Apparatus for providing service based on information on coupons and method thereof

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method for providing information via an electronic device is disclosed, comprising the following steps: obtaining input related to the use of a service from a customer; confirming information on a coupon to be provided to the customer based on one or more pieces of information related to the customer; constructing a page for the use of the service based on the coupon information; and providing the page to the customer; wherein the one or more pieces of information related to the customer includes one or more of the following: customer account information, information on the time when the customer last purchased an item, and information on the time elapsed from the time when the customer last purchased an item to the present.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device and method for providing services based on coupon information. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic device and method for confirming coupon information provided to a customer, creating a webpage for utilizing the service based on the coupon information, and providing it to the customer. Prior Art

[0002] With the development of electronic technology, e-commerce has become a major player in the shopping world. Customers can purchase items online without having to visit a shopping mall or market in person, and the items purchased online will be delivered to the customer's requested delivery location.

[0003] Throughout the e-commerce process, customers can use computers or other terminals connected to the Internet to view items on sale, view detailed information about items of interest, and decide whether to purchase them.

[0004] On the other hand, when purchasing goods through e-commerce, services can be flexibly provided based on various circumstances, such as offering discounts or adjusting the selling price based on customer information. However, because customers are not clearly aware of the available discounts, there is a problem in that these discounts fail to effectively increase customer satisfaction and sales. For example, there are cases where a customer is eligible for a discount on a particular item but is unaware of it and does not purchase the item. Alternatively, there are cases where a customer receives a discount at the time of purchase but is not clearly aware of the discount.

[0005] For related content, please refer to previous literature such as KR101578147B1 and KR101664034B1. Summary of the Invention

[0006] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The problem to be solved by this embodiment is: In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an electronic device and a method thereof are provided, wherein the electronic device obtains input related to the use of a service from a customer, confirms information about a coupon to be provided to the customer based on one or more information related to the customer, constructs a page for use of the service based on the information about the coupon, and provides the page to the customer, wherein the one or more information related to the customer includes one or more of the following information: customer account information, information about the time when the customer last purchased an item, and information about the time elapsed from the time when the customer last purchased an item to the present.

[0008] The technical problems to be solved by this embodiment are not limited to the technical problems described above, and other technical problems can be derived based on the following embodiments. [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0009] One embodiment of a method for providing information via an electronic device includes the following steps: obtaining input related to the use of a service from a customer; confirming information about a coupon to be provided to the customer based on one or more information related to the customer; constructing a page for use of the service based on the information about the coupon; and providing the page to the customer; and the one or more information related to the customer includes one or more of the following information: the customer's account information, information about the time when the customer last purchased an item, and information about the time that has passed from the time when the customer last purchased an item to the present.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the step of constructing a page for utilizing the above-mentioned service may include the following steps: including the information of the above-mentioned coupon in a part of the above-mentioned page.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the steps of constructing a page for utilizing the above-mentioned service may include the following steps: confirming whether one or more items whose information is included in the above-mentioned page are applicable to the above-mentioned coupon; and when at least one of the above-mentioned one or more items is applicable to the above-mentioned coupon, including the information of the above-mentioned coupon in a part of the above-mentioned page.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the one or more items may include at least a portion of the items whose information is included on the page that meet the set conditions.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the step of confirming whether the above-mentioned coupon is applicable to the first item may include the following steps: with respect to the first item including the above-mentioned one or more items, respectively confirming one or more candidate coupons for which the above-mentioned first item can be applicable; for each of the above-mentioned one or more candidate coupons, confirming the discount information obtained by the above-mentioned customer when the coupon is applied to the above-mentioned first item; and based on the discount information of each of the above-mentioned one or more candidate coupons, determining whether it is appropriate to apply the above-mentioned coupon to the above-mentioned first item.

[0014] According to one embodiment, when at least one of the one or more items is an item to which the coupon is applicable, the electronic device may display the information of the coupon together with the information of the item to which the coupon is applicable.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the method for providing information may further include the following steps: obtaining input from the customer for moving to another page; constructing the other page based on information of the coupon when the coupon has not expired and the other page is related to the use of the service; and providing the other page to the customer.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the step of constructing a page for utilizing the above-mentioned service may include the following steps: constructing the above-mentioned page in a manner including a user interface related to the utilization of the above-mentioned coupon; and the above-mentioned user interface includes information of the above-mentioned coupon.

[0017] According to one embodiment, when receiving the input of the customer corresponding to the user interface, the method of providing information may further include the following steps: introducing information of one or more items that become the application objects of the coupon when purchasing.

[0018] According to one embodiment, when receiving the customer's input corresponding to the user interface, the method of providing information may further include the following steps: introducing detailed discount information related to the coupon.

[0019] According to one embodiment, when the customer obtains input including an intention to use the coupon and the customer does not withdraw the intention, the electronic device can reconstruct the page and provide it to the customer in a manner that does not include the coupon information on the page.

[0020] An electronic device for providing information in one embodiment includes a transceiver, a memory for storing commands, and a processor; the processor is connected to the transceiver and the memory, obtains input related to the use of a service from a customer, confirms information about a coupon to be provided to the customer based on one or more information related to the customer, constructs a page for use of the service based on the information about the coupon, and provides the page to the customer; and the one or more information related to the customer includes one or more of the following information: the customer's account information, the time when the customer last purchased an item, and the time elapsed from the time when the customer last purchased an item to the present.

[0021] Specific matters of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, a device and method for providing services based on coupon information can effectively improve customer satisfaction and increase product sales by making customers clearly aware of the available discounts during e-commerce.

[0023] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above. A person skilled in the art can clearly understand other effects not mentioned based on the description of the patent application scope. Simple diagram description

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a system for providing services based on coupon information according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of various devices in a system for providing services based on coupon information according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for illustratively illustrating a customer interface related to coupon utilization according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for introducing detailed discount information related to a coupon according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are diagrams for illustratively illustrating a method for constructing a search page and an item detail page for an information item based on a coupon according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for constructing a shopping cart page and a checkout page based on coupon information according to an embodiment. FIG8 is a flowchart of a method for providing services based on coupon information in an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment. Implementation Method

[0025] The terms used in the examples are selected based on the functions of the present invention and are generally used to the greatest extent possible. However, they may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, and so on. Furthermore, in certain cases, there may be terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant. In such cases, their meanings will be detailed in the corresponding description. Therefore, the terms used in this invention should be defined based on their meaning and the overall content of the invention, rather than simply based on their names.

[0026] When a component is referred to throughout this specification as "including" another component, this does not exclude other components and may include them unless otherwise stated. Furthermore, terms such as "unit" and "module" used in this specification refer to a unit that performs at least one function or operation. Such a unit may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0027] The expression "at least one of a, b, and c" throughout the specification may include "a alone," "b alone," "c alone," "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "a, b, and c."

[0028] The term "terminal" referred to below can be implemented as a computer or portable terminal that can connect to a server or other terminals via a network. Computers include, for example, notebook computers, desktops, and laptops equipped with web browsers. Portable terminals, which are wireless communication devices designed for portability and mobility, include, for example, IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication terminals, as well as all types of handheld wireless communication devices, including smartphones and tablets.

[0029] The following describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments shown herein.

[0030] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0031] When describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical contents that are well known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is because by omitting redundant descriptions, the main idea of the present invention is clearly conveyed and the main idea of the present invention is avoided.

[0032] For similar reasons, some components may be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not necessarily reflect actual dimensions. In the drawings, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0033] The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as methods for achieving the same, will become more apparent by referring to the embodiments described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and can be implemented in various forms. These embodiments are provided solely to provide a more complete disclosure of the present invention and to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the technical field to which the present invention pertains. The present invention is limited solely by the scope of the claims. Throughout this specification, identical reference numerals designate identical components.

[0034] At this point, it should be understood that the combination of each block in the process flow chart and the flowchart can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be loaded onto a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device. Therefore, the instructions, when executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, produce a method for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. To implement the functions in a specific manner, these computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory accessible to the computer or other programmable data processing device. The instructions stored in the computer-usable or computer-readable memory can produce an article of manufacture containing the instruction method that performs the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device. Therefore, the computer or other programmable data processing device executes a series of action steps to produce a process executed by the computer. Therefore, the instructions executed by the computer or other programmable data processing device can also provide steps for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart.

[0035] Furthermore, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions described in the blocks may not occur in the order in which they are presented. For example, two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially simultaneously, or may occasionally be executed in the reverse order depending on the corresponding functions.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a system for providing services based on coupon information according to an embodiment.

[0037] According to various embodiments, a system for providing a service based on coupon information includes an electronic device 110 and a customer terminal 120. One embodiment of the system for providing a service based on coupon information may further include a network that supports information transmission and reception between the electronic device 110, the customer terminal 120, and at least a portion of external devices.

[0038] The electronic device 110 and customer terminal 120 of the system for providing service price information based on coupon information may include a transceiver, memory, and a processor. Furthermore, the electronic device 110 and customer terminal 120 each represent a unit that processes at least one function or action, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, although the electronic device 110 and customer terminal 120 are referred to as separate devices and a server throughout the embodiments, this may be a logically separate structure, implemented as separate functions within a single device or server.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 and the customer's terminal 120 may include multiple computer systems or computer software implemented via a network server. For example, at least a portion of the electronic device 110 and the customer's terminal 120 may refer to the following computer systems and computer software: lower-level devices connected to other network servers via a computer network (such as an intranet or the Internet), communicating with them, accepting job execution requests, executing corresponding jobs, and providing execution results. Furthermore, at least a portion of the electronic device 110 and the customer's terminal 120 can be understood in a broad sense to include a series of application programs that can operate on the network server and various databases built within it. For example, at least a portion of the electronic device 110 and the customer's terminal 120 may be implemented using various network server programs provided by operating systems such as DOS (Disk Operating System), Windows, Linux, UNIX, or Mac.

[0040] On the other hand, for the sake of convenience, each action subject is referred to as an electronic device 110 and a customer terminal 120, but each action subject should be understood as a comprehensive device, which can correspond to various types of devices such as computer devices and mobile communication terminals, or include various types of devices, or be included in various types of devices.

[0041] The electronic device 110 can be a device that obtains and provides various information. The electronic device 110 can perform various operations to provide services to customers. The services provided to customers may include, but are not limited to, shopping services for purchasing items.

[0042] More specifically, the operation of electronic device 110 involves obtaining input from a customer regarding the use of a service, confirming information about a coupon to be provided to the customer based on one or more pieces of information related to the customer, creating a page for using the service based on the coupon information, and providing the page to the customer. In this regard, the one or more pieces of information related to the customer include one or more of the following: customer account information, the time of the customer's last purchase, and the time elapsed since the customer's last purchase.

[0043] Furthermore, in this regard, input related to service utilization can be obtained from the customer's terminal 120, and the resulting page can be provided to the customer's terminal 120, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, according to an embodiment, the customer can also directly provide input related to service utilization using an input device of the electronic device 110 (e.g., a mouse connected to the electronic device 110), or directly obtain the page using an output device of the electronic device 110 (e.g., the screen of the electronic device 110).

[0044] A customer may be an entity that obtains a service (e.g., purchases an item for sale) through a terminal connected to the Internet. The customer's terminal 120 may be a device operated and managed by the customer. The customer's terminal 120 may receive user input from the customer, etc., or receive information from the electronic device 110, etc., and perform corresponding actions. For example, the customer's terminal 120 may obtain a webpage for utilizing the service from the electronic device 110 and provide it to the customer (e.g., by displaying it on a screen). Furthermore, the customer's terminal 120 may also obtain information from the electronic device 110 that forms the basis for the webpage, construct the webpage based on this information, and provide it to the customer.

[0045] More detailed matters related to the electronic device 110 and the customer's terminal 120 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 .

[0046] The actions associated with the series of information provision methods of various embodiments can be implemented by a single physical device or by an organic combination of multiple physical devices. For example, at least a portion of the components of a system for providing services based on coupon information can be implemented as any one physical device, while the remaining components can be implemented as other physical devices. For example, any one physical device can be implemented as part of electronic device 110, while the other physical devices can be implemented as part of the customer's terminal 120 or as part of another external device.

[0047] Depending on the circumstances, the components of the system for providing services based on coupon information can also be implemented by distributing them across different physical devices, with these distributed components organically combined to perform the functions and actions of the system for providing services based on coupon information. For example, in this specification, electronic device 110 includes at least one sub-device, and it is described that a portion of the actions performed by electronic device 110 can be performed by a first sub-unit, while another portion of the actions can be performed by a second sub-unit.

[0048] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of various devices in a system for providing services based on coupon information according to an embodiment.

[0049] 2 , an electronic device 110 of one embodiment obtains input related to service utilization from a customer ( 201 ). Input related to service utilization may include, but is not limited to, input for starting service utilization (e.g., input for executing an application for service utilization). For example, input related to service utilization may further include various types of input: item search input, input for entering an item detail page, input for adding an item to a shopping cart, input for entering a checkout page for payment, and input for completing payment.

[0050] The electronic device 110 confirms the information of the coupon provided to the customer based on one or more information related to the customer (202). The action of "confirming" the information of the coupon provided to the customer may also include the action of obtaining the information of the coupon, and should be broadly interpreted to include various types of actions, that is, it may also include the action of querying or using the information of the obtained or stored coupon.

[0051] The one or more pieces of information related to a customer include one or more of the following: customer account information, the time of the customer's last purchase, and the time elapsed between the customer's last purchase and the current time. The time of the customer's last purchase and the time elapsed between the customer's last purchase and the current time may be related to each other, but (depending on whether the current time is included as a parameter) they are not actually the same information.

[0052] The "coupon provided to the customer" determined based on the above information may include coupons issued to encourage the customer to use the service if the customer has not used the service for a specified period of time. "Not using the service for a specified period of time" may also include not connecting to the service for a specified period of time, or not achieving the purpose of using the service for a specified period of time (for example, using a shopping service without purchasing anything). The meaning of this term can be defined in various ways depending on the embodiment.

[0053] The terms "welcome back coupon" and "return customer discount coupon" described below should be understood as user-friendly names for the aforementioned "coupon provided when service has not been provided for a specified period of time." However, since the scope of coupons in this invention is not necessarily limited to "coupons provided when service has not been provided for a specified period of time," the following examples using terms such as "welcome back coupon" and "return customer discount coupon" should be understood to apply to various types of coupons within the scope of this invention (not just specific types).

[0054] Although FIG2 illustrates that action 201 of obtaining input related to service utilization is performed before action 202 of confirming information about coupons provided to customers, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, at least a portion of action 201 and action 202 may overlap and be performed simultaneously, or action 202 may be performed before action 201. Various embodiments fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0055] When the action of Figure 202 is performed before the action of Figure 201, it can be understood that the information of the coupons that can be provided is confirmed in advance for each customer, and when the input related to the use of the service is obtained from the customer, the (pre-confirmed) coupon information corresponding to the corresponding customer is used.

[0056] For the sake of convenience, the following describes an embodiment in which the action of Figure 201 is first performed and then the action of Figure 202 is performed. However, it should be understood that other embodiments can also refer to the following description.

[0057] Based on the confirmed coupon information, the electronic device 110 creates a page (203) for using the service and provides the created page to the customer (204). In one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may include the coupon information in a portion of the page. However, the method of creating the page is not limited to "including the coupon information"; various embodiments may include methods that indirectly display the result of applying the coupon (e.g., the discounted price).

[0058] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may include a user interface related to the use of coupons. In this regard, the user interface related to the use of coupons may include information about the coupons (but not necessarily).

[0059] According to one embodiment, upon receiving customer input in a user interface, the electronic device 110 may provide information related to coupon usage in response to the customer input. According to one example, upon receiving customer input in a user interface, the electronic device 110 may provide information about one or more items that are eligible for the coupon upon purchase. According to another example, upon receiving customer input in a user interface, the electronic device 110 may provide detailed discount information related to the coupon.

[0060] FIG3 illustrates a more detailed example of a page structured to include a user interface related to coupon usage. Referring further to FIG3 , an example of a user interface related to coupon usage included on a page structured by electronic device 110 is shown as FIG310 . The user interface in FIG310 may include a phrase such as "Kim Cheol-soo's exclusive 10,000 won coupon." Furthermore, the user interface may include a "Details" button. Upon receiving a customer's click, detailed discount information related to the coupon is presented (see FIG320 ). Referring to FIG320 , it can be seen that the detailed discount information in one embodiment may include the following: information about the products eligible for coupon application ("Products displayed with 'Return Visit' can be used immediately"), information about the discount ("Discount amount 10,000 won"), information about how to apply the coupon ("Automatically apply coupon at checkout"), and time information related to coupon application ("Use within 22:12:51").

[0061] Furthermore, the detailed discount information in Figure 320 includes a "View Recommended Items for Which Coupons Can Be Used" button. Upon receiving a customer's input on this button, the electronic device 110 may present information about one or more items for which the coupons can be applied upon purchase (see Figure 330 ). According to an embodiment, the page presenting information about one or more items may also provide functionality for purchasing the corresponding items. For example, in Figure 330 , the information about one or more items may include functionality for linking to detailed pages related to each item, functionality for adding each item to a shopping cart, functionality for immediately redirecting to the checkout page for the corresponding item, and so on. All types of functionality for purchasing items fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0062] The example in FIG. 3 is equivalent to an example of a "page for executing an application for service utilization" that includes a user interface related to the use of coupons. However, it should be understood that when constructing other types of pages that include a user interface related to the use of coupons, the content described in FIG. 3 can also be used as a reference.

[0063] Figure 320 corresponds to an example of introducing detailed discount information related to a coupon. FIG4 further shows another example (400) of introducing detailed discount information related to a coupon. Referring to FIG4, the detailed discount information of one embodiment may include: information introducing the corresponding user as the target of the discount for which the coupon is applicable ((a): "Only presented to customers who are eligible for the "Welcome Back Coupon"", (b): "When checking out a product with the "Welcome Back Coupon" displayed"), and information introducing the discount ((a): "Enjoy a 7,000 won discount immediately after purchase", (b): "Kim Cheol-soo enjoys a 7,000 won discount immediately"). In addition, the detailed discount information of one embodiment includes a "Start Shopping" button. If the customer inputs the corresponding button, the electronic device 110 may also provide a page including a function for purchasing the item when purchasing one or more items that are eligible for the coupon.

[0064] Returning to Figure 2, the electronic device 110 of one embodiment determines whether one or more items, whose information is included on the page, are eligible for the coupon. If at least one of the items is eligible for the coupon, the coupon information is included in a portion of the page. Regarding the "determining whether the coupon is eligible," more specifically, the electronic device 110 of one embodiment may determine as follows: if the item is eligible for the coupon, then the item is eligible for the coupon, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electronic device 110 of another embodiment may determine as follows: although the coupon is eligible, if the item is not eligible for the corresponding coupon, then the item is not eligible for the coupon.

[0065] According to a more specific embodiment of determining whether a coupon is suitable for application, for a first item included in one or more items, the electronic device 110 may identify one or more candidate coupons for which the first item can be applied. For each of the one or more candidate coupons identified, the electronic device 110 may identify the discount information that the customer would receive if the coupon was applied to the first item. Based on the discount information for each of the one or more candidate coupons identified, the electronic device 110 may determine whether the coupon is suitable for application to the first item.

[0066] Circumstances where a coupon is not suitable for use include, for example, situations where a better offer is offered by another candidate coupon that cannot be used in conjunction with the offer of the corresponding coupon (for example, a KRW 10,000 discount is available when the corresponding coupon is used, but a KRW 15,000 discount is available when the other candidate coupon is used); and situations where a substantially identical offer is offered by another candidate coupon that cannot be used in conjunction with the offer of the corresponding coupon, but with a greater number of uses (for example, a KRW 10,000 discount is available when the other candidate coupon is used).

[0067] According to one embodiment, when at least one of the more than one items is an item to which a coupon can be applied, the electronic device 110 may display the coupon information together with the information of the item to which the coupon can be applied.

[0068] On the other hand, "a page includes one or more items whose information is displayed" may include, but is not limited to, items whose information is directly displayed on the page. For example, if a portion of information is hidden to overcome space limitations on a page and a function is provided to display the hidden information upon user request (e.g., a page scrolling function), the items that are hidden and can be displayed upon user request are also included within the scope of "a page includes one or more items whose information is displayed."

[0069] Furthermore, "one or more items whose information is included on the page" may include at least some of the multiple items whose information is included on the page that meet the set conditions. That is, even if the page includes information about the item, if the item does not meet the set conditions, it cannot be considered for coupon eligibility. For example, electronic device 110 may determine whether up to 30 items are eligible for coupon eligibility, sorted by display priority, from highest to lowest. In this example, the set condition may be "within the top 30 items when listed in order of display priority."

[0070] Furthermore, according to embodiments, the present invention also considers whether a coupon is eligible for use when determining whether to apply it. In this regard, when determining whether an item that meets the set conditions is eligible for a coupon, there may be concerns about whether considering the coupon's eligibility is inconsistent. However, the specific criteria for determining "coupon eligibility" and "coupon eligibility" may differ (for example, "coupon eligibility" may be determined based on whether the item is a coupon-eligible item, while "coupon eligibility" may be determined based on whether the coupon is suitable for use). Therefore, determining whether a coupon is eligible for use is not inconsistent. Furthermore, even if the criteria for determining "coupon eligibility" and "coupon eligibility" are the same or similar, it is difficult to conclude that iterative learning methods, which use output as new input to achieve optimal results in various fields such as machine learning, are flawed.

[0071] Figures 5 through 7 illustrate more detailed examples of how pages are formed based on whether there is at least one item eligible for a coupon. Referring further to Figure 5 , if "HH Company Natural Kitchen Cleaner, Unscented, 500 ml, 1 bottle" is determined to be an item eligible for a coupon among one or more items included in item search page 510, electronic device 110 includes coupon information in a portion of the page (specifically, at the bottom of the page). An example of this information may include information such as "Buy now on items marked with 'Return Visit' and receive an instant discount of 12,000 won," as shown in figure 512 . Furthermore, electronic device 110 may display coupon information alongside information about the item eligible for the coupon, namely HH Company Natural Kitchen Cleaner. An example of this information may include information such as "Coupon discount of 8,000 won" or "Apply a return visit coupon once for a discount," as shown in figure 511 .

[0072] Even when providing a detailed page 520 for the item "HH Company Natural Kitchen Cleaner, Unscented, 500 ml, 1 bottle," which is the target of a coupon application, the electronic device 110 can include coupon information in a portion of the page (specifically, at the bottom of the page). An example of this could include information such as "Kim Cheol-soo can now enjoy a 12,000 won coupon discount," as shown in figure 522. Furthermore, the electronic device 110 can display coupon information alongside the item's detailed information. An example of this could include information such as "8,000 won coupon discount" or "Apply a return customer coupon discount once," as shown in figure 521.

[0073] 6 , when one or more items included in item search page 610 are determined to be eligible for coupons, electronic device 110 may include coupon information in a portion of the page (specifically, at the top of the page). For example, this may include information such as "A 7,000 KRW discount applies to "Welcome Back" items" and "This message is only displayed to eligible customers," as shown in figure 612 . Furthermore, electronic device 110 may display coupon information in conjunction with information about eligible items. For example, this may include providing a message such as "A Welcome Back Discount applies" as part of or in conjunction with an image of each item, as shown in figure 611 .

[0074] Even when providing a detailed page 620 for an item eligible for a coupon, such as "HH Company Natural Kitchen Cleaner, Unscented, 500 ml, 1 bottle," the electronic device 110 can include coupon information in a portion of the page (specifically, at the top of the page, in addition to the item image). For example, this can include information such as "Apply a 7,000 won welcome-back discount at checkout" and "Only available to eligible customers, limited to one time per person," as shown in figure 622. Furthermore, the electronic device 110 can display coupon information alongside the item's detailed information. For example, this can include information such as "Coupon discount of 7,000 won" and "Apply a welcome-back coupon discount," as shown in figure 621.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 7 , if "HH Company Natural Kitchen Cleaner, Unscented, 500 ml, 1 Bottle" is determined to be an item eligible for a welcome-back coupon among one or more items included in the shopping cart page 710 ("II Company Concentrated Gel Washing Machine Detergent, 2.1L" is also eligible for the coupon, but is not eligible for the welcome-back coupon), the electronic device 110 may include information about the welcome-back coupon in a portion of the page (specifically, at the top of the page). An example of this may include information such as "Apply a total of 7,000 won off this order with the welcome-back coupon" and "23:44:12," as shown in figure 712 ("23:44:12" corresponds to the remaining time available for the welcome-back coupon). Furthermore, the electronic device 110 may display the coupon information in conjunction with the information about the items eligible for the coupon. An example of this may include providing a message such as "Apply coupon at checkout" in conjunction with the description of each item, as shown in figure 711 .

[0076] Even when providing a checkout page 720 for shopping cart items, the electronic device 110 may include coupon information in a portion of the page. An example of this may include discount information applied through a coupon, such as "Apply 10,000 won discount," as shown in figure 722; it may include information such as "Total coupon discount - 10,000 won," "Apply welcome back coupon discount - 7,000 won," etc., as shown in figure 721.

[0077] The examples in Figures 5 and 6 display discount information obtained through specific types of coupons ("Welcome Back Coupon" and "Return Customer Discount Coupon"). In contrast, the example in Figure 7 further displays discount information obtained through different types of coupons (specifically, discounts on II Company's concentrated gel drum washing machine detergent obtained through other coupons, not welcome back coupons). These differences in implementation are merely specific implementations and are not in conflict with each other. Rather, it should be understood that all of the aforementioned methods for displaying coupon information fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0078] At the same time, it can be confirmed in the examples of Figures 5 to 7 that the form of the displayed coupon information may partially differ depending on the embodiment. Even for the same type of embodiment (the embodiment shown in the same figure), the form of the displayed coupon information may partially differ depending on the type of page.

[0079] On the other hand, throughout this disclosure, including the examples in Figures 5 to 7 , the action of including coupon information in "a portion" of a page can be understood to include: including the coupon information so as to constitute a portion of the page; and providing a separate pop-up window or additional space such as a bottom sheet, and including the coupon information in that space.

[0080] Returning to Figure 2 , in one embodiment, electronic device 110 can receive input from a customer to navigate to another page (this input can be received from the customer's terminal 120, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto). In this scenario, if the coupon has not expired and the other page is related to the use of the service, electronic device 110 can create the other page based on the coupon information and present it to the customer. As described above, if the coupon is valid, even if the user navigates to another page, the coupon information is continuously exposed to the user, thereby keeping the user aware of the coupon and encouraging them to actively use the coupon.

[0081] However, this is just an example. According to embodiments, in order to prevent users from feeling fatigued by continuously being exposed to the same information, various embodiments may exist. That is, if the set conditions are met (for example, the user has received coupon information a set number of times), the coupon information may be excluded when constructing subsequent pages.

[0082] According to one embodiment, if a customer receives input (which may be received from the customer's terminal 120, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto) indicating their intention to use a coupon, and the customer does not withdraw this intention, the electronic device 110 may reconfigure the page so that the coupon information is not included in the page. For example, if a customer adds an item to a shopping cart that has a coupon applied to it and does not subsequently remove the item from the cart or a certain period of time has passed since the customer completed the shopping, the electronic device 110 may reconfigure the page so that the coupon information is not included in the page. This prevents unnecessary confusion when a customer uses a coupon that has expired, or when a coupon that has not yet expired is expected to expire in the near future.

[0083] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, when it is determined that the customer is clearly aware of the existence of the coupon even though the coupon is not expected to expire, the electronic device 110 no longer exposes the coupon information to the customer, thereby preventing unnecessary increase in customer fatigue and saving resources.

[0084] FIG8 is a flowchart of a method for providing services based on coupon information in an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0085] 8 , the electronic device 110 of one embodiment obtains input related to service utilization from a customer ( 810 ). Input related to service utilization may include, but is not limited to, input for starting service utilization (e.g., input for executing an application for service utilization). Inputs may further include various types of inputs, such as item search input, input for accessing an item detail page, input for adding an item to a shopping cart, input for accessing a checkout page for payment, and input for completing payment.

[0086] The electronic device 110 confirms information about the coupon provided to the customer based on one or more pieces of information related to the customer (820). The one or more pieces of information related to the customer include one or more of the following: customer account information, the time when the customer last purchased an item, and the time elapsed from the time when the customer last purchased an item.

[0087] Based on the coupon information, the electronic device 110 creates a page (830) for utilizing the service and provides the created page to the customer (840). In one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may include the coupon information as part of the page. However, the method for creating the page is not limited to "including the coupon information"; various embodiments may include methods that indirectly display the results of applying the coupon.

[0088] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0089] 9 , the electronic device 110 includes a transceiver 910, a processor 920, and a memory 930. The electronic device 110 can connect to a customer's terminal 120 and other external devices via the transceiver 910 to exchange data.

[0090] Processor 920 may include at least one of the devices described above using Figures 1 through 8 , or may implement at least one of the methods described above using Figures 1 through 8 . Memory 930 may store information used to implement at least one of the methods described above using Figures 1 through 8 . Memory 930 may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory.

[0091] The processor 920 can execute a program and control the electronic device 110 to provide information. The code of the program executed by the processor 920 can be stored in the memory 930.

[0092] Furthermore, the electronic device 110 of one embodiment may further include an interface provided to customers.

[0093] On the other hand, this specification and accompanying drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention. Although specific terms are used, such terms are used in a general sense to facilitate description of the technical content of the present invention and to aid understanding of the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is obvious that in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, other variations based on the technical concepts of the present invention can be implemented by those skilled in the art.

[0094] The recommended server, electronic device, or terminal in the above-mentioned embodiments may include a processor, memory for storing and executing program data, permanent storage such as a disk drive, communication ports for communicating with external devices, and customer interface devices such as a touch panel, keys, and buttons. The method implemented by the software module or algorithm can be stored on a computer-readable recording medium as computer-readable code or program commands executable on the processor. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random-access memory), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical readable media (e.g., CD-ROMs and DVDs). The computer-readable recording medium is distributed among computer systems connected to a network, enabling the storage and execution of computer-readable code in a distributed manner. The medium can be read by a computer, stored in memory, and executed by the processor.

[0095] This embodiment can be represented by functional blocks and various processing steps. These functional blocks can be implemented using varying numbers of hardware and / or software components that perform specific functions. For example, this embodiment can utilize integrated circuits capable of executing various functions through the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices, such as memory, processing, logic, and lookup tables. Components can be implemented using software programs or software components. Similarly, this embodiment includes algorithms implemented using a combination of data structures, programs, routines, or other programming components. Therefore, they can be implemented using programming or scripting languages such as C, C++, Java, assemblers, and Python. Functionally, they can be implemented using algorithms executed on one or more processors. Furthermore, this embodiment can utilize prior art technologies for electronic environment settings, signal processing, and / or data processing. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "means," and "component" are used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical components. The above terms may be associated with a processor and the like and include the meaning of a series of software processes (routines).

[0096] The above embodiment is merely an example, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the invention patent application described below.

[0097] 110: Electronic devices 120: Customer Terminal 201:Action 202: Action 203: Action 204: Action 310: User Interface 320: Detailed discount information 330: Information about more than one item 400: Detailed discount information 510: Item search page 511: Coupon Information 512: Coupon Information 520:Details page 521: Coupon Information 522: Coupon Information 610: Item search page 611: Coupon Information 612: Coupon Information 620:Details page 621: Coupon Information 622: Coupon Information 710: Shopping cart page 711: Coupon Information 712: Welcome back to the coupon information 720: Checkout page 721: Coupon Information 722: Coupon Information 810: Action 820: Action 830: Action 840:Action 910: transceiver 920: Processor 930: Memory

Claims

1. A method of providing information, performed via an electronic device, comprising the steps of: obtaining input from a customer relating to the use of a service; confirming information about a coupon to be provided to the customer based on one or more pieces of information relating to the customer; constructing a page for the use of the service based on the coupon information; providing the page to the customer; obtaining input from the customer for navigating to another page; determining whether the coupon information should be included on the other page; and providing the other page to the customer based on the result of the determination of whether the coupon information should be included on the other page; the one or more pieces of information relating to the customer includes one or more of the following: the customer's account information, the time of the customer's last purchase, and the time elapsed since the customer's last purchase; wherein the step of determining whether the coupon information should be included on the other page includes: determining whether the coupon has expired; determining whether the number of times the customer has been provided with the coupon information is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. Determine whether the customer's intention to use the coupon is still pending; and if it is determined that the coupon has not expired, the number of times the customer has been provided with information about the coupon is less than the predetermined number of times, and the intention is not pending, determine whether to include the coupon information in the other pages; and the step of determining whether the intention is pending includes: determining whether input containing the intention has been obtained from the customer; if the input containing the intention has been obtained, confirming whether an instruction to withdraw the intention has been received from the customer within the predetermined period; and if no instruction to withdraw the intention has been received within the predetermined period, determine that the intention is pending.

2. The method of providing information as requested in item 1, wherein the steps of constituting a page for use of the above-mentioned service include the following steps: including the information of the above-mentioned coupon in a portion of the above-mentioned page.

3. The method of providing information as described in Request 1, wherein the steps of constituting a page for use of the aforementioned service include the following steps: for one or more items whose information is included on the aforementioned page, confirming whether they are eligible for the aforementioned coupon; and when at least one of the aforementioned items is eligible for the aforementioned coupon, including the information of the aforementioned coupon in a portion of the aforementioned page.

4. The method of providing information as described in request item 3, wherein the aforementioned one or more items include at least a portion of the items among the plurality of items on the aforementioned page that include its information, which satisfy the set conditions.

5. As in the method of providing information in request item 3, the step of confirming whether the customer is eligible to use the aforementioned coupon includes the following steps: For the first item that includes one or more of the aforementioned items, confirm one or more candidate coupons that the first item can be eligible to use; For each of the aforementioned candidate coupons, confirm the discount information obtained by the customer when the coupon is applied to the first item; and based on the discount information of each of the aforementioned candidate coupons, determine whether it is appropriate to apply the coupon to the first item.

6. In the method of providing information as described in Request 3, if at least one of the above-mentioned items is an object to which the above-mentioned coupon applies, the electronic device shall display the information of the above-mentioned coupon together when displaying the information of the item to which the above-mentioned coupon applies.

7. The method of providing information as described in Request 1, wherein the step of constructing a page for the use of the above-mentioned service includes the following steps: constructing the page in a manner that includes a user interface related to the use of the above-mentioned coupon; and the user interface includes information about the above-mentioned coupon.

8. The method of providing information as requested in item 7 further includes the following steps: when receiving input from the customer corresponding to the aforementioned user interface, introducing information about one or more items that are eligible for the aforementioned coupon at the time of purchase.

9. The method of providing information as requested in item 7 further includes the following steps: When receiving input from the customer corresponding to the aforementioned user interface, providing detailed discount information related to the aforementioned coupon.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording a program for performing the method as described in claim 1 on a computer.

11. An electronic device that provides information, comprising: A transceiver, a memory for storing commands, and a processor; the processor is connected to the transceiver and the memory, receives input from the customer related to the use of the service, confirms information about a coupon to be offered to the customer based on one or more pieces of information related to the customer, constructs a page for the use of the service based on the coupon information, and provides the page to the customer; receives input from the customer for navigating to another page; determines whether the coupon information should be included in the other page; and provides the other page to the customer based on the result of the determination of whether the coupon information should be included in the other page; wherein the one or more pieces of information related to the customer includes one or more of the following: the customer's account information, the time of the customer's last purchase, and the time elapsed since the customer's last purchase; wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the coupon information should be included in the other page by the following steps: determining whether the coupon is invalid; determining whether the number of times the customer has been offered the coupon information is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. The processor determines whether the customer's intention to use the coupon is still pending. If the coupon is not expired, the customer has been provided with coupon information less than the predetermined number of times, and the intention is not pending, the processor determines to include the coupon information in the other pages. The processor is configured to determine whether the intention is pending by the following steps: determining whether input containing the intention has been received from the customer; if input containing the intention has been received, confirming whether an instruction to withdraw the intention has been received from the customer within the predetermined period; and if no instruction to withdraw the intention has been received within the predetermined period, the intention is determined to be pending.

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