Corporate collaboration system
The enterprise collaboration system automates e-commerce data integration and enhances security, addressing manual data handling issues and facilitating scalable expansion by reducing man-hours and improving operational efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024005758
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-01-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-31
AI Technical Summary
The existing systems face challenges in automating the e-commerce information linkage business, leading to high man-hour requirements and difficulties in expanding wholesale operations due to manual data handling and security concerns when integrating data between multiple e-commerce platforms and the company's management system.
An enterprise collaboration system that connects servers of e-commerce sites, logistics sites, and an enterprise cooperation site through a communication network, utilizing an API proxy to automate information processing, convert data formats, and ensure security by validating security keys.
Automates time-consuming processes, improves security, and reduces man-hours by up to 85%, enabling scalable expansion of e-commerce operations and stable sales growth.
Smart Images

Figure 2025111871000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an enterprise cooperation system.
Background Art
[0002] In recent years, there has been a platform service (iPaaS: integration Platform-as-a-Service) that realizes business automation and strengthens internal control (IT control) by linking and integrating data between different SaaS (Software as a Service) and FinTech on the cloud, enabling flexible support according to the usage status of clients.
[0003] Also, the applicant is a trading company mainly engaged in the wholesale business of logistics. For some time after its establishment in 2008, it only carried out wholesale business. By sincerely responding to users' requests, it gradually expanded its business scope. Currently, it not only engages in wholesale but also supports the streamlining of the logistics mechanisms of manufacturers and major wholesalers. Such long-term efforts have been assisted by a significant increase in the EC conversion rate with the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point. Now, it can receive work from large enterprises that are well-known in Japan, such as a major company in the EC business of a large home appliance retailer, a company with a huge mineral water brand, and a major company in the EC business of an OA equipment manufacturer.
[0004] At the same time, a trust relationship has been established through sincere procurement business with large enterprises. Making the most of this relationship, for example, it participates in the development project of the customer's logistics system in cooperation with a system development vendor, or makes proposals for sales strategies and production adjustments by utilizing the data held on both the supply and demand sides by taking advantage of its position as a wholesaler, and is actively making moves towards business expansion.
[0005] The wholesale business, which is the applicant's ancestral business, has been the main business up to now. The handled commercial materials cover a wide range from cameras, food, and sports goods for consumers to logistics materials and OA equipment for businesses. Among these, as described above, the relationship with sales representatives of major manufacturers and procurement representatives of major companies has deepened, and transactions have been continuously conducted over the years. At the same time, through years of business operations, knowledge of logistics has been accumulated, and for the logistics pallets on which goods are loaded, planning and manufacturing are carried out at the Chinese subsidiary.
[0006] As a wholesaler, the applicant stands between manufacturers and retailers, enabling it to collect data on both supply and demand. Utilizing this situation, for example, it makes proposals for new product planning to manufacturers based on sales data to retailers, and makes proposals for pricing strategies to retailers based on data on changes in supply volume from the manufacturer side. At the same time, due to its deep knowledge in logistics, it proposes improvements in inventory management and warehouse operations efficiency, and actually jointly develops a logistics system with external developers.
[0007] In the process of providing logistics strategy consulting, the applicant is experimentally undertaking the lump-sum contracting of users' EC-related operations that utilize the applicant's logistics network for several companies. The information and order-receiving information displayed on the ECs developed by users, specifically major EC malls and their own websites, are centrally managed in the applicant's system through manual linkage. Then, the applicant conducts in one go the logistics operations related to EC, such as transporting goods to the warehouse, inventory management, packing, and shipping.
[0008] In the process of conducting the test, although the logistics operations themselves can be smoothly carried out by utilizing the applicant's existing mechanisms, problems have emerged regarding the information linkage between various EC sites and the company's management system. The applicant has adopted a mechanism to individually connect the applicant's management system and each company's EC, but in this method, the amount of information that the applicant manually links increases exponentially, making it difficult to increase the number of logistics contracting companies in this state.
[0009] Due to long-term transactions in the wholesale business, the relationship with major users is deep, and there are many cases where the company is involved in the strategic planning of users through consulting. Therefore, it is easier to make more in-depth proposals, and since it is beneficial to both companies, it is less likely for users to switch to other wholesalers.
[0010] With experience in handling various commercial materials and knowledge obtained from in-house development of logistics materials, the logistics quality is at a high level compared to other companies. For example, by using the company's in-house developed ultra-lightweight logistics pallets that can handle various loading methods, the truck loading capacity per trip can be increased to improve transportation efficiency, and the procurement volume can be adjusted through demand forecasting using data to optimize the inventory level.
[0011] In the process of providing product and logistics strategy consulting to users, the company has experience in the development direction of logistics systems. Therefore, it is possible to manage system development while not only listening to users' demands and drawing blueprints, but also grasping important points in the actual usability and logistics management.
[0012] In addition, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 7174970) discloses a technology that provides a mechanism for reducing the risk of data leakage and data tampering and contributing to internal control (IT control) when linking inter-company data between SaaS, without the need for manual double entry, ensuring security without passing the authentication information of the company's own SaaS to other companies.
[0013] More specifically, this system was developed to solve the problem that it is difficult to provide a mechanism for reducing the risk of data leakage and data tampering and contributing to internal control (IT control) when linking inter-company data between SaaS. When linking inter-company data between SaaS, it provides a technology that eliminates the need for manual double entry, ensures security without passing the authentication information of the company's own SaaS to other companies, and reduces the risk of data leakage and data tampering and contributes to internal control (IT control).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Document
[0014]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0015] However, for future growth, the development of new wholesale products is essential. Therefore, when conducting business with large enterprises that have new products with potential for future growth and the strength to stably carry out promotions, etc., it is often the case that large-scale projects are missed because the user side cannot establish a system for entrusting and managing the business.
[0016] The EC information linkage business cannot withstand the increase in users manually. Currently, the inventory quantities and order information of the EC sites held by users are being compiled by the user's compilation department. This business of managing multiple ECs tends to require more man-hours for larger companies, and when outsourcing the logistics wholesale business to a company like the applicant, there are often many cases where new departments are established. Therefore, it can be said that the problem for the applicant to expand the wholesale products and continue to grow in the future is the high load of separating the logistics wholesale business.
[0017] As a specific measure to minimize the load of separating the logistics wholesale business for the applicant, a test of "outsourcing EC-related operations in a lump sum" is being advanced. Fortunately, users who have introduced the test not only continue to place orders for the logistics wholesale business without incident, but also receive favorable reviews from the perspective of accelerating business decisions due to the unified management of the actual logistics situation and digital data. Therefore, the logistics wholesale business is being expanded using this outsourcing of EC operations as a hook.
[0018] However, as described above, since the applicant's management system that collectively manages various e-commerce platforms and inventory information, shipping status, etc. is manually linked to the information, a significant amount of man-hours are required for simple information replacement work and status changes at the order unit. If this information linkage that requires a great deal of man-hours cannot be automated, the original strategy of expanding the wholesale business in the form of subcontracting e-commerce-related operations will fail. Therefore, the essential problem in the applicant's business expansion is that "the e-commerce information linkage business cannot withstand the increase in users with manual operations."
[0019] As described above, based on the feedback obtained from the test provision of "collective subcontracting of e-commerce-related operations," at the current stage where the e-commerce-related information linkage business cannot be automated, only test provision to several companies is carried out, and advertising is not done, but already multiple companies have shown interest only through word-of-mouth from the test-provided users. In addition, there is an opinion from the test-provided users that "it is impossible to formulate business plans for the next fiscal year and beyond without the applicant's collective subcontracting of e-commerce-related operations," and it is expected that the retention rate after service provision will also be high.
[0020] At the same time, the acceleration of e-commerce due to the COVID-19 pandemic also triggered this subsidy project. Since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the e-commerce rate in physical sales has been on the rise. As a result of the spread of the movement to refrain from going out during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, it marked a 1.3-point increase compared to the previous year, and a three-year change occurred in one year compared to the previous speed. In the following 2021, the e-commerce rate has continued to grow at a high level, and this trend is expected to continue in the future.
[0021] In such a situation, the number of users who value e-commerce as much as or more than physical stores and are seriously committed to creating an online customer experience is increasing. The content of this subsidy project captures the needs that arise after starting to open multiple e-commerce sites and seriously aiming to improve sales. It is precisely the current stage of the market's take-off period. By proceeding with preparations from now on, it is possible to increase sales along with the growth of the market, so it is possible to develop customers while the competition with competitors is moderate and create stable sales.
[0022] On the one hand, the acceleration of digital transformation poses a threat to applicants, and many users are starting to explore the D2C model where manufacturers are directly connected to consumers and business users. In the D2C model, the existence of wholesalers becomes unnecessary, which may even shake the very raison d'être of the applicant. According to a certain survey, the market size of food D2C services has tripled in just two years since 2018. Considering the growth rate of the digital transformation rate during the COVID-19 pandemic, this trend is also accelerating similarly.
[0023] In the D2C model, since the applicant cannot increase profits by purchasing merchandise from the manufacturer and adding a margin for retail delivery, it is necessary to explore other ways of support and profit generation. There is also an aspect of the applicant's challenge against such a background.
[0024] Also, the system of Patent Document 1 is, so to speak, a simple aggregation of SaaS API linkages that are scattered. For this reason, there is a problem of taking a long time. Also, since multiple accesses are required, problems will also occur from the perspective of security.
[0025] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a corporate collaboration system that allows users to directly access only the services they need and can improve security.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0026] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. The invention according to claim 1 is an enterprise cooperation system in which servers of a plurality of e - shopping sites, a server of a logistics site (for example, a site of a transportation company), and a server of an enterprise cooperation site are connected by a communication network. The server of the enterprise cooperation site includes means for selectively connecting the programs of the servers of the plurality of e - shopping sites and the program of the server of the enterprise cooperation site, means for communicating with the servers of the plurality of e - shopping sites to read out product - related information based on products, means for storing the read product - related information for each of the plurality of e - shopping sites, and means for converting the product - related information for each e - shopping site into information in the format of the server of the enterprise cooperation site.
[0027] In the invention according to claim 2, the means for converting the product - related information for each e - shopping site into information in the format of the server of the enterprise cooperation site has a function of corresponding to changes in the specifications for each e - shopping site in the above enterprise cooperation system.
[0028] The invention according to claim 3 is the above enterprise cooperation system in which a server of a logistics site of a logistics enterprise that delivers products is connected to the communication network, the server of the enterprise cooperation site communicates with the server of the logistics site, and products are delivered based on the product - related information.
[0029] In the invention according to claim 12, the means for selectively connecting the programs of the servers of the plurality of e - shopping sites and the program of the server of the enterprise cooperation site is executed via an API proxy in the above enterprise cooperation system.
[0030] The invention according to claim 16 is the above enterprise cooperation system that determines a security key for determining whether security is valid or invalid, and selectively connects the programs of the servers of the plurality of e - shopping sites and the program of the server of the enterprise cooperation site when it is valid.
[0031] The invention according to claim 6 is the above enterprise cooperation system comprising means for acquiring product-related information from the servers of the plurality of shopping sites when the security key is valid, means for providing a screen for checking the product-related information from the server of the e-commerce shopping site, means for providing a tracking number based on the product-related information to the server of the shopping site, and means for providing a screen capable of responding to an inquiry based on the product-related information to the server of the shopping site or the server of the logistics site.
Advantages of the Invention
[0032] As described above, according to the present invention, in the EC information cooperation business, processing that takes time can be automated and security can also be improved.
[0033] For manufacturers, since EC-related operations can be outsourced to applicants and variable costs can be incurred, it is easy to make a decision on additional investment in EC operations. By doing so, EC implementation in Japan can be promoted and business opportunities for manufacturers can also be expanded.
[0034] For EC mall operators, the cooperation function is strengthened by applicants, and more companies that focus on EC operations and open stores increase. As a result, the revenue of EC mall operators increases, and the domestic EC market further develops.
[0035] For Japanese society, as EC implementation further progresses, it approaches a society where people can buy their favorite products anytime and anywhere. By doing so, commercial products that were not previously available on EC are sold, and more people can enjoy an Internet life that is more resistant to infectious diseases and the like.
[0036] For applicants, by making use of their strong logistics know-how, they can establish stable sales through methods other than wholesaling. By doing so, they can continue to grow and contribute more significantly to the local community, such as employment creation and facility investment.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0037]
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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[0038] Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this example, descriptions of technologies that are already known will be omitted. Also, the devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the invention are exemplified, and the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the following. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the matters described in the claims. In particular, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and different from the actual ones. Hereinafter, when referring to a certain server in this example, it is composed of a computer and includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, input / output devices (keyboard, mouse, display means, etc.), storage means, etc.
[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the enterprise collaboration system 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the enterprise collaboration system 1 of the present embodiment connects the server 100 (server system) of the enterprise collaboration site to the servers (NA, NB, NC... referred to as EC sites) of the online shopping sites via a communication network N (for example, the Internet, VPN network), and connects various servers (for example, order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d,...) to this server 100 of the enterprise collaboration site via a local area network LAN. Note that the order intake server 210a, the tracking number writing server 210b, the product registration / updating server 210c, the inquiry response server 210d,... are servers of the logistics site (such as the site of the carrier). In addition, the enterprise collaboration system 1 includes a support server 2 that is connected to the logistics site via a local area network LAN and supports processing.
[0040] The server 100 of the enterprise collaboration site has means for selectively connecting the programs of the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of a plurality of online shopping sites and the program of the server 100 of the enterprise collaboration site, means for communicating with the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of a plurality of online shopping sites to read out product-related information based on the products, means for storing the read product-related information separately for each online shopping site, and means for converting the product-related information for each online shopping site into information in the format of the server 100 of the enterprise collaboration site. Here, the product-related information refers to information related to the product. For example, it refers to the name, address, phone number of the person who purchased the product, the number of purchased items, the name of the purchased items, the manufacturer of the purchased items, and the like. In addition, an example of the product-related information is shown in FIG. 3. Furthermore, in order to connect the programs to each other, data exchange, processing, etc. can be performed as if they were an integrated program. Also, since the product-related information for each online shopping site is converted into information in the format of the server 100 of the enterprise collaboration site, the product-related information for each online shopping site with various file layouts can be viewed in one type of file layout.
[0041] The means for converting product-related information for each e-commerce site into information in the format of the server 100 of the business collaboration site has a function to cope with changes in the specifications for each e-commerce site. For example, when the server NA of the e-commerce site changes the content or file layout of the format (name, address, phone number of the person who purchased the product, number of purchased products, name of the purchased product, manufacturer of the purchased product, etc., and others), it is possible to change the program stored in the server 100 of the business collaboration site using an editor or the like.
[0042] Connect the servers of the logistics sites of the logistics companies that deliver products (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···) to the communication network LAN, and the server 100 of the business collaboration site communicates with the servers of the logistics sites (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···) and delivers products based on the product-related information.
[0043] The means for selectively connecting (selectively can mean all at once for NA, NB, NC·· or individually) the programs of the servers of multiple e-commerce sites (NA, NB, NC··) and the program of the server 100 of the business collaboration site is executed via an API proxy. The API proxy acts like an intermediary between the client and the API (Application Program Interface). It provides a unified access point to the API and can add functions such as security, caching, and rate limiting to the API without changing the API. The proxy can route requests to different backend services based on the request path and user, and can execute tasks such as authentication (key authentication, OAuth flow, etc.) and traffic management (rate limiting, etc.).
[0044] Judge the security key for determining whether security is valid or invalid, and if it is valid, selectively connect the programs of the servers of multiple e-commerce sites and the program of the server of the business collaboration site.
[0045] When the security key is valid, it includes means for obtaining product-related information from servers (NA, NB, NC, etc.) of multiple shopping sites, means for providing a screen for checking product-related information from servers (NA, NB, NC, etc.) of the online shopping site, means for providing a tracking number based on the product-related information to the servers (NA, NB, NC, etc.) of the shopping site, and means for providing a screen capable of responding to inquiries based on the product-related information to the servers (NA, NB, NC, etc.) of the shopping site or the servers of the logistics site (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···).
[0046] Furthermore, it functions as follows. The enterprise cooperation system 1 has means (API proxy) for collectively proxy-connecting servers (NA, NB, NC, etc.) of multiple online shopping sites and servers of the logistics site (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···), means for circularly communicating with servers (NA, NB, NC, etc.) of multiple online shopping sites and reading out the information of the product when there is a change in the product information, means for storing the read change information separately for each server of the online shopping site, means for converting the product change information into the format of the servers of the logistics site (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···), and means for transmitting the converted product information to the servers of the logistics site (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···).
[0047] The enterprise collaboration system 1 has means for determining the validity of a security key from servers of a logistics site (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···), and for activating a function (API proxy) for batch proxy connection when the security key is valid. Thereby, the security key of the servers of the logistics site (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···) can be protected.
[0048] When the security key is valid, the enterprise collaboration system 1 has means for acquiring product order change information by push processing from servers of a plurality of e-commerce sites (NA, NB, NC ···), means for providing a screen for confirming product order information from servers of the e-commerce sites (NA, NB, NC ···), means for providing a tracking number based on the product order information to servers of the shopping enterprise sites (NA, NB, NC ···), and means for providing a screen for approval registration (such as an answer to an inquiry) for an inquiry based on the product order information to servers of the shopping enterprise sites (NA, NB, NC ···) or servers of the logistics site (order intake server 210a, tracking number writing server 210b, product registration / updating server 210c, inquiry response server 210d, ···).
[0049] In this embodiment, API is the initials of "Application Programming Interface", which is a mechanism for realizing the flow of data and instructions and the cooperation between independent systems without integrating the systems.
[0050] A proxy (Proxiki) is a system that, when connecting to the Internet, proxy-accesses from the internal network (in this case, the applicant's in-house network) to the external (in this case, systems such as the websites of e-commerce companies). Usually, when connecting to the Internet, one directly accesses the other party's website. However, when using a proxy, access from within the company is aggregated at the proxy (Proxiki) and then accessed in a batch to each external system.
[0051] Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the server 100 of the business cooperation site. As shown in Figure 2, the server 100 of the business cooperation site has an information change site circuit search section 110, an order intake section 120, a tracking number intake section 130, a product registration update section 140, an inquiry reply approval section 150, etc. These are programs and are managed by security keys. Also, the server 100 of the business cooperation site has memories 160, 162, 164, 166. Thus, automation can be realized.
[0052] The information change site circuit search section 110 reads the company information (company name, company address, phone number, email address, etc.) of the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of e-commerce site companies stored in the memory 160. For each reading, it generates a page of the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of e-commerce site companies (for example, a dedicated format with a fixed format) in the memory 160. If there is information changed for the ordered product (that is, when a new product is ordered and purchased, etc.), it acquires the changed information and writes it to the page. The company information is associated with this page.
[0053] When the order intake section 120 finds that the order information of the product is written on the page of the memory 160, it accesses the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of the e-commerce site company to intake the order information of the product. Then, it generates a page of the order intake server 210a and writes the information to it.
[0054] The tracking number import section 130 imports the tracking number included in the order information of the product, and imports the status of the package of the shipping company having this tracking number and stores it in the memory 162.
[0055] The product registration update section 140 registers products (from cameras, food, sports equipment to logistics materials and OA equipment for businesses) of the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of the online shopping sites. When the change information of the product in the product change information site search section 110 indicates a product change, this registration is registered in the memory 162 as a new product.
[0056] The inquiry reply approval section 150 accesses the approval server of the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of each online shopping site and stores the approval information from the approver in the memory 166.
[0057] On the other hand, when connecting to the network, it is a system that proxy-accesses from the inside of the network (in this case, the server 100 of the business cooperation site) to the outside (in this case, the servers (NA, NB, NC...) of the online shopping sites), and is aggregated by using a proxy and accesses each external system (the servers of the online shopping sites) collectively.
[0058] Thereby, for example, the problem that an additional man-hour of 18 hours per day was required for accepting the EC-related business of 1 company and 1 commercial material, and an additional employment of 3 or more people or an additional outsourcing was required for subcontracting the EC-related business collectively can be solved.
[0059] Furthermore, for example, in addition to the large amount of manual work, since the input items are slightly different for each EC, the systems of each EC site must be checked individually, and regarding the confirmation and reply of the inquiry content, a double check for approval is required by looking at the individual EC management screens, so the problem that multiple CS responders are required and the operation man-hour is additionally increased can be solved.
[0060] That is, the business cooperation system 1 of the present embodiment is almost automated by the "API proxy corresponding to a plurality of EC sites", and there is no need to always check by visiting individual EC sites for product registration and inquiry response, or to unnecessarily access the management screen of individual EC sites only for approving inquiry response contents.
[0061] As a result, for example, the additional man-hours per commercial material can be suppressed to about 3 hours in total, and the man-hour reduction rate is about 85%.
[0062] Not only daily operations but also developing the API proxy brings great benefits in terms of system maintenance.
[0063] In addition, if the business cooperation system 1 of the present embodiment and each EC system are individually connected by an API, the API proxy of the present embodiment is not necessary.
[0064] However, when changing the API specifications on the cooperation site side or increasing the number of partner sites, if individually connected by an API, it is necessary to modify the system by the number of connected functions.
[0065] In addition, the more complex the system of the external cooperation part becomes, the more considerations in terms of security are required, and as a result, the vulnerability to cyberattacks also increases.
[0066] In this regard, if the connection with the external system is unified in the API proxy, not only the cost at the time of modification is reduced, but also the considerations in terms of security are reduced, and as a result, the cost related to server security is also reduced.
[0067] That is, the following (1) to (3) can be solved. (1) For a company (an e-commerce company), it wants to put effort into EC operation, but it is difficult to take a step forward because it causes an increase in fixed costs such as the preparation of an operation system. (2) For an EC mall operator, strengthening the cooperation function is a conflict of interest, so it cannot be done. (3) Although Japan is moving towards e-commerce, not all desired products can be purchased through e-commerce.
[0068] However, since the enterprise collaboration system 1 of this embodiment does not require man-hours for information collaboration with e-commerce sites, it is possible to increase the number of customers for outsourcing all e-commerce related operations.
[0069] In addition, as the collaboration function is strengthened and more companies focus on e-commerce operations, the number of participating companies increases.
[0070] As a result, with further progress in e-commerce for Japanese society, it will approach a society where consumers can buy their favorite products anytime and anywhere.
[0071] [Functions realized by this embodiment] (A) By performing API collaboration between each e-commerce (server of the online shopping site) and the proxy server (server 100 of the enterprise collaboration site), it is possible to obtain each piece of information through push processing from each e-commerce depending on the settings. Regarding the e-commerce sites and CMS (Contents Management System) to be collaborated, after inquiring each company about system requirements and API update plans, etc., it is determined. (B) By performing order intake, for orders generated on e-commerce malls, etc., information is collaborated to the management screen of the enterprise collaboration system 1 through the API proxy so that they can be confirmed collectively. (C) By performing tracking number writing, regardless of which e-commerce mall the order is from, when the tracking number is imported on the management screen of the enterprise collaboration system 1 of this embodiment for orders whose consolidation is completed, it is reflected on each e-commerce site through the API proxy. (D) When product registration / updating is performed, product listing / information updating can be done on the e-commerce mall through collaboration with the enterprise collaboration system 1 of this embodiment and registration work on the management screen. (E) By performing inquiry reply approval, for the content of the reply to the inquiry, it is possible to perform both content registration and approval on the management screen.
[0072] After approval, reply operations are performed on the management screens of each EC site or via email.
[0073] (Order receipt - shipping flow) The following describes how the business flow changes according to the enterprise collaboration system 1 of the present embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0074] In FIGS. 4 and 5, the order process Sa, each EC management screen process Sb, the system process (enterprise collaboration site) Sc, the management screen process Sd, and the warehouse operation process Se are on the vertical axis. d51, d52, d53, d54, and d55 are processes that are automated and omitted by the enterprise collaboration system 1 of the present embodiment.
[0075] First, a general customer accesses the server of the online shopping site to place an order (d10).
[0076] On each EC management screen (the screen of the server of the online shopping site), it is automatically registered with the status of "awaiting order confirmation" (d12).
[0077] The status is automatically advanced to "EC confirmation in progress" (d14).
[0078] Automatic registration of the case is performed on the management screen of the enterprise collaboration system 1 (d16).
[0079] On each EC management screen, if there are no problems with payment, etc., it automatically shifts to the "awaiting shipment" status (d18).
[0080] An email of "awaiting shipment" is automatically sent to the general customer (d20).
[0081] In the enterprise collaboration system 1, the shipping instruction is automatically transmitted (d22).
[0082] As a warehouse operation, shipment is performed manually (d24).
[0083] On the management screen of the enterprise collaboration system 1, read the tracking numbers of home delivery by CSV (d26).
[0084] In the enterprise collaboration system 1, automatically set the collaboration status of the tracking number to "shipped" (d28).
[0085] Automatically send an "in transit" email to general customers (d30).
[0086] As a result, part of the process from general customers' product orders to product shipments can be automated. Also, as described below, the man-hours are reduced (see Figures 5 and 6).
[0087] In this embodiment, the case of newly posting products and changing posting information will be described. That is, when a large number of general customers buy products, there are changes in the posted products. These changes in the products can also be grasped by the enterprise collaboration system 1 and the following countermeasures can be executed.
[0088] When trying to newly post a product, it was necessary to prepare a template, log in to the management screens of each EC, and input characters while referring to the template in the format to process and edit the product image (see Figure 6).
[0089] However, according to the enterprise collaboration system 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, if a plurality of texts and images are input to the management screen of the enterprise collaboration system 1, information is linked to the product information of each EC, and it is not necessary to perform work editing on the management screens of each EC.
[0090] That is, when the information is updated on the management screen in the case of product information update, it is collectively reflected in the display of each EC.
[0091] Also, it is common practice for EC sites (servers of online shopping sites) to improve the image data and explanatory texts posted daily in order to increase the purchase rate of visiting users. However, since the work of logging in to the management screen and updating is required for each EC site, for example, if one was spending more than five hours a day on improvement work for one product, this update work is carried out in one place, so it is assumed that the daily information update work, which used to take about five hours for one product, will be reduced to about one hour, an 80% reduction, and will be significantly shortened.
[0092] Furthermore, for inquiry response, in order to receive an inquiry and reply, one first enters the management screen of each EC site to check the content, and then checks the content with the supervisor on the management screen of the EC site side with a draft of the reply content written, and if approval is obtained, proceeds with the sending operation following such steps.
[0093] For this reason, there were unnecessary steps such as the trouble of logging in to the management screen of each EC site only for approval and the process of requesting approval using a separate in-house system.
[0094] However, according to this embodiment, by implementing inquiry reply approval on the management screen, the process can be completed within the in-house system up to the approval stage, and the efficiency of creating inquiry texts can also be improved. Therefore, for example, the reply work that currently takes eight hours a day for one product, including the current approver, can be reduced to about two hours. Also, in addition to the management of EC sites, outsourcing can be done in one batch up to logistics.
[0095] That is, the biggest feature of the EC-related business lump-sum contracting of the enterprise collaboration system of this embodiment is that it can undertake logistics.
[0096] If the marginal cost and marginal man-hours in web-related areas can be reduced, it is possible to create a business where the bottleneck parts are small even if the number of clients is increased steadily.
[0097] By taking advantage of this feature, it becomes possible to create a mechanism for growing significantly together with enterprises conducting EC including D2C.
[0098] Also, the program of the corporate collaboration system of this embodiment may be downloaded to and used on an in-house server or a server. By doing so, the sales per company will increase if one company undertakes the entire process including logistics. However, although the API proxy and the management screen need to be improved to become more sophisticated by continuing the business, since it can be sold externally, the business will expand.
[0099] Furthermore, a more specific system configuration is shown in FIG. 7. However, it is assumed that each company has already purchased a security key.
[0100] As shown in FIG. 8, the proxy server aggregates the communications of the servers of each e-commerce site (H20). Then, the server of the logistics company receives various information from the API proxy server and performs user management functions, product management, tracking number inquiries, etc. based on this various information (H10).
[0101] On the other hand, the support server 2 receives the processing of the server of the logistics company via the API on the web server, stores it in the DB server or the storage server, and exchanges information with the server of the logistics company. Thereby, the work on the server of the logistics company can be automated by the support server 2.
[0102] In addition, when a specification change occurs at the API connection destination, instead of directly connecting individual functions to each EC site via the API, by connecting via the API proxy, the modification points at the time of specification change are minimized.
[0103] For example, when the specification of the input character count is changed on one EC site, only the management screen side needs to be modified and the API proxy does not need to be modified.
[0104] On the other hand, when the API specification is changed, if each EC site and each function are directly connected by the API, it is necessary to individually modify all functions, but if an API proxy is set up, only the proxy part needs to be modified.
[0105] Thus, on the premise that there are specification changes, regarding the modifications after the changes occur, an API proxy is provided to split the functions to minimize the modification period.
[0106] Also, priorities may be set for the EC sites. By doing so, while achieving the efficiency improvement of the EC information linkage operations, which are bottlenecks in increasing the number of customers for "outsourcing of EC-related operations", it is also possible to achieve early release.
[0107] As described above in detail for each embodiment, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various deformations and changes are possible within the scope described in the claims. Also, it is possible to combine all or a plurality of the components of the above-described embodiments.
Description of Reference Numerals
[0108] 1 Enterprise Collaboration System 2 Support Server 100 Server of Enterprise Collaboration Site 110 Information Change Site Tour Search Unit 120 Order Import Unit 130 Tracking Number Import Unit 140 Product Registration Update Unit 150 Inquiry Reply Approval Unit
Claims
1. An enterprise cooperation system in which servers of a plurality of e - shopping sites, a server of a logistics site, and a server of an enterprise cooperation site are connected by a communication network, wherein the server of the enterprise cooperation site has: means for selectively connecting the program of the server of the plurality of e - shopping sites and the program of the server of the enterprise cooperation site; means for communicating with the servers of the plurality of e - shopping sites to read product - related information based on products; means for storing the read product - related information for each of the plurality of e - shopping sites; and means for converting the product - related information for each e - shopping site into information in the format of the server of the enterprise cooperation site. An enterprise cooperation system.
2. The means for converting the product - related information for each e - shopping site into information in the format of the server of the enterprise cooperation site has a function of corresponding to changes in the specifications for each e - shopping site. The enterprise cooperation system according to Claim 1.
3. A server of a logistics site of a logistics enterprise that delivers products is connected to the communication network, and the server of the enterprise cooperation site communicates with the server of the logistics site to deliver products based on the product - related information. The enterprise cooperation system according to Claim 1.
4. The means for selectively connecting the program of the server of the plurality of e - shopping sites and the program of the server of the enterprise cooperation site is executed via an API proxy. The enterprise cooperation system according to Claim 1.
5. Determine a security key for determining whether security is valid or invalid. When it is valid, selectively connect the program of the server of the plurality of e - shopping sites and the program of the server of the enterprise cooperation site. The enterprise cooperation system according to Claim 1.
6. When the security key is valid, means for obtaining product - related information from the servers of the plurality of shopping sites; means for providing a screen on which the product - related information can be confirmed from the server of the e - shopping site; means for providing a tracking number based on the product - related information to the server of the shopping site; and means for providing a screen capable of responding to inquiries based on the product - related information to the server of the shopping site or the server of the logistics site. The enterprise cooperation system according to Claim 5.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Inter-company data linkage system, information processing device and program
JP7174970B1