.

[0073] The order information acquisition unit 31 acquires, from the customer terminal 40, order information relating to the product that the customer wishes to purchase.

[0074] The available delivery date and time output unit 32 outputs the available delivery date and available delivery time period of the ordered product to the customer terminal 40 carried by the customer in a displayable manner.

[0075] The desired delivery date and time acquisition unit 33 acquires the delivery date and delivery time slot desired by the customer from the customer terminal 40.

[0076] The allowable time range acquisition unit 34 acquires the allowable time range that the customer is willing to accept for the delivery time slot from the customer terminal 40. The allowable time range acquisition unit 34 can acquire both past and future time slots of the delivery time slot acquired by the desired delivery date and time acquisition unit 33.

[0077] The incentive calculation unit 35 sets a discount amount for a product according to the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit 34. More specifically, the incentive calculation unit 35 sets the discount amount by referring to rules, tables, etc. that indicate the relationship between a preset allowable time range and the discount amount. The incentive calculation unit 35 may also calculate the discount amount using a preset mathematical formula. Note that an upper limit is set for the discount amount, such as a predetermined percentage of the order amount or less. The upper limit of the discount amount may also be specified as an absolute value. For example, the incentive calculation unit 35 calculates the incentive based on rules such as a 10 yen discount for each time period marked "Available (◯)" that is included in the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit 34, and a 5 yen discount for each time period marked "Limited Remaining (△)" that is included. Note that the incentive calculation unit 35 may set the number of points to be awarded to the customer instead of the discount amount. The incentive calculation unit 35 is an example of a discount amount setting unit in the present disclosure.

[0078] Furthermore, the wider the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit 34, the larger the discount amount given as an incentive is set by the incentive calculation unit 35 within the upper limit range.

[0079] Furthermore, the incentive calculation unit 35 sets a larger discount amount to be given as an incentive within the upper limit range as the number of time periods in which there is availability for product delivery included in the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit 34 increases. More specifically, if a customer sets a time period in which there is no availability (a time period marked with "x" in FIG. 8 described later) in the allowable time range, the incentive calculation unit 35 does not reflect this in the calculation of the incentive.

[0080] The payment processor 36 performs payment processing to pay for the ordered products in accordance with payment instructions received from the customer terminal 40. The payment processing may be performed when the order is completed, or after the ordered products are delivered. Alternatively, payment may be performed when the order is completed, and any excess or shortage may be settled after delivery is completed.

[0081] Next, the functional configuration of the customer terminal 40 will be described. The control unit 41 of the customer terminal 40 loads and runs a control program 421 in RAM 413, thereby realizing as functional units the product selection unit 51, order information output unit 52, desired delivery date and time specification unit 53, allowable time range specification unit 54, incentive information unit 55, and payment instruction unit 56 shown in Fig. 7. Note that all or part of these functional units may be realized by dedicated hardware.

[0082] The product selection unit 51 receives information specifying the product that the customer wants to order.

[0083] The order information output unit 52 outputs information specifying the product accepted by the product selection unit 51 to the shopping support device 20.

[0084] The desired delivery date and time specification unit 53 acquires the desired delivery date and time of the ordered items specified by the customer. The desired delivery date and time specification unit 53 also allows the customer to specify the above-mentioned optional information related to the ordered items. Furthermore, the desired delivery date and time specification unit 53 outputs the desired delivery date and time received from the customer to the shopping support device 20.

[0085] The allowable time range designation unit 54 receives from the customer an allowable time range for the desired delivery time. The allowable time range designation unit 54 also outputs the allowable time range for the desired delivery time received from the customer to the shopping support device 20. The allowable time range designation unit 54 also accepts the selection of either a past time period or a future time period for the desired delivery date and time received by the desired delivery date and time designation unit 53.

[0086] The incentive information unit 55 displays the discount amount of the product calculated by the incentive calculation unit 35 of the shopping support device 20 on its own display device 441.

[0087] The payment instruction unit 56 allows the customer to specify a payment method, and outputs the payment method information and payment instructions acquired from the customer to the shopping support device 20.

[0088] (How to select desired delivery time) A method for a customer to select a desired delivery time for an ordered item using the customer terminal 40 will be described with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the customer terminal for selecting a desired delivery time slot.

[0089] After the selection of the products to be ordered is completed, the customer terminal 40 displays a screen shown in FIG. 8 for selecting the desired delivery time of the ordered products.

[0090] The screen displays delivery schedule management data 61. The delivery schedule management data 61 is data extracted from the schedule management file 224 stored in the shopping support device 20, and only includes delivery availability from the current day onwards (the ratio of the number of orders to the number of orders that can be accepted).

[0091] In the delivery schedule management data 61, symbols (circle, triangle, cross) indicating the availability of orders are assigned to each date and time slot, as described above. All of the locations (cells) with symbols can be pressed, i.e., it is possible to detect when the operation device 442 (see FIG. 6) is pressed, and the location pressed by the customer is set as the desired delivery time. In other words, only one cell can be selected on the screen in FIG. 8. When a cell is pressed, the display format changes to clearly indicate that it has been selected. FIG. 8 shows a state in which 2 / 22 (Thursday) 16:00-17:00 has been selected as the desired delivery time 62.

[0092] The customer can then set an allowable time range around the selected desired delivery time. For example, the customer can set the time period between 14:00 and 16:00 on Thursday, February 22nd in FIG. 8, i.e., a time period in the past relative to the desired delivery time 62, as the allowable time period 621. The customer can also set the time period between 17:00 and 20:00 on Thursday, February 22nd in FIG. 8, i.e., a time period in the future relative to the desired delivery time 62, as the allowable time period 622. A detailed method for setting the allowable time periods 621 and 622 will be described later (see FIG. 9). Note that the customer terminal 40 displays a message indicating that the allowable time period can be set later, as shown in FIG. 8, to prevent the customer from feeling uneasy.

[0093] (How to set the allowable time range) A method for a customer to set an allowable time range for a selected delivery function time using the customer terminal 40 will be described with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for setting an allowable time range, which is displayed on the customer terminal.

[0094] When the allowable time period 621 is selected, an allowable time range setting screen 63 is displayed on the customer terminal 40. The allowable time range setting screen 63 displays a desired delivery time 64, a negative allowable time period setting box 65, a positive allowable time period setting box 66, a discount amount 67, and a confirm button 68.

[0095] The desired delivery time 64 is the desired delivery time 62 set in FIG.

[0096] The negative side allowable time zone setting box 65 is an operation box for setting a past (hereinafter referred to as the negative side) time zone relative to the desired delivery time 64 as the allowable time range. The negative side allowable time zone setting box 65 includes a negative side allowable time range setting value 651, a positive side setting operator 652, and a negative side setting operator 653.

[0097] The negative side allowable time range setting value 651 indicates the set negative side time period.

[0098] The plus side setting operator 652 is an operator that narrows the minus side allowable time range, i.e., shifts the time to the plus side. Each time the plus side setting operator 652 is pressed, the time is shifted to the plus side by a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 hours). The shifted time is immediately reflected in the minus side allowable time range setting value 651.

[0099] The minus side setting operator 653 is an operator that widens the minus side allowable time range, that is, shifts the time to the minus side. Each time the minus side setting operator 653 is pressed, it shifts the time to the minus side by a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 hours). The shifted time is immediately reflected in the minus side allowable time range setting value 651.

[0100] The plus side allowable time zone setting box 66 is an operation box for setting a future (hereinafter referred to as the plus side) time zone as the allowable time range relative to the desired delivery time 64. The plus side allowable time zone setting box 66 includes a plus side allowable time range setting value 661, a plus side setting operator 662, and a minus side setting operator 663.

[0101] The plus side allowable time range setting value 661 indicates the set plus side time period.

[0102] The plus side setting operator 662 is an operator that widens the plus side allowable time range, that is, shifts the time to the plus side. Each time the plus side setting operator 662 is pressed, it shifts the time to the plus side by a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 hours). The shifted time is immediately reflected in the plus side allowable time range setting value 661.

[0103] The minus side setting operator 663 is an operator that narrows the plus side allowable time range, i.e., shifts the time to the minus side. Each time the minus side setting operator 663 is pressed, it shifts the time to the minus side by a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 hours). The shifted time is immediately reflected in the plus side allowable time range setting value 661.

[0104] 9, the unit of time for negative side allowable time range setting value 651 and positive side allowable time range setting value 661 is "hours," but the unit of time may also be "minutes." If the unit of time is "minutes," for example, each time positive side setting operator 652 is pressed once, the time is shifted to the positive side by a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes, etc.), and each time negative side setting operator 663 is pressed once, the time is shifted to the negative side by a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes, etc.).

[0105] Furthermore, the upper and lower limits of the allowable time range may be set within the business hours of the desired delivery date, or the allowable time range may be limited to a predetermined time slot before or after the desired delivery time period. Even if there is no availability in the relevant time period (marked with an x ​​in Figure 8), the time period may be set to be included in the allowable time range, but as mentioned above, allowing a time period that is not available will not increase the incentive.

[0106] The discount amount 67 is the discount amount corresponding to the incentive calculated by the shopping support device 20. If the incentive is given in points, the number of points is displayed instead of the discount amount 67. The amount displayed in the discount amount 67 is updated in response to changes in the negative allowable time range setting value 651 and the positive allowable time range setting value 661.

[0107] The decision button 68 is an operator for finalizing the settings of the negative allowable time range setting value 651, the positive allowable time range setting value 661, and the discount amount 67.

[0108] To further improve operability, it is desirable to display the desired delivery time selection screen shown in FIG. 8 and the allowable time range setting screen shown in FIG. 9 on the same screen.

[0109] (Process flow for setting the desired delivery date and time and the acceptable time range for the ordered product) The process flow for the shopping agent system 10 to set the desired delivery date and time and the allowable time range for an ordered product will be described using Figure 10. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the process flow for the shopping agent system of the embodiment to set the desired delivery date and time and the allowable time range for an ordered product.

[0110] First, the flow of processing performed by the customer terminal 40 will be described.

[0111] The product selection unit 51 accepts a search operation by the customer and displays a corresponding product list on the display device 441. Then, the product selection unit 51 acquires a selection operation by the customer on the product list, thereby accepting information specifying the product to be ordered by the customer (step S11).

[0112] The order information output unit 52 outputs information (product list) specifying the products selected by the product selection unit 51 to the shopping support device 20 (step S12).

[0113] The desired delivery date and time specification unit 53 acquires the delivery schedule management data 61 shown in Fig. 8 from the shopping support device 20 and displays it on the display device 441 (step S13). The delivery schedule management data 61 is data extracted from the schedule management file 224 stored in the shopping support device 20, and only includes availability from the current day onwards (the ratio of the number of orders to the number of orders that can be accepted).

[0114] The desired delivery date and time specification unit 53 accepts the customer's selection operation on the delivery schedule management data 61, thereby accepting the specification of the desired delivery date and time (step S14).

[0115] 9 on the display device 441. Then, the allowable time range designation unit 54 receives, from the customer on the allowable time range setting screen 63, the allowable time range for the desired delivery time designated in step S14 (step S15).

[0116] The desired delivery date and time designation unit 53 outputs the desired delivery time for the ordered items to the shopping support device 20. Furthermore, the allowable time range designation unit 54 outputs the allowable time range for the desired delivery time to the shopping support device 20 (step S16).

[0117] The incentive information unit 55 acquires the set incentive (for example, discount amount) from the shopping support device 20 (step S17).

[0118] The allowable time range designation unit 54 determines whether the decision button 68 displayed on the allowable time range setting screen 63 has been pressed (step S18). If it is determined that the decision button 68 has been pressed (step S18: Yes), the process proceeds to step S19. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the decision button 68 has been pressed (step S18: No), the process returns to step S15, where the allowable time range for the desired delivery time is reset.

[0119] If it is determined in step S18 that the decision button 68 has been pressed, the desired delivery date and time specification unit 53 prompts the customer to specify optional information. Furthermore, the payment instruction unit 56 prompts the customer to specify a payment method (step S19). Thereafter, the customer terminal 40 ends the process of setting the desired delivery date and time and the allowable time range for the product.

[0120] Next, the flow of processing performed by the shopping support device 20 will be described.

[0121] The order information acquisition unit 31 acquires an order list, which is order information relating to products that a customer wishes to purchase, from the customer terminal 40 (step S31).

[0122] The available delivery date and time output unit 32 outputs the delivery schedule management data 61 shown in FIG. 8 to the customer terminal 40 (step S32).

[0123] The desired delivery date and time acquisition unit 33 acquires the desired delivery date and time selected by the customer from the customer terminal 40. Furthermore, the allowable time range acquisition unit 34 acquires the allowable time range selected by the customer from the customer terminal 40 (step S33).

[0124] The incentive calculation unit 35 calculates an incentive (for example, a discount amount) to be given to the customer based on the permissible time range acquired in step S33 (step S34).

[0125] The incentive calculation unit 35 outputs the incentive calculated in step S34 to the customer terminal 40 (step S35). After that, the shopping support device 20 ends the process of setting the desired delivery date and time and the allowable time range for the product.

[0126] As described above, the shopping support device 20 (information processing device) of this embodiment includes an order information acquisition unit 31 that acquires order information related to a product desired by a customer; an available delivery date and time output unit 32 that displays the available delivery date and time slot for the product on the customer terminal 40 held by the customer; a desired delivery date and time acquisition unit 33 that acquires the customer's desired delivery date and time slot; an allowable time range acquisition unit 34 that acquires the allowable time range the customer is willing to accept for the delivery time slot; and an incentive calculation unit 35 (discount amount setting unit) that sets a discount amount for the product based on the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit 34. Therefore, because the available delivery time slots for the product and the allowable time based on those time slots are presented, the customer can set a desired delivery time slot that suits their convenience with easier operation. In particular, this embodiment can reduce the mismatch between available delivery time slots and the number of people wishing to use the shopping agent service.

[0127] Furthermore, in the shopping support device 20 (information processing device) of this embodiment, the allowable time range acquisition unit 34 can acquire both past and future delivery time slots acquired by the desired delivery date and time acquisition unit 33. Therefore, the customer can set the allowable range of delivery time with a high degree of freedom according to his or her own convenience.

[0128] Furthermore, in the shopping support device 20 (information processing device) of this embodiment, the incentive calculation unit 35 (discount amount setting unit) sets a larger discount amount within the upper limit range as the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit 34 becomes wider. Therefore, by setting a wider desired delivery time slot, the customer can receive an incentive in the form of a discount on the product. Furthermore, the wider the set allowable time range, the greater the degree of freedom in allocating delivery personnel, thereby reducing the mismatch between available delivery time slots and the number of people wishing to use the shopping agent service.

[0129] Furthermore, in the shopping support device 20 (information processing device) of this embodiment, the incentive calculation unit 35 (discount amount setting unit) sets a larger discount amount within the upper limit range as the number of time slots within the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit 34 that include time slots with ample time for product delivery increases. This makes it possible to further reduce the mismatch between the available delivery time slots and the number of people wishing to use the shopping agent service.

[0130] The method by which the incentive calculation unit 35 calculates the incentive is not limited to the method described in the embodiment.

[0131] For example, the incentive calculation unit 35 may change the weighting when calculating the incentive for the desired delivery time 62 (see FIG. 8) using the negative allowable time slot setting box 65 and the positive allowable time slot setting box 66. Specifically, a 10 yen discount may be applied when the allowable time slot is allowed one hour on the positive side, and a 30 yen discount may be applied when the allowable time slot is allowed one hour on the negative side.

[0132] Furthermore, the incentive calculation unit 35 may provide a higher incentive the further the acceptable time slot is from the desired delivery time 62. Specifically, if 6 PM is selected as the desired delivery time, and 5 PM or 7 PM, which are one hour away from 6 PM, are selected as the acceptable time, a 10 yen discount may be provided, and if 4 PM or 8 PM, which are two hours away from the desired delivery time, are selected as the acceptable time, a 30 yen discount may be provided.

[0133] Furthermore, instead of setting a higher incentive for a more flexible time slot selected, the incentive calculation unit 35 may set a higher incentive according to the total value of the allowed time. Specifically, the incentive may be reduced by 50 yen for every hour of the total value of the allowed time.

[0134] In this way, by providing incentives according to the acceptable delivery time, customers are encouraged to set the acceptable delivery time as broadly as possible. This increases the flexibility of the delivery staff allocation, further reducing the mismatch between the available delivery time slots and the number of people who wish to use the shopping agent service.

[0135] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 10 Shopping agent system 20 Shopping support device (information processing device) 31 Order Information Acquisition Unit 32 Delivery date and time output section 33 Desired delivery date and time acquisition section 34 Allowable time range acquisition unit 35 Incentive calculation unit (discount amount setting unit) 36 Payment processing section 40 Customer terminals 51 Product Selection Section 52 Order information output section 53 Desired delivery date and time specification section 54 Allowable time range specification section 55 Incentive Information Department 56 Payment Instruction Section 61 Delivery schedule management data 62 Desired delivery time 621,622 Allowable time slots 63 Allowable time range setting screen 64 Desired delivery time 65 Minus allowable time period setting box 651 Minus allowable time range setting value 652 Plus side setting operator 653 Minus setting operator 66 Positive allowable time period setting box 661 Positive allowable time range setting value 662 Plus side setting operator 663 Minus side setting operator 67 Discount amount 68 Decision button N Network [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0137] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-028694

Claims

1. an order information acquisition unit that acquires order information relating to a product that a customer wishes to purchase; a delivery date and time output unit that displays the delivery date and delivery time period of the product on a customer terminal carried by the customer; a desired delivery date and time acquisition unit that acquires the delivery date and delivery time slot desired by the customer; an allowable time range acquisition unit that acquires an allowable time range that the customer allows for the delivery time slot; a discount amount setting unit that sets a discount amount for the product in accordance with the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit, Information processing device.

2. the allowable time range acquisition unit is capable of acquiring both past and future time slots of the delivery time slot acquired by the desired delivery date and time acquisition unit, The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the discount amount setting unit sets the discount amount to a larger amount within an upper limit range as the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit becomes wider; 3. The information processing device according to claim 1.

4. the discount amount setting unit sets the discount amount to a larger amount within an upper limit value range as the time periods included in the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit include more time periods during which there is ample time to deliver the product; The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. A computer that controls an information processing device an order information acquisition unit that acquires order information relating to a product that a customer wishes to purchase; a delivery date and time presentation unit that presents the customer with the date and time when the product can be delivered; a desired delivery date and time acquisition unit that acquires the delivery date and delivery time slot desired by the customer; an allowable time range acquisition unit that acquires an allowable time range that the customer allows for the delivery time slot; a discount amount calculation unit that calculates a discount amount for the product in accordance with the allowable time range acquired by the allowable time range acquisition unit; A program that makes it work.

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