System for assisting shopping in store

Abstract

To provide a store shopping assistance system which assists a customer so as to quickly buy a commodity.SOLUTION: A store shopping assistance system 1 includes: a beacon Bp serving as a location identifying apparatus which can be used to transmit radio waves to identify location information of an article; a customer terminal Tu which receives the radio waves from the beacon Bp and identifies location information of the terminal; and a store terminal Ts which can communicate with the customer terminal Tu. The customer terminal Tu includes: a customer greeting unit 4a which automatically gives greetings when positioned into a store 10 from the outside of the store 10; and a service selection unit 4b which selects whether to transmit a counseling request signal to the store terminal Ts to receive the counseling request signal and make a counseling request, the counseling request signal indicating a request for counseling with an employee Ps of the store 10 about a commodity that a customer Pu is considering the purchase or a request for counseling about a service provided by the store 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shopping support system for a store. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in stores that sell goods, technologies have been proposed that allow customers to grasp their location information and use it in customer service to make it easier for them to purchase goods.

[0003] For example, it is known that location information of a customer's smartphone or the like can be obtained using a beacon or the like to make it easier for the customer to purchase a product (see Patent Document 1, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-91192 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, while there are a variety of conventional shopping support technologies, there is a demand for technologies that can make it easier for customers to purchase products more quickly.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a shopping support system for a store that enables customers to purchase products more quickly and easily. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a shopping support system for a store selling products, comprising a location identification device that can be used to identify location information of an object by transmitting radio waves, a customer terminal that can receive radio waves from the location identification device and identify its own location information, and a store terminal that can communicate with the customer terminal, the customer terminal having a store visit notification unit that notifies the customer that the customer has visited the store when the location identification device identifies that the customer has moved from outside the store to inside the store, and a service selection unit that displays a service requested by the customer on a display unit of the customer terminal after the notification by the store visit notification unit, and the service selection unit selects the service. The service selection unit has a consultation button for sending a signal to the store terminal indicating that the customer would like to meet with an employee of the store to consult about the product he or she is considering purchasing or a service offered by the store, and when the consultation button is selected, a signal is sent from the customer terminal indicating that the customer would like to consult about a specified product or a specified service, and when the store terminal receives the signal indicating that the customer would like to consult, the display unit of the store terminal is configured to display location information of the customer terminal on a store map and the specified product or the specified service.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the customer terminal is capable of displaying the category names of the products sold by the store or the services provided by the store within the area of ​​the store map displayed on the display unit.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the position of the store terminal can also be identified by the position identification device, and the display unit can display the positions of the store terminal and other store terminals within the store, as well as the positions of multiple customer terminals.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 3, wherein the store terminal is capable of displaying on its display unit the customer terminals in a manner that allows the customer terminals to be distinguished from customer terminals where the customer has requested to meet with an employee of the store to consult about a product that the customer is considering purchasing or a service provided by the store, and customer terminals where the customer has not requested to meet with an employee of the store to consult about a product that the customer is considering purchasing or a service provided by the store.

[0011] The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the store terminal is capable of displaying on its display the time that an employee holding the store terminal of the store served a customer holding the customer terminal, as well as the location and time that the employee stayed, based on information on the location of the store terminal and other store terminals within the store identified by the location identification device, information on whether or not the employee served a customer and the time obtained by communication and a timer, information on the location of the customer terminal identified by the location identification device, and information on whether or not the employee served an employee and the time obtained by communication and a timer.

[0012] The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the location can be identified by the location identification device, and by identifying the customer handled by the store terminal, the location of the customer terminal of the customer can be highlighted and displayed on the store map displayed on the display unit of the store terminal.

[0013] The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, when a selection is made in the service selection section of the customer terminal to display the store map of the store on the display section, when a product category name is input in the category name input section of the customer terminal, a guide route to the area on the store map where the product is sold is displayed on the display section.

[0014] The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, a signal indicating that a customer would like to meet with an employee of the store to discuss the product he is considering purchasing or the service offered by the store is sent to the store terminal, which receives the signal, and when the customer selects to meet with an employee of the store to be notified of the product he is considering purchasing or the service offered by the store, when the customer inputs a product category name into the category name input section of the customer terminal, the product category name can be displayed on the display section of the store terminal.

[0015] The invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the customer terminal has a survey information input unit capable of inputting survey information useful for determining the product that the customer desires, and when the survey information is input into the survey information input unit, the survey information is transmitted to the store terminal, received, and configured to be displayed on a display unit of the store terminal.

[0016] The invention described in claim 10 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, even after the service selection unit has selected to display the store map of the store on the display unit, it has a consultation request unit that is capable of sending to the store terminal, having it receive a signal indicating that the customer would like to meet with an employee of the store to consult about a product that the customer is considering purchasing or a service offered by the store, and having the store terminal notify the customer of the specified product or service.

[0017] The invention described in claim 11 is the invention described in claim 1, characterized in that the position specifying device is made up of a plurality of beacons installed in the store. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 1, a location specifying device that can be used to specify location information of an object by transmitting radio waves, a customer terminal that can receive radio waves from the location specifying device and specify its own location information, and a store terminal that can communicate with the customer terminal, the customer terminal having a store greeting unit that automatically performs a store greeting when the customer enters the store from outside the store, and a service selection unit that transmits a consultation request signal to the store terminal, requesting consultation with a store employee about a product the customer is considering purchasing or a consultation with a store employee about a service provided by the store, receives the consultation signal, and selects whether to notify the store terminal of the consultation request. As a result, after receiving the store greeting when the customer visits the store, the customer can select whether to search for the product the customer is considering purchasing by himself or to meet with a store employee about the product the customer is considering purchasing or to consult with a store employee about a service provided by the store, according to his / her preference, thereby making it easier for the customer to purchase products more quickly.

[0019] According to the invention described in claim 2, the customer terminal can display the category names of the products sold by the store or the services provided by the store within the area of ​​the store map displayed on the display unit. This makes it easier for customers to know how to get to the places they want to go.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 3, the location of the store terminal can also be identified by a location identification device, and the display can display the locations of this store terminal and other store terminals in the store, as well as the location of the customer terminal. This allows store employees holding a store terminal to grasp not only their own location in the store, but also the locations of other store terminal employees and the location of customers holding customer terminals, and while watching the movements of customers holding customer terminals, they can exchange information with other employees using intercoms, etc., on how to act, which can be utilized for better customer service.

[0021] According to the invention described in claim 4, the shop terminal can display customer terminals on its display so that they can be distinguished between customer terminals that are requesting consultation and customer terminals that are not requesting consultation. This makes it immediately clear which customer terminal should be given priority.

[0022] According to the invention described in claim 5, the store terminal can display on its display unit the time that an employee holding a store terminal served a customer holding a customer terminal, and the location and time that the employee stayed, based on information on the location of this store terminal and other store terminals in the store identified by a location identification device, information on whether or not the employee served a customer and the time obtained by communication and a timer, information on the location of the customer terminal identified by the location identification device, and information on whether or not the employee served an employee and the time obtained by communication and a timer. This makes it easy to understand the efficiency and performance of each employee's work, and to easily know which employee to entrust with what.

[0023] According to the invention described in claim 6, the store terminal can pick up and display the location of the customer terminal of the customer in charge on its display unit. This allows the employee holding the store terminal to easily find the location of the customer holding the customer terminal in charge and respond to the customer.

[0024] According to the invention described in claim 7, when the customer selects to display a store map on the display unit of the customer terminal in the service selection unit, inputting the product category name in the category name input unit of the customer terminal causes a guide route to the area on the store map where the product is sold to be displayed on the display unit. This allows the customer to easily find the area where the product they are considering purchasing is sold by looking at the store map.

[0025] According to the invention described in claim 8, when a consultation request signal is transmitted to the store terminal, requesting a consultation with a store employee about a product the customer is considering purchasing, and the consultation request is selected by the service selection section to be notified, the product category name is input to the category name input section of the customer terminal, and the product category name can be displayed on the display section of the store terminal. This allows the store to know the product category name in advance, and therefore allows the store to assign an employee suitable for the consultation to a customer who requests a consultation with a store employee about a product the customer is considering purchasing.

[0026] According to the invention described in claim 9, the customer terminal has a questionnaire information input section capable of inputting questionnaire information useful for determining the product the customer desires, and when the questionnaire information is inputted into the questionnaire information input section, the questionnaire information is transmitted to the store terminal, received, and can be displayed on the display section of the store terminal. This allows the store to know in advance the questionnaire information useful for determining the product the customer desires, so that when a customer requests to meet with a store employee for advice on a product he is considering purchasing, the employee in charge can provide more accurate advice by referring to the questionnaire information, and the product the customer desires can be determined more quickly.

[0027] According to the invention described in claim 10, even after the service selection unit selects to display the store map on the display unit, the consultation request unit can transmit a consultation request signal to the store terminal, which requests a consultation with a store employee about a product that the customer is considering purchasing, and have the store terminal receive the consultation request, thereby making it possible for the customer to purchase the product more quickly and easily.

[0028] According to the invention described in claim 11, the position identifying device is composed of multiple beacons installed in the store. As the position identifying device is a beacon installed in the store, even in the case where the inside of the store is under conditions where radio waves from GPS satellites cannot reach easily, the position information of the customer terminal in the store can be identified accurately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a store shopping support system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a store shopping support system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overall display screen displayed on a display unit of a store terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure on the customer side when implementing an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] This is a continuation of the flowchart in Figure 4. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure on the store side when carrying out the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 11 is a diagram for explaining a store visit screen displayed on the display unit of a customer terminal in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a product category selection screen displayed on the display unit of the customer terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a store map guide screen displayed on the display unit of a customer terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 10] 11 is a diagram for explaining a confirmation screen displayed on the display unit of a customer terminal in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram for explaining a menu setting screen displayed on the display unit of a customer terminal in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12]11 is a diagram for explaining a pre-survey screen displayed on the display unit of a customer terminal in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a store map screen displayed on the display unit of a customer terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an inquiry list screen displayed on a display unit of a store terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an inquiry list screen displayed on the display unit of the store terminal at a time later than that shown in FIG. 14 in this embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an inquiry list screen displayed on the display unit of the store terminal at a time later than that shown in FIG. 15 in this embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a customer location screen displayed on a display unit of a store terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a repair consultation window guide screen displayed on a display unit of a customer terminal in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1 to 18 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a store shopping support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a store shopping support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment is implemented between a customer terminal Tu owned by a customer Pu who visits a store 10 where items such as products 2a, 2b, 2c, ... are displayed in a sales area within the in-store space 10A, and a store terminal Ts owned by an employee Ps who is in the sales area or the like within the in-store space 10A.

[0032] 2, a plurality of beacons Bp are provided on the ceiling 11 of the store 10 as location identification devices that can be used to transmit radio waves and identify the location information of an object. Note that the beacons Bp are not limited to being provided on the ceiling 11, but may be provided on the walls 12, floors 13, shelves, or the like within the store 10. Also, in cases where radio waves from a GPS satellite reach the inside of the store 10, the location identification devices may be implemented as a GPS satellite, or the like.

[0033] Here, customer-specific application software for executing the store's shopping support system 1 is downloaded and installed on the customer terminal Tu from the server S via a network N such as the Internet, and the customer terminal Tu is equipped with the functions described below.

[0034] In addition, application software specific to the store for executing the shopping support system 1 of this store is downloaded and installed on the store terminal Ts from the server S via a network N such as the Internet, and the store terminal Ts has the functions described below.

[0035] The customer terminal Tu is capable of receiving radio waves from a beacon Bp as a position identifying device, identifying its own position information, and displaying this position information on a display unit 4.

[0036] As this customer terminal Tu, a smartphone, tablet, or the like owned by the customer Pu is suitably used.

[0037] The store terminal Ts is capable of receiving location information of the customer terminal Tu from the customer terminal Tu and displaying it on the display unit 40. The store terminal Ts is also capable of receiving radio waves from a beacon Bp as a location identification device, identifying its own location information, and displaying this location information on the display unit 40. The store terminal Ts is also capable of receiving location information from other store terminals Ts and displaying that information on the display unit 40.

[0038] As the store terminal Ts, a smartphone, tablet, or the like provided to the employee Ps by the store 10 is preferably used.

[0039] The customer terminal Tu has a store greeting unit 4a that automatically performs an entrance greeting when the customer terminal Tu is located inside the store 10 from outside the store 10, that is, when a customer Pu holding the customer terminal Tu is located at the entrance 3 of the store 10 and enters the store, and a service selection unit 4b that selects whether to display a store map of the store 10 on the display unit 4, or to send a consultation request signal to the store terminal Ts to request consultation with an employee Ps of the store 10 regarding a product that the customer Pu is considering purchasing, or consultation regarding, for example, a mobile phone contract, Internet subscription, or various other services provided by the store 10, to be received and the consultation request notified, or to request consultation regarding product repair and display a guide route to a repair consultation desk on the store map on the display unit 4.

[0040] In addition, the customer terminal Tu further has a product category name input unit 4c into which the customer can input the product category name relating to any of the products 2a, 2b, 2c, ... that the customer is considering purchasing at the store 10, and the store terminal Ts has a memory unit 40a capable of storing the product category name transmitted and received from the customer terminal Tu.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the store terminal Ts is capable of displaying the positions of this store terminal Ts and other store terminals Ts within the store 10, as well as the position of the customer terminal Tu, on an overall display screen M1 displayed on its display unit 40.

[0042] Here, the location of the store terminal Ts, which is the location of the employee Ps, and the location of the customer terminal Tu, which is the location of the customer Pu, are distinguished by their different shapes. Also, the store terminals Ts, which are the locations of the employees Ps, are distinguished from each other by their different colors. Furthermore, the location of the customer terminal Tu, which is the location of a customer Pu who has not taken any action, and the location of the customer terminal Tu, which is the location of a customer Pu who is calling an employee Ps, are distinguished by their different colors.

[0043] Information communication between the customer terminal Tu and the store terminal Ts, and between the store terminals Ts, is carried out between the communication units C1, C2 via a network N such as the Internet. Communication between employees Ps is carried out by information communication between the store terminals Ts, and communication is also achieved by intercoms, etc.

[0044] A specific configuration will be described below based on the flow of shopping support for a customer illustrated in FIGS.

[0045] First, as shown in FIG. 2, when a customer Pu visits store 10, which is a home appliance retailer, and the customer terminal Tu is positioned at the entrance 3, as shown in FIG. 7, a store visit screen 50 is displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu, and a greeting message thanking the customer for visiting store 10 is automatically displayed in text on the store visit greeting unit 4a (step S1).

[0046] The greeting at the greeting unit 4a is not limited to a greeting using text, but may be a voice greeting or a combination of these.

[0047] This store visit screen 50 is provided with a button 4b1 for viewing a store map, a button 4b2 for consulting with a store employee, and a button 4b3 for consulting about repairs to an item.

[0048] When any one of the buttons 4b1, 4b2, and 4b3 is selected and pressed, the service desired by the customer Pu is selected and input (step S2).

[0049] First, a case where the customer Pu presses the button 4b1 for viewing the store map will be described.

[0050] When the customer Pu presses the button 4b1 for viewing the store map, the service selection unit 4b selects to display the store map (hereinafter also referred to as the store map) of the store 10 on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu (step S3A1).

[0051] Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the product category selection screen 60 is projected and displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu (step S3A2).

[0052] This product category selection screen 60 is provided with product category input buttons 61a, 61b, 61c,... (corresponding to product category name input section 4c), and when the product category button 61b for refrigerator is pressed, for example, "refrigerator" is selected and input as the product category name (step S3A3). Note that the product category may be input by other input methods such as voice input.

[0053] 9, a store map guidance screen 70 is displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu, and the store map guidance screen 70 displays, as an example, a guidance route R1 from a position P1 where the customer Pu currently is to a position P2 of the entrance to the area where refrigerators are sold, which is highlighted on the store map (step S3A4). If the customer Pu proceeds along this guidance route R1, the positions P1 and P2 will overlap, and the customer Pu will arrive at the entrance to the area where refrigerators are sold.

[0054] Here, the customer terminal Tu is capable of displaying, within the area of ​​the store map displayed on the display unit 4, category names of products sold by the store 10 or various services provided by the store 10.

[0055] Further, the store map guidance screen 70 is provided with a help button 71, which may or may not be pressed by the customer Pu (step S3A5).

[0056] Here, if the customer Pu does not press the help button 71 until he leaves the store, and there is no need for the employee Ps to respond even if he is asked to do so, as will be described later, the customer Pu is left to act (step S3A6).

[0057] Furthermore, when the customer Pu presses this help button 71, as shown in FIG. 10, a confirmation screen 80 for confirming the category of the product to be consulted about (here, a refrigerator as an example) is displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu (step S3AB1).

[0058] This confirmation screen 80 has a Yes button 81 and a Change Product Category button 82, and further has an Add Product Category check box 84 below the product category name display section 83 for the product being consulted about, for adding a product category to be consulted about, and the product category is confirmed (step S3AB2).

[0059] When the product category change button 82 is pressed (step S3AB21), the screen returns to the product category selection screen 60 of FIG. 8 (step S3AB31).

[0060] When the Yes button 81 is pressed, a consultation request signal is transmitted as a help request from the customer terminal Tu to the shop terminal Ts (step S3AB32).

[0061] If the user checks the product category addition check box 84, a product category addition selection screen similar to the product category selection screen 60 in FIG. 8 is displayed, allowing the user to add a product category for consultation (step S3AB23).

[0062] When a consultation request signal is sent from the customer terminal Tu to the store terminal Ts as a help request, as shown in FIG. 11, a pre-hearing menu, which also serves as a standby screen, and a menu setting screen 90 for confirming location information are displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu (step S3AB4).

[0063] Here, on this menu setting screen 90, a pre-questionnaire button 91, a button 92 for checking the floor map, and a call cancel button 93 are provided.

[0064] When the customer presses the pre-questionnaire button 91 and selects to conduct a pre-questionnaire (step S3AB5), a pre-questionnaire screen 100 as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu (step S3AB6).

[0065] This pre-questionnaire screen 100 is provided with a questionnaire response section 101 as an input section for questionnaire information, whereby, for example, a response can be made by selecting an answer.

[0066] The contents of the questionnaire range from questions that are common to many products, such as favorite colors and number of family members, to questions that are useful in deciding on individual products, such as whether or not one uses a lot of vegetables in their cooking, such as the location and size of the vegetable compartment in a refrigerator.

[0067] In addition, these survey information may be stored, for example, in a database on the server S, linked to each product category, and when the pre-survey button 91 is pressed, the information is transmitted to the customer terminal Tu and displayed in the survey response section 101 on the pre-survey screen 100 on the display unit 4.

[0068] Then, when the customer has finished answering the questionnaire, he or she presses the save button 102, and the questionnaire information is transmitted to the store terminal Ts side, where it is stored and saved in the storage unit 40a or the like (step S3AB7).

[0069] The survey information may be stored in a database or the like of the server S accessible by the store terminal Ts, and transmitted to the storage unit 40a of the store terminal Ts when necessary.

[0070] Furthermore, if the customer returns to this menu setting screen 90, presses the button 92 for checking the floor map, and selects to check the location information (step S3AB8), as shown in FIG. 13, the customer terminal Tu highlights and highlights the location of the customer Pu and the location of the destination (for example, the location of the refrigerator corner) on the store map screen M2 displayed on the display unit 4 (step S3AB9).

[0071] It should be noted that if the user presses the call cancel button 93 on the menu setting screen 90, a consultation request that has already been made can be cancelled.

[0072] Next, the process on the shop terminal Ts side will be described with reference to FIG.

[0073] At the store terminal Ts, the employee Ps typically displays the overall position of this store terminal Ts and other store terminals Ts within the store 10, as well as the position of the customer terminal Tu, on the overall display screen M1 displayed on the display unit 40, as shown in Figure 3 (step S10).

[0074] When the Yes button 81 is pressed on the confirmation screen 80 of Figure 10 described above and a consultation request signal is sent from the customer terminal Tu to the store terminal Ts as a help request, the store terminal Ts receives it and automatically receives a notification that a consultation request has been made (step S11).

[0075] The employee Ps clicks on the notification (step S12).

[0076] Then, the inquiry list screen 110 including the customer Pu who has requested the consultation is displayed on the display unit 40 of the shop terminal Ts (step S13). From this inquiry list screen 110, an inquiry to be dealt with is selected (step S14).

[0077] Then, information on the help request from that customer Pu (such as the category of the selected product, the customer's name and ID, and the waiting time) is displayed (step S15).

[0078] Note that steps S11 and S12 may be shortcutted and the operations may be performed from the display of the inquiry list screen 110.

[0079] Here, in this embodiment, an example is shown of a case where a store 10 has multiple employees Ps, each of whom possesses a store terminal Ts, and each store terminal Ts is capable of knowing the location of the other store terminals Ts. The employees Ps work in cooperation with one another, including a manager who manages them.

[0080] In addition, the employees Ps, including the supervisor, can check each other's movements by viewing the overall display 40 of the store terminal Ts showing the relative positions of all the sales staff Ps and the customers Pu.

[0081] Then, the supervisory employee Ps selects an appropriate employee Ps who is particularly nearby or has free time to respond to the customer Pu who has made a help request, after contacting the employee via intercom or other means (step S16).

[0082] After speaking to the customer Pu, the employee Ps who is in charge of speaking to the customer selects and presses the "Speak to customer" button 111 on the inquiry list screen 110 displayed on the display unit 40 of the store terminal Ts that he or she is carrying (step S17). In FIG. 14, the customer Pu at the top is the customer Pu who was spoken to, and by looking at the status column 11a, it can be seen that the customer is currently being called. Also, by looking at the elapsed time column 11b, it can be seen that three minutes have passed since the call. Furthermore, if for some reason the employee Ps is suddenly unable to respond, he or she may use an intercom or the like to inform the customer that he or she is currently unable to respond.

[0083] Then, the supervisory employee Ps, who receives a call from the employee Ps in charge of greeting the customer via an intercom or the like, determines which employee Ps is the most appropriate to receive the customer Pu's consultation, and as shown in FIG. 17, the display unit 40 of the store terminal Ts picks up and displays a customer-in-charge position screen 120 showing the position P3 of the appropriate salesperson employee Ps and the position P4 of the customer Pu in charge (step S18).

[0084] Then, the employee Ps is contacted by intercom or the like, and if there are no problems, he or she is selected as an official salesperson (step S19). This officially selected employee Ps also displays the inquiry list screen 110 on the display unit 40 of the store terminal Ts, as shown in FIG. 15. Then, the customer Pu who is the topmost customer in charge can see from the status column 11a that he has already been contacted, and from the elapsed time column that five minutes have passed since he was contacted, so he selects and presses the consultation start button 112 to start the consultation (step S20). Note that this consultation is performed while referring to the above-mentioned advance questionnaire. Note that if there is time before meeting the customer Pu and conducting the consultation, it is possible to refer to it in advance and prepare the contents of the consultation in advance.

[0085] In addition, since the customer Pu may look around at products during the consultation, it is advisable to make it possible to confirm the customer Pu's location (step S21) and to display customer location information (step S22) just in case.

[0086] 16, the status column 11a indicates that the client Pu in charge, who is the topmost client in the inquiry list screen 110, is in consultation, and the elapsed time column indicates that 11 minutes have passed since the consultation started. Therefore, when the consultation is finished, the completion button 113 is pressed, and the supervisor and other employees Ps are informed that the consultation for the client Pu in charge has finished (step S23).

[0087] After pressing this completion button 113, the client Pu whose consultation has ended is deleted from the list on the inquiry list screen 110.

[0088] The content of the consultation is not limited to consultation regarding the product being considered for purchase, but may also be consultation regarding, for example, a mobile phone contract, Internet subscription, or other various services provided by the store 10.

[0089] In addition, the store terminal Ts is capable of displaying on its display unit 40 the time when an employee Ps who owns a store terminal Ts of the store 10 served a customer Pu who owns a customer terminal Tu, as well as the location and duration of his / her stay, based on information on the location of this store terminal Ts and other store terminals Ts identified by a beacon Bp as a location identification device within the store 10, information on whether or not the employee Ps served a customer Pu and the duration obtained through communication and a timer, information on the location of the customer terminal Tu identified by the beacon Bp as a location identification device, and information on whether or not the employee Ps served an employee Ps and the duration obtained through communication and a timer.

[0090] Next, a case where the customer Pu presses the button 4b2 for meeting a store employee will be described.

[0091] When customer Pu presses the "consult with store employee" button 4b2, the service selection unit 4b selects to transmit a consultation request signal, requesting that customer Pu meet with an employee Ps of the store 10 for consultation regarding a product that the customer Pu is considering purchasing, to the store terminal Ts, which receives the consultation request, and to notify the store terminal Ts of the consultation request (step S3B1).

[0092] Next, in the same manner as when the "view store map" button 4b1 is pressed, the product category selection screen 60 is projected and displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu as shown in FIG. 8 (step S3B2).

[0093] This product category selection screen 60 is provided with product category input buttons 61a, 61b, 61c, ..., and when the product category button 61b for refrigerator is pressed, for example, refrigerator is selected and input as the product category name (step S3B3). Note that the product category may be input by other input methods such as voice input.

[0094] Then, as shown in FIG. 10, a confirmation screen 80 for confirming the category of the product to be consulted (here, refrigerator as an example) is displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu (step S3AB1).

[0095] The subsequent flow is the same as that in the case where the "view store map" button 4b1 is pressed, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0096] Next, a case where the customer Pu presses the button 4b3 for consulting about repairs will be described.

[0097] When the customer Pu presses the consultation button 4b3, the service selection unit 4b selects that the customer terminal Tu will request consultation regarding product repair and display on the display unit 4 a guide route to the repair consultation desk on the store map (step S3C1).

[0098] 18, the repair consultation window guide screen 140 is displayed on the display unit 4 of the customer terminal Tu, and the repair consultation window guide screen 130 displays a guide route R2 from the current position P1 of the customer Pu to the highlighted repair window position P7 on the store map (step S3C2). If the customer Pu proceeds along this guide route R2, the positions P1 and P7 will overlap, and the customer Pu will arrive at the repair window.

[0099] The store shopping support system 1 according to the present embodiment described above includes a beacon Bp as a location identification device that can be used to identify the location information of an object by emitting radio waves, a customer terminal Tu that can receive radio waves from the beacon Bp and identify its own location information, and a store terminal Ts that can communicate with the customer terminal Tu. The customer terminal Tu has a store greeting unit 4a that automatically performs an entrance greeting when the customer terminal Tu moves from outside the store 10 into the store 10, and a service selection unit 4b that selects whether to display a store map of the store 10 on the display unit 4, or to transmit a consultation request signal to the store terminal Ts, which requests a consultation with an employee Ps of the store 10 regarding a product that the customer Pu is considering purchasing or regarding various services offered by the store 10, and to have the store terminal Ts receive the consultation and notify the store terminal Ts of the consultation request. As a result, when a customer Pu arrives at the store 10, after being greeted, the customer Pu can choose, according to his / her preference, to first look at a store map of the store 10 and search for the product he / she is considering purchasing by himself / herself, or to meet with an employee Ps of the store 10 and consult about the product he / she is considering purchasing or about the services offered by the store 10, thereby making it easier for the customer Pu to purchase products or services more quickly.

[0100] Moreover, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, the service selection unit 4b further has a selection for requesting consultation regarding product repair and displaying a guide route R2 to a repair consultation window on the store map on the display unit 4. This allows a sincere response to a customer Pu who has come to consult about product repair, and also makes it possible to inform the customer Pu, for example, when it would be more advantageous to replace the product rather than repair it, so that the customer Pu can more quickly and easily purchase the product.

[0101] Furthermore, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, the customer terminal Tu can display the category names of the products sold by the store 10 or the services provided by the store 10 within the area of ​​the store map displayed on the display unit 4. This allows the customer Pu to more easily know how to get to the place he or she wants to go.

[0102] According to the shopping support system 1 for the store according to the present embodiment, the store terminal Ts can also be located by a beacon Bp as a location identification device, and the display unit 40 can display the locations of the store terminal Ts and other store terminals Ts in the store 10, as well as the location of the customer terminal Tu. This allows the employee Ps of the store 10 who has the store terminal Ts to grasp not only his / her own location in the store 10, but also the locations of the employees Ps who have the other store terminals Ts and the location of the customer Pu who has the customer terminal Tu, and while watching the movements of the customer Pu who has the customer terminal Tu, he / she can exchange information with the other employees Ps on how to act, etc., using an intercom or the like, which can be utilized for better customer service. Furthermore, even if a customer Pu does not request a consultation, for example, if the employee Ps has not been available for a long time, the employee Ps can grasp the situation and respond appropriately, such as by calling out to the customer as soon as possible, and the customer Pu can easily purchase products more quickly and kindly.

[0103] In addition, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, the store terminal Ts can display the customer terminals Tu on the display unit 40 so that the customer terminals Tu that have requested consultation can be distinguished from the customer terminals Tu that have not requested consultation. This makes it immediately clear which customer terminal Tu should be given priority in dealing with the customer Pu.

[0104] According to the shopping support system 1 for a store according to the present embodiment, the store terminal Ts can display on its display unit 40 the time when an employee Ps who has a store terminal Ts of the store 10 served a customer Pu who has a customer terminal Tu, and the location and time when the employee Ps stayed, based on the information on the location of the store terminal Ts and other store terminals Ts specified by the beacon Bp as a location specifying device in the store 10, information on whether or not the employee Ps served a customer Pu and the time when the employee Ps stayed, and the information on the location of the customer terminal Tu specified by the beacon Bp as a location specifying device, and information on whether or not the employee Ps served a customer Pu and the time when the employee Ps stayed, obtained by communication and a timer. This makes it easy to grasp the efficiency and track record of the work of each employee Ps, and to easily know which employee Ps to entrust with what.

[0105] Furthermore, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, the store terminal Ts can pick up and display the location of the customer terminal Tu of the customer Pu that the employee Ps is responsible for on the display unit 40. This allows the employee Ps carrying the store terminal Ts to know the location of the customer Pu carrying the customer terminal Tu that he or she is responsible for and respond to the customer without getting lost.

[0106] Furthermore, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, when the selection to display the in-store map of the store 10 on the display unit 40 is made in the service selection unit 4b on the customer terminal Tu, if the category name of the product is input in the category name input unit 4c of the customer terminal Tu, a guide route R1 to the area on the store map where the product is sold is displayed on the display unit 4. This allows the customer Pu to easily look at the store map and reach the area where the product he or she is considering purchasing is sold.

[0107] Furthermore, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, when a customer Pu sends a consultation request signal to the store terminal Ts requesting a consultation with an employee Ps of the store 10 about a product he is considering purchasing, and the consultation request is selected by the service selection unit 4b to be notified, the product category name is input to the category name input unit 4c of the customer terminal, and the product category name can be displayed on the display unit 40 of the store terminal Ts. This allows the store 10 to know the product category name in advance, and therefore allows the store 10 to assign an employee Ps who is suitable for the consultation to a customer Pu who has requested a consultation with an employee Ps of the store 10 about a product he is considering purchasing.

[0108] Moreover, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, the customer terminal Tu has a questionnaire response field 101 as a questionnaire information input unit that can input questionnaire information that is useful for determining the product that the customer Pu desires, and when the questionnaire information is input into the questionnaire response field 101, the questionnaire information is transmitted to the store terminal Ts, received, and can be displayed on the display unit 40 of the store terminal Ts. This allows the store 10 to know in advance the questionnaire information that is useful for determining the product that the customer Pu desires, so that when the customer Pu meets an employee Ps of the store 10 and requests consultation about a product that the customer Pu is considering purchasing, the employee Ps in charge can provide more accurate consultation by referring to the questionnaire information, and the product that the customer Pu desires can be determined more quickly.

[0109] Furthermore, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, even after the service selection unit 4b selects to display the store map of the store 10 on the display unit 4, the store terminal Ts can transmit a consultation request signal to request a consultation with an employee Ps of the store 10 about a product that the customer Pu is considering purchasing, and the store terminal Ts can receive the consultation request and notify the customer of the consultation request. This allows the employee Ps of the store 10 who owns the store terminal Ts to respond to the consultation request of the customer Pu who owns the customer terminal Tu at any time, making it easier for the customer Pu to purchase the product more quickly.

[0110] Furthermore, according to the store shopping support system 1 of this embodiment, the position identifying device is composed of a plurality of beacons Bp installed in the store 10. As a result, since the position identifying device is the beacons Bp in the store 10, even in cases where the inside of the store 10 is under conditions where radio waves from a GPS satellite are difficult to reach, the position information of the customer terminal Tu in the store 10 can be accurately identified.

[0111] The embodiment described above is an example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In other words, the specific configuration and specific procedure of the above embodiment can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0112] For example, in the above embodiment, the store 10 is a home appliance retail store and the products 2a, 2b, 2c, ... are home appliances, but this is not limited to this. For example, the store 10 may be a furniture retail store or the like and the products 2a, 2b, 2c, ... may be furniture, etc.

[0113] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the automatic delivery of coupons that can be used for discounts on target products, etc., to the customer terminal Tu may be performed based on the flow of the customer Pu for each store 10, the interest categories for each customer Pu, or the displayed interest categories of the duration of stay (see FIG. 6).

[0114] In addition, in the above embodiment, a report of the consultation time, results, and location information for each salesperson Ps and each customer Pu may be created and stored, and may be used for subsequent consultations (see FIG. 6).

[0115] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, only a beacon is installed as a location identification device, but this is not limited to this, and a surveillance camera or the like may also be used as the location identification device so that all customers who do not have a customer terminal Tu can be identified. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1. Store shopping support system 10 stores 10A Store space 11. Ceiling 12. Wall 13 Beds 2a,2b,2c products 3 entrance Pu customer P.S. Employee Tu customer terminal Ts Store terminal Bp beacon (location device) S Server N Network 4. Display unit of customer terminal 40 Display unit of store terminal 40a Memory section 4a Greetings from the store 4b Service selection section 4c Product category name input section C1 Customer terminal communication section C2 Communication section of store terminal M1 overall display screen M2 store map screen 50 Screen when you visit the store 4b1 View store map button 4b2 Consult with store staff button 4b3 Button to inquire about repairs to your product 60 Product category selection screen 61a, 61b, 61c Product category input button 70 Store map information screen 71 Help button 80 Confirmation Screen 81 Yes button 82 Product category change button 83 Product category name display section 84 Add product category checkbox 90 Menu setting screen 91 Pre-survey button 92 Button to check floor map 93 Call Cancel Button 100 Pre-survey screen 101 Questionnaire response section 102 Save button 110 Inquiry list screen 111 Voice button 11a Status column 11b Elapsed time column 112 Consultation start button 113 Complete button 120 Customer Location Screen 130 Repair consultation desk information screen P1~P7 position R1, R2 Guidance route

Claims

1. A shopping support system for a store that sells products, comprising: A location identification device that can be used to identify location information of an object by emitting radio waves; a customer terminal capable of receiving radio waves from the position identification device and identifying its own position information; a store terminal capable of communicating with the customer terminal, the customer terminal has a store visit notification unit that notifies the customer that the customer has visited the store when the location identification device identifies that the customer has moved from outside the store to inside the store, and a service selection unit that displays a service requested by the customer on a display unit of the customer terminal after the notification by the store visit notification unit; the service selection unit has a consultation button for transmitting a signal to the store terminal indicating that the customer wishes to meet with an employee of the store to consult with the employee about the product he is considering purchasing or a service provided by the store; A store shopping support system characterized in that, when the consultation button is selected, a signal is sent from the customer terminal indicating that the customer would like to consult about a specified product or a specified service, and when the store terminal receives the signal indicating that the customer would like to consult, the display unit of the store terminal displays information about the location of the customer terminal on a store map and the specified product or the specified service.

2. The store shopping support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the customer terminal is capable of displaying category names of the products sold by the store or the services provided by the store within the area of ​​the store map displayed on the display unit.

3. The store shopping support system described in claim 1, characterized in that the position of the store terminal can also be identified by the position identification device, and the display unit can display the positions of the store terminal and other store terminals within the store, as well as the positions of multiple customer terminals.

4. The store terminal is capable of displaying on its display unit a customer terminal that indicates that the customer has requested to meet with an employee of the store to consult with the store employee about a product that the customer is considering purchasing or a service that the store offers, and a customer terminal that indicates that the customer has not requested to meet with an employee of the store to consult with the store employee about a product that the customer is considering purchasing or a service that the store offers.

5. The store terminal is capable of displaying on its display the time that an employee of the store who owns the store terminal served a customer who owns the customer terminal, as well as the location and time that the employee stayed, based on information on the location of the store terminal and other store terminals within the store identified by the location identification device, information on whether the employee served a customer who owns the customer terminal and the time obtained by communication and a timer, information on the location of the customer terminal identified by the location identification device, and information on whether the employee served an employee who owns the customer terminal and the time obtained by communication and a timer.

6. The store shopping support system of claim 1, characterized in that the store terminal is also capable of being located by the location identification device, and is configured so that by identifying a customer that the store terminal is responsible for, the location of the customer terminal of the customer can be highlighted on the store map displayed on the display unit of the store terminal.

7. The store shopping support system according to claim 1, characterized in that when a selection is made on the customer terminal to display the store map of the store on the display unit using the service selection unit, when a product category name is input into the category name input unit of the customer terminal, a guide route to the area on the store map where the product is sold is displayed on the display unit.

8. The store shopping support system of claim 1, characterized in that the customer terminal sends a signal to the store terminal indicating that the customer would like to meet with an employee of the store to discuss the product the customer is considering purchasing or the service offered by the store, and the signal is received by the store terminal, and when the customer selects to meet with an employee of the store to be notified of the product the customer is considering purchasing or the service offered by the store, when the customer inputs a product category name into the category name input section of the customer terminal, the product category name can be displayed on the display section of the store terminal.

9. The store shopping support system of claim 1, characterized in that the customer terminal has a survey information input section capable of inputting survey information useful for determining the products that the customer desires, and when the survey information is input into the survey information input section, the survey information is transmitted to the store terminal, received, and can be displayed on a display section of the store terminal.

10. The store shopping support system according to claim 1, further comprising a consultation request unit that is capable of sending to the store terminal, and having the store terminal receive a signal indicating that the customer would like to meet with an employee of the store to consult about a product that the customer is considering purchasing or a service offered by the store, even after the service selection unit has selected to display the store map of the store on the display unit, and notifying the store terminal of the specified product or service.

11. 2. The shopping support system for a store according to claim 1, wherein the location specifying device comprises a plurality of beacons installed within the store.

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