Commodity shelf management system, information processing device, control method for information processing device, and program

Abstract

To provide a commodity shelf management system, an information processing device, a control method for an information processing device, and a program by which a clerk can efficiently perform his / her duty while smoothly replenishing a commodity on a commodity shelf.SOLUTION: A commodity shelf management system 1 comprises: an output device 20 that outputs information enabling the display status of a commodity on a commodity shelf in a store to be grasped; a quantity information acquisition unit 11a that acquires quantity information regarding the remaining number of the commodities on the commodity shelf based on the information outputted from the output device 20; a notification determination unit 11b that determines whether an alert notification regarding commodity replenishment for the commodity shelf is necessary based on the quantity information; and a clerk specification unit 11c that identifies a clerk capable of responding to commodity replenishment based on clerk status information regarding the clerk' work status at the store, and sets the identified clerk as a target for the alert notification.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a merchandise shelf management system, an information processing apparatus, a control method for an information processing apparatus, and a program for managing a merchandise shelf.

Background Art

[0002] In a store, the display status of each product on the merchandise shelf is managed. When the number of products displayed on the merchandise shelf decreases or a stockout occurs, the products are replenished by a store clerk.

[0003] Patent Document 1 below describes a business support apparatus that notifies a store clerk of a stockout when a stockout occurs on a merchandise shelf. In this apparatus, the merchandise shelf is imaged by a camera, and based on the captured image, it is determined whether the corresponding product exists on the merchandise shelf. Then, when the corresponding product does not exist, the store clerk is notified that the product is out of stock. The store clerk who receives the notification can grasp that it is necessary to promptly replenish the product on the merchandise shelf.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, each store clerk performs their own assigned tasks such as customer service separately from replenishing products on the merchandise shelf. For this reason, if the above notification is made while the clerk is performing their assigned task, the work efficiency for the task being handled may decrease.

[0006] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a merchandise shelf management system, an information processing apparatus, a control method of the information processing apparatus, and a program that enable a store clerk to efficiently proceed with his / her own work while smoothly replenishing merchandise on the merchandise shelf.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a merchandise shelf management system. The merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect includes an output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of merchandise on the merchandise shelves of a store, a quantity information acquisition unit that acquires quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the merchandise on the merchandise shelf based on the information output from the output device, a notification determination unit that determines whether an alert notification regarding replenishment of the merchandise to the merchandise shelf is necessary based on the quantity information, and a clerk identification unit that identifies a clerk capable of handling the replenishment of the merchandise based on clerk status information regarding the work status of the clerk in the store and sets the identified clerk as the target of the alert notification.

[0008] According to the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, based on the work status of the clerk, the clerk who is the target of the alert notification for merchandise replenishment is restricted to a clerk capable of handling the merchandise replenishment, and no alert notification is given to other clerks who cannot handle the merchandise replenishment. Therefore, while the clerk who has received the alert notification can smoothly proceed with the merchandise replenishment, other clerks can efficiently perform their own work and the like.

[0009] In the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, the clerk identification unit may include excluding, as a condition for identifying the clerk, a clerk who is performing a task with a higher priority than the replenishment of the merchandise from the clerks capable of handling the replenishment of the merchandise.

[0010] According to this configuration, no alert notification is given to a clerk who is performing a task with a higher priority than the replenishment of the merchandise. Therefore, the clerk can efficiently perform his / her own task with a higher priority without being confused by the alert notification.

[0011] In the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, the store employee status information further includes information associating the store employee with index information that is an index for determining whether replenishment of the merchandise to the merchandise shelf is possible. The store employee identification unit may include, as a condition for identifying the store employee, excluding from the store employees capable of handling the replenishment of the merchandise, the store employees determined based on the index information not to be able to replenish the merchandise to the merchandise shelf.

[0012] According to this configuration, due to factors such as height and the relationship with the weight of the merchandise that can be carried, store employees who have difficulty replenishing merchandise to the merchandise shelf are excluded from the store employees capable of handling the replenishment of the merchandise, and alert notifications are not sent to these store employees. Therefore, replenishment of the merchandise to the merchandise shelf can be performed smoothly and efficiently.

[0013] In the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, the notification determination unit may be configured to determine that a first alert notification is necessary when the remaining quantity is a value other than zero and is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and to determine that a second alert notification is necessary when the remaining quantity becomes zero.

[0014] According to this configuration, a store employee who receives the first alert notification can recognize that the merchandise on the merchandise shelf is out of stock, and a store employee who receives the second alert notification can recognize that the merchandise on the merchandise shelf is out of stock. Therefore, replenishment of the merchandise can be performed smoothly.

[0015] In the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, the notification determination unit may be configured to decrease the threshold in response to a decrease in the number of store employees identified by the store employee identification unit.

[0016] According to this configuration, in response to a decrease in the number of store employees capable of handling the task, the frequency of the first alert notification decreases. Therefore, even when there are few store employees capable of handling the task, these store employees can efficiently perform their own work and smoothly handle the replenishment of the merchandise.

[0017] In the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, the notification determination unit may be configured to acquire index information serving as an index of the sales of the merchandise, and set the threshold value based on the number of store employees and the index information.

[0018] When the merchandise sells well, the merchandise is likely to be out of stock. According to the above configuration, since the threshold value is set in consideration of the index information serving as an index of the sales of the merchandise, the first alert notification can be sent at a timing when the merchandise is less likely to be out of stock.

[0019] In the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, the notification determination unit may be configured to acquire index information serving as an index of the merchandise targeted for promotion, and set the threshold value based on the number of store employees and the index information.

[0020] Regarding promotional merchandise such as special sale items, it is desired to minimize the loss of sales opportunities due to out-of-stock situations. According to the above configuration, since the threshold value is set in consideration of the index information serving as an index of the promotional merchandise, the first alert notification can be sent at a timing when the promotional merchandise is less likely to be out of stock.

[0021] In the merchandise shelf management system according to this aspect, the notification determination unit may be configured to include the remaining quantity of the merchandise in the first alert notification.

[0022] According to this configuration, a store employee who receives the first alert notification can grasp the urgency of merchandise replenishment from the remaining quantity. Therefore, the merchandise can be replenished appropriately.

[0023] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of products on the product shelves in a store. The information processing apparatus according to this aspect includes a quantity information acquisition unit that acquires quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the products on the product shelves based on the information output from the output device, a notification determination unit that determines whether an alert notification regarding replenishment of the products for the product shelves is necessary based on the quantity information, and a staff identification unit that identifies staff members capable of handling the replenishment of the products based on staff status information regarding the work status of the staff members in the store and sets the identified staff members as the targets of the alert notification.

[0024] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a control method for an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of products on the product shelves in a store. The control method according to this aspect includes acquiring quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the products on the product shelves based on the information output from the output device, determining whether an alert notification regarding replenishment of the products for the product shelves is necessary based on the quantity information, identifying staff members capable of handling the replenishment of the products based on staff status information regarding the work status of the staff members in the store, and setting the identified staff members as the targets of the alert notification.

[0025] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a program for causing an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of products on the product shelves in a store to execute a predetermined function. The program according to this aspect causes the information processing apparatus to execute a function of acquiring quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the products on the product shelves based on the information output from the output device, a function of determining whether an alert notification regarding replenishment of the products for the product shelves is necessary based on the quantity information, and a function of identifying staff members capable of handling the replenishment of the products based on staff status information regarding the work status of the staff members in the store and setting the identified staff members as the targets of the alert notification.

[0026] According to the second, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first aspect are achieved. [Effect of the Invention]

[0027] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a merchandise shelf management system, an information processing apparatus, a control method of the information processing apparatus, and a program that enable a store clerk to efficiently proceed with his / her own work while smoothly replenishing merchandise on the merchandise shelf.

[0028] The effects or significance of the present invention will become clearer from the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples when implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to those described in the following embodiments at all. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0029]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0030] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0031] <Embodiment 1> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a merchandise shelf management system 1 according to Embodiment 1.

[0032] The merchandise shelf management system 1 includes an information processing device 10, an output device 20, and a transmission / reception device 30. The output device 20 and the transmission / reception device 30 are installed within the store where the merchandise shelf 2 is installed. The information processing device 10 can communicate with the output device 20 and the transmission / reception device 30 via a network 40. When the information processing device 10 is installed in the same store as the store where the merchandise shelf 2 is installed, the network 40 is a LAN (Local Area Network) laid in the store. When the information processing device 10 is installed in a facility outside the store, the network 40 is an external communication network such as the Internet.

[0033] The information processing device 10 manages information regarding the store and the merchandise shelf 2. As one aspect of this management, the information processing device 10 monitors the necessity of replenishing the merchandise on the merchandise shelf 2. When replenishment of the merchandise is necessary as a result of this monitoring, the information processing device 10 transmits a notification prompting replenishment of the merchandise to the mobile terminal 50 held by the store clerk 3. The information processing device 10 is, for example, a server computer or a personal computer. The information processing device 10 may be a dedicated machine.

[0034] The output device 20 outputs information capable of grasping the display state of the merchandise on the merchandise shelf 2. In the present embodiment, the output device 20 is a camera. The output device 20 captures an image of the entire front of the merchandise shelf 2 at any time and transmits the captured image to the information processing device 10. By analyzing this captured image, the remaining quantity and out-of-stock status of the merchandise on each shelf of the merchandise shelf 2 can be detected.

[0035] However, the output device 20 is not limited to a camera. For example, a weight sensor arranged on each shelf of the merchandise shelf 2 may be used as the output device 20. In this case, the weight sensors are arranged on each shelf, for example, for each display area of each merchandise item. Merchandise is placed on the weight sensors and displayed in the display areas.

[0036] Each weight sensor may be capable of detecting the weight distribution on the placement surface. Based on this weight distribution, the display status of products in the display area can be detected, and the remaining quantity and out-of-stock status of products in the display area can be detected. Alternatively, if the weight of each product is registered in advance, even if the weight sensor is not capable of detecting the weight distribution, the remaining quantity and out-of-stock status of products can be detected from the detected total weight.

[0037] The transceiver device 30 is a communication device for wirelessly communicating with the mobile terminal 50. The transceiver device 30 is installed on the ceiling of the store, the top surface of the product shelf 2, etc. The transceiver device 30 may be a wireless LAN router. The mobile terminal 50 is, for example, a mobile phone such as a smartphone. The mobile terminals 50 are distributed to each store clerk 3 and are held by the corresponding store clerk 3.

[0038] Figure 2 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the layout of the store S1.

[0039] Here, the store S1 is divided into a sales floor S11, a warehouse room S12, and a checkout area S13. A plurality of product shelves 2 are installed on the sales floor S11, and a plurality of output devices 20 (cameras) are installed facing each product shelf 2. An entrance S14 is provided on the sales floor S11. Products for replenishment are stocked in the warehouse room S12. The checkout area S13 is separated from the sales floor S11 by the counter 4. Two cash registers 5 are installed on the counter 4.

[0040] In the example of Figure 2, four store clerks 3 are working in the store S1. Two store clerks 3 are in charge of each cash register 5. The remaining two store clerks 3 are in charge of the sales floor. One of the store clerks 3 has entered the warehouse room S12 for product replenishment. The warehouse room S12 can be entered through the store clerk-only entrance S15. As described above, each store clerk 3 holds a mobile terminal 50.

[0041] Figure 3 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of the product shelf 2.

[0042] The merchandise shelf 2 includes a plurality of shelves 201 for displaying merchandise. Each shelf 201 is divided into a plurality of display areas 202. On the right side of each shelf 201, a label 203 indicating the position of the shelf 201 in the merchandise shelf 2 is affixed. Also, on the lower side of each display area 202, a label 204 indicating the position of the display area 202 in the shelf 201 is affixed. On the labels 203 and 204, for example, numbers, codes, etc. indicating the position are displayed.

[0043] Furthermore, on the right side of each label 204, a tag 205 for displaying the name and price of the merchandise displayed in each display area 202 is installed. Also, on the upper left corner of the merchandise shelf 2, a label 206 indicating the identification symbol of the merchandise shelf 2 is affixed. The identification symbol of the merchandise shelf 2 is, for example, a number assigned in sequence to all the merchandise shelves 2 in the store S1.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the information processing apparatus 10 and the mobile terminal 50. For convenience, two mobile terminals 50 are shown in FIG. 4, but in reality, the number of mobile terminals 50 is equal to the number of store employees working in the store S1.

[0045] The information processing apparatus 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0046] The control unit 11 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each unit according to a program stored in the storage unit 12. The storage unit 12 includes memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a hard disk, and stores the above program. Also, the storage unit 12 is used as a work area when the control unit 11 executes the above program.

[0047] The communication unit 13 communicates with the output device 20 and the mobile terminal 50 under the control from the control unit 11. As described above, the communication with the mobile terminal 50 is performed via the transmission / reception device 30.

[0048] In this embodiment, a program for managing product shelves is stored in the storage unit 12. According to this program, the control unit 11 executes the functions of the quantity information acquisition unit 11a, the notification determination unit 11b, and the store employee identification unit 11c.

[0049] The quantity information acquisition unit 11a is a function of acquiring quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of products on the product shelf 2 based on the information output from the output device 20 (in this embodiment, the captured image of the product shelf 2). The notification determination unit 11b is a function of determining whether an alert notification regarding replenishment of products for the product shelf 2 is necessary based on the quantity information acquired by the quantity information acquisition unit 11a. The store employee identification unit 11c is a function of identifying the store employee 3 capable of handling product replenishment based on the store employee status information regarding the work status of the store employee 3 in the store S1, and setting the identified store employee 3 as the target of the alert notification. These processes will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b).

[0050] The mobile terminal 50 includes a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, a display input unit 53, a speaker 54, and a communication unit 55. As described above, the mobile terminal 50 is a mobile phone such as a smartphone. The mobile terminal 50 may be another mobile terminal such as a tablet.

[0051] The control unit 51 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU, and controls each unit according to the program stored in the storage unit 52. The storage unit 52 includes memories such as a ROM and a RAM, and stores the above program. Further, the storage unit 52 is used as a work area when the control unit 51 executes processing.

[0052] An application program for managing product shelves is stored in the storage unit 52. The control unit 51 transmits and receives information for managing product shelves to and from the information processing device 10 according to this application program, and causes the display input unit 53 to display a screen for managing product shelves.

[0053] It is shown that the display input unit 53 is configured by overlaying a touch panel on a liquid crystal display. Instead of the display input unit 53, a display unit composed of a liquid crystal display and an input unit composed of an operation key group may be separately arranged. The speaker 54 outputs a predetermined sound according to the control from the control unit 51.

[0054] FIGS. 5(a) to 5(c) are diagrams showing the configuration of various information stored in the storage unit 12 of the information processing apparatus 10.

[0055] FIG. 5(a) shows the configuration of product management information for managing products. The product management information is configured by associating a product code, which is identification information of a product, a JAN code, a product name, and a product category with each other. The JAN code is an international standard product identification code representing the operator providing the product and the type of the product.

[0056] FIG. 5(b) shows the configuration of shelf management information for managing the product shelf 2. The shelf management information is stored in the storage unit 12 for each product shelf 2. That is, the number of product shelves 2 installed in the store S1, the shelf management information in FIG. 5(b) is stored in the storage unit 12. The shelf management information is configured by associating a shelf code, which is identification information of the shelf 201 in the product shelf 2, a name (product shelf name) of the shelf 201, a position code indicating the position of the display area 202 in the shelf 201, and the JAN code of the product displayed in the display area 202 with each other. The shelf code corresponds to the symbols and numbers shown on the label 203 in FIG. 3, and the position code corresponds to the symbols and numbers shown on the label 204 in FIG. 3.

[0057] FIG. 5(c) shows the configuration of store employee management information for managing store employees. The store employee management information is configured by associating a staff code, which is identification information of a store employee, the name, attendance status, and work status of the store employee with each other. The attendance status and work status indicate the current status of the store employee. The attendance status is classified into attendance, vacation, absence, etc. The work status indicates the content of the work currently being undertaken by the store employee.

[0058] The merchandise management information in Fig. 5(a) and the shelf management information in Fig. 5(b) are registered in the information processing apparatus 10 by the administrator of store S1 according to merchandise procurement and the layout settings of merchandise shelves. Also, among the store employee management information in Fig. 5(c), the staff code and name are registered in the information processing apparatus 10 by the administrator of store S1 when each store employee 3 is hired.

[0059] Regarding the attendance status and work status in Fig. 5(c), when a work schedule for each store employee 3 is separately registered in the information processing apparatus 10, the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 may acquire the daily work status and the current work status for each store employee 3 from this work schedule and register them in the store management information. In this case, when a change occurs in the daily work schedule for a given store employee 3, the administrator may modify the attendance status and work status associated with the person in charge according to the change.

[0060] When such a work schedule is not registered, the attendance status and work status may be registered in the information processing apparatus 10 as appropriate by the administrator of store S1. Alternatively, the work status of each store employee 3 may be registered in the information processing apparatus 10 by each store employee 3 via the mobile terminal 50 held by each store employee 3 at the start of the assigned work.

[0061] In addition, the storage unit 12 stores management information etc. that associates each store employee 3 with the mobile terminal 50 held by these store employees 3.

[0062] Fig. 6(a) is a flowchart showing the processing for merchandise shelf management executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10.

[0063] In the flowchart of Fig. 6(a), the processing of step S101 is executed by the function of the store employee identification unit 11c in Fig. 4, and the processing of step S102 is executed by the function of the quantity information acquisition unit 11a in Fig. 4. Also, the processing of steps S103 and S104 is executed by the function of the notification determination unit 11b in Fig. 4. Hereinafter, without particularly referring to these functions, the control unit 11 will be described as performing the processing in Fig. 6(a) by these functions.

[0064] When the timing to grasp the situation of the designated product shelf 2 arrives, the control unit 11 identifies the store clerk to be notified (S101).

[0065] FIG. 6(b) is a flowchart showing the store clerk identification process in step S101 of FIG. 6(a).

[0066] The control unit 11 refers to the store clerk management information in FIG. 5(c) for each store clerk 3 (S201). When the attendance status of the store clerk 3 registered in the store clerk management information is not present (S202: NO), the control unit 11 excludes the store clerk 3 from the notification target (S204). On the other hand, when the attendance status of the store clerk 3 is present (S202: YES), the control unit 11 refers to the work status (work status information) of the store clerk 3 registered in the store clerk management information and determines whether the current assigned work of the store clerk 3 is a work with a higher priority than the work for replenishing products on the product shelf 2 (S203).

[0067] Here, each work content that can be registered in the work status item of the store management information is preliminarily attached with a flag indicating whether it has a higher priority than the work for replenishing products on the product shelf 2. A table associating such work content with the flag is separately stored in the storage unit 12. The control unit 11 refers to this table to make the determination in step S203.

[0068] For example, the work of "cash register" shown in the work status item of FIG. 5(c) may be set to have a higher priority than product replenishment, and the work of "sales floor management" may be set to have a lower priority than product replenishment. This setting may be made, for example, by default, or may be arbitrarily made by the administrator of store S1.

[0069] When the determination in step S203 is YES, the control unit 11 excludes the store clerk 3 from the notification target (S204). On the other hand, when the determination in step S203 is NO, the control unit 11 skips step S204 and maintains the store clerk 3 as the notification target.

[0070] If the control unit 11 has not executed the processes of steps S201 to S204 for all the store employees 3 registered in the store employee management information (S205: NO), the control unit 11 similarly executes the processes of steps S201 to S204 for the remaining store employees 3. When the processes of steps S201 to S204 have been executed for all the store employees 3 (S205: YES), the control unit 11 ends the process of FIG. 6(a). As a result, the process of step S101 in FIG. 6(a) ends. In this way, among the store employees 3 working at the store S1, the store employees who are capable of handling the replenishment of products are specified as the notified store employees.

[0071] In addition, in the case where all the store employees 3 working at the store S1 have been excluded by the process of FIG. 6(b), all the store employees 3 on duty may be specified as the notified store employees. For example, if there are 4 store employees 3 working at the store S1, 2 of them are on leave on the day, and the remaining 2 are currently in charge of 2 cash registers respectively, in the process of FIG. 6(b), all the store employees 3 will be excluded from the notified targets. In such a case, all the store employees 3 on duty may be set as the notified targets.

[0072] Alternatively, in the above table, if priorities are further assigned to each business content, among the store employees 3 on duty, the store employees with the lowest priority or from the lowest priority to a predetermined number may be set as the notified targets, and the other store employees 3 may be excluded from the notified targets. Such a process may be executed when all the store employees 3 have been excluded by the process of FIG. 6(b), or may be performed instead of the process of FIG. 6(b).

[0073] Returning to FIG. 6(a), when the notified store employees are specified in this way, the control unit 11 acquires quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of products for each display area 202 in the product shelf 2 (S102). Specifically, the control unit 11 acquires a captured image of the product shelf 2 from the output device 20, and extracts the range of the display area 202 that is the acquisition target of the quantity information from the acquired captured image. Then, the control unit 11 analyzes the range of the extracted image to acquire the remaining quantity of the products displayed in the display area 202.

[0074] At this time, the control unit 11 further extracts from the images of the labels 203 and 204 in FIG. 3 included in the captured image, a code (shelf code) indicating the position of the shelf 201 including the display area 202, and a code (position code) indicating the position of the display area 202, respectively. Further, the control unit 11 extracts the identification symbol of the product shelf 2 from the image of the label 206 included in the captured image.

[0075] The control unit 11 refers to the shelf management information in FIG. 5(b) corresponding to the identification symbol of the product shelf 2 thus extracted, and further compares this shelf management information with each code (shelf code, position code) to obtain the JAN code of the product displayed in the display area 202. Further, the control unit 11 compares the obtained JAN code with the product management information in FIG. 5(a) to identify the product corresponding to the JAN code. In this way, the control unit 11 identifies the product displayed in the display area 202 and associates the identified product with the quantity information (remaining quantity) obtained in step S102.

[0076] Note that the method of identifying products is not limited to the above method. For example, on the captured image of each product shelf 2, image areas corresponding to the respective display areas 202 may be set in advance, and information on the products (such as the names of the products) displayed in the display areas 202 corresponding to these image areas may be registered in advance. Thereby, without obtaining codes from the images of the labels 203 and 204 on the captured image as described above, the products displayed in the respective display areas 202 can be identified from the image areas of the respective display areas 202 set on the captured image.

[0077] In addition, when a weight sensor is laid for each display area 202 as the output device 20 as described above, each weight sensor may be registered in association with information on the product (such as the name of the product) placed on the weight sensor and the display area 202 where the weight sensor is laid. In this case, the quantity information (remaining quantity) in step S102 is obtained from the detection result of the weight sensor of the display area 202 for which the quantity information is to be obtained, and the obtained quantity information is associated with the name etc. (product information) of the product pre-associated with the display area 202.

[0078] Thus, when quantity information is obtained for the target product (display area 202), the control unit 11 determines whether the remaining quantity of the product is less than or equal to a threshold value Th1 set for the product (S103). Here, the threshold value Th1 is set to the remaining quantity of the product (for example, 3 pieces, etc.) for which it is assumed necessary to notify the store clerk 3 of the replenishment request for the product. This threshold value Th1 may be arbitrarily set for each product by the administrator of the store S1, and the threshold value Th1 may differ for each product. Alternatively, a uniform threshold value Th1 may be set for all products.

[0079] When the remaining quantity of the product is less than or equal to the threshold value Th1 (S103: YES), the control unit 11 determines that an alert notification regarding the replenishment of the product on the product shelf 2 is necessary (S104). On the other hand, when the remaining quantity of the product is not less than or equal to the threshold value Th1 (S103: NO), the control unit 11 skips step S104. In this case, the product is not the target of the alert notification.

[0080] The control unit 11 repeats the processes of steps S101 to S104 for all products displayed on the product shelf 2 (S105: NO). Then, when the processes of steps S101 to S104 are executed for all products (S105: YES), the control unit 11 transmits an alert notification requesting replenishment of the products determined to require an alert notification in step S104 to the mobile terminal 50 held by the store clerk specified in step S101 (S106). Thereby, the control unit 11 ends the process of FIG. 6(a).

[0081] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an alert screen 500 displayed on the mobile terminal 50 by the alert notification transmitted in step S106 of FIG. 6(a).

[0082] FIG. 7 shows a case where there is only one product that is the target of the alert notification. When there are a plurality of products that are the target of the alert notification, for example, the alert screen 500 can be displayed for each product by a scroll operation on the screen.

[0083] The alert screen 500 includes a message 501 prompting the store clerk 3 to replenish the product, a display item 502 for displaying the name of the product to be replenished, a display item 503 for displaying the installation position of the product shelf 2 where the product is displayed, an image 504 for displaying the product shelf 2 together with the display area 202 of the product, and an OK button 505. In the display item 503, for example, the identification number attached to the product shelf 2 is displayed. In the image 504, the display area 202 where the product to be replenished is displayed is highlighted so as to be distinguishable from other display areas 202. The highlighting is performed, for example, by applying a special color such as red or yellow.

[0084] As described above, this alert screen 500 is displayed only on the mobile terminal 50 to which the alert notification was sent in step S106 of FIG. 6(a). At this time, the control unit 51 of the mobile terminal 50 may cause a chime sound or the like indicating that the alert notification has been received to be output from the speaker 54.

[0085] By referring to the alert screen 500, the store clerk 3 who has received the alert notification can grasp that the remaining quantity of the product on the product shelf 2 has decreased and that replenishment of the product is necessary. At this time, the store clerk 3 can grasp the product to be replenished by referring to the display item 502, and can further easily grasp the product shelf 2 and the display area 202 where the product should be replenished by referring to the display item 503 and the image 504. After performing these grasps, the store clerk 3 operates the OK button 505 to replenish the product. As a result, the alert screen 500 is closed, and the notification process for product replenishment on the mobile terminal 50 ends.

[0086] <Effect of Embodiment 1> The merchandise shelf management system 1 includes an output device 20 that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of merchandise on the merchandise shelf 2 in the store S1, a quantity information acquisition unit 11a that acquires quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of merchandise on the merchandise shelf 2 based on the information output from the output device 20, a notification determination unit 11b that determines the necessity of an alert notification regarding the replenishment of merchandise for the merchandise shelf 2 based on the quantity information, and a staff identification unit 11c that identifies the staff 3 capable of handling the replenishment of merchandise based on the staff status information regarding the work status of the staff 3 in the store S1 and sets the identified staff 3 as the target of the alert notification.

[0087] According to this configuration, based on the work status of the staff 3, the staff 3 who is the target of the alert notification for merchandise replenishment is restricted to the staff 3 capable of handling merchandise replenishment, and no alert notification is given to other staff 3 who are unable to handle merchandise replenishment. Therefore, while the staff 3 who has received the alert notification can smoothly proceed with merchandise replenishment, other staff 3 can efficiently perform their own work and the like.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the staff identification unit 11c includes excluding, as a condition for identifying the staff 3, the staff 3 who is performing work with a higher priority than merchandise replenishment from the staff capable of handling merchandise replenishment (S203, S204).

[0089] As a result, no alert notification is given to the staff 3 who is performing work with a higher priority than merchandise replenishment. Therefore, the staff 3 can efficiently perform their own work with a higher priority without being confused by the alert notification.

[0090] <Modification Example 1> FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing for merchandise shelf management executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 according to Modification Example 1.

[0091] In the flowchart of FIG. 8, step S104 in the flowchart of FIG. 6(a) is replaced with steps S111 to S113. The other steps in FIG. 8 are the same as the corresponding steps in FIG. 6(a).

[0092] If the remaining quantity of the product based on the quantity information obtained in step S102 is less than or equal to the threshold Th1 (S103: YES), the control unit 11 further determines whether the remaining quantity is 0, that is, whether there is a shortage of the product (S111).

[0093] If the remaining quantity is less than or equal to the threshold Th1 but not 0 (S111: NO), the control unit 11 determines that a first alert notification is required for replenishment of the product (S112). On the other hand, if the remaining quantity is 0 (S111: YES), the control unit 11 determines that a second alert notification is required for replenishment of the product (S113). In step S106, the control unit 11 notifies the store clerk 3 to be notified of the alert notification determined in step S112 or step S113. At this time, the control unit 11 includes the remaining quantity of each product in the first alert notification.

[0094] FIGS. 9(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the configuration of an alert screen 500 displayed on the mobile terminal 50 according to Modification Example 1. FIG. 9(a) is an alert screen 500 displayed when the mobile terminal 50 receives a first alert notification, and FIG. 9(b) is an alert screen 500 displayed when the mobile terminal 50 receives a second alert notification.

[0095] The alert screen 500 in FIG. 9(a) based on the first alert notification differs only in the content of the display item 502 compared to the alert screen 500 in FIG. 7. That is, in the alert screen 500 based on the first alert notification, the remaining quantity of the product is added to the display item 502. Thereby, the store clerk 3 can more clearly grasp the urgency of replenishment for the product. Even in the alert screen 500 in FIG. 7, the remaining quantity of the product may be included in the display item 502.

[0096] Based on the second alert notification, the alert screen 500 in Fig. 9(b) only differs in the content of the message 501 compared to the alert screen 500 in Fig. 7. That is, in the alert screen 500 based on the second alert notification, in the message 501, the store clerk 3 is urged to urgently replenish the product because there is a shortage of the product. As a result, the store clerk 3 can clearly understand the urgency of replenishing the product.

[0097] In addition, the alert screen 500 may be displayed in different ways for the first alert notification and the second alert notification, such as making the background color of the alert screen 500 and the color of the title (the characters "Product Replenishment") different. Also, the notification sound output from the speaker 54 in response to receiving the alert notification may be made different for the first alert notification and the second alert notification. Thereby, the store clerk 3 can more clearly grasp whether the received notification is the first alert notification or the second alert notification, and can smoothly take corresponding actions according to each notification.

[0098] <Effect of Modification Example 1> As shown in Fig. 8, when the remaining quantity becomes a value other than zero and is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold Th1 (S103: YES, S111: NO), the notification determination unit 11b determines that the first alert notification is necessary (S112), and when the remaining quantity becomes zero (S111: YES), the notification determination unit 11b determines that the second alert notification is necessary (S113).

[0099] According to this configuration, the store clerk who receives the first alert notification can grasp that the product on the product shelf 2 is out of stock, and the store clerk who receives the second alert notification can grasp that the product on the product shelf 2 is out of stock. Therefore, the replenishment of the product can be carried out smoothly.

[0100] As described above, the notification determination unit 11b includes the remaining quantity of the product in the first alert notification transmitted in step S106 of Fig. 10.

[0101] As a result, as shown in FIG. 9(a), in the display item 502, the remaining quantity of the product is displayed, so the store clerk who has received the first alert notification can grasp the urgency of product replenishment from the displayed remaining quantity. Therefore, the product can be replenished appropriately.

[0102] <Modified Example 2> FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing for product shelf management executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 according to Modified Example 2.

[0103] In the flowchart of FIG. 10, step S121 is added to the flowchart according to Modified Example 1 of FIG. 8. The function of step S121 is performed by the function of the notification determination unit 11b in FIG. 4. The other steps in FIG. 10 are the same as the corresponding steps in FIG. 8.

[0104] In step S121, the control unit 11 adjusts the threshold Th1 of step S103 applied to the product according to the number of store clerks 3 specified in step S101.

[0105] FIG. 11(a) is a flowchart showing the threshold adjustment process in step S121 of FIG. 10.

[0106] The control unit 11 determines whether the number of the specified store clerks 3 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold Th2 (S301). This threshold Th2 may be set by default or may be arbitrarily set by the administrator of the store S1. This threshold Th2 is set to, for example, 2 persons.

[0107] When the number of the specified store clerks 3 is less than or equal to the threshold Th2 (S301: YES), the control unit 11 decreases the threshold Th1 compared with the remaining quantity in step S103 of FIG. 10 by ΔN1 from the reference value (S302). When the number of the specified store clerks 3 is not less than or equal to the threshold Th2 (S301: NO), the control unit 11 skips step S302. In this case, the threshold Th1 compared with the remaining quantity in step S103 of FIG. 10 is maintained at the reference value.

[0108] Here, the reference value of the threshold Th1 compared with the remaining quantity is the same as the threshold Th1 used in step S103 of FIG. 6(a), and for example, it is set to an arbitrary value by the administrator of store S1. Also, ΔN1 is a value smaller than this reference value, and for example, it is set to an arbitrary value by the administrator of store S1. For example, when the reference value of the threshold Th1 is 5, ΔN1 can be set to about 1 or 2.

[0109] When the threshold Th1 is decreased by ΔN1 in step S121 of FIG. 10, it becomes less likely that the determination in step S103 is YES. For this reason, when there are few clerks 3 who can handle store S1, frequent alert notifications to clerk 3 are suppressed, and alert notifications are made to clerk 3 at a timing when the urgency of product replenishment is higher. As a result, each clerk 3 can smoothly respond to product replenishment while efficiently proceeding with their original work.

[0110] Note that in the process of FIG. 11(a), there was one threshold Th2 compared with the identified number of clerks, but a plurality of these thresholds Th2 may be set, and ΔN1 may change for each threshold Th2. That is, the smaller the identified number of clerks, the larger ΔN1 becomes, and the threshold Th1 in step S103 of FIG. 10 may be made smaller.

[0111] <Effect of Modification Example 2> As shown in FIG. 11(a), in response to a decrease in the number of clerks 3 identified by the clerk identification unit 11c (S301: YES), the notification determination unit 11b decreases the threshold Th1 in step S103 of FIG. 10 (S302).

[0112] According to this configuration, the frequency of the first alert notification decreases in response to a decrease in the number of clerks 3 who can handle it. For this reason, even when there are few clerks 3 who can handle it, these clerks 3 can smoothly respond to product replenishment while efficiently performing their own work.

[0113] <Modification Example 3> In Modification Example 3, the process of changing the threshold Th1 in step S121 of FIG. 10 is changed from the above Modification Example 2.

[0114] FIG. 11(b) is a flowchart showing the adjustment process of the threshold Th1 according to Modification Example 3.

[0115] In the flowchart of FIG. 11(b), steps S311 to S313 are added to the flowchart of FIG. 11(a). Here, the adjustment of the threshold Th1 in steps S301 and S302 is uniformly applied to all products. In contrast, the adjustment of the threshold Th1 in steps S311 to S313 is applied for each product.

[0116] In step S311, the control unit 11 acquires index information that is an index of the sales performance of the product.

[0117] Examples of this index information include day of the week, season, time, special sale day, temperature, humidity, number of products in stock in the warehouse, POS data, number of times the automatic door opens and closes, number of pedestrians on the sidewalk in front of the store, and number of customers visiting the store.

[0118] For example, cold desserts and cold beverages are likely to have increased sales during the summer season, when the temperature and humidity are high, and during certain time periods. Also, when the current day is the special sale day for a certain product, the sales of that product are likely to increase. Further, when the information processing device 10 has a function of statistically processing the past sales of each product in the store S1 for each day of the week and time period, the sales of the product are likely to increase on days and time periods with statistically high sales. Additionally, when the sales based on the POS data for the current day are high, when the number of times the automatic door (entrance) opens and closes on the current day is large, or when there are many pedestrians passing in front of the store and many customers entering the store as determined from the captured image of the camera that images in front of the store, it can be predicted that there will also be many customers visiting the store after that time on the current day, and the overall sales of products are likely to increase. Also, since the inventory in the warehouse is expected to be larger for products with high sales, it can be assumed that the sales of this product are also likely to increase.

[0119] Therefore, when the index information exemplified above meets the condition of high sales volume, the possibility that the product will be out of stock increases. Therefore, it is preferable to increase the threshold value in step S103 of FIG. 10 to ensure a larger remaining quantity.

[0120] Here, for example, when the index information is a season, day of the week, or time zone, the condition is whether the current season, day of the week, or time zone is included in the season, day of the week, or time zone in which the sales volume is expected to increase. For other index information, conditions under which the sales volume is expected to increase are set based on the relationship with that index information. For index information related to numbers such as the number of times the automatic door opens and closes, the number of passers-by and customers entering the store, and the inventory quantity of products, it may be a condition to exceed a predetermined threshold value.

[0121] These conditions may be set by default, or may be arbitrarily set by the administrator of the store S1. In the case of statistical conditions, the administrator may set the conditions with reference to statistical data, or the information processing apparatus 10 may automatically set them based on the statistical data.

[0122] The types of these index information and the conditions applied to each index information are preset in the information processing apparatus 10. The combination of index information and conditions is set for each product. A combination of index information and conditions that is uniformly applied to all products may also be set. The above-mentioned number of passers-by is an example of index information that is uniformly applied.

[0123] In step S311, the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 acquires the set type of index information for each product, and determines whether the acquired index information meets the conditions applied to the index information (S312). For example, when the index information is a season, day of the week, or time, the control unit 11 acquires the current month, day of the week, and time as index information from its clock function and calendar function, and compares them with the corresponding conditions.

[0124] When the determination in step S312 is YES for any of the index information, the control unit 11 increases the threshold Th1 of step S103 in FIG. 10 applied to the product by ΔN2 (S313). When the determination in step S312 is NO for any of the index information, the control unit 11 skips step S313. In this case, the threshold Th1 applied to the product is not adjusted by ΔN2.

[0125] ΔN2 does not necessarily have to be the same for all products and may be different for each product. Also, ΔN2 may be different for each index information. In this case, for each product, the adjustment of the threshold Th1 in step S313 is performed using the largest ΔN2 among the ΔN2s associated with the index information that satisfies the conditions.

[0126] <Effect of Modification Example 3> As shown in FIG. 11(b), the notification determination unit 11b acquires index information that is an index of the sales of the product (S311), and based on the number of store clerks 3 and the index information, sets the threshold Th1 in step S103 of FIG. 10 (S301, S302, S312, S313).

[0127] When the sales of a product are good, the product is likely to be out of stock. According to the above configuration, since the threshold Th1 in step S103 of FIG. 10 is set taking into account the index information that is an index of the sales of the product, the first alert notification can be made at a timing when the product is less likely to be out of stock.

[0128] <Modification Example 4> In Modification Example 4, the change process of the threshold Th1 in step S121 of FIG. 10 is changed from the above Modification Example 2.

[0129] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the adjustment process of the threshold Th1 according to Modification Example 4.

[0130] In the flowchart of FIG. 12, steps S321 and S322 are added to the flowchart of FIG. 11(a). Similar to Modification Example 3, the adjustment of the threshold Th1 in steps S301 and S302 is uniformly applied to all products, and the adjustment of the threshold Th1 in steps S321 and S322 is applied to each product.

[0131] In step S321, the control unit 11 acquires index information of the product to be promoted. The type of the product to be promoted and the promotion period are set in advance by the administrator in the information processing apparatus 10. When the current day is included in the promotion period, the control unit 11 increases the threshold Th1 of step S103 in FIG. 10 used for the product to be promoted by ΔN3 (S322). ΔN3 may be the same as the above ΔN2, or may be different from ΔN2.

[0132] <Effect of Modification Example 4> As shown in FIG. 12, the notification determination unit 11b acquires index information (S321) serving as an index of the product to be promoted, and sets the threshold Th1 in step S103 of FIG. 10 based on the number of store clerks 3 and the index information (S301, S302, S322).

[0133] For promoted products such as special sale items, it is desired to minimize the loss of sales opportunities due to out-of-stock. According to the above configuration, since the threshold Th1 is set in consideration of the index information serving as an index of the promoted product, the first alert notification can be performed at a timing when the promoted product is less likely to be out of stock.

[0134] <Embodiment 2> The configuration of the product shelf management system 1 in Embodiment 2 is the same as that in FIGS. 1 and 4.

[0135] FIGS. 13(a) to (c) are diagrams showing the configuration of various information stored in the storage unit 12 of the information processing apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 2.

[0136] The product management information shown in Fig. 13(a) is the same as that of the product management device in Fig. 5(a). The shelf management information in Fig. 13(b) has additional items for limiting factors compared to the shelf management information in Fig. 5(b). Also, the store employee management information in Fig. 13(c) has additional items for store employee index information compared to the store employee management information in Fig. 5(c).

[0137] The limiting factors in Fig. 13(b) include the item for the height of each shelf and the item for the weight of the products displayed on each shelf. The item for the height of the shelf is selected from three options: high, medium, and low, and then registered. The item for the weight of the products is selected from three options: heavy, medium, and light, and then registered. These registrations are performed by the administrator of store S1.

[0138] The store employee index information in Fig. 13(c) includes the items for gender, age, weight limit, and height limit. For the items of gender and age, the gender and age of each store employee 3 are registered.

[0139] For the item of weight limit, for each store employee 3, whether they can lift heavy products or not is registered. If store employee 3 can lift heavy products, a flag indicating no limit is registered in the item of weight limit. If it is difficult for store employee 3 to lift heavy products, a flag indicating a limit is registered in the item of weight limit. These registrations are performed by the administrator of store S1.

[0140] For the item of height limit, for each store employee 3, whether they can place products on shelves with a high shelf height or not is registered. If store employee 3 can place products on high shelves, a flag indicating no limit is registered in the item of height limit. If it is difficult for store employee 3 to place products on high shelves, a flag indicating a limit is registered in the item of height limit. These registrations are also performed by the administrator of store S1.

[0141] Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing for product shelf management executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 2.

[0142] The flowchart of FIG. 14 has steps S131 to S133 added to the flowchart of FIG. 6(a). The processing of steps S131 to S133 is executed by the function of the store clerk identification unit 11c in FIG. 4.

[0143] When the determination in step S105 is YES, the control unit 11 refers to the limiting factors of the product for which it was determined in step S104 that an alert notification is necessary (S131), and determines whether it is necessary to limit the store clerk who replenishes the product (S132). In step S132, it is determined whether the shelf height in FIG. 13(b) for the product is high, and further, it is determined whether the product weight of the product is heavy. And when at least one of these determinations is YES, the determination in step S132 is YES.

[0144] When the determination in step S132 is YES, the control unit 11 excludes the store clerk corresponding to the limiting factor that requires limitation from the target of the alert notification for the product. Specifically, when the limiting factor that requires limitation is the shelf height, the control unit 11 excludes the store clerk 3 who has a height limit in FIG. 13(c) among the store clerks 3 identified in step S101 from the target of the alert notification. Also, when the limiting factor that requires limitation is the product weight, the control unit 11 excludes the store clerk 3 who has a heavy object limit in FIG. 13(c) among the store clerks 3 identified in step S101 from the target of the alert notification.

[0145] After thus further limiting the store clerk 3 who is the target of the alert notification, the control unit 11 sends an alert notification to the mobile terminal 50 of the finally remaining store clerk 3 for each product for which it was determined that an alert notification is necessary. For example, if, due to the processing in steps S102 to S105, there are two products that are the targets of the alert notification, and a store clerk 3 is excluded from the notification target in step S133 for only one of these products, only an alert notification regarding the other product is sent to the mobile terminal 50 of the store clerk 3. Thus, the control unit 11 ends the processing of FIG. 14.

[0146] In addition, when the weight of the product is heavy, women and the elderly may be further excluded from the target of the alert notification. The limiting factors and the store employee index information serving as an index for exclusion from the alert notification are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 13(b) and (c).

[0147] Also, regarding Embodiment 2, the configurations of the above Modification Examples 1 to 4 may be similarly applied.

[0148] <Effects of Embodiment 2> Also in Embodiment 2, the same effects as those in Embodiment 1 are achieved.

[0149] Also, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the store employee management information further includes information associating store employee 3 with index information (store employee index information) serving as an index for whether replenishment of products on product shelf 2 is possible. As shown in FIG. 14, the store employee identification unit 11c includes excluding, as a condition for identifying store employee 3, a store employee determined based on the store employee index information to be unable to replenish products on product shelf 2 from the store employees capable of handling product replenishment (S131 to S133).

[0150] Thereby, due to the relationship with the height and the weight of products that can be carried, etc., store employees who have difficulty replenishing products on the product shelf are excluded from the store employees capable of handling product replenishment, and alert notifications are not sent to these store employees. Therefore, product replenishment for the product shelf can be carried out smoothly and efficiently.

[0151] <Other Modification Examples> In the above Embodiment 1, the information in FIGS. 5(a) to (c) was managed by the information processing apparatus 10, but these information may be managed by other management apparatuses connected to the network 40. In this case, the information processing apparatus 10 may appropriately acquire this information from other management apparatuses. The same applies to the information in FIGS. 13(a) to (c).

[0152] In the above-described Embodiments 1 and 2, the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 is provided with the functions of the quantity information acquisition unit 11a, the notification determination unit 11b, and the store clerk identification unit 11c. However, these functions do not necessarily have to be provided in a single information processing apparatus 10. For example, when the merchandise shelf management system 1 includes another information processing apparatus together with the information processing apparatus 10, the functions of the quantity information acquisition unit 11a, the notification determination unit 11b, and the store clerk identification unit 11c may be distributed among these information processing apparatuses. In this case, these information processing apparatuses may cooperate with each other to execute the above-described processing for merchandise shelf management.

[0153] In the above-described Embodiments 1 and 2, the store clerk 3 who can handle merchandise replenishment is identified based on the priority of the work content and the index information that serves as an index for determining whether or not merchandise can be replenished on the merchandise shelf 2. However, the method for identifying the store clerk 3 who can handle merchandise replenishment is not limited to this. For example, when the store clerk 3 is handling an unexpected task, the store clerk 3 may be excluded from the target of the alert notification. The method for identifying the store clerk 3 who can handle merchandise replenishment can be variously changed as long as the store clerk 3 can efficiently proceed with his or her own work and smoothly proceed with the replenishment of merchandise on the merchandise shelf.

[0154] Also, steps S301 and S302 may be omitted from the adjustment process of the threshold Th1 in Modification Example 3 shown in FIG. 11(b), and steps S301 and S302 may be omitted from the adjustment process of the threshold Th1 in Modification Example 4 shown in FIG. 12.

[0155] Also, the configuration of the merchandise shelf 2 and the layout of the store S1 shown in the above-described Embodiment 1 are merely examples, and other configurations and layouts may be used. Similarly, the alert screen 500 is not limited to the configurations shown in FIGS. 7 and 9(a) and (b), and may be a screen with other configurations.

[0156] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed within the scope described in the claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0157] 1 Merchandise Shelf Management System 10 Information processing device 11 Control unit 11a Quantity information acquisition unit 11b Notification determination unit 11c Store clerk identification unit

Claims

1. An output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of products on the product shelves in a store, A quantity information acquisition unit that acquires quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the products on the product shelves based on the information output from the output device, A notification determination unit that determines whether an alert notification regarding replenishment of the products for the product shelves is necessary based on the quantity information, A staff identification unit that identifies staff members capable of handling replenishment of the products based on staff situation information regarding the work situation of the store staff in the store, and sets the identified staff members as targets of the alert notification, A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

2. In the product shelf management system according to Claim 1, The staff identification unit includes excluding, as a condition for identifying the staff members, staff members who are performing tasks with a higher priority than replenishment of the products from among the staff members capable of handling replenishment of the products. A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

3. In the product shelf management system according to Claim 1, The staff situation information further includes information associating the staff members with index information that is an index of whether replenishment of the products for the product shelves is possible, The staff identification unit includes excluding, as a condition for identifying the staff members, staff members who are determined to be unable to replenish the products for the product shelves based on the index information from among the staff members capable of handling replenishment of the products. A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

4. In the product shelf management system according to Claim 1, The notification determination unit Determines that a first alert notification is necessary when the remaining quantity is a value other than zero and is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, Determines that a second alert notification is necessary when the remaining quantity becomes zero. A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

5. In the product shelf management system according to Claim 4, The notification determination unit decreases the threshold value in response to a decrease in the number of the staff members identified by the staff identification unit. A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

6. In the product shelf management system according to Claim 4, The notification determination unit acquires index information that is an index of the sales performance of the products, and sets the threshold value based on the number of the staff members and the index information. A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

7. In the product shelf management system according to Claim 4, The notification determination unit acquires index information serving as an index for the product to be promoted, and sets the threshold value based on the number of store clerks and the index information. A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

8. In the product shelf management system according to any one of Claims 4 to 7, the notification determination unit includes the remaining quantity of the product in the first alert notification. A product shelf management system characterized by the above.

9. An information processing apparatus communicable with an output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of products on the product shelves of a store, a quantity information acquisition unit that acquires quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the product on the product shelf based on the information output from the output device; a notification determination unit that determines the necessity of an alert notification regarding replenishment of the product for the product shelf based on the quantity information; and a store clerk identification unit that identifies store clerks capable of handling replenishment of the product based on store clerk status information regarding the business status of store clerks in the store, and sets the identified store clerks as targets of the alert notification. An information processing apparatus characterized by the above.

10. A control method for an information processing apparatus communicable with an output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of products on the product shelves of a store, acquiring quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the product on the product shelf based on the information output from the output device; determining the necessity of an alert notification regarding replenishment of the product for the product shelf based on the quantity information; identifying store clerks capable of handling replenishment of the product based on store clerk status information regarding the business status of store clerks in the store, and setting the identified store clerks as targets of the alert notification. A control method for an information processing apparatus characterized by the above.

11. In an information processing apparatus communicable with an output device that outputs information capable of grasping the display state of products on the product shelves of a store, a function of acquiring quantity information regarding the remaining quantity of the product on the product shelf based on the information output from the output device; a function of determining the necessity of an alert notification regarding replenishment of the product for the product shelf based on the quantity information; and a program that executes a function of identifying store clerks capable of handling replenishment of the product based on store clerk status information regarding the business status of store clerks in the store, and setting the identified store clerks as targets of the alert notification.

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