Information management device, information management system, information management method and program

Abstract

To provide an information management device, an information management system, an information management method and a program which can provide useful information about a sales price of a commodity.SOLUTION: An information management device comprises: a commodity information acquisition unit which acquires commodity information including identification information of a commodity and a sales price of the commodity; a sales performance period acquisition unit which acquires a sales performance period of the commodity on the basis of the identification information of the commodity; a comparison target price acquisition unit which acquires a comparison target price which becomes a comparison target of the sales price of the commodity, when the sales performance period of the commodity is equal to or more than a threshold value; and a commodity information registration unit which associates the sales price of the commodity with the comparison target price, and registers the commodity information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, information management systems that provide users with product information on products for sale have been disclosed, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1. In such information management systems, by providing users with coupon images, it is possible to provide users with two prices: the in-store display price of the product and the special sale price of the product set in the coupon image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5936756 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in such an information management system, the dual pricing of the product sales price is set by the store manager. Therefore, it is difficult to know whether the dual pricing of the product sales price is appropriate as the price provided to the user. Therefore, it is desired to provide useful information regarding the sales price of the product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information management device that solves the above problem includes a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information including product identification information and the product selling price, a sales history period acquisition unit that acquires the product's sales history period based on the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit, a comparison price acquisition unit that acquires different comparison prices, from among comparison prices to be compared with the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit, based on whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a threshold, and a product information registration unit that associates the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit with the comparison price acquired by the comparison price acquisition unit and registers the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit.

[0006] An information management system that solves the above problem includes a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information including product identification information and the sales price of the product; a sales history period acquisition unit that acquires a product's sales history period based on the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit; a comparison price acquisition unit that acquires different comparison prices, from among comparison prices to be compared with the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit, based on whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a threshold; and a product information registration unit that associates the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit with the comparison price acquired by the comparison price acquisition unit and registers the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit.

[0007] An information management method that solves the above problem includes one or more computers acquiring product information including product identification information and the product sales price, acquiring the product's sales history period based on the acquired product identification information, acquiring different comparison prices from among comparison prices with which the acquired sales price of the product is compared based on whether the acquired product's sales history period is equal to or longer than a threshold, and registering the product information by matching the acquired sales price of the product with the acquired comparison price.

[0008] A program for solving the above problem causes one or more computers to acquire product information including product identification information and the product's sales price, acquire the product's sales history period based on the acquired product identification information, acquire different comparison prices from among comparison prices to which the acquired sales price of the product is compared based on whether the acquired product's sales history period is equal to or longer than a threshold, and register the product information by matching the acquired sales price of the product with the acquired comparison price. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the selling price of a product. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information management system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the terminal device of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the information management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the product management database of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the product information control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the product information provision control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display state of the terminal display unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a manner in which a comparison price is determined in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a manner in which a comparison price is determined in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the product information provision control process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a manner in which a comparison price is determined in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] [First embodiment] An embodiment of an information management device, an information management system, an information management method, and a program will be described.

[0012] <Configuration of Information Management System 10> 1, the information management system 10 is a system that manages information. The information management system 10 is a system that performs control related to electronic commerce. In particular, the information management system 10 may be a system that provides users with the selling prices of products sold in electronic commerce.

[0013] The information management system 10 includes an information management device 11. The information management device 11 is a device that manages information. In particular, the information management device 11 is a device that manages information related to electronic commerce. The information management device 11 is a device that manages advertisement information related to products.

[0014] The information management device 11 may include an electronic commerce server 12. The electronic commerce server 12 is a server that manages information related to electronic commerce. In particular, the electronic commerce server 12 is a server that manages the selling prices of products in electronic commerce. The electronic commerce server 12 is a server that provides users with information related to electronic commerce. The electronic commerce server 12 is a server that manages order information for products ordered in electronic commerce.

[0015] The information management device 11 may include an advertisement server 13. The advertisement server 13 is a device that manages advertisement information related to products sold in electronic commerce. In particular, the advertisement server 13 is a server that manages the comparison price of products sold in electronic commerce. The comparison price of a product is a price that serves as a comparison with the actual selling price of the product. The comparison price of a product can also be said to be advertisement information for products sold in electronic commerce. The advertisement server 13 may be a server that provides the comparison price of a product to the electronic commerce server 12.

[0016] The information management system 10 may include one or more terminal devices 18. As a specific example, the information management system 10 may include a user terminal device 18A and a store terminal device 18B. The user terminal device 18A is a terminal device used by a user. The user terminal device 18A may be a mobile terminal device that can be carried by a user. The store terminal device 18B may be a terminal device used by a manager of a store that sells products in electronic commerce.

[0017] The information management device 11 and one or more terminal devices 18 are connected to be able to communicate with each other via a network 19. At least any combination of the information management device 11 and one or more terminal devices 18 may be connected to be able to communicate with each other directly without via the network 19. The electronic commerce server 12 and the advertisement server 13 may be connected to be able to communicate with each other via the network 19, or may be connected to be able to communicate with each other directly without via the network 19. Hereinafter, a description of communication between each device via the network 19 will be omitted. Also, for convenience, the electronic commerce server 12 and the advertisement server 13 will be described as the information management device 11 without being separated from each other.

[0018] <Configuration of terminal device 18> 2, the terminal device 18 is composed of one or more computers. The terminal device 18 includes a terminal control unit 20, a terminal storage unit 21, a terminal communication unit 22, a terminal input unit 23, and a terminal display unit 24.

[0019] The terminal control unit 20 is configured to control the terminal device 18. The terminal control unit 20 includes an arithmetic unit and a main storage medium. The arithmetic unit loads an OS (Operating System) and a program from the terminal storage unit 21 to the main storage medium, and executes the command retrieved from the main storage medium. The arithmetic unit is one or more circuits. The circuit may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural network Processing Unit). The terminal storage unit 21 may be a secondary storage medium and may store a program. The program may be a dedicated application for using the information management system 10.

[0020] The terminal communication unit 22 is implemented as hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The terminal communication unit 22 transmits and receives data to and from the information management device 11. The terminal input unit 23 is configured to input information in response to a user's operation. The terminal input unit 23 may be a touch panel integrated with the terminal display unit 24. The terminal input unit 23 may be a pointing device of an operation button. The terminal display unit 24 displays information in response to an output instruction from the terminal control unit 20.

[0021] <Configuration of information management device 11> As shown in Fig. 3, the information management device 11 is composed of one or more computers. The information management device 11 includes a control unit 30, a storage unit 31, and a communication unit 32. The control unit 30 is configured to control the information management device 11. The control unit 30 includes a calculation device and a main storage medium. The control unit 30 has a similar configuration to the terminal control unit 20, and the description of the calculation device and the main storage medium will be omitted. The storage unit 31 is a secondary storage medium, and stores information for managing the information management device 11.

[0022] The communication unit 32 is implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of these. The communication unit 32 transmits and receives data to and from the terminal device 18. The information management device 11 may include an operation unit that allows an information provider to perform an input operation, and may include a display unit that displays information.

[0023] In the information management device 11, the control unit 30 configures a processing circuit by executing a program. The control unit 30 includes, as the processing circuit, a product information acquisition unit 30A, a sales performance period acquisition unit 30B, a threshold value selection unit 30C, a determination unit 30D, a comparison price acquisition unit 30E, a product information registration unit 30F, a provision request acquisition unit 30G, and a product information provision unit 30H.

[0024] The product information acquisition unit 30A acquires product information. In particular, the product information acquisition unit 30A acquires product information based on advertisement submission information from the store terminal device 18B. The advertisement submission information is information related to products sold in electronic commerce. The advertisement submission information is information related to advertisements for products sold in electronic commerce. The advertisement submission information is information including at least product identification information and the selling price of the product. In this way, the product information acquisition unit 30A acquires product information including product identification information and the selling price of the product.

[0025] The product identification information is information with which the product can be identified. The product identification information may be the same for each SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). The product identification information may be a standard product code, such as a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code or a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) code. The product identification information may be a product code unique to an electronic commerce store. The product identification information may be a product code unique to a store in an electronic commerce store. The product selling price is information indicating the price at which the product is sold. The product information acquisition unit 30A may acquire the product identification information and the product selling price by communicating with the store terminal device 18B.

[0026] The sales history period acquisition unit 30B acquires the sales history period of the product. In particular, the sales history period acquisition unit 30B acquires the sales history period of the product based on the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 30A. The sales history period of the product is the actual period during which the product corresponding to the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 30A was sold in the past. The sales history period of the product is the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information to the acquisition of the product information by the product information acquisition unit 30A.

[0027] The threshold selection unit 30C selects one of a plurality of thresholds. The plurality of thresholds are values ​​for determining the sales performance period of the product. The threshold is a period corresponding to the recent period in which the product was sold, and may be, for example, a period of several weeks to several months. The threshold selection unit 30C may select one of the plurality of thresholds based on the product type. The product type is information indicating the type of the product.

[0028] The determination unit 30D determines whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit 30B is equal to or greater than a threshold. In particular, the determination unit 30D determines whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit 30B is equal to or greater than a threshold selected by the threshold selection unit 30C.

[0029] The comparison price acquisition unit 30E acquires the comparison price. The comparison price is a price to be compared with the selling price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit 30A. The comparison price includes a first comparison price and a second comparison price.

[0030] The first comparison price is a comparison price based on the sales prices of the product sold during some or all of the product's sales history period. In other words, the first comparison price is the price at which the product has been sold for a considerable period of time recently.

[0031] In detail, the first comparison price may be the average sales price of the product sold during a part or all of the product's sales performance period. The first comparison price may be the median of the distribution of sales prices of the product sold during a part or all of the product's sales performance period.

[0032] The second comparison price is a comparison price different from the first comparison price. The second comparison price is a comparison price that is not based on the sales price of the product sold during some or all of the product's sales history period.

[0033] In detail, the second comparison price may include at least one of the manufacturer's suggested retail price and the selling price of a competing business. The second comparison price may be calculated based on at least one of the manufacturer's suggested retail price and the selling price of a competing business. In other words, the second comparison price is a comparison price based on at least one of the manufacturer's suggested retail price and the selling price of a competing business.

[0034] The comparison price acquisition unit 30E acquires a first comparison price when the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit 30B is equal to or longer than a threshold value. The comparison price acquisition unit 30E acquires a second comparison price when the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit 30B is shorter than a threshold value.

[0035] The product information registration unit 30F registers the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 30A. In particular, the product information registration unit 30F registers the product information by associating the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 30A, the selling price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit 30A, and the comparison price acquired by the comparison price acquisition unit 30E.

[0036] The provision request acquisition unit 30G acquires a request for providing product information in response to a user's input. As a specific example, the request for providing product information may be generated based on a keyword search. The request for providing product information may be a request for providing advertisement information related to the product. In other words, the provision request acquisition unit 30G may acquire a request for providing advertisement information in response to a user's input.

[0037] The product information providing unit 30H provides the product information to the user when a request for providing product information is acquired in response to a user's input. In particular, when the provision request acquiring unit 30G acquires a request for providing product information, the product information providing unit 30H provides the user with any of the product information registered by the product information registration unit 30F in response to the request for providing product information. In other words, when a request for providing advertisement information is acquired in response to a user's input, the product information providing unit 30H may provide the user with advertisement information including the product information.

[0038] <Product management database> Now, with reference to FIG. 4, the product management database 31A stored in the storage unit 31 will be described.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 31 stores a product management database 31A. In the product management database 31A, a sales ID, a store ID, a sales type, product identification information, a product type, and a sales price correspond to each other. Product identification information is represented as a product ID in the figure. In the product management database 31A, a sales ID, a comparison price, and a comparison type correspond to each other. In the product management database 31A, a sales ID corresponds to one or more order IDs. In the product management database 31A, an order ID corresponds to an order date and time, an order quantity, and an orderer ID.

[0040] The sales ID is information that can identify the sale of the product. The store ID is information that can identify the manager of the store that sells the product in electronic commerce. The store ID may be associated with contact information for the store manager.

[0041] The sales type is information that can identify whether or not product information will be provided as advertising information. In particular, the sales type may include information that can identify whether or not a comparison price will be displayed as advertising information. That is, the sales type may be capable of identifying a shopping campaign in which product information including a comparison price is provided as advertising information. The sales type may include information indicating a type of advertising information. As a specific example, the sales type may be capable of identifying a search campaign in which advertising information is provided based on a keyword search. The sales type may include information indicating a period during which the product will be sold. That is, the sales type may be capable of identifying whether or not the product is currently on sale.

[0042] The type of product may be information that can identify whether the sales period of the product is long or short. The type of product may be information that can identify whether the sales volume of the product tends to increase or decrease in a predetermined period. As a specific example, the type of product may include a type that tends to increase in sales, such as sweaters and Christmas-related products.

[0043] The comparison price type is information indicating the type of the comparison price. In particular, it is information that can specify whether the comparison price is a first comparison price or a second comparison price. The comparison price type may be information that can specify whether the second comparison price is a price based on the manufacturer's suggested retail price or a price based on the selling price of a competing business.

[0044] The order ID is information that can identify an order for a product. The order date and time is information that indicates the date and time when the order for the product was accepted. The order quantity is information that indicates the quantity of the ordered product. The orderer ID is information that can identify the orderer who ordered the product.

[0045] The product information may include a sales ID, a store ID, a sales type, product identification information, a product type, a sales price, a comparison price, and a comparison type. The order information may include a sales ID, an order ID, an order date and time, an order quantity, and an orderer ID. The product information may include order information.

[0046] In the information management device 11, when the control unit 30 acquires product information indicating the sale of a product in electronic commerce from the store terminal device 18B, the control unit 30 registers the product information in the product management database 31A. In particular, when the control unit 30 acquires advertisement submission information including the product information from the store terminal device 18B, the control unit 30 registers the product information included in the advertisement submission information in the product management database 31A.

[0047] In the information management device 11, the control unit 30 registers the order information in the product management database 31A when an order for a product corresponding to a sales ID is received from the user terminal device 18A. In detail, when the control unit 30 receives product order information including the sales ID, the order quantity, and the orderer ID from the user terminal device 18A, the control unit 30 generates an order ID and an order date and time. The control unit 30 registers the order information in which the sales ID, the order ID, the order date and time, the order quantity, and the orderer ID correspond to each other in the product management database 31A.

[0048] In addition, the sales price and the order information are associated with each other by the sales ID. Therefore, the control unit 30 can obtain the sales price corresponding to the order information by reading out the sales price corresponding to the sales ID and the order information from the product management database 31A.

[0049] <Product information control processing> Next, the product information control process will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The product information control process is a process executed by the control unit 30 when predetermined advertisement submission information is received from the store terminal device 18B. The predetermined advertisement submission information is advertisement submission information including a sales type for providing product information as advertisement information.

[0050] In the store terminal device 18B, the terminal control unit 20 transmits predetermined advertisement submission information to the information management device 11 in response to an input from the terminal input unit 23. The predetermined advertisement submission information includes at least product identification information and a product selling price. The predetermined advertisement submission information may include a store ID.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, in the information management device 11, in step S10, the control unit 30 executes a product information acquisition process. In the product information acquisition process, the control unit 30 receives predetermined advertisement submission information from the store terminal device 18B, and thereby acquires product information included in the predetermined advertisement submission information. In this case, the control unit 30 acquires product information including at least product identification information and the product selling price. The control unit 30 acquires product information including a store ID and a sales type. In particular, the control unit 30 acquires a sales type that provides advertisement information including a comparison price.

[0052] In step S11, the control unit 30 executes a sales history period acquisition process. In the sales history period acquisition process, the control unit 30 acquires from the product management database 31A the first order date and time corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10. In particular, the control unit 30 acquires from the product management database 31A the first order date and time corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10 from all order dates and times corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10, regardless of the sales type. The control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order date and time corresponding to the product identification information to the current date and time as the sales history period of the product.

[0053] In this way, the control unit 30 acquires the sales history period of the product based on the product identification information acquired in step S10. In particular, the control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10 to the acquisition of the product information in step S10 as the sales history period of the product.

[0054] In step S12, the control unit 30 executes a threshold selection process. In the threshold selection process, the control unit 30 selects one of a plurality of thresholds. In particular, the control unit 30 selects one of a plurality of thresholds based on the product type corresponding to the product identification information. As a specific example, in the case of a product type that tends to have a short sales period, the control unit 30 may select a smaller threshold than for a product type that tends to have a long sales period.

[0055] In step S13, the control unit 30 determines whether the sales history period of the product acquired in step S12 is equal to or greater than the threshold selected in step S13. If the control unit 30 determines that the sales history period is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 30 proceeds to step S14. If the control unit 30 determines that the sales history period is less than the threshold, the control unit 30 proceeds to step S15.

[0056] In step S14, the control unit 30 executes a first comparison price acquisition process. In the first comparison price acquisition process, the control unit 30 acquires a first comparison price as a comparison price of the product.

[0057] As a specific example, the control unit 30 determines a part or all of the product's sales performance period as the comparison period. The comparison period is a period for calculating the comparison price. The comparison period may be longer than the threshold period for the product's sales performance period, but it may also be the same or shorter. The comparison period may be a part or all of the product's sales performance period. The control unit 30 may determine a part or all of the product's sales performance period as the comparison period based on the product type.

[0058] The control unit 30 acquires a sales ID including the same product identification information as the acquired product identification information. The control unit 30 acquires the number of orders and the sales price, which are included in the acquired sales ID and are the order date and time when the order was received within the comparison period, from the product management database 31A. The control unit 30 may acquire, as the first comparison price, the average value of the sales prices of the products for which orders were received within the comparison period based on the acquired number of orders and sales prices. The control unit 30 may acquire, as the first comparison price, the median value of the distribution of the sales prices of the products for which orders were received within the comparison period based on the acquired number of orders and sales prices.

[0059] In step S15, the control unit 30 executes a second comparison price acquisition process. In the second comparison price acquisition process, the control unit 30 acquires a second comparison price as the comparison price of the product.

[0060] As a specific example, a manufacturer's suggested retail price corresponding to the identification information of a product is stored in the memory unit 31. The control unit 30 may obtain the manufacturer's suggested retail price corresponding to the acquired identification information of the product from the memory unit 31. The control unit 30 may obtain the manufacturer's suggested retail price corresponding to the acquired identification information of the product by communicating with another server.

[0061] The control unit 30 may obtain, from the product management database 31A, a selling price of a competing business that has the same identification information as the obtained product and is different from the obtained store ID. The control unit 30 may obtain, as the second comparison price, the average value of the obtained selling prices of the competing business. The control unit 30 may obtain, as the second comparison price, the median value of the distribution of the obtained selling prices of the competing business. The control unit 30 may obtain, by communicating with another server, the selling price of the competing business that corresponds to the obtained identification information of the product.

[0062] In this way, the control unit 30 acquires different comparison prices among the comparison prices of the product based on whether the sales history period of the product is equal to or longer than the threshold. If the control unit 30 determines that the sales history period of the product is equal to or longer than the threshold, it acquires a first comparison price. If the control unit 30 determines that the sales history period of the product is shorter than the threshold, it acquires a second comparison price different from the first comparison price.

[0063] In step S16, the control unit 30 executes a product information registration process. In the product information registration process, the control unit 30 generates a sales ID. The storage unit 31 stores a database in which product identification information and product types correspond to each other. The control unit 30 refers to the database stored in the storage unit 31 and acquires the product type corresponding to the product identification information. The control unit 30 may acquire the product type corresponding to the product identification information by communicating with another server.

[0064] The control unit 30 registers in the product management database 31A the product information in which the sales ID, the store ID, the sales type, the product identification information, the product type, the sales price, the comparison price, and the comparison type are associated with each other. In particular, the control unit 30 registers in the product management database 31A the product information as advertisement information to be provided to the user.

[0065] In this manner, the control unit 30 registers the product information in the product management database 31A. In particular, the control unit 30 associates the product sales price acquired in step S10 with the comparison price acquired in step S14 or step S15, and registers the product information acquired in step S10 in the product management database 31A.

[0066] <Product information provision control process> Next, the product information provision control process will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The product information provision control process is a process executed by the control unit 30 when a request for providing product information is received from the user terminal device 18A. In other words, the product information provision control process is a process executed by the control unit 30 when a request for providing advertisement information is received from the user terminal device 18A.

[0067] In step S20, the control unit 30 executes a provision request acquisition process. In the provision request acquisition process, the control unit 30 receives a provision request for product information from the user terminal device 18A, thereby acquiring a provision request for product information in response to user input. The provision request for product information is generated in response to input from the terminal input unit 23 in the user terminal device 18A. The provision request for product information may be a search keyword input by the user. In other words, the control unit 30 receives a provision request for advertising information from the user terminal device 18A, thereby acquiring a provision request for product information in response to user input.

[0068] The control unit 30 selects a product type based on a keyword included in the acquired request for providing product information. The control unit 30 acquires identification information of a product corresponding to the selected product type. In particular, the control unit 30 may acquire identification information of a product that is a search campaign and has a shopping campaign set as the sales type from among the identification information of products corresponding to the selected product type. In this way, when the control unit 30 acquires a request for providing product information, it acquires product identification information in response to the request for providing product information.

[0069] In step S21, the control unit 30 executes a product information providing process. In the product information providing process, the control unit 30 transmits product information corresponding to the acquired product identification information to the user terminal device 18A. In particular, the control unit 30 transmits the selling price, comparison price, and comparison type of the product corresponding to the acquired product identification information to the user terminal device 18A. In this way, when the control unit 30 acquires a request for providing product information, it provides the user with any of the product information registered in the product management database 31A in response to the request for providing product information.

[0070] In the user terminal device 18A, the terminal control unit 20 causes the terminal display unit 24 to display the received product information. In particular, the terminal control unit 20 causes the terminal display unit 24 to display the received selling price, comparison price, and comparison type. Thus, in the user terminal device 18A, in response to a request for product information, the terminal control unit 20 causes the terminal display unit 24 to display product information corresponding to the request for product information.

[0071] <Operation of the First Embodiment> The operation of the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, a first screen 24A may be displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal device 18A. The first screen 24A is a screen that displays product information. The first screen 24A may be a screen that is displayed as a result of a keyword search for a hair dryer in response to an input by the user. The keyword search for a hair dryer is included in the request for providing product information. In this case, the first screen 24A displays product information as advertising information. The first screen 24A displays the selling price and the comparison price. The first screen 24A displays the sales record price, which is the first comparison price, as the comparison price.

[0072] Further, the second screen 24B may be displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal device 18A. The second screen 24B may be a screen displayed as a result of a keyword search for vacuum cleaners in response to an input by the user. The keyword search for vacuum cleaners is included in the request for providing product information. In this case, the second comparison price, which is the manufacturer's suggested retail price, is displayed as the comparison price on the second screen 24B.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 8, taking the first product as a specific example, at the timing indicated by reference symbol T10, the first order for the first product having the same product identification information is accepted. At the timing indicated by reference symbol T11, product information for the first product is received from the store terminal device 18B. In this case, the sales performance period is equal to or exceeds the threshold value. As a result, the first comparison price for the first product is registered in the product management database 31A.

[0074] As a specific example, regarding the second product, at the timing indicated by reference symbol T20, the first order is received for the second product having the same product identification information. At the timing indicated by reference symbol T21, product information for the second product is received from the store terminal device 18B. In this case, the sales performance period falls short of the threshold value. As a result, the second comparison price for the second product is registered in the product management database 31A.

[0075] <Advantages of the First Embodiment> The effects of the first embodiment will be described. (1-1) The control unit 30 acquires product information including product identification information and the product selling price. The control unit 30 acquires the product's sales history period based on the acquired product identification information. The control unit 30 acquires different comparison prices, from among the comparison prices to which the acquired sales price of the product is compared, based on whether the product's sales history period is equal to or longer than a threshold. The control unit 30 registers product information by correlating the product selling price with the comparison price. Therefore, it is possible to switch the comparison price to which the product's selling price is compared based on whether the product's sales history period is equal to or longer than a threshold. This makes it possible to increase the reliability of the product selling price and the comparison price of the product. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the product's selling price.

[0076] In addition, if the store manager provides product information including product identification information and product sales price, the product comparison price can be registered without the store manager providing the product comparison price himself / herself. This improves the work efficiency of the store manager and provides useful information on product sales prices.

[0077] (1-2) When the sales history period of the product is equal to or longer than the threshold, the control unit 30 acquires the first comparison price based on the sales price of the product sold during a comparison period that is part or all of the product's sales history period. Therefore, when the sales history period of the product is equal to or longer than the threshold, the control unit 30 can register the first comparison price based on the sales price of the actual product sold during the comparison period that is included in the product's sales history period. This can increase the reliability of the product's sales price and the product's comparison price. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the product's sales price.

[0078] (1-3) When the sales history period of the product is less than the threshold, the control unit 30 acquires a second comparison price different from the first comparison price. Therefore, when the sales history period of the product is less than the threshold, it is possible to register a second comparison price different from the first comparison price without registering the first comparison price. This makes it possible to increase the reliability of the product's selling price and the product's comparison price. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the product's selling price.

[0079] (1-4) When the sales performance period of the product is less than the threshold, the control unit 30 acquires a second comparison price based on at least one of the manufacturer's suggested retail price and the selling price of a competing business. This makes it possible to increase the reliability of the selling price of the product and the comparison price of the product. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the selling price of the product.

[0080] (1-5) The control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information to the acquisition of the product information as the sales history period. Therefore, the control unit 30 can acquire the sales history period by using the first order acceptance of the product, which is past information. This can increase the reliability of the sales history period, and therefore the reliability of the product's selling price and the product's comparison price. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the product's selling price.

[0081] (1-6) The control unit 30 provides the user with the product information requested in response to the user's input. This makes it possible to provide the user with comparative prices of products with high reliability. This makes it possible to provide useful information on the selling prices of products.

[0082] (1-7) The control unit 30 receives advertisement submission information including the product identification information and the product selling price, thereby acquiring product information including the product identification information and the product selling price. Therefore, if the store manager provides advertisement submission information including the product identification information and the product selling price as an advertisement for the product, the product comparison price can be registered without the store manager providing the product comparison price himself / herself. This improves the work efficiency of the store manager and provides useful information regarding the product selling price.

[0083] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the already described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0084] <Product information control processing> In the second embodiment, in step S11 of Fig. 5, the control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order date and time corresponding to the identification information of the product to the date and time when the product is on sale as the sales performance period of the product. The date and time when the product is on sale may be included in the product information from the store terminal device 18B. The date and time when the product is on sale is later than the date and time when the product information is acquired from the store terminal device 18B, but may be the same day as the date and time when the product information is acquired from the store terminal device 18B.

[0085] As a specific example, when product information for a Christmas sale that starts in November is acquired in October, the end of the sales performance period may be set to November when the Christmas sale starts, rather than October.

[0086] In this way, the control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order receipt of the product corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10 to the start of sales of the product at the product sales price acquired in step S10 as the product sales history period.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 9, taking the first product as a specific example, the date and time when the product starts being sold is the timing shown by the reference symbol T12. In this case, the sales performance period is equal to or longer than the threshold. As a result, the first comparison price of the first product is registered in the product management database 31A.

[0088] For the second product, the date and time when the product is first on sale is indicated by the reference symbol T22. In this case, the sales performance period is less than the threshold. As a result, the second comparison price of the second product is registered in the product management database 31A.

[0089] <Effects of the second embodiment> The effects of the second embodiment will be described. (2-1) The control unit 30 may acquire the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information to the start of sales of the product at the product's selling price as the sales history period. Therefore, the control unit 30 can acquire the sales history period by using the first order acceptance of the product, which is past information. This can increase the reliability of the sales history period, and therefore the reliability of the product's selling price and the product's comparative price. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the product's selling price.

[0090] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. <Product information provision control process> 10, the control unit 30 executes a product information provision control process when receiving a product information provision request from the user terminal device 18A. When step S20 ends, the control unit 30 executes steps S11 to S16 and then executes step S21, similarly to the product information control process shown in FIG.

[0091] In step S11, the control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order date and time corresponding to the product identification information acquired in response to the request for product information in step S20 to the acquisition of the request for product information as the product sales history period. In this way, the control unit 30 acquires the product information request as the product sales history period each time it acquires the request for product information.

[0092] In this way, the control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S20 to the acquisition of a request for product information in response to a user input as the sales record period. In other words, the control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information acquired in response to the request for product information to the acquisition of a request for product information as the sales record period.

[0093] In step S16, the control unit 30 registers the acquired comparison price and comparison type in the product management database 31A so as to correspond to the sales ID and product identification information. As a result, the control unit 30 updates the comparison price and comparison type in the product management database 31A.

[0094] 11, taking the second product as a specific example, when a request for product information is received at the timing indicated by reference symbol T23, the sales performance period falls below the threshold value, and the second comparison price of the second product is registered in the product management database 31A.

[0095] On the other hand, when a request for product information is made at the timing indicated by reference symbol T24, the sales performance period is equal to or longer than the threshold value, and the first comparison price of the second product is registered in the product management database 31A.

[0096] In this way, even if the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information is the same date and time, the sales performance period may change from less than the threshold to more than the threshold depending on the date and time of the request for product information. As a result, in the product management database 31A, the second comparison price registered as the comparison price of the second product may be updated to the first comparison price.

[0097] <Effects of the third embodiment> The effects of the third embodiment will be described. (3-1) The control unit 30 acquires the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the product identification information to the acquisition of a request for providing product information in response to user input as the sales history period. Therefore, the control unit 30 can acquire the sales history period using the first order acceptance of the product, which is past information. This can increase the reliability of the sales history period, and therefore the reliability of the product's selling price and the product's comparison price. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the product's selling price.

[0098] (3-2) The control unit 30 acquires a comparison price of the product each time a request for providing product information is received in response to input from the user. The control unit 30 then updates the comparison price to the acquired comparison price of the product. This makes it possible to update the comparison price of the product each time a request for providing product information is received in response to input from the user. This makes it possible to increase the reliability of the selling price of the product and the comparison price of the product. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful information regarding the selling price of the product.

[0099] (3-3) In particular, the control unit 30 determines whether the sales performance period is equal to or longer than the threshold each time a request for product information is received in response to input from the user. Therefore, after the second comparison price is registered, when a request for product information is received in response to input from the user, the first comparison price may be registered over time. This can increase the reliability of the product's selling price and the product's comparison price. Therefore, useful information regarding the product's selling price can be provided. Therefore, useful information regarding the product's selling price can be provided.

[0100] [Example of change] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.

[0101] In the third embodiment, the control unit 30 may register the comparison price and the comparison type separately in step S16 of the product information control process shown in Fig. 5 and in step S16 of the product information provision control process shown in Fig. 10. In other words, the control unit 30 does not need to update the comparison price and the comparison type in step S16 of the product information provision control process shown in Fig. 10.

[0102] In the third embodiment, the terminal control unit 20 may determine that a timeout has occurred when a predetermined time has elapsed before receiving product information in response to a request for providing product information. In this case, the terminal control unit 20 may not display the product information on the terminal display unit 24.

[0103] In the third embodiment, the control unit 30 may execute the product information provision control process shown in Fig. 10 instead of executing the product information control process shown in Fig. 5. In such a case, the control unit 30 acquires the comparison price for the first time when the control unit 30 receives a request for providing product information corresponding to the sales ID for the first time.

[0104] The control unit 30 may select one of a plurality of types of end triggers as the end trigger for the sales history period. The control unit 30 may select one of a plurality of types of end triggers as the end trigger for the sales history period in response to a designation from the store terminal device 18B. The end trigger for the sales history period may include acquiring product information in step S10. The end trigger for the sales history period may include starting sales of the product at the product's selling price. The end trigger for the sales history period may include acquiring a request to provide product information in response to a user input.

[0105] The control unit 30 may select one of a plurality of types of start triggers as the start trigger of the sales history period. The control unit 30 may select one of a plurality of types of start triggers as the start trigger of the sales history period in response to a specification from the store terminal device 18B. The start trigger of the sales history period may include the receipt of a first order for a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10. The start trigger of the sales history period may include the start of a first sale of a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10. The start trigger of the sales history period may include the acquisition of a first request for product information of a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired in step S10.

[0106] The control unit 30 may select one of a plurality of thresholds based on the current date and time information. In detail, when the current date and time information is included in a period in which the number of sales of the product tends to increase, the control unit 30 may select a threshold included in the period in which the number of sales of the product tends to increase. As a specific example, when the number of sales of chocolates tends to increase from January 15 to February 14, if the current date and time is January 25, the control unit 30 may set the threshold to 8 days from January 15 to January 25. If the current date and time is February 1, the control unit 30 may set the threshold to 17 days from January 15 to January 31.

[0107] When the selling price is higher than the comparison price, the control unit 30 may notify the store terminal device 18B that the selling price is higher than the comparison price. When the selling price is higher than the comparison price, the control unit 30 may notify the store terminal device 18B of the comparison price in addition to the fact that the selling price is higher than the comparison price. When the control unit 30 receives refusal information for the notification from the store terminal device 18B, the control unit 30 may not register the comparison price in the product management database 31A. In other words, when the selling price is higher than the comparison price, the control unit 30 may not provide the comparison price corresponding to the selling price in response to a request for providing product information when it receives refusal information for the notification from the store terminal device 18B. When the selling price is higher than the comparison price, the control unit 30 may receive the selling price from the store terminal device 18B in response to the notification, and thereby obtain the selling price again from the store terminal device 18B. When the selling price is higher than the comparison price, the control unit 30 may not register the comparison price in the product management database 31A regardless of the information from the store terminal device 18B.

[0108] The control unit 30 may acquire product identification information based on product content, such as a product description associated with the product identification information, in response to a request for product information. The control unit 30 may acquire product identification information based on user information in response to a request for product information.

[0109] The control unit 30 may receive product information including keywords for the product as advertisement submission information from the store terminal device 18B. In this case, the control unit 30 registers product information in which the keywords for the product are associated with the sales ID in the product management database 31A. When the control unit 30 receives advertisement submission information from the store terminal device 18B, the control unit 30 may acquire keywords from another server based on product identification information included in the advertisement submission information, instead of input by the store manager. The control unit 30 may register product information in which the keywords acquired from another server are associated with the sales ID in the product management database 31A. When the control unit 30 acquires a request to provide product information, the control unit 30 may acquire product identification information based on the keywords corresponding to the sales ID.

[0110] The control unit 30 may receive product information including user information that recommends the provision of product information from the store terminal device 18B as advertisement submission information. In this case, the control unit 30 registers product information in which the user information that recommends the provision of product information is associated with a sales ID in the product management database 31A. When the control unit 30 acquires a request to provide product information including user information, the control unit 30 may acquire identification information of a product that is determined to be user information that recommends the provision of product information. In other words, the control unit 30 may acquire product identification information in response to a request to provide product information including user information. The control unit 30 may also acquire product identification information based on a combination of user information and a keyword.

[0111] The control unit 30 may provide a plurality of pieces of product information to the user in response to a request for providing product information. The control unit 30 may provide a predetermined number of pieces of product information to the user in response to a request for providing product information. In this case, the control unit 30 may provide the user with as many pieces of product information as can be displayed on the terminal display unit 24 in response to a request for providing product information.

[0112] In response to a request for product information, the control unit 30 may acquire identification information of a product for which a comparison price is set in preference to identification information of a product for which a comparison price is not set. In response to a request for product information, the control unit 30 may acquire identification information of a product with a priority corresponding to the degree of match with the user information. In response to a request for product information, the control unit 30 may acquire identification information of a product with a priority corresponding to the degree of match with the search keyword.

[0113] The control unit 30 may register product information in the product management database 31A so that the fee for providing advertising information including the product information corresponds to the sales ID. The control unit 30 may acquire product identification information in descending order of the fee for providing the product at a comparison price. The control unit 30 may acquire product identification information based on at least any combination of the fact that a comparison price has been set, the degree of match with the user information, the degree of match with the search keyword, and the fee for providing the product at a comparison price.

[0114] The request for product information may be entered at a site that offers e-commerce. The request for product information may be entered at a site that does not offer e-commerce but allows keyword search. The request for product information may be entered at a site that does not offer e-commerce and does not allow keyword search.

[0115] The request for product information is not limited to a keyword search related to the product, and may be generated in response to an input from the terminal input unit 23, such as simply specifying a product or simply browsing a website that provides product information.

[0116] The advertising information may be of any type that can provide product information. As a specific example, the advertising information may be any of display advertising, listing advertising, retargeting advertising, native advertising, and affiliate advertising. In addition, the control unit 30 does not need to provide product information as advertising information as long as it can provide the user with product information including the selling price of the product and a comparative price of the product.

[0117] The electronic commerce server 12 and the advertisement server 13 may each have various processing circuits provided in the information management device 11 separately. As a specific example, in the electronic commerce server 12, the control unit 30 may have, as processing circuits, a sales performance period acquisition unit 30B, a threshold value selection unit 30C, a determination unit 30D, a comparison price acquisition unit 30E, a request acquisition unit 30G, and a product information provision unit 30H. In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 may have, as processing circuits, a product information acquisition unit 30A and a product information registration unit 30F. The product management database 31A may be assigned to at least one of the storage unit 31 in the electronic commerce server 12 and the storage unit 31 in the advertisement server 13.

[0118] 5, the control unit 30 in the advertisement server 13 acquires the product information by receiving advertisement submission information from the store terminal device 18B, and transmits the product information to the electronic commerce server 12. In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 may receive the advertisement submission information from the store terminal device 18B via the electronic commerce server 12.

[0119] In the electronic commerce server 12, when the control unit 30 receives the product information from the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 executes various processes as in steps S11 to S16 of Fig. 5. Then, in the electronic commerce server 12, the control unit 30 transmits the comparison price and the comparison type to the advertisement server 13.

[0120] In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 acquires the comparison price and the comparison type by receiving the comparison price and the comparison type from the electronic commerce server 12. In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 registers the comparison price and the comparison type in the product management database 31A so as to correspond to the product identification information and the product selling price, as in step S16 of Fig. 5 .

[0121] In the electronic commerce server 12, when the control unit 30 receives a request for providing product information from the user terminal device 18A, the control unit 30 acquires product identification information in response to the request for providing product information. In the electronic commerce server 12, the control unit 30 transmits the product identification information to the advertisement server 13.

[0122] In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 acquires the identification information of the product by receiving the identification information of the product from the electronic commerce server 12. In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 may receive a request for providing product information from the user terminal device 18A without going through the electronic commerce server 12. In this case, in the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 acquires the identification information of the product in response to the request for providing product information.

[0123] In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 transmits product information corresponding to the product identification information to the electronic commerce server 12. In the electronic commerce server 12, the control unit 30 acquires the product information by receiving the product information from the advertisement server 13. In the electronic commerce server 12, the control unit 30 transmits the acquired product information to the user terminal device 18A, thereby providing the acquired product information to the user. In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 may transmit the product information corresponding to the product identification information to the user terminal device 18A without going through the electronic commerce server 12.

[0124] The product management database 31A may be managed as separate databases in the electronic commerce server 12 and the advertisement server 13. As a specific example, the electronic commerce server 12 may manage a database in which a sales ID, a store ID, product identification information, a product type, and a sales price correspond to each other, and a sales ID corresponds to one or more order IDs. In this way, the electronic commerce server 12 may manage information related to product sales and product orders. The advertisement server 13 may manage a database in which a sales ID, a store ID, a sales type, product identification information, a product type, a sales price, a comparison price, and a comparison type correspond to each other. In this case, only the sales ID in which a sales type that can specify that product information is provided as advertisement information is set may be managed in the database. Only the sales ID in which a sales type that can specify that a comparison price is displayed as advertisement information may be managed in the database. In this way, the advertisement server 13 may manage information related to product sales and product advertisements.

[0125] The control unit 30 may acquire product identification information corresponding to a keyword, without selecting a product type, based on a keyword included in the request for providing product information. In the electronic commerce server 12, the control unit 30 may acquire product identification information based on a keyword included in the request for providing product information, and transmit the product identification information to the advertisement server 13. In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 may transmit product information corresponding to the product identification information to the electronic commerce server 12. In the advertisement server 13, the control unit 30 may acquire product information itself, rather than product identification information, based on a keyword included in the request for providing product information. In other words, the control unit 30 may provide product information to a user as search-linked advertisement.

[0126] The electronic commerce server 12 and the advertisement server 13 may be managed by different administrators or may be managed by the same administrator. As a specific example, the electronic commerce server 12 may be managed by a first administrator, and the advertisement server 13 may be managed by a second administrator.

[0127] The information management device 11 may not include either the e-commerce server 12 or the advertisement server 13. In this case, the information management device 11 may include the functions of either the e-commerce server 12 or the advertisement server 13 in the other. The information management device 11 may include another server in addition to the e-commerce server 12 and the advertisement server 13. In other words, the information management system 10 may include another server in addition to the e-commerce server 12 and the advertisement server 13.

[0128] The term "at least any" as used herein means one or more of the desired options. As an example, the term "at least any" as used herein means only one option or both options if the number of options is two. As another example, the term "at least any" as used herein means only one option or any combination of two or more options if the number of options is three or more.

[0129] [Note] The technical ideas understood from the above-described embodiment and modified examples will be described below. (A) The information management device includes a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information including product identification information and a product sales price; a sales history period acquisition unit that acquires a product's sales history period based on the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit; a comparison price acquisition unit that acquires different comparison prices, among comparison prices to which the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit is compared, based on whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a threshold; and a product information registration unit that associates the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit with the comparison price acquired by the comparison price acquisition unit and registers the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit.

[0130] In the information management device described in (B)(A), when the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or longer than a threshold value, the comparison price acquisition unit acquires a first comparison price based on the sales price of the product sold during some or all of the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit.

[0131] In the information management device described in (C) and (B), the comparison price acquisition unit acquires a second comparison price different from the first comparison price when the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is less than a threshold value.

[0132] In the information management device described in (D) and (C), when the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is less than a threshold value, the comparison price acquisition unit acquires a second comparison price based on at least one of the manufacturer's suggested retail price and the selling price of a competing business.

[0133] (E) In the information management device described in any one of (A) to (D), the sales history period acquisition unit acquires, as the sales history period, the period from the receipt of a first order for a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit to the acquisition of the product information.

[0134] (F) In the information management device described in any one of (A) to (E), the sales history period acquisition unit acquires as the sales history period the period from the receipt of a first order for a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit to the start of sales of the product at the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit.

[0135] (G) In the information management device described in any one of (A) to (F), the sales history period acquisition unit acquires, as the sales history period, the period from the receipt of a first order for a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit to the acquisition of a request for product information in response to user input.

[0136] The information management device described in (H) and (G) includes a provision request acquisition unit that acquires a request for product information in response to user input, and when the provision request acquisition unit acquires a request for product information, the sales performance period acquisition unit acquires product identification information in response to the request for product information acquired by the provision request acquisition unit, and acquires as the sales performance period the period from the first order acceptance of the product corresponding to the acquired product identification information to the acquisition of the request for product information by the provision request acquisition unit.

[0137] The information management device described in any one of (I)(A) to (H) includes a provision request acquisition unit that acquires a request for product information in response to a user input, and a product information provision unit that, when the provision request acquisition unit acquires the request for product information, provides the user with any of the product information registered by the product information registration unit in response to the request for product information acquired by the provision request acquisition unit.

[0138] (J) The information management device described in any one of (A) to (I) includes a threshold selection unit that selects one from a plurality of thresholds, and a judgment unit that judges whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or longer than the threshold selected by the threshold selection unit.

[0139] In the information management device described in any one of (K) (A) to (J), the product information acquisition unit acquires product information including product identification information and the product selling price by receiving advertising submission information including product identification information and the product selling price.

[0140] (L) The information management system includes a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information including product identification information and a product sales price, a sales history period acquisition unit that acquires a product's sales history period based on the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit, a comparison price acquisition unit that acquires different comparison prices, among comparison prices to be compared with the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit, based on whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a threshold, and a product information registration unit that associates the sales price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit with the comparison price acquired by the comparison price acquisition unit and registers the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit.

[0141] (M) An information management method includes one or more computers acquiring product information including product identification information and a sales price of the product, acquiring a sales history period of the product based on the acquired product identification information, acquiring a different comparison price from among comparison prices to which the sales price of the acquired product is compared based on whether the sales history period of the acquired product is equal to or longer than a threshold, and registering the product information by corresponding the sales price of the acquired product with the acquired comparison price.

[0142] (N) The program causes one or more computers to execute the following operations: acquire product information including product identification information and the product sales price; acquire the product's sales history period based on the acquired product identification information; acquire different comparison prices from among comparison prices to which the acquired sales price of the product is compared based on whether the acquired product's sales history period is equal to or longer than a threshold; and register the product information by associating the acquired sales price with the acquired comparison price. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 10...information management system, 11...information management device, 12...electronic commerce server, 13...product information management server, 18...terminal device, 18A...user terminal device, 18B...store terminal device, 20...terminal control unit, 30...control unit, 30A...product information acquisition unit, 30B...sales performance period acquisition unit, 30C...threshold selection unit, 30E...comparison price acquisition unit, 30F...product information registration unit, 30G...provision request acquisition unit, 30H...product information provision unit, 31...memory unit, 31A...product management database.

Claims

1. a product information acquiring unit that acquires product information including product identification information and a product selling price; a sales performance period acquisition unit that acquires a sales performance period of a product based on the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit; a comparison price acquisition unit that acquires different comparison prices, among comparison prices to be compared with the selling price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit, based on whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or longer than a threshold; a product information registration unit that registers the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit by associating the selling price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit with the comparison price acquired by the comparison price acquisition unit; Equipped with Information management device.

2. 2. The information management device according to claim 1, When the sales performance period of the product acquired by the sales performance period acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the comparison price acquisition unit acquires a first comparison price based on a sales price of the product sold during a part or all of the sales performance period of the product acquired by the sales performance period acquisition unit. Information management device.

3. 3. The information management device according to claim 2, the comparison price acquisition unit acquires a second comparison price different from the first comparison price when the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is less than a threshold value; Information management device.

4. 4. The information management device according to claim 3, When the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is less than a threshold value, the comparison price acquisition unit acquires a second comparison price based on at least one of a manufacturer's suggested retail price and a selling price of a competing business. Information management device.

5. In the information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the sales performance period acquisition unit acquires, as the sales performance period, a period from a first order acceptance of a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit to an acquisition of the product information by the product information acquisition unit; Information management device.

6. In the information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the sales performance period acquisition unit acquires, as the sales performance period, a period from receipt of a first order for a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit to a start of sales of the product at the product selling price acquired by the product information acquisition unit; Information management device.

7. In the information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the sales performance period acquisition unit acquires, as the sales performance period, a period from a first order acceptance of a product corresponding to the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit to an acquisition of a request for provision of product information in response to an input by a user; Information management device.

8. 8. The information management device according to claim 7, a request acquisition unit that acquires a request for providing product information in response to an input from a user; when the provision request acquisition unit acquires a request for providing product information, the sales performance period acquisition unit acquires product identification information in response to the request for providing product information acquired by the provision request acquisition unit, and acquires, as the sales performance period, a period from receipt of a first order for a product corresponding to the acquired product identification information to acquisition of the request for providing product information by the provision request acquisition unit. Information management device.

9. In the information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a request acquisition unit for acquiring a request for providing product information in response to an input from a user; a product information providing unit that provides a user with any of the product information registered by the product information registration unit in response to the product information provision request acquired by the provision request acquisition unit when the provision request acquisition unit acquires a product information provision request; Equipped with Information management device.

10. In the information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a threshold selection unit that selects one of a plurality of thresholds; a determination unit that determines whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or greater than the threshold value selected by the threshold value selection unit; Equipped with Information management device.

11. In the information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The product information acquisition unit receives advertisement submission information including product identification information and a product selling price, and thereby acquires product information including the product identification information and the product selling price. Information management device.

12. a product information acquiring unit that acquires product information including product identification information and a product selling price; a sales performance period acquisition unit that acquires a sales performance period of a product based on the product identification information acquired by the product information acquisition unit; a comparison price acquisition unit that acquires different comparison prices, among comparison prices to be compared with the selling price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit, based on whether the sales history period of the product acquired by the sales history period acquisition unit is equal to or longer than a threshold; a product information registration unit that registers the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit by associating the selling price of the product acquired by the product information acquisition unit with the comparison price acquired by the comparison price acquisition unit; Equipped with Information management system.

13. One or more computers Acquiring product information including product identification information and a product selling price; Acquiring a sales performance period of the product based on the acquired product identification information; Obtaining different comparison prices, which are used as comparison targets for the sales price of the acquired product, based on whether the sales performance period of the acquired product is equal to or longer than a threshold value; registering product information by associating the acquired product selling price with the acquired comparison price; An information management method that:

14. On one or more computers, Acquiring product information including product identification information and a product selling price; Acquiring a sales performance period of the product based on the acquired product identification information; Obtaining different comparison prices, which are used as comparison targets for the sales price of the acquired product, based on whether the sales performance period of the acquired product is equal to or longer than a threshold value; registering product information by associating the acquired product selling price with the acquired comparison price; A program that executes the following.

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