Coupon exchange device, coupon exchange program, and coupon exchange method

Abstract

To increase the degree of satisfaction of a customer, to entice the customer to visit a store, and to promote sales of products or the like by effectively utilizing a coupon left unused such as an expired coupon or a coupon unnecessary for the customer.SOLUTION: When a customer makes a store terminal 30 read two or more issued coupons owned by the customer, information necessary for identifying each of the coupons is transmitted to a coupon management server 10. After confirming the validity or the like of each of the coupons, the coupon management server 10 checks whether or not a combination of received valid coupons satisfies any of exchange conditions stored in a coupon exchange condition DB. When it is found that the combination satisfies an exchange condition, a new coupon is issued and is outputted to the store terminal 30 in accordance with the exchange condition. When the store terminal 30 is replaced with a customer terminal such as a smartphone, the present invention can be applied to coupons for use in online shops.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coupon exchange device, a coupon exchange program, and a coupon exchange method for effectively utilizing coupons that have been left unused, such as expired coupons or coupons that are unnecessary for customers. [Background technology]

[0002] In retail and service stores, it is common to issue coupons that offer benefits such as discounts on product prices, points, and gifts in order to attract customers to the store and encourage them to purchase products, etc. However, if the coupons issued are not attractive to customers, they are likely to be discarded immediately or forgotten to be used and allowed to expire. Therefore, in order for coupons to be effective in attracting customers to the store and promoting sales, it is important to know how to encourage their use.

[0003] Coupons usually have an expiration date, so when a customer tries to use a coupon, the expiration date may have passed and the coupon cannot be used. As a measure to prevent customers from losing interest in using coupons due to such a situation, for example, an invention has been disclosed that creates a coupon list that visually distinguishes between coupons that have expired and those that have not (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] In addition, if the coupon issued does not meet the customer's needs in the first place, there will be no incentive to use the coupon, even before the expiration date.As a measure to issue coupons that meet customer needs and encourage their use, an invention has been disclosed that calculates the usage rate of coupons issued to customers in the past and quantitatively evaluates the effectiveness of promotions and campaigns (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-119446 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2006-277270 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Although the inventions shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above are both expected to be effective in promoting coupon use, they only present information to customers or issuers and do not directly encourage coupon use. There is a demand for a system that provides coupons that are beneficial to both parties, allowing customers to obtain more attractive coupons and directly helping stores attract customers to their stores and promoting sales of products, etc.

[0007] To solve such problems, the present invention aims to provide a coupon exchange device, a coupon exchange program, and a coupon exchange method for effectively utilizing coupons that have been left unused, such as expired coupons or coupons that are unnecessary for customers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention, which solves such problems, is a coupon exchange device that comprises a coupon identification information receiving means that receives coupon identification information identifying each of two or more issued coupons; a coupon exchange condition storage means that stores information regarding the exchange conditions for exchanging two or more issued coupons for one or more newly issued coupons; a coupon exchange condition matching means that checks whether two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received by the coupon identification information receiving means match any of the exchange conditions stored in the coupon exchange condition storage means; and a coupon issuing means that, when it is confirmed by the coupon exchange condition matching means that any of the exchange conditions are matched, executes processing to issue one or more newly issued coupons through an exchange specified in the exchange conditions.

[0009] In this invention, exchange conditions for exchanging two or more issued coupons for a newly issued coupon are stored in a coupon exchange condition storage means, and if an issued coupon for which identification information has been received matches any of the exchange conditions, a process is executed to issue a newly issued coupon that meets the exchange conditions. This allows customers to collect multiple issued coupons and exchange them for other coupons, providing an incentive to keep expired or unnecessary coupons on hand rather than discarding them, and making it possible to make effective use of issued coupons that are currently unused and lying around.

[0010] The content of the coupon used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is something that allows a customer to receive some kind of benefit when visiting a store or purchasing a product, such as a discount on the price of the product, points, a gift, etc. The coupon may be issued in the form of a coupon ticket on paper or the like, or may be an electronic coupon managed as a digital medium.

[0011] The present invention may further comprise a coupon issuance information storage means for storing information about each issued coupon including whether or not the coupon has been used, and the coupon exchange condition checking means checks whether a coupon that has been confirmed to be unused by referring to the coupon issuance information storage means, among two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received by the coupon identification information receiving means, whether the coupon matches any of the exchange conditions stored in the coupon exchange condition storage means. The present invention may further comprise a coupon issuance recording means for recording, when a new coupon is issued by the coupon issuing means, that the two or more issued coupons to be exchanged have been used in the information about each of the issued coupons stored in the coupon issuance information storage means.

[0012] This configuration limits the issued coupons eligible for exchange to unused ones, which is effective in avoiding a situation in which used coupons are exchanged for newly issued coupons, resulting in repeated awards of benefits, which would put an excessive strain on the store's profits. In addition, if exchanged coupons are treated in the same way, it is also possible to avoid a situation in which the same coupon is repeatedly used for exchange, resulting in repeated awards of benefits.

[0013] In addition, the present invention can also be characterized in that the coupon issuing means executes processing to issue one or more new coupons based on predetermined rules even if the coupon exchange condition matching means confirms that none of the exchange conditions are met.

[0014] With this configuration, even if the combination of coupons to be exchanged does not match any of the exchange conditions, it is not considered a loss but some coupon is issued, thereby easing the disappointment felt when an expected coupon is not obtained, and it is possible to implement an operation that takes into consideration the feelings of the customer.

[0015] The present invention can also be characterized in that it includes a coupon information storage means for storing information regarding coupons including an expiration date of the coupons, and the coupon exchange condition matching means matches a coupon that has been confirmed to have exceeded its expiration date by referring to the coupon information storage means, among two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received by the coupon identification information receiving means, to determine whether it matches any of the exchange conditions stored in the coupon exchange condition storage means.

[0016] With this configuration, expired coupons, which were previously understood to have no value, can now be exchanged for new coupons and thus have value, which is expected to provide an incentive for customers to keep the coupons on hand and help them make effective use of the coupons.

[0017] The present invention can also be specified as a coupon exchange program that operates in the coupon exchange device according to the present invention.

[0018] The coupon exchange program of the present invention is a coupon exchange program for causing a computer to execute the following steps: a coupon identification information receiving step for receiving coupon identification information identifying each of two or more issued coupons; and a coupon issuance step for, when it is confirmed that two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received in the coupon identification information receiving step match any of the exchange conditions stored in a coupon exchange condition storage means that stores information regarding exchange conditions for exchanging two or more issued coupons for one or more newly issued coupons, executing a process to issue one or more newly issued coupons through an exchange specified in the exchange conditions.

[0019] The coupon exchange program according to the present invention can also be specified as a coupon exchange program that operates in each of the configurations of the coupon exchange device according to the present invention described above.

[0020] The present invention can also be specified as a coupon exchange method executed by the coupon exchange device according to the present invention.

[0021] The coupon exchange method of the present invention is a coupon exchange method characterized by having a coupon identification information receiving step in which a computer receives coupon identification information identifying each of two or more issued coupons, and a coupon issuance step in which, when the computer confirms that two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received in the coupon identification information receiving step match any of the exchange conditions stored in a coupon exchange condition storage means that stores information regarding exchange conditions for exchanging two or more issued coupons for one or more newly issued coupons, the computer executes a process to issue one or more coupons to be newly issued through an exchange specified in the exchange conditions.

[0022] Furthermore, the coupon exchange method according to the present invention can also be specified as a coupon exchange method executed by each component of the coupon exchange device according to the present invention described above. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, coupons that would otherwise be discarded or left unused, such as expired coupons or coupons that customers do not need, can be effectively utilized, and it is expected that customer satisfaction will improve by increasing the sense of value. Also, for the store, it is expected to have an effect on attracting customers to the store and promoting sales of products, etc., so a coupon provision system that is beneficial for both customers and stores is realized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an overview of a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a coupon selection method in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a coupon management server corresponding to the coupon management device according to the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a coupon information storage unit in the coupon management server. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a coupon issue information storage unit in the coupon management server. FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a coupon exchange condition storage unit in the coupon management server. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing a coupon exchange process flow in the coupon management server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the specific examples of the coupon format, the contents of the benefits, the coupon exchange conditions, the database configuration, and the like shown in the following description are merely examples of the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0026] The first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In the first embodiment shown in Figure 1, the present invention is applied to coupons used in real stores, and in the second embodiment shown in Figure 2, the present invention is applied to coupons used in online shops set up on the Internet.

[0027] In the present invention, when a customer selects two or more issued coupons that would otherwise be discarded or left unused, such as expired coupons or coupons that are unnecessary for the customer, the issued coupons can be exchanged for a newly issued coupon if the combination satisfies a predetermined exchange condition.

[0028] In the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1, when a customer has a store terminal 30, such as a KIOSK terminal, installed in the store read multiple coupons issued in a brick-and-mortar store, information identifying each coupon is transmitted to a coupon management server 10 corresponding to the coupon management device according to the present invention. The method of identifying the coupon here may be a combination of customer identification information read from a membership card or the like and information indicating the type of coupon, or a unique ID may be assigned to each coupon to identify them.

[0029] The coupon management server 10, which has received the coupon identifying information, performs necessary processes such as authenticating the customer and checking the validity of the coupons, and then checks whether the received combination of multiple coupons matches any of the exchange conditions registered in the database. This database stores conditions related to combinations of issued coupons to be exchanged and information related to new coupons that will be issued when each condition is met, and when the received combination of multiple coupons matches any of the exchange conditions, a new coupon specified in that exchange condition is issued, and a paper coupon is output to the store terminal 30.

[0030] When a customer presents the new coupon printed from the store terminal 30 at the time of payment to purchase the product or other item covered by the coupon, the identification information is sent from the cash register terminal 40 to the retailer server 20, and the coupon management server 10 is inquired about validity, etc., and if it is determined that the coupon is usable, benefits such as discounts and points are applied.

[0031] In the first embodiment, both the issued coupons that are read by the store terminal 30 and the newly issued coupons that are output from the store terminal 30 are paper coupons, but all or part of these coupons may be used as electronic coupons that are displayed on a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0032] 2, a customer terminal 60 such as a smartphone logged in to an EC server 50 that provides online shop services on the Internet displays a list of coupons issued by the online shop owned by the customer, and when the customer selects multiple coupons from the list, information identifying each coupon is transmitted to the coupon management server 10. The coupons may be identified from a combination of identification information of the customer logged in to the online shop and information indicating the type of coupon, or each coupon may be identified by assigning a unique ID to it.

[0033] Coupon management server 10, which has received the coupon identifying information, performs necessary processes such as customer authentication and coupon validity confirmation, and then verifies whether the received combination of multiple coupons matches any of the exchange conditions registered in the database. This database stores conditions related to combinations of issued coupons to be exchanged and information about newly issued coupons when each condition is met, linked together. When a received combination of multiple coupons matches any of the exchange conditions, a new coupon defined by that exchange condition is issued, and information about the newly issued coupon is displayed on customer terminal 60.

[0034] The newly issued coupon displayed on the customer terminal 60 is managed as an electronic coupon, and when the customer connects to the EC server 50 and selects the electronic coupon to purchase a product or the like covered by the coupon, the EC server 50 inquires of the coupon management server 10 about the validity of the electronic coupon, and if it is determined that the electronic coupon is usable, benefits such as discounts and points are applied.

[0035] Fig. 3 shows an example of a method for a customer to select a coupon in the first and second embodiments described above. In the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the customer has a customer terminal 30 such as a KIOSK terminal read a membership card that can read the customer's identification information and a barcode or two-dimensional code that is displayed on a coupon ticket such as a paper medium and has coupon identification information embedded therein. When the reading of the coupon to be exchanged is completed, the customer's identification information (customer X) and coupon identification information (coupons A, B, C) are sent to the coupon management server 10 by performing a predetermined operation such as pressing a "read complete" button.

[0036] 3(b), in the second embodiment, a customer logs in to the online shop service from a customer terminal 60 such as a smartphone, and at that time, the customer's identification information (customer X) is sent to the coupon management server 10. A list of electronic coupons owned by the customer is displayed on the customer terminal 60, and when the customer selects an electronic coupon that he or she wishes to exchange from the list and performs a predetermined operation such as pressing a "read complete" button, the coupon identification information (coupons A, B, D) is sent to the coupon management server 10.

[0037] Fig. 4 shows, in the form of functional blocks, an example of the configuration of a coupon management server corresponding to the coupon management device according to the present invention. In Fig. 4, a coupon management server 10 corresponds to the coupon management device according to the present invention. The retailer server 20, the store terminal 30, and the cash register terminal 40 are all configured as in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, the retailer server 20 is replaced by an EC server 50, and the store terminal 30 and the cash register terminal 40 are replaced by a customer terminal 60 such as a smartphone or PC carried by a customer.

[0038] The coupon management server 10 is a server computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and is equipped with a CPU, a main memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD. In the coupon management server 10, a program stored in the auxiliary storage device is read into the main memory, and the CPU executes arithmetic processing to realize a predetermined function.

[0039] The physical configuration of the computer constituting coupon management server 10 is not particularly limited, and functions other than coupon management in the present invention may be provided in the same computer, for example, it may be formed integrally with retailer server 20 having functions such as payment approval and sales management, and directly connected to store terminal 30 and cash register terminal 40 via a network. Furthermore, each function required for the present invention may be realized physically by one computer, or may be realized by multiple computers working together.

[0040] The coupon exchange unit 11 of the coupon management server 10 and the customer ID reception unit 111, coupon code reception unit 112, exchange condition matching unit 113, coupon issuance processing unit 114, coupon issuance recording unit 115, and coupon usage reception unit 12 that constitute part of it are all functionally specified, and the functions corresponding to each unit are realized by reading out programs corresponding to the functions of each unit stored in an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD into the main memory and executing arithmetic processing by the CPU.

[0041] Predetermined storage areas of an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD are allocated to the customer information storage unit 13, coupon information storage unit 14, coupon issuance information storage unit 15, and coupon exchange condition storage unit 16 of the coupon management server 10. It is not essential that these storage areas are physically provided in one computer, and they may be provided in multiple computers such as a computer constituting a database server.

[0042] The retailer server 20 (EC server 50 in the second embodiment) is also a server computer connected to a network such as a dedicated line or the Internet, and predetermined functions are realized by the retailer server 20's CPU, main memory, and auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD. In the present invention, the retailer server 20 needs to have a function for relaying a request for coupon use approval from the cash register terminal 40 (customer terminal 60 in the second embodiment) and a response thereto from the coupon management server 10, but other functions and configurations are not particularly limited.

[0043] The store terminal 30 may be a KIOSK terminal or the like installed in the store, and has at least a function for reading barcodes and two-dimensional codes from coupons on paper media, etc., and a function for outputting coupons on paper media, etc. The cash register terminal 40 may be a general POS cash register terminal, but has at least a function for reading barcodes and two-dimensional codes from coupons on paper media, etc., and transmitting data required to inquire about their validity.

[0044] In the second embodiment, electronic coupons are used instead of paper coupons, but the operations required for selecting a coupon to be exchanged, issuing a new coupon, and using a coupon when purchasing a product, etc. are performed on a customer terminal 60, such as a smartphone, PC, or tablet terminal carried by the customer and capable of connecting to the Internet.

[0045] Based on the above configuration, the flow of a process in which a customer exchanges an issued coupon for a newly issued coupon according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8 and with reference to FIGS. 5-7.

[0046] According to the present invention, two or more issued coupons held by a customer can be exchanged for newly issued coupons if the exchange conditions are met, but it is preferable to exchange issued coupons that would otherwise be discarded or left unused, such as expired coupons or coupons that the customer does not need.

[0047] In the first embodiment of the present invention, as explained in FIG. 3(a), a customer who has accumulated such coupons visits a store and operates store terminal 30 to have the store terminal 30 read his / her customer ID using a membership card or the like. The read customer ID is sent to coupon management server 10, and then the store terminal 30 sequentially reads bar codes or two-dimensional codes, which are displayed on the face of the coupons the customer wishes to exchange and have coupon codes embedded therein that identify the type of coupon. Once all coupons the customer wishes to exchange have been read, and a specific operation is performed such as pressing a "read complete" button, the multiple coupon codes that have been read are sent to coupon management server 10.

[0048] In the first embodiment of the present invention, as explained in Fig. 3(b), a customer logs in to the online shop service by inputting a customer ID and the like from a customer terminal 60 such as a smartphone. At that time, the customer ID is transmitted to the coupon management server 10. Next, the customer selects an electronic coupon to be exchanged from a list of electronic coupons owned by the customer displayed on the screen of the customer terminal 60, and performs a predetermined operation such as pressing a "read complete" button. A coupon code that identifies the type of the selected multiple electronic coupons is transmitted to the coupon management server 10.

[0049] Here, the coupons determined as the subject of exchange by reading a barcode or selecting from a list are not limited to coupons issued to the customer himself, but may also be coupons held by others that have no user restrictions and that are included in the subject of exchange.

[0050] When the coupon management server 10 receives a customer ID and multiple coupon codes from the store terminal 30 or the customer terminal 60, the coupon exchange unit 11 is started up and the coupon exchange process is executed according to the procedure shown in the flowchart of Figure 8.

[0051] First, when information such as a customer ID is received (S01), customer ID reception unit 111 is started and customer authentication processing is performed (S02). The authentication method is not particularly limited, but it may be possible to check whether the received customer ID is valid by searching the customer information stored in customer information storage unit 13 and confirming whether it is registered as a valid customer ID, or it may be possible to add personal authentication using a password or the like to this and authenticate the customer on the condition that the combination of the customer ID and password or the like matches that registered in the customer information stored in customer information storage unit 13.

[0052] If the customer authentication is not successful (S02: No), a predetermined error process such as not accepting login is performed (S12), but if the customer authentication is performed properly (S02: Yes), the system waits for reception of a coupon code that identifies the type of issued coupon that the customer wishes to exchange (S03).If an end operation is received from the store terminal 30 or customer terminal 60 without receiving a coupon code, or if it is determined that a coupon code has not been received (S03: No), such as when a coupon code is not received even after a certain period of time has passed since the customer authentication, a process to end acceptance of the coupon exchange is executed.

[0053] When a coupon code is received (S03: Yes), the coupon code acceptance unit 112 is activated, and the coupon to be exchanged is identified by checking the information corresponding to the coupon code stored in the coupon information storage unit 14 to see if the coupon whose type is identified from each coupon code is the coupon to be exchanged (S04).

[0054] In order to determine whether or not a coupon is eligible for exchange, the validity of each coupon identified by its type from each coupon code is confirmed (S05). For example, if information corresponding to the received coupon code is not stored in the coupon information storage unit 14 because the coupon is issued by a different source, the coupon is not recognized as a valid coupon and is excluded from the coupons eligible for exchange (No in S05).

[0055] In the present invention, expired coupons can be included as coupons to be exchanged, but coupons that have been expired for a certain period of time may be excluded from the coupons to be exchanged. In that case, coupons that have been expired for a certain period of time are not recognized as valid coupons (S05 is No). FIG. 5 shows an example of information stored in the coupon information storage unit 14. For example, if the expired coupons to be exchanged are limited to those that have expired within six months, coupons identified from "CP0001" and "CP0002" have both expired beyond their expiration date, but "CP0001", which has been expired for more than six months, is not recognized as valid and is not eligible for exchange (S05 is No), whereas "CP0002", which has been expired for less than six months, is recognized as a valid coupon to be exchanged (S05 is Yes). In addition, to deal with such cases, information on coupons that have been expired for a certain period of time to be exchanged can be deleted from the coupon information storage unit 14, with the same treatment.

[0056] For coupons that are found to be valid, it is checked whether the coupon is unused (S06), and used coupons are excluded from the coupons eligible for exchange (No in S06). Note that, although an example in which coupons eligible for exchange are limited to unused coupons will be described here, if it is desired to broaden the scope of coupons to encourage coupon exchange, coupons eligible for exchange may also be included, rather than being limited to unused coupons, in which case the process of S06 will not be executed.

[0057] The method of checking whether a coupon is unused is not particularly limited, but in the examples shown in Figures 5 and 6, each coupon issued to a customer is identified from a combination of a customer ID that identifies the customer and a coupon code that identifies the type of coupon. In the example of information stored in coupon issuance information storage unit 15 shown in Figure 6, when a coupon is used, the date of use is recorded here, making it possible to check whether the coupon is unused or not (in Figure 6, the coupon with coupon code "CP0003" issued to customer ID "20002" on April 3, 2023 has the date of use recorded, so it has been used, while the other coupons have no record of the date of use and can be determined to be unused).

[0058] Each issued coupon may be identified by assigning a unique ID to it. However, if each coupon issued to a customer is identified by a combination of customer ID and coupon code as shown in FIG. 6, it becomes easier to set exchange conditions as described later, for example, to increase benefits when receiving coupons from others and having the same coupon code, like four of a kind in poker.

[0059] The coupons that have been confirmed as valid in S05 and unused in S06 are determined to be the coupons eligible for exchange (S07). All received coupon codes are checked to see if the coupons corresponding to each coupon code are eligible for exchange, and the coupons eligible for exchange are identified (S04).

[0060] When the coupons to be exchanged are identified, it is determined whether the number of coupons identified as being eligible for exchange meets predetermined requirements (S08). Since operation allowing even one coupon to be exchanged can lead to a risk of falling into an exchange loop, it is preferable in the present invention to allow at least two coupons to be exchanged, but the lower limit is not particularly limited. If the number is insufficient to be exchanged (No in S08), a predetermined error process is performed, such as displaying a message on the store terminal 30 or customer terminal 60 saying "There are not enough coupons to be exchanged" (S12).

[0061] When it is confirmed that the number of coupons specified as exchange targets is sufficient (Yes in S08), the exchange condition collation unit 113 is activated and checks whether the specified combination of coupons matches any of the exchange conditions whose information is stored in the coupon exchange condition storage unit 16 (S09). Fig. 7 shows an example of information stored in the coupon exchange condition storage unit 16, but the example shown here is only an example of the exchange conditions, and the exchange conditions applied in the present invention are not limited to these examples.

[0062] For example, the exchange code "EX0001" has an exchange condition that if the customer contains three coupons that were issued to them and have expired, a new coupon with coupon code "CP10001" will be issued, allowing expired coupons to have value. The exchange code "EX0002" has an exchange condition that if the customer contains five expired coupons of the same category (the coupon category can be identified from the JAN code that identifies the target product of each coupon in the example of Figure 5), not limited to coupons issued to the customer (they can be transferred from others), a new coupon with coupon code "CP10002" will be issued, and it is expected that interest in coupons will increase through communication between customers when transferring coupons. The exchange code "EX0003" has an exchange condition that if the customer has three coupons with the same bonus conditions within the expiration date, a new coupon with coupon code "CP10003" will be issued, but if a difficult condition is specified, for example, it is possible to set an exchange condition to issue a coupon with high value as a bonus (high discount amount or coupon allocation rate, etc.), making it a service with a game-like nature like mahjong or poker. The exchange code "EX0004" is an example that combines multiple conditions other than expiration, self-issued, and number of coupons, and the exchange code "EX0005" is an example that sets an exchange condition that adds self-issued and number of days from the issue date as conditions, aiming to give preferential treatment to recent purchasers and increase the frequency of visits to the store.

[0063] These exchange conditions may be disclosed to customers in advance so that customers can collect unnecessary coupons in order to exchange them for coupons that they want to exchange, but it is preferable to keep them secret from customers in order to create an event-like atmosphere, such as a lucky draw or a raffle. There are no particular limitations on how the system operates when two or more exchange conditions apply, but for example, the value of the coupons newly issued by the exchange may be ranked, and the exchange condition with the highest rank may be applied.

[0064] Also, Figure 7 shows examples of exchange conditions under which only one newly issued coupon will be issued, but the number of newly issued coupons through the exchange is not limited to one, and exchange conditions may be set under which multiple newly issued coupons will be issued.

[0065] Next, the coupon issuing processor 114 is started, and a process for issuing a new coupon to be issued as a result of the exchange is performed (S10). If the combination of coupons specified as the coupons to be exchanged matches any of the exchange conditions stored in the coupon exchange condition storage unit 16, a process for issuing a coupon specified in that exchange condition is performed.

[0066] If none of the exchange conditions are met, it is possible to have an operation in which no new coupon is issued, but considering the feelings of customers who are trying to collect and exchange coupons, it is preferable to issue some kind of coupon (a coupon with a lower reward value than when the exchange conditions are met) as a sure win. In such a case, the method of selecting the coupon to be issued is not particularly limited, and for example, the same coupon may be issued uniformly (such as 1% points on all items), or a coupon that can be used on products randomly selected from the same product category as the loaded coupon may be issued.

[0067] The method of coupon issuance processing is not particularly limited, but when the store terminal 30 is used, data required to output the coupon ticket can be sent to the store terminal 30, and when the customer terminal 60 is used, data required to display the contents of the coupon on the screen can be sent to the customer terminal 60. Furthermore, the coupon issuance recording unit 115 is started, and the issuance of a new coupon is recorded in the coupon issuance information storage unit 15 (S11).

[0068] Here, the information about the coupon to be exchanged may include the exchange date so that it can be determined that the coupon has already been exchanged, as in the example of customer ID "20022" and coupon code "CP0004" in Fig. 6. Although it may be possible to expand the opportunities for exchange by including coupons that have already been exchanged as eligible for exchange, excluding coupons that have already been exchanged and whose exchange date has been recorded from the eligible coupons for exchange is effective in preventing exchange loops.

[0069] The newly issued coupon resulting from the exchange can be used, like a normal coupon, when purchasing the product for which the coupon is issued. When a customer presents the coupon to purchase the product for which the coupon is issued at a brick-and-mortar store, the customer ID from the membership card or the like and the coupon code from the barcode or the like displayed on the coupon ticket are read by the cash register terminal 40, and the customer ID and coupon code are transmitted to the retailer server 20. When purchasing the product for which the coupon is issued at an online shop using the customer terminal 60, the customer ID is transmitted to the EC server 50 when logging in, and the corresponding coupon code is transmitted to the EC server 50 when a coupon is selected at the time of payment.

[0070] The retailer server 20 or EC server 50 that has received the customer ID and coupon code inquires about the validity of the coupon with the coupon management server 10, and if the validity is confirmed, the coupon benefit is applied, but in the coupon management server 10 that has received the inquiry about the validity, the coupon usage acceptance unit 12 is activated, and performs authentication of the customer corresponding to the customer ID, confirmation of the validity and usage status of the coupon code identified from the customer ID and coupon code, etc., and returns the inquiry result to the retailer server 20 or EC server 50. Furthermore, when information that the coupon has been used is accepted, the fact that the coupon has been used is recorded in the coupon issue information storage unit 15. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10 Coupon Management Server 11 Coupon Exchange Department 111 Customer ID Reception Department 112 Coupon Code Reception 113 Exchange Condition Verification Unit 114 Coupon issuing processing unit 115 Coupon Issuance Record Section 12 Coupon Reception Desk 13 Customer information storage section 14 Coupon information storage section 15 Coupon issuing information storage section 16 Coupon exchange conditions storage section 20 Retailer Server 30 Store terminals 40 Cashier terminal 50 EC Server 60 Customer terminals

Claims

1. a coupon identification information receiving means for receiving coupon identification information for identifying each of two or more issued coupons; a coupon exchange condition storage means for storing information on exchange conditions for exchanging two or more issued coupons for one or more newly issued coupons; a coupon exchange condition verification means for verifying whether two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received by the coupon identification information reception means match any of the exchange conditions stored in the coupon exchange condition storage means; a coupon issuing means for executing a process for issuing one or more coupons newly issued in exchange for the coupons specified in the coupon exchange conditions when the coupon exchange condition checking means confirms that the coupons match any of the coupon exchange conditions; A coupon exchange device comprising:

2. a coupon issuing information storage means for storing information regarding each issued coupon, including whether or not the coupon has been used; The coupon exchange condition checking means checks whether a coupon confirmed to be unused among two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received by the coupon identification information receiving means matches any of the exchange conditions stored in the coupon exchange condition storage means.

2. The coupon exchange device according to claim 1,

3. The coupon issuing means includes a coupon issuing recorder that records, when a new coupon is issued by the coupon issuing means, that the two or more previously issued coupons to be exchanged have been used in information about each of the previously issued coupons stored in the coupon issuing information storage means.

3. The coupon exchange device according to claim 2, wherein:

4. The coupon issuing means executes a process for issuing one or more new coupons based on a predetermined rule even when it is confirmed by the coupon exchange condition checking means that none of the exchange conditions are met.

4. The coupon exchange device according to claim 1, wherein:

5. A coupon information storage means for storing information regarding a coupon including an expiration date of the coupon, The coupon exchange condition checking means checks whether a coupon that has been confirmed to have exceeded its expiration date by referring to the coupon information storage means among two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received by the coupon identification information receiving means matches any of the exchange conditions stored in the coupon exchange condition storage means.

4. The coupon exchange device according to claim 1, wherein:

6. On the computer, a coupon identification information receiving step of receiving coupon identification information for identifying each of two or more issued coupons; a coupon issuing step of executing a process for issuing one or more coupons to be newly issued through an exchange defined in the exchange conditions when it is confirmed that the two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received in the coupon identification information receiving step match any of the exchange conditions stored in a coupon exchange condition storage means for storing information regarding exchange conditions for exchanging the two or more issued coupons for one or more newly issued coupons; A coupon exchange program to help you do this.

7. a coupon identification information receiving step in which the computer receives coupon identification information for identifying each of two or more issued coupons; a coupon issuing step in which, when the computer confirms that the two or more issued coupons identified from the coupon identification information received in the coupon identification information receiving step match any of the exchange conditions stored in a coupon exchange condition storage means that stores information regarding exchange conditions for exchanging the two or more issued coupons for one or more newly issued coupons, the coupon issuing step executes a process for issuing one or more newly issued coupons through an exchange defined in the exchange conditions; A coupon exchange method comprising the steps of:

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