Online virtual shopping system and method based on short video

Abstract

The invention discloses an online virtual shopping system and method based on a short video, and relates to the technical field of electronic commerce and multimedia application. The system comprises a merchant side module, a server side module and a user side module. A merchant shoots or uploads a short video for displaying the physical store environment, layout and commodities through the merchant end, and optionally adds commodity information marks in the video; the server side is responsible for storing and managing the short videos, (if the short videos exist) mark information and associated shop data; and the user browses, searches and plays the short videos through a user side App, and realizes immersive virtual browsing, commodity understanding and transaction of the shop through watching the videos and carrying out real-time video call with the merchant or through (if any) interactive marks. According to the method, the problems that traditional e-commerce lacks real shopping experience and offline shop drainage is difficult are solved, a novel and convenient cloud shop shopping mode is provided for users, efficient online display and marketing channels are expanded for merchants, and integration of online and offline business is promoted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of computer technology. Specifically, it relates to an online information display and interaction method, and particularly to an online virtual store browsing system and method based on short videos, belonging to the fields of e-commerce, multimedia communication, and mobile applications. Background Art

[0002] Currently, although online shopping is convenient, consumers often have difficulty obtaining the real sense and immersive experience of in-store shopping. Traditional product pictures and text descriptions have limitations in presenting the overall store environment, product layout, and atmosphere. Although live streaming with goods provides a certain degree of interactivity, the information may not be structured enough, and it is not convenient for viewing back and targeted browsing. On the other hand, offline physical stores are affected by geographical location and business hours, facing challenges in customer acquisition and operation.

[0003] Therefore, the market needs a new solution that can enable consumers to more intuitively and conveniently "experience" physical stores in the cloud, while helping merchants expand online display and drainage channels to make up for the deficiencies of the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Technical problems to be solved:

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the problems in the prior art that the online shopping experience lacks a sense of reality and the offline store drainage channels are limited. Specifically, a solution is provided that enables users to conveniently, intuitively, and immersively browse the real environment and product displays of physical stores through mobile devices, thereby enhancing the user experience and helping merchants more effectively connect online users with offline entities.

[0006] Technical solutions:

[0007] The present invention provides an online virtual store browsing system and method based on short videos. The system mainly includes:

[0008] 1. Merchant side: Allows merchants (store operators) to use mobile devices to shoot or upload a series of short videos that can show the store entrance, internal environment, layout of different areas, special product displays, etc. The merchant side can also provide video editing functions and optionally provide functions such as product information marking.

[0009] 2. Server side: Responsible for receiving, processing (such as transcoding, compression), and storing the short videos uploaded by merchants, and associating and managing the videos with corresponding store information (such as store name, location, business category, etc.). The server side can also include modules such as user management and data analysis.

[0010] 3. Client (App): Users can browse, search, and filter stores of interest through the App and watch the short videos posted by these stores. The client provides a smooth video playback experience and supports interactive functions, such as communicating and placing orders with merchants in real time through the video call button next to the video, or

[0011] (if the video contains) clicking on the product mark in the video to view details, jump to the purchase link, leave a comment, share, favorite the store or video, view the store location and navigate, etc.

[0012] The core of this method is that merchants digitize their physical store environment in the form of short videos and upload them, while users achieve "virtual roaming" of physical stores, "product discovery", and direct communication and transactions with merchants through video calls, etc. by watching these short videos on the mobile side.

[0013] Beneficial effects:

[0014] 1. For users:

[0015] (1) Provide a novel, intuitive, and immersive "cloud store shopping" experience, breaking through time and space limitations, and allowing users to "shop" anytime and anywhere.

[0016] (2) Understand the store environment and actual product display more realistically, assisting in purchase decisions.

[0017] (3) Through the dynamic display of short videos, it may be more interesting than static pictures and text, increasing the sense of discovery.

[0018] 2. For merchants:

[0019] (1) Open up a brand-new online store display window and customer drainage channel.

[0020] (2) Enhance the store image and attractiveness through vivid video content, strengthening brand recognition.

[0021] (3) Can directly guide online transactions, or attract users to experience and consume in physical stores, promoting O2O integration.

[0022] (4) Reduce some marketing costs, and the video content can be reused.

[0023] 3. For the platform:

[0024] (1) Enrich the platform content ecosystem, improving user activity and stickiness.

[0025] (2) Create new business models and profit points for the platform (such as promotion services, transaction commissions, etc.). Description of the Drawings

[0028] ·Figure 1 : Schematic diagram of the overall architecture of the online virtual store browsing system of the present invention, showing the merchant side, the server side, the user side, their main modules and data interaction relationships.

[0029] · Figure 2 : Schematic diagram of the process for merchants to upload short store videos, including steps such as video shooting / importing, editing,

[0030] (Optional) information marking, uploading, etc.

[0031] · Figure 3 : Schematic diagram of the interface for users to browse and play short store videos in the App, showing elements such as video lists, players, video call buttons, interaction buttons, etc.

[0032] · Figure 4 : Schematic diagram of the interaction operations (such as clicking the video call button to communicate with the merchant or clicking on product markings) when users are watching videos. Detailed implementation manners

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] Detailed description of the system composition:

[0035] 1. Merchant side module:

[0036] o Account management sub-module: Used for merchant registration, login, and store information management (such as store name, address, contact information, logo, business scope, etc.).

[0037] o Video acquisition sub-module: Supports merchants to directly record short store videos through smartphones or other camera devices, or import pre-shot video clips from local. The video content can include store panoramas, specific areas (such as new product areas, discount areas), close-ups of product details, etc. Merchants are encouraged to shoot in segments to form a "virtual moving line", for example, "enter from the main entrance ->

[0038] turn left to Area A -> product display in Area A -> turn right to Area B..."

[0039] o Video editing sub-module (optional): Provides basic video editing functions, such as cutting, merging clips, adjusting the order, adding background music, filters, text descriptions, stickers, etc.

[0040] o Product marking sub-module (optional): (Optional) Allows merchants to add interactive anchors or labels at specific product positions in the video frame. If added, clicking on the anchor can pop up product introductions, prices, or directly link to the product purchase page.

[0041] o Video Publishing and Management Sub-module: Merchants can preview the edited videos, set covers, add titles and descriptions, select categories (such as catering, clothing, home furnishings, etc.), and then publish them to the platform. The published videos can be managed (such as editing, taking off the shelves, viewing data, etc.).

[0042] 2. Server-side Module:

[0043] o Interface Sub-module: Provides API interfaces for data communication with the merchant side and the user side.

[0044] o Video Receiving and Processing Sub-module: Receives the video data uploaded by the merchant side, performs security verification, format conversion (uniformly into a format suitable for network transmission and multi-terminal playback), video compression, adding watermarks (optional), intelligent review (such as identifying illegal content), etc.

[0045] o Data Storage Sub-module:

[0046] ■ Video File Storage: Stores the processed short video files in a distributed file system or a cloud object storage service.

[0047] ■ Metadata Storage: Stores structured data such as video description information, merchant information, (if any) product marking information, and user comments in a database.

[0048] o Business Logic Processing Sub-module: Processes user browsing requests, video recommendation logic (such as based on geographical location, user preferences, popularity rankings), order processing (if the purchase function is integrated or orders are placed through video call assistance), recording of user interaction data, etc.

[0049] o User Account and Permission Management Sub-module: Manages the account information, authentication, permission allocation, etc. of merchants and ordinary users.

[0050] o Data Analysis and Statistics Sub-module (optional): Collects and analyzes video view counts, user behavior data (likes, comments, shares, conversion rates, etc.), provides operation data references for merchants, and optimizes the platform's recommendation algorithm.

[0051] 3. User-side Module (App):

[0052] o Account Management Sub-module: User registration, login, personal information management, favorites, browsing history, etc.

[0053] o Home Page / Discovery Sub-module: Displays short store videos to users in the form of information flow, waterfall flow, map mode (showing videos of nearby stores that can be "visited"), or category navigation. It can include columns such as recommendations, latest, and popular.

[0054] o Search sub-module: Users can search for relevant stores or videos by keywords (such as store name, product name, category, location).

[0055] o Video playback sub-module:

[0056] ■ Provide a smooth short video playback experience, supporting gesture operations (such as swiping to switch, double-tapping to like).

[0057] ■ Display video title, published merchant information, number of likes, number of comments, etc.

[0058] ■ Support full-screen playback, progress bar dragging, volume adjustment, clarity selection (optional).

[0059] ■ (If the video contains) Load and display product markers / anchors set by the merchant in the video.

[0060] o Interaction sub-module:

[0061] ■ Video call interaction: Users can click the video call button next to the short video to communicate with the merchant in real-time video, consult product information, confirm inventory, negotiate prices and directly place a purchase order.

[0062] ■ (If the video contains markers) Product interaction: Users click on the product marker in the video to view brief product information and further jump to the product details page or an external e-commerce platform to make a purchase.

[0063] ■ Store homepage: Click on the merchant's avatar or name to enter the merchant's exclusive homepage to view all the videos they have published, store profile, contact information, location, etc.

[0064] ■ Social interaction: Users can like, comment on, and share the video to social media.

[0065] ■ Favorite function: Users can favorite videos or stores they are interested in for easy viewing later.

[0066] ■ Navigation function: If the merchant provides an address, users can call the map App with one click to navigate to the physical store.

[0067] ■ Virtual path navigation (advanced): If the merchant shoots and organizes the video in a certain order (such as "First segment: Store entrance", "Second segment: Bar area", "Third segment: Shelf of Product A"), the user side can provide "Next segment" or path selection buttons to simulate the experience of "walking" along the preset route in the store.

[0068] Detailed description of the method process:

[0069] 1. Merchant operation process:

[0070] (1) The merchant downloads and installs the App, registers / logs in to the merchant account, and completes the store information.

[0071] (2) Enter the "Publish Video" function.

[0072] (3) Select "Shoot New Video" or "Select Existing Video from Album".

[0073] (4) If shooting, use the mobile phone camera to aim at the store scene for recording. You can record different areas and products in multiple segments.

[0074] (5) (Optional) Edit, sort, add music and text to the recorded or selected video clips.

[0075] (6) (Optional) On the video preview interface, for specific products in the picture, click "Add Product Mark", circle the product location, and enter information such as product name, price, link (optional), etc.

[0076] (7) Set the video title, description, category, and select the cover frame.

[0077] (8) Click "Publish", and the video will be uploaded to the server side via the merchant side.

[0078] (9) After the server side processes and reviews the video, it will be published to the area visible to users.

[0079] 2. User operation process:

[0080] (1) The user downloads and installs the App and registers / logs in to the user account.

[0081] (2) On the App home page or in the "Cloud Shopping" section, browse the list of short store videos recommended by the system or filtered by category / geographical location.

[0082] (3) Click on the video cover or title of interest to enter the video playback page.

[0083] (4) Watch the short video to understand the store environment and products. The user can make a video call with the merchant at any time through the video call button next to the video to consult and place an order. If there are product marks in the video, the user can also click to view the details.

[0084] (5) Can interact with the merchant or other users through likes, comments, or share with friends.

[0085] (6) If interested in a certain store, you can enter its store homepage to view more videos and information, or add it to the favorites.

[0086] (7) If you decide to visit the store offline, you can navigate through the address information provided on the store homepage.

[0087] (8) Users can place an order directly with the merchant through a video call, or if the products in the video support online purchase via marking, they can click on the mark to jump to the purchase process.

Claims

1. An online virtual store browsing system based on short videos, characterized in that, Comprising: · A merchant - side module, configured to: enable a store merchant user to shoot, import, and edit at least one or a series of short videos showing the physical environment of the store or the goods sold, and (optionally) add interactive product information markers to specific regions or objects in the short video, and then upload the short video and (if any) marker information; · A server - side module, configured to: receive and store the short videos and (if any) product information markers uploaded by the merchant - side module, manage the association between the short videos and the corresponding store information, and provide the short videos and associated information in response to requests from the user - side; · A user - side module, configured to: enable a general user to retrieve and view the short videos of stores stored on the server, and when playing the short videos, provide an interactive way for real - time video calls with the merchant, and / or (when the short video contains product information markers) display the product information markers and allow the user to interact with the product information by clicking on the markers, so as to achieve online virtual browsing, product discovery, and transactions of the store.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein The user - side module is further configured to: allow the user to search for short videos of stores according to geographical location, store category, or keywords.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The merchant - side module (if choosing to add markers) allows the merchant to organize multiple short videos in a preset order, and the user - side module allows the user to play continuously in this order to form a virtual tour path experience.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein The user - side module can conduct transactions after the user communicates with the merchant through a video call, or can jump to the detailed page of the product or an external purchase link after the user clicks on the product information marker (if the video contains it).

5. An online virtual store browsing method based on short videos, characterized in that, Including the following steps: · (a) A store merchant user creates and uploads at least one or a series of short videos showing the physical environment of the store or the goods through a merchant - side device, and (optionally) embeds interactive product information markers in the video; · (b) The server receives and stores the short video and (if any) product information marker, and associates it with the store identity information; · (c) A general user sends a browsing request through a user - side device; · (d) The server responds to the request and transmits the matching store short - video data and (if any) product information marker data to the user - side device; · (e) The user - side device plays the short video, provides an interactive interface for the user to have a real - time video call with the merchant; (when the short video contains product information markers) renders the product information markers at the corresponding position in the picture, and the user can view or trigger the product information or link associated with the marker through interactive operations (such as clicking).

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that In step (a), when the merchant user (if choosing to add markers and organize the order) can set the playing order for multiple short - video segments, and in step (e), the user - side device can guide the user to watch continuously according to this preset order to simulate a path - type browsing in the store.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein It further includes the step: during the video - watching process, the user can perform operations such as favoriting, commenting on, or sharing the video or the store.

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