Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce a burden on a store clerk.SOLUTION: An information processing device 1 includes: a storage unit 12 that stores layout information; a virtual space control unit 131 that presents a virtual space to a customer and records, as an action history of an avatar indicating the customer in a virtual store, a browsing history of the avatar browsing items in the virtual store in association with identification information of the items; an evaluation unit 134 that specifies, as an evaluation of a layout of an actual store specified by layout information corresponding to the virtual store, the degree of interest of the avatar in each item, based on the action of the avatar for the item which is associated with the identification information of the item in the browsing history; and an output unit 135 that outputs a result of evaluation performed by the evaluation unit 134.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, systems for evaluating store layouts have been known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for evaluating a store layout using information detected by sensors installed in the store. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-004146 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when sensors are provided in a store, the store staff must arrange the sensors so that they do not get in the way of customers and must maintain the sensors, which places a heavy burden on the store staff.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and has an object to reduce the burden on store clerks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention has a memory unit that stores layout information for identifying a layout that is common to a real store existing in a real space and a virtual store existing in a virtual space that corresponds to the real store, the layout including a plurality of products being sold; a virtual space control unit that presents the virtual space to a customer and records a browsing history of the avatar viewing the products in the virtual store in association with identification information of the products as a behavioral history of an avatar representing the customer in the virtual store; an evaluation unit that identifies, for each product, the avatar's degree of interest in the product based on the avatar's behavior toward the product associated with identification information of the product in the browsing history as an evaluation of the layout of the real store identified by the layout information corresponding to the virtual store; and an output unit that outputs the evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit.

[0007] The virtual space control unit may further record, as the behavioral history, information for identifying the number of times the avatar stayed in a specified virtual section of the virtual store over a specified period of time and the sales performance of the product, and the evaluation unit may further identify, for each product, the avatar's degree of interest in the product based on the relationship between the number of times the avatar stayed in the specified virtual section of the virtual store over a specified period of time and the sales performance of the product.

[0008] The evaluation unit may determine, for each product, the degree of interest of the avatar in the product based on at least one of the viewing period during which the avatar identified by the browsing history viewed the product and the number of times the avatar identified by the browsing history viewed the product.

[0009] The output unit may output, as the evaluation result, information indicating the product in which the avatar has a relatively high level of interest and information indicating the product in which the avatar has a relatively low level of interest.

[0010] The virtual store may include a plurality of virtual sections, and the virtual space control unit may further record, as the behavioral history, information for identifying at least one of the duration of stay that the avatar stayed in a specified virtual section of the virtual store and the number of times that the avatar stayed in a specified virtual section of the virtual store over a specified period of time, and the evaluation unit may further identify, as an evaluation of the layout of the real store, for each virtual section, the degree of interest of the avatar in products present in a real section corresponding to that virtual section in the real store, based on at least one of the duration of stay corresponding to that virtual section and the number of times that the avatar stayed in that virtual section over a specified period of time.

[0011] The output unit may output, as the evaluation result, information indicating the real-world area in which the product in which the avatar has a relatively high level of interest is located, and information indicating the real-world area in which the product in which the avatar has a relatively low level of interest is located.

[0012] The virtual store may include a plurality of virtual passages, and the virtual space control unit may further record, as the behavioral history, information for identifying the number of times the avatar has passed through a specific virtual passage in the virtual store, and the evaluation unit may further evaluate, for each virtual passage, the layout of a real passage in the real store corresponding to that virtual passage based on the number of times that the avatar has passed through that virtual passage.

[0013] The output unit may output, as the evaluation result, information indicating the real passage corresponding to the virtual passage having a relatively small number of passages.

[0014] The real store and the virtual store may display common advertisements, and the evaluation unit may, in addition to evaluating the layout of the real store, further determine the avatar's degree of interest in the advertisement based on the avatar's behavior toward the advertisement identified by the behavioral history.

[0015] The evaluation unit may further evaluate, for each attribute of the customers, a layout of the physical store based on the behavior history of the avatar corresponding to the customer that corresponds to the attribute.

[0016] The output unit may output, as the evaluation result, a degree of behavior of the avatar in the virtual store specified by the behavior history in a form in which the degree is superimposed on a layout of the real store.

[0017] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer having a memory unit that stores layout information for identifying a layout that is common to a real store existing in a real space and a virtual store existing in a virtual space that corresponds to the real store and includes a plurality of products being sold, and includes the steps of: presenting the virtual space to a customer; recording a browsing history of the avatar viewing the products in the virtual store in association with identification information of the products as a behavioral history of the avatar representing the customer in the virtual store; identifying, for each product, the avatar's degree of interest in the product based on the avatar's behavior with respect to the product associated with the identification information of the product in the browsing history as an evaluation of the layout of the real store identified by the layout information corresponding to the virtual store; and outputting the evaluation result.

[0018] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention causes a computer having a memory unit that stores layout information for identifying a layout that is common to a real store existing in a real space and a virtual store existing in a virtual space that corresponds to the real store, the layout including a plurality of products being sold, to function as a virtual space control unit that presents the virtual space to a customer and records a browsing history of the avatar viewing the products in the virtual store in association with identification information of the products as a behavioral history of an avatar representing a customer in the virtual store, an evaluation unit that identifies, for each product, the avatar's degree of interest in the product based on the avatar's behavior toward the product associated with identification information of the product in the browsing history as an evaluation of the layout of the real store identified by the layout information corresponding to the virtual store, and an output unit that outputs the evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit.

[0019] Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on store clerks. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of processing of an information processing system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a configuration of a history management database. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a layout management database. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process for identifying a product viewed by a user. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display screen of the evaluation service. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in the information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] [Outline of Information Processing System S] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system S. The information processing system S is a system used for providing an information processing service. The information processing service includes a space presentation service that presents a virtual space in which an avatar and a virtual store exist to a user, and an evaluation service that evaluates the layout of a real store that exists in the real space.

[0023] An avatar is a three-dimensional model of a person or the like that represents a user in a virtual space. A virtual store is associated with a real store, and the associated virtual store and real store (hereinafter simply referred to as "store") have a common layout of products, shelves, aisles, etc. The information processing system S has an information processing device 1, a user terminal 2, and a store clerk terminal 3.

[0024] The information processing device 1 is a device that manages an information processing service, and is, for example, a server. The information processing device 1 stores an action history of an avatar and layout information of a store. The action history of an avatar is a history of actions of the avatar in a virtual space. The layout information is information for identifying the layout of a store. The layout information includes, for example, information about products sold in a store (e.g., product IDs (identifiers), product appearances, positions where the products are arranged, etc.), information about shelves that display the products (e.g., shelf appearances, positions where the shelves are arranged, etc.), and information about aisles (e.g., aisle appearances, range of the aisles, etc.). The layout information may further include information about advertisements (e.g., images showing advertisements, positions where advertisements are arranged, etc.).

[0025] The user terminal 2 is a terminal used by a user (customer) who uses a virtual store, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. An application program that can use the space presentation service (hereinafter, referred to as a "space presentation app") is installed in the user terminal 2. The space presentation service can present a virtual space to a user via the space presentation app. Note that the space presentation service may present a virtual space to a user not only via the space presentation app, but also via a web browser.

[0026] The clerk terminal 3 is a terminal used by a clerk who manages a store, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. An application program for using the evaluation service (hereinafter, referred to as an "evaluation app") is installed in the clerk terminal 3. The process executed by the information processing system S will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0027] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the processing of the information processing system S. In the example shown in Fig. 2, first, the store clerk terminal 3 transmits an evaluation request for a physical store to the information processing device 1 ((1) in Fig. 2). The evaluation request is a request for evaluating the layout of the physical store in the evaluation service.

[0028] When the information processing device 1 receives a request to evaluate a real store, it evaluates the layout of the real store based on the behavior history of the avatar in the virtual store corresponding to the real store ((2) in FIG. 2). Then, the information processing device 1 transmits the evaluation result of the layout of the real store to the store clerk terminal 3 ((3) in FIG. 2).

[0029] In this way, the information processing system S can evaluate the layout of a real store based on the user's behavior in the virtual store. This allows the information processing system S to evaluate the layout of a real store without providing sensors in the real store. As a result, the information processing system S can reduce the burden on sales staff in the real store that would be caused by using the evaluation service. The configuration of the information processing device 1 will be described below.

[0030] [Configuration of information processing device 1] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the information processing device 1. In Fig. 3, the arrows indicate main data flows, and there may be data flows other than those shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, each block indicates a configuration in functional units, not a configuration in hardware (device) units. Therefore, the blocks shown in Fig. 3 may be implemented in a single device, or may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data may be exchanged between blocks via any means, such as a data bus, a network, or a portable storage medium.

[0031] The information processing device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The information processing device 1 may be configured by connecting two or more physically separated devices by wire or wirelessly. The information processing device 1 may also be configured by a cloud that is a collection of computer resources.

[0032] The communication unit 11 has a communication controller for transmitting and receiving data to and from the user terminal 2 or the clerk terminal 3 via the network. The communication unit 11 notifies the control unit 13 of data received from the user terminal 2 or the clerk terminal 3 via the network. The communication unit 11 also transmits data output from the control unit 13 to the user terminal 2 or the clerk terminal 3 via the network.

[0033] The storage unit 12 is a storage medium including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 12 may be provided outside the information processing device 1, in which case data may be exchanged between the storage unit 12 and the control unit 13 via a network. The storage unit 12 stores in advance a program to be executed by the control unit 13.

[0034] The storage unit 12 stores a history management database that manages the behavior history of the avatar, and a layout management database that manages layout information of the store. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the history management database. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the history management database stores a user ID, a user gender, a user age, appearance information, and a behavior history in association with each other. The appearance information is information that indicates the appearance of the avatar. Although details will be described later, the behavior history is a history of the actions of the avatar, and is information for identifying various actions of the avatar, such as the actions of the avatar with respect to products sold in a virtual store, the actions of the avatar purchasing products, etc.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a layout management database. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the layout management database stores a virtual store ID, a real store ID, a virtual section (section ID, section range), and layout information in association with each other. A virtual section is a section provided in a virtual store and is common to both the virtual store and the real store. A section range is information indicating the range in which a virtual section exists in a virtual space.

[0036] 3, the control unit 13 has a virtual space control unit 131, a purchasing management unit 132, a reception unit 133, an evaluation unit 134, and an output unit 135. The control unit 13 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and functions as the virtual space control unit 131, the purchasing management unit 132, the reception unit 133, the evaluation unit 134, and the output unit 135 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. In the following, the functions of the control unit 13 will be described in detail, separately for a recording process executed in the spatial presentation service and an evaluation process executed in the evaluation service.

[0037] [RECORDING PROCESSING] First, a recording process executed by the information processing device 1 in the space presentation service will be described. The virtual space control unit 131 causes the user terminal 2 to display a virtual image showing the virtual space as a presentation of the virtual space by the space presentation service. Specifically, the virtual space control unit 131 causes the user terminal 2 to display a virtual image showing a virtual store selected by the user.

[0038] For example, first, when the user performs an operation to start the spatial presentation app on the user terminal 2, the user terminal 2 displays a display screen of the spatial presentation app. A list of virtual stores existing in the virtual space is displayed on the display screen of the spatial presentation app, and when the user performs an operation to select one virtual store, the user terminal 2 transmits a display request to the information processing device 1. The display request is a request for displaying a virtual image of the virtual store selected by the user, and includes, for example, the user ID and the ID of the virtual store selected by the user.

[0039] When the virtual space control unit 131 receives a display request from the user terminal 2, it renders a virtual image in which the avatar and the virtual store are displayed as seen from a virtual viewpoint, based on appearance information associated with the user ID included in the display request in the history management database and layout information associated with the virtual store ID included in the display request in the layout management database. The virtual viewpoint may be the position of the avatar's eyes, or may be a position away from the avatar. The virtual space control unit 131 then transmits the rendered virtual image to the user terminal 2, thereby causing the virtual image to be displayed on the user terminal 2.

[0040] After displaying the first virtual image, the virtual space control unit 131 causes the user terminal 2 to display a second virtual image in response to an operation by the user. For example, when the user first performs an operation to change the avatar (for example, an operation to move the avatar or change the orientation of the avatar (the orientation of the virtual viewpoint)) on the user terminal 2 on which the first virtual image is displayed, the user terminal 2 transmits operation information indicating the content of the user's operation to the information processing device 1.

[0041] When the virtual space control unit 131 acquires the operation information, it renders a second virtual image in which the avatar and the virtual store are displayed as seen from the virtual viewpoint after the avatar is changed based on the operation information. Then, the virtual space control unit 131 transmits the rendered second virtual image to the user terminal 2, thereby causing the second virtual image to be displayed on the user terminal 2.

[0042] The information processing device 1 records the behavior history of the avatar. For example, the virtual space control unit 131 records the history of the movement of the avatar as the behavior history of the avatar. Specifically, every time the virtual space control unit 131 moves the avatar based on the operation information acquired from the user terminal 2, the virtual space control unit 131 associates the user ID, the behavior type indicating the movement of the avatar, the ID of the virtual store where the avatar exists, the position after the avatar is moved, the ID of the virtual section including the position after the avatar is moved, and the date and time when the avatar is moved in the history management database.

[0043] The information processing device 1 may record the history of the avatar viewing the product as the behavior history of the avatar. Viewing the product is, for example, the behavior of the avatar looking at the product for a predetermined period of time. Specifically, the information processing device 1 records the history of the avatar viewing the product by executing the following two steps.

[0044] As a first step, the virtual space control unit 131 determines whether or not the avatar has viewed a product included in a virtual image. For example, when the period from when the first operation information for changing the avatar is acquired until when the second operation information for further changing the avatar is acquired exceeds a predetermined threshold, the virtual space control unit 131 determines that the avatar has viewed a product included in a virtual image based on the first operation information (hereinafter, referred to as a "target virtual image"). The predetermined threshold is a value used to determine whether or not the user has viewed a product included in a virtual image, and is, for example, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, etc.

[0045] When the virtual space control unit 131 determines that the avatar has viewed a product included in the target virtual image, it records the ID of the product viewed by the avatar. Specifically, the virtual space control unit 131 first identifies a product present in the line of sight of the avatar based on the center point of the target virtual image as the product viewed by the avatar. For example, the virtual space control unit 131 identifies products displayed within a range of a predetermined distance from the center point in the target virtual image.

[0046] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a process for identifying a product viewed by an avatar. Fig. 6(a) is a diagram showing a layout of a store. Fig. 6(b) is a diagram showing an image G1, which is a virtual image displayed on the display screen of the spatial presentation service, when avatar A in Fig. 6(a) is facing in the direction shown by the arrow.

[0047] In the image G1 shown in FIG. 6(b), a plurality of products P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 are displayed. In this case, the virtual space control unit 131 specifies the product P3 displayed in the range R from the point C, which is the center point of the image G1, to a predetermined distance, as the product viewed by the avatar. When a plurality of products are displayed in the range R, the virtual space control unit 131 may specify the plurality of products as the products viewed by the avatar. The virtual space control unit 131 may specify the product displayed in the position closest to the center point in the target virtual image. Then, the virtual space control unit 131 associates the user ID, the behavior type indicating the viewing of the product, the ID of the virtual store in which the avatar exists, the ID of the virtual section in which the avatar exists, the ID of the specified product, and the date and time when the avatar viewed the product (for example, the date and time when the target virtual image was displayed) as the behavior history of the avatar, and stores them in the storage unit 12.

[0048] Viewing a product may be an action of displaying detailed information about the product by the user performing an operation to select the product in the virtual image (for example, an operation to tap on the product displayed in the virtual image). In this case, every time the avatar views a product based on the operation information acquired from the user terminal 2, the virtual space control unit 131 associates the user ID, the action type indicating the viewing of the product, the ID of the virtual store in which the avatar exists, the ID of the product viewed by the avatar, the ID of the virtual section in which the avatar exists, and the date and time when the avatar viewed the product in the history management database.

[0049] The information processing device 1 may record not only the history of the avatar viewing products sold in the virtual store, but also the history of the avatar viewing advertisements posted in the virtual store. Viewing an advertisement is, for example, an action of the avatar viewing an advertisement for a predetermined period of time, or an action of the user selecting an advertisement in a virtual image (for example, tapping an advertisement displayed in a virtual image) to display detailed information about the advertisement, etc.

[0050] The information processing device 1 may record a history of an avatar's purchase of a product in a virtual store as the behavior history of the avatar. Specifically, the purchase management unit 132 manages commercial transactions between the avatar and the virtual store, and when the avatar purchases a product sold in the virtual store, stores the user ID, a behavior type indicating the purchase of the product, the ID of the virtual store where the product was purchased, the ID of the product, and the date and time of the purchase of the product in association with each other in the history management database.

[0051] [Evaluation process] Next, the evaluation process executed by the information processing device 1 in the evaluation service will be described. The evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of a real store specified by layout information corresponding to a virtual store based on the behavior history of an avatar in the virtual store. Specifically, the information processing device 1 evaluates the layout of the real store by executing the following two steps.

[0052] As a first step, the reception unit 133 receives a request to evaluate the layout of a physical store from the clerk terminal 3. For example, first, when a clerk at a certain physical store performs an operation to launch an evaluation app on the clerk terminal 3, the clerk terminal 3 displays a display screen of the evaluation app. The display screen of the evaluation app displays an input field for inputting the ID of the physical store, and when the clerk performs an operation to input the ID of the physical store, the clerk terminal 3 transmits an evaluation request to the information processing device 1. The evaluation request is a request to evaluate the layout of the physical store, and includes, for example, the ID of the physical store. Then, the reception unit 133 receives the evaluation request from the clerk terminal 3.

[0053] As a second step, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store based on the behavior history of the avatar in the virtual store identified by the ID of the real store included in the evaluation request accepted by the reception unit 133. For example, the evaluation unit 134 first identifies, in the layout management database, the ID of the virtual store associated with the ID of the real store included in the evaluation request accepted by the reception unit 133, and identifies, in the history management database, the behavior history of the avatar associated with the identified virtual store ID. Then, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store identified by the layout information associated with the identified virtual store ID in the layout management database, based on the behavior history of the identified avatar.

[0054] The evaluation unit 134 may evaluate the layout of a real store based on the behavior of an avatar during a specific period (e.g., the period of an event, etc.). For example, the evaluation request further includes an input period input by a store clerk. In this case, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store based on the behavior history of the avatar who acted during the input period included in the evaluation request, in a virtual store specified by the ID of the real store included in the evaluation request received by the reception unit 133. In this way, the information processing device 1 can evaluate the layout of a real store based on the behavior of the avatar during a specific period.

[0055] Furthermore, the evaluation unit 134 may evaluate the layout of the real store based on the behavior of the avatar in each layout for a plurality of specific periods (e.g., a period before the layout of the store is changed and a period after the layout of the store is changed). For example, the evaluation request further includes a plurality of input periods input by the store clerk. In this case, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store for each input period included in the evaluation request received by the reception unit 133 based on the behavior history of the avatar who acted in the input period in the virtual store specified by the ID of the real store. In this way, the store clerk can compare the evaluations of the layout of the real store for each of the plurality of periods.

[0056] The output unit 135 outputs the evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit 134. For example, the output unit 135 transmits information indicating the evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit 134 to the store clerk terminal 3, thereby causing the store clerk terminal 3 to display the evaluation result.

[0057] The output unit 135 may output the evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit 134 according to the user's attribute (for example, at least one of gender and age). Specifically, the evaluation unit 134 first evaluates the layout of the physical store for each user's attribute based on the behavior history of the avatar corresponding to the user corresponding to the attribute. Then, the output unit 135 outputs the evaluation result corresponding to the attribute evaluated by the evaluation unit 134 for each user's attribute.

[0058] The output unit 135 may output an evaluation result corresponding to a user attribute designated by a store clerk (hereinafter, referred to as a "designated attribute"). For example, the evaluation request further includes information indicating the designated attribute. In this case, first, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the physical store based on the behavior history of an avatar corresponding to a user corresponding to the designated attribute. Then, the output unit 135 outputs an evaluation result corresponding to the designated attribute evaluated by the evaluation unit 134. In this way, the information processing device 1 can, for example, allow the store clerk to recognize whether or not the behavior of an avatar corresponding to a user with a certain attribute matches the behavior of the avatar that the store clerk expects based on the layout in which products are arranged for a user with that attribute.

[0059] The output unit 135 may output the evaluation result of the layout of the physical store regarding the products sold in the physical store. Specifically, the information processing device 1 outputs the evaluation result of the layout of the physical store regarding the products sold in the physical store by executing the following two steps.

[0060] As a first step, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store for each product sold in the virtual store by identifying the avatar's level of interest in the product based on the avatar's behavior toward the product identified by the avatar's behavior history. Specifically, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store for each product sold in the virtual store by identifying the avatar's level of interest in the product based on the avatar's behavior toward the product associated with the product's ID in the avatar's behavior history.

[0061] More specifically, for each product sold in the virtual store, the evaluation unit 134 determines the avatar's level of interest in the product based on at least one of the avatar's behavior toward the product, such as the length of time the avatar has viewed the product and the number of times the avatar has viewed the product.

[0062] The browsing period is the period during which an avatar viewed a product. The browsing period may be a total period obtained by adding up the periods during which multiple avatars viewed a product, or may be a statistical value (e.g., average, median, etc.) of the periods during which multiple avatars viewed a product. The browsing period is information identified by a history of an avatar's browsing of a product sold in a virtual store, which is included in the avatar's behavior history. The evaluation unit 134 identifies the length of the browsing period based on, for example, whether the browsing period exceeds a browsing period threshold. The browsing period threshold is a numerical value for identifying whether the browsing period is long or short. The browsing period threshold may be a threshold common to multiple virtual stores existing in a virtual space, or may be a threshold different for each virtual store.

[0063] The number of views is the number of times that an avatar has viewed products sold in a virtual store. The number of views is information identified by a history of the avatar's viewing of products sold in a virtual store, which is included in the avatar's behavior history. The evaluation unit 134 identifies the number of views based on, for example, whether the number of views exceeds a view count threshold. The view count threshold is a numerical value for identifying whether the number of views is large or small. The view count threshold may be a threshold common to multiple virtual stores existing in the virtual space, or may be a threshold different for each virtual store.

[0064] For example, when the viewing period of the avatar for a certain product is long and the number of times the avatar views the product is large, the evaluation unit 134 determines that the avatar has a high level of interest in the product. Also, when the viewing period of the avatar for a certain product is long and the number of times the avatar views the product is small, or when the viewing period of the avatar for a certain product is short and the number of times the avatar views the product is large, the evaluation unit 134 may determine that the avatar has a high level of interest in the product or a slightly high level, or may determine that the avatar has a low level of interest in the product or a slightly low level. Also, when the viewing period of the avatar for a certain product is short and the number of times the avatar views the product is small, the evaluation unit 134 determines that the avatar has a low level of interest in the product. In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine the level of interest of the avatar for each product sold in a store, for example, to evaluate whether or not it is better to continue selling the product.

[0065] The evaluation unit 134 may determine, for each product sold in the virtual store, the avatar's degree of interest in that product based on the relationship between at least one of the number of visits to that product and the number of views to that product and the level of sales performance to that product.

[0066] The number of visits corresponding to a product is, for example, the number of times an avatar has stayed in the virtual section in which the product exists for a predetermined period of time (for example, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, etc.). The number of visits is, for example, information identified by the history of the avatar's movements included in the avatar's behavior history. The evaluation unit 134 identifies the number of visits based on, for example, whether the number of visits exceeds a visit number threshold. The visit number threshold is a numerical value for identifying whether the number of visits is large or small. The visit number threshold may be a threshold common to multiple virtual stores existing in the virtual space, or may be a threshold different for each virtual store.

[0067] The sales performance of a product is, for example, the number of products sold, the total amount of products sold, etc. The sales performance of a product is, for example, information identified by a history of an avatar, included in the avatar's behavior history, purchasing products in a virtual store. The evaluation unit 134 identifies whether the sales performance of a product is high or low, for example, based on whether the sales performance of the product exceeds a sales threshold. The sales threshold is a numerical value for identifying whether the sales performance is high or low. The sales threshold may be a threshold common to multiple virtual stores existing in the virtual space, or may be a threshold different for each virtual store.

[0068] For example, when identifying the avatar's degree of interest in a certain product (hereinafter referred to as the "target product"), if the number of visits corresponding to the target product and the number of views corresponding to the target product are high and the sales record corresponding to the target product is high, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the avatar's degree of interest in the target product as high or somewhat high when, for example, one of the number of visits corresponding to the target product and the number of views corresponding to the target product is high and the other is low and the sales record corresponding to the target product is high. Also, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the avatar's degree of interest in the target product as high or somewhat high when, for example, the number of visits corresponding to the target product and the number of views corresponding to the target product are low and the sales record corresponding to the target product is low. Also, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the avatar's degree of interest as low or somewhat low when, for example, one of the number of visits corresponding to the target product and the number of views corresponding to the target product are high and the other is low and the sales record corresponding to the target product is low. In this way, the information processing device 1 can improve the accuracy of identifying the avatar's level of interest in a product by considering the sales performance of the product. Note that, when the number of visits corresponding to the target product and the number of views corresponding to the target product are low and the sales performance corresponding to the target product is low, the evaluation unit 134 may evaluate to recommend changing the location of the target product.

[0069] As a second step, the output unit 135 outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating products according to the level of interest of the avatar. Specifically, the output unit 135 outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating products in which the avatar has a relatively high level of interest (e.g., products in which the avatar has a high or somewhat high level of interest) and information indicating products in which the avatar has a relatively low level of interest (e.g., products in which the avatar has a low or somewhat low level of interest). For each product, the output unit 135 outputs, for example, an ID of the product and the level of interest of the avatar in the product in association with each other. The output unit 135 may output only information indicating products in which the avatar has a low level of interest among multiple products sold by the physical store.

[0070] In this way, the information processing device 1 can provide the store clerk with a motivation to change the layout of products in which the avatar has a low level of interest. For example, if a product in which the avatar has a low level of interest (e.g., a product with a low sales record) is placed in a location in the virtual store where it is easily noticeable to customers (e.g., near the entrance of the virtual store), the product in which the avatar has a low level of interest can be replaced with a product in which the avatar has a high level of interest or a new product.

[0071] The output unit 135 may output the evaluation result for each real section of the real store. Specifically, the information processing device 1 outputs the evaluation result for each real section of the real store by executing the following two steps.

[0072] As a first step, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store by determining the avatar's degree of interest in products present in a real area in the real store that corresponds to each virtual section included in the virtual store, based on at least one of the length of stay corresponding to the virtual section and the number of stays corresponding to the virtual section.

[0073] The stay period corresponding to a virtual section is the stay period during which an avatar stayed in the virtual section. The stay period may be the total period obtained by adding up the periods during which multiple avatars stayed, or may be a statistical value (e.g., average, median, etc.) of the periods during which multiple avatars stayed. The stay period is information identified, for example, by the history of the avatar's movements included in the avatar's behavior history. The evaluation unit 134 identifies the length of the stay period based, for example, on whether the stay period exceeds a stay period threshold. The stay period threshold is a numerical value for identifying whether the stay period is long or short. The stay period threshold may be a threshold common to multiple virtual stores existing in the virtual space, or may be a different threshold for each virtual store.

[0074] For example, when determining the avatar's degree of interest in a product present in a real section corresponding to a certain virtual section (hereinafter referred to as a "target section"), if the duration of stay in the target section is long and the number of stays in the target section is large, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates that the avatar's degree of interest in the product present in the target section is high. Also, for example, if the duration of stay in the target section is short and the number of stays in the target section is small, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates that the avatar's degree of interest in the product present in the target section is low. Also, for example, if the duration of stay in the target section is long and the number of stays in the target section is small, or if the duration of stay in the target section is short and the number of stays in the target section is large, the evaluation unit 134 may evaluate that the avatar's degree of interest in the product present in the target section is high or slightly high, or may evaluate that the avatar's degree of interest in the product present in the target section is low or slightly low.

[0075] As a second step, the output unit 135 outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating a real section (e.g., a section ID or a section range, etc.) according to the level of the avatar's interest. Specifically, the output unit 135 outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating a real section in which a product in which the avatar's interest level is relatively high (e.g., a product in which the avatar's interest level is high or somewhat high) is located, and information indicating a real section in which a product in which the avatar's interest level is relatively low (e.g., a product in which the avatar's interest level is low or somewhat low) is located.

[0076] For example, the output unit 135 outputs, for each real section, the ID of the real section and the level of interest of the avatar in products present in the real section in association with each other. The output unit 135 may output only information indicating a real section in which a product in which the avatar has a low level of interest is present among a plurality of real sections included in a real store. In this way, the information processing device 1 can provide a store clerk with a motivation to change the layout of a real section in which a product in which the avatar has a low level of interest is present.

[0077] The output unit 135 may output the evaluation result of the layout of the physical store regarding the real passages existing in the physical store. Specifically, the information processing device 1 outputs the evaluation result of the layout of the physical store regarding the real passages existing in the physical store by executing the following two steps.

[0078] As a first step, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates, for each virtual passage included in the virtual store, the layout of a real passage in the real store that corresponds to the virtual passage, based on the number of times of passage corresponding to the virtual passage.

[0079] The number of passes is the number of times that the avatar has passed through a virtual passage of a virtual store. The number of passes is information identified by the history of the avatar's movements included in the avatar's behavior history. The evaluation unit 134 identifies the number of passes based on, for example, whether the number of passes exceeds a pass count threshold. The pass count threshold is a numerical value for identifying whether the number of passes is large or small. The pass count threshold may be a threshold common to multiple virtual stores existing in the virtual space, or may be a threshold different for each virtual store.

[0080] For example, when evaluating the layout of a real store with respect to a certain real passage (hereinafter referred to as a "target passage"), if there are many virtual passages corresponding to the target passage, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates that the degree of avatar use in the target passage is high. Also, for example, if there are few virtual passages corresponding to the target passage, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates that the degree of avatar use in the target passage is low. Note that the evaluation unit 134 may divide the real passage into multiple sections and evaluate the layout of the sections based on the number of times each section is passed through.

[0081] As a second step, the output unit 135 outputs, as the evaluation result, information according to the level of use of the avatar in the virtual passage. Specifically, the output unit 135 outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating a real passage corresponding to a virtual passage in which the avatar is used relatively less (a virtual passage in which the number of times of passage is relatively small). The output unit 135 outputs, for example, information indicating a real passage corresponding to a virtual passage in which the avatar is used least frequently. In this way, the information processing device 1 can provide the store clerk with a motivation to change the layout of a real passage in which the avatar is used less frequently.

[0082] The output unit 135 may output, as an evaluation result, information based on the relationship between the avatar's interest in the product and the avatar's use of the virtual passage. Specifically, first, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store regarding the product based on the relationship between the avatar's interest in the product and the avatar's use of the virtual passage.

[0083] For example, when the avatar's interest level in a certain product is high and the product is placed on a shelf facing a virtual passage where the avatar uses it a lot, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates that it is recommended to maintain the location where the product is placed. Also, when the avatar's interest level in a certain product is high and the product is placed on a shelf facing a virtual passage where the avatar uses it a little, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates that it is recommended to change the location where the product is placed (for example, recommending to place a product where the avatar's interest level is high on a shelf facing a real passage corresponding to the virtual passage where the avatar uses it a lot). Also, when the avatar's interest level in a certain product is low and the product is placed on a shelf facing a virtual passage where the avatar uses it a lot, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates that it is recommended to change the location where the product is placed (for example, recommending to place a product where the avatar's interest level is low on a shelf facing a real passage corresponding to the virtual passage where the avatar uses it a little). In addition, for example, if an avatar's interest in a certain product is low and the product is placed on a shelf facing a virtual passage where avatars use the product less, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates to recommend maintaining the location where the product is placed or ceasing sales of the product.

[0084] Then, the output unit 135 outputs an evaluation result indicating whether or not the evaluation unit 134 recommends maintaining the location where the product is placed. In this way, the information processing device 1 allows the store clerk to determine whether or not it is better to change the location where the product is placed.

[0085] When a common advertisement is posted in the real store and the virtual store, the output unit 135 may output an evaluation result of the layout of the real store regarding the advertisement. Specifically, the information processing device 1 outputs an evaluation result of the layout of the real store regarding the advertisement by executing the following two steps.

[0086] As a first step, when a common advertisement is posted in the real store and the virtual store, the evaluation unit 134 may evaluate the layout of the real store with respect to the advertisement. Specifically, the evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store by identifying the avatar's degree of interest in the advertisement based on the avatar's behavior with respect to the advertisement identified by the avatar's behavior history. The avatar's behavior with respect to the advertisement includes the avatar's behavior of paying attention to the advertisement, the avatar's behavior of viewing the advertisement, etc.

[0087] The evaluation unit 134, for example, determines the degree of interest of the avatar in the advertisement based on the number of times the avatar has acted on the advertisement. The number of times the avatar has acted on the advertisement is information determined by a history of the avatar viewing advertisements, which is included in the avatar's behavior history. The evaluation unit 134, for example, determines the number of times the avatar has acted on the advertisement based on whether the number of times the avatar has acted on the advertisement exceeds an action count threshold. The action count threshold is a numerical value for determining whether the number of actions is large. The action count threshold may be a threshold common to multiple virtual stores existing in the virtual space, or may be a threshold different for each virtual store.

[0088] For example, when the number of times the avatar takes action on a certain advertisement is large, the evaluation unit 134 determines that the avatar has a high degree of interest in the advertisement. On the other hand, when the number of times the avatar takes action on the advertisement is small, the evaluation unit 134 determines that the avatar has a low degree of interest in the advertisement.

[0089] In a second step, the output unit 135 outputs information indicating the level of interest of the avatar in the advertisement as an evaluation result. When the avatar's level of interest in the advertisement is low, the output unit 135 may output information indicating that the avatar's level of interest in the advertisement is low. In this way, the information processing device 1 can provide information for allowing the store clerk to determine whether or not it is better to change the layout related to the advertisement.

[0090] The output unit 135 may output, as the evaluation result, the degree of the avatar's behavior in the virtual store specified by the avatar's behavior history in a form superimposed on the layout of the real store. The degree of the avatar's behavior in the virtual store is, for example, the number of times the avatar paid attention to a product, the number of times the avatar viewed a product, the number of times the avatar passed through a virtual passage, etc. The output unit 135 outputs, for example, a heat map indicating the degree of the avatar's behavior in the virtual store by superimposing it on the layout of the real store.

[0091] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic representation of the display screen of the evaluation service. Image G2 shown in Fig. 7(a) is an image showing the layout of a store before a heat map is superimposed. Image G3 shown in Fig. 7(b) is an image in which a heat map is superimposed on image G2 shown in Fig. 7(a). The heat map displayed in image G3 indicates the number of times a virtual passage has been passed as an indication of the degree of behavior of an avatar in the virtual store.

[0092] The output unit 135, for example, displays a heat map corresponding to each of a plurality of behavior types of the avatar in the virtual store (for example, browsing products, passing through a virtual passage, etc.) superimposed on the layout of the real store. Also, for example, the display screen of the evaluation service may be provided with a selection item for selecting the behavior type of the avatar in the virtual store, and the output unit 135 may display a heat map corresponding to the behavior type selected by the store clerk superimposed on the layout of the real store. In this way, the information processing device 1 allows the store clerk to grasp the user's behavior expected in the real store.

[0093] [Processing of information processing device 1] Next, a description will be given of the processing flow of the information processing device 1. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the information processing device 1. This flowchart starts when the reception unit 133 receives a request to evaluate the layout of a physical store from the store clerk terminal 3 (S1).

[0094] The evaluation unit 134 identifies in the layout management database the ID of the virtual store associated with the ID of the real store included in the evaluation request received by the reception unit 133, and identifies in the history management database the behavior history of the avatar associated with the identified virtual store ID (S2).

[0095] The evaluation unit 134 evaluates the layout of the real store identified by the layout information associated with the ID of the identified virtual store in the layout management database based on the behavior history of the identified avatar (S3), and transmits information indicating the evaluation result of the evaluation by the evaluation unit 134 to the store clerk terminal 3 (S4).

[0096] [Effects of this embodiment] As described above, the information processing device 1 evaluates the layout of a real store specified by layout information corresponding to a virtual store based on the behavior history of an avatar in the virtual store, and outputs the evaluation result. In this way, the information processing device 1 can evaluate the layout of a real store based on the behavior of a user in the virtual store. This allows the information processing device 1 to evaluate the layout of a real store without providing a sensor in the real store. As a result, the information processing device 1 can reduce the burden on store clerks in the real store caused by using an evaluation service.

[0097] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote industry, innovation and infrastructure."

[0098] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination combines the effect of the original embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1. Information processing device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control section 131 Virtual space control section 132 Purchasing Management Department 133 Reception 134 Evaluation Section 135 Output section 2. User terminal 3. Store clerk terminal S Information Processing System

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores layout information for specifying a layout that is common to a real store existing in a real space and a virtual store existing in a virtual space that corresponds to the real store, the layout including a plurality of products being sold; a virtual space control unit that presents the virtual space to a customer and records a browsing history of the avatar viewing the product in the virtual store as a behavior history of an avatar representing the customer in the virtual store in association with identification information of the product; an evaluation unit that, as an evaluation of the layout of the real store specified by the layout information corresponding to the virtual store, specifies, for each of the products, a degree of interest of the avatar in the product based on a behavior of the avatar with respect to the product associated with identification information of the product in the browsing history; an output unit that outputs an evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit; An information processing device having the above configuration.

2. the virtual space control unit further records, as the behavior history, information for identifying the number of times the avatar stayed in a predetermined virtual section of the virtual store over a predetermined period of time and the sales performance of the product; The evaluation unit further identifies, for each of the products, a degree of interest of the avatar in the product based on a relationship between the number of visits corresponding to the product and the sales record corresponding to the product. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the evaluation unit determines, for each of the products, a degree of interest of the avatar in the product based on at least one of a viewing period during which the avatar identified by the viewing history viewed the product and a viewing count during which the avatar identified by the viewing history viewed the product; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the output unit outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating the product in which the avatar has a relatively high degree of interest and information indicating the product in which the avatar has a relatively low degree of interest. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. the virtual store includes a plurality of virtual sections; the virtual space control unit further records, as the behavior history, information for identifying at least one of a duration during which the avatar stayed in a predetermined virtual section of the virtual store and a number of times that the avatar stayed in a predetermined virtual section of the virtual store over a predetermined period of time; the evaluation unit further determines, as an evaluation of the layout of the real store, for each of the virtual sections, a degree of interest of the avatar in a product present in a real section in the real store corresponding to the virtual section, based on at least one of the duration of stay corresponding to the virtual section and the number of stays corresponding to the virtual section. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. the output unit outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating the real-world section in which the product in which the avatar has a relatively high level of interest is located and information indicating the real-world section in which the product in which the avatar has a relatively low level of interest is located. The information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. the virtual store includes a plurality of virtual aisles; the virtual space control unit further records, as the behavior history, information for identifying the number of times the avatar has passed through a predetermined virtual passage in the virtual store; The evaluation unit further evaluates, for each of the virtual passages, a layout of a real passage in the real store corresponding to the virtual passage, based on the number of passages corresponding to the virtual passage. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. the output unit outputs, as the evaluation result, information indicating the real passage corresponding to the virtual passage having a relatively small number of passing times. The information processing device according to claim 7.

9. The real store and the virtual store have common advertisements posted therein, The evaluation unit further evaluates the layout of the physical store by determining a degree of interest of the avatar in the advertisement based on a behavior of the avatar with respect to the advertisement determined by the behavior history. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

10. The evaluation unit further evaluates, for each attribute of the customer, a layout of the physical store based on the behavior history of the avatar corresponding to the customer corresponding to the attribute. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

11. the output unit outputs, as the evaluation result, a degree of the avatar's behavior in the virtual store specified by the behavior history in a manner superimposed on a layout of the real store. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

12. A method for identifying a layout that is common to a real store existing in a real space and a virtual store existing in a virtual space that corresponds to the real store, the layout including a plurality of products being sold, the method being executed by a computer having a storage unit that stores layout information for identifying the layout, the layout including a plurality of products being sold, presenting the virtual space to a customer; a step of recording a browsing history of the avatar representing a customer in the virtual store, in which the avatar viewed the product, in association with identification information of the product; determining, for each of the products, a level of interest of the avatar in the product associated with identification information of the product in the browsing history, based on the behavior of the avatar with respect to the product as an evaluation of the layout of the real store specified by the layout information corresponding to the virtual store; A step of outputting the evaluation result; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

13. a computer having a storage unit that stores layout information for specifying a layout that is common to a real store existing in a real space and a virtual store existing in a virtual space that corresponds to the real store, the layout including a plurality of products being sold; a virtual space control unit that presents the virtual space to a customer and records a browsing history of the avatar viewing the product in the virtual store as a behavior history of an avatar representing the customer in the virtual store, in association with identification information of the product; an evaluation unit that, for each of the products, specifies a degree of interest of the avatar in the product based on a behavior of the avatar with respect to the product associated with identification information of the product in the browsing history as an evaluation of the layout of the real store specified by the layout information corresponding to the virtual store; and an output unit that outputs the evaluation result evaluated by the evaluation unit; A program to function as a

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