Information provision device and information provision method

Abstract

To provide information individually to each customer in accordance with the use state per store of each customer.SOLUTION: When settlement result information is received, a verification processing unit 331 refers to a purchase information database 370 that stores the past purchase history of each customer having paid at each store S, and identifies the past purchase history of a customer identified by customer identification information having paid at a store S identified by store identification information, as a use state at a target store S of a target customer. A message table 390 stores a content template corresponding to the classification of each of a plurality of use states. On the basis of a use state at the target store S of the target customer, a purchase information determination unit 332 determines the classification of the use state. Meanwhile, a message creation unit 333 refers to the message table 390 and creates a message including the content template having been set in correspondence to the classification determined by the purchase information determination unit 332 as a provision content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology related to cashless payment, and to an information providing device and an information providing method for providing information to a portable terminal owned by a customer. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, local currencies are being introduced by many local governments, shopping districts, etc. These local currencies can only be used in limited areas, and because they can be circulated and settled within those areas, they are expected to be a measure to revitalize the local area.

[0003] In addition, local currencies are becoming increasingly digitalized due to the recent spread of cashless payments and the fact that the use of digital local currencies is mentioned in the Basic Policy for the Digital Garden City-State Initiative, which was decided by the Cabinet in June 2022.They are not just used as a means of payment, but are also used for points awarding using payment infrastructure, contributing to the promotion of regional revitalization.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART In an electronic payment system for making payments for product purchases by customers, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 below, for example, are known as techniques for providing payment completion information and additional information to customers.

[0005] Patent document 1 discloses an electronic money usage history management system that can send the usage history of electronic money used via a payment network to a customer's personal computer, etc. via a network other than the payment network (such as the Internet).

[0006] Patent document 2 discloses a benefit notification system in which the same user is identified by two types of user IDs, a first user ID and a second user ID, a store terminal determines the sales amount based on a benefit identified from a benefit ID associated with the second user ID, a benefit notification server determines a benefit according to the sales amount, and notifies the user associated with the first user ID of the benefit.

[0007] Patent document 3 discloses a credit card payment completion confirmation system in which, in order to enable confirmation that a credit card payment has been completed at the time of credit card payment at an electronic payment communication terminal, the electronic payment communication terminal has a means for sending a signal indicating the completion of payment to a mobile phone when the credit card payment process is completed, and the mobile phone has a means for causing a sound generation means to generate a sound or a means for causing a light emission means to emit light when it receives the signal indicating the completion of payment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-178245 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6861524 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-91999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 confirms the execution of a payment using electronic money and queries the customer's usage history data, but it merely queries or notifies the transaction history, usage details, etc.

[0010] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 determines and notifies a customer of a benefit according to the sales amount condition, but this is merely a method of determining a benefit based on the sales amount condition.

[0011] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3, when payment completion information is transmitted to a mobile phone, the mobile phone simply notifies the completion of payment by sound or light.

[0012] The technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, when making payments using an electronic payment system with a portable terminal, merely display on a screen that the payment has been successfully executed and the payment amount along with a payment sound. The technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the problem that they do not provide information to each customer individually according to the customer's usage status at each store.

[0013] Furthermore, when revitalizing a region by utilizing a local currency that can only be used in a limited area, it is important not only to revitalize the economy but also to introduce a system that allows customers to use the local currency in a more familiar manner, and there is a need to communicate with each customer by providing more detailed information to each customer. The technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the problem that they do not function as communication tools with customers.

[0014] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information providing device and an information providing method that can provide information individually to each customer according to each customer's usage status at each store. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In order to achieve the above object, an information providing device according to the present invention is an information providing device that provides information to a portable terminal owned by a customer based on information including a settlement result of a payment made by the customer at a store, the information providing device comprising: a payment result information receiving unit that receives, from a payment processing device that performs settlement processing for the payment made by the customer at the store, information including the settlement result, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store, and payment result information including the purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at the store; a purchase information database that stores past purchase histories in which each customer made payments at each store; and, when the information including the settlement result indicates completion of payment, refers to the purchase information database to store past purchase histories in which the customer identified by the customer identification information made payments at the store identified by the store identification information, a message table in which a plurality of usage situations are pre-classified and content templates corresponding to each of the plurality of usage situation classifications are stored; a purchasing information determination unit that determines the classification of the usage situation based on the usage situation of the target customer at the target store identified by the matching processing unit; a message creation unit that refers to the message table to identify a content template set corresponding to the classification determined by the purchasing information determination unit and creates a message including the identified content template as provided content; a message sending unit that sends the message created by the message creation unit to the portable terminal owned by the target customer; and an information update unit that adds purchase information related to the payment result information to the purchasing information database as a purchase history.

[0016] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information to each customer individually according to the customer's usage status at each store. In particular, since the content provided to each customer can be changed for each store used by each customer, it is possible to provide appropriate content set according to the various usage status of each customer at each store.

[0017] In the information providing device of the present invention, in the above configuration, the target customer may make payment at the target store using a local currency that can be used at each store located within a limited area.

[0018] According to the above configuration, by providing different content for each customer and even each store regarding local currencies that can be used in limited areas, it is possible to increase the satisfaction that customers get from using local currencies, improve engagement with customers, and stimulate communication, and further increase the rate of adoption of local currencies and promote consumption using local currencies.

[0019] In the information providing device of the present invention, in the above configuration, the content template may be a store visit thank-you content template that expresses gratitude to each customer for making a purchase at each store, and the provided content may be store visit thank-you content for the target customer's purchasing behavior at the target store.

[0020] According to the above configuration, by providing different store visit appreciation content for each customer and even each store for local currencies that can be used in limited areas, it is possible to further increase the satisfaction that customers get from using the local currency, improve engagement with customers, and make communication more active, as well as increase the rate of adoption of the local currency and further promote consumption using the local currency.

[0021] In the information providing device of the present invention, in the above configuration, the purchasing information judgment unit may judge the target customer's usage status at the target store based on at least one of the target customer's past purchasing frequency, number of purchases, and purchase amount at the target store.

[0022] According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine the customer's usage status at each store based on at least one of the customer's past purchasing frequency, number of purchases, and purchase amount at each store, and to more appropriately provide content that is set according to the various usage status of each customer at each store.

[0023] In the above configuration, the information providing device according to the present invention may further include a stamp issuing unit that issues a stamp to the target customer when the target customer makes a purchase at the target store for the first time.

[0024] According to the above configuration, stamps can be issued to customers who visit each store S, thereby encouraging customers to visit multiple different stores S. In particular, with regard to a local currency that can be used in a limited area, customers can be encouraged to visit each store S within that area, thereby revitalizing the economy of the entire area and increasing opportunities for interaction within the area.

[0025] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, an information providing method according to the present invention is an information providing method executed by an information providing device that provides information to a portable terminal owned by a customer based on information including a settlement result of a payment made by the customer at a store, the information providing method including: a payment result information receiving step of receiving, from a payment processing device that performs settlement processing for payments made by each customer at each store, payment result information including information including the settlement result, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store, and a purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at the store; and, if the information including the payment result indicates completion of payment, referring to a purchase information database that stores past purchase histories in which each customer made payments at each store, comparing the past purchase history in which the customer identified by the customer identification information made payments at the store identified by the store identification information with the usage status of the target customer at the target store. a purchasing information determination step of determining a classification of the usage status based on the usage status of the target customer at the target store identified in the matching processing step; a message creation step of referring to a message table in which a plurality of usage statuses are pre-classified and content templates are set corresponding to each classification of the plurality of usage statuses, identifying a content template set corresponding to the classification determined in the purchasing information determination step, and creating a message including the identified content template as provided content; a message sending step of sending the message created in the message creation step to the portable terminal owned by the target customer; and an information update step of adding purchase information related to the payment result information as a purchase history to the purchase information database.

[0026] According to the above process, it is possible to provide information to each customer individually according to the customer's usage of each store. In particular, since the content provided to each customer can be changed according to the store used by each customer, it is possible to provide appropriate content set according to the various usage situations of each customer at each store.

[0027] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, an information provision method according to the present invention is an information provision method that performs a settlement process for a payment made by a customer at a store and provides information to a portable terminal owned by the customer based on information including a result of the settlement process, the information provision method including: a payment processing step of performing, at the portable terminal, a process related to the payment made by the customer at the store; a step of performing, at a payment processing device, the settlement process for the payment made by the customer at the store; a payment result information receiving step of receiving, at the information provision device, payment result information from the payment processing device, the payment result information including information including a settlement result of the payment made by the customer at the store, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store, and a purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at the store; and, if the information including the payment result indicates completion of payment, the information provision device references a purchase information database that stores past purchase histories in which each customer made payments at each store, and compares the past purchase history in which the customer identified by the customer identification information made payments at the store identified by the store identification information with the usage status of the target customer at the target store. a purchasing information determination step in the information providing device for determining a classification of the usage status based on the usage status of the target customer at the target store identified in the matching processing step; a message creation step in the information providing device for referring to a message table in which a plurality of usage statuses are previously classified and in which content templates are set corresponding to each classification of the plurality of usage statuses, to identify a content template set corresponding to the classification determined in the purchasing information determination step, and creating a message including the identified content template as provided content; a message sending step in the information providing device for sending the message created in the message creation step to the portable terminal owned by the target customer; an information update step in the information providing device for adding purchase information related to the payment result information as a purchase history to the purchase information database; a step in the portable terminal for receiving the message from the information providing device;and an output step of outputting the provided content included in the message.

[0028] According to the above process, it is possible to provide information to each customer individually according to the customer's usage of each store. In particular, since the content provided to each customer can be changed according to the store used by each customer, it is possible to provide appropriate content set according to the various usage situations of each customer at each store. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] The present invention has the effect of being able to provide information to each customer individually in accordance with the customer's usage of each store. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a customer information database shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a purchase information database shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a message table shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation in the information providing system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a flowchart showing details of the operation of the information providing device of the information providing system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 2 is a flowchart showing details of the operation of the portable terminal in the information providing system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode on the display screen of the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the balance of the local currency is displayed on the display screen; [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode on a display screen of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a point balance is displayed on the display screen; [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode on a display screen of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a code image is displayed on the display screen; [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode on a display screen of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which content reflecting a customer's usage status in a store is displayed on the display screen; [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a purchase information database in a derivative example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode on a display screen of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the status of stamp acquisition is displayed on the display screen; [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer capable of performing processing according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0032] (Information provision system 1) First, the configuration of an information providing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of an information providing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0033] The information provision system 1 in this embodiment is configured to provide an electronic payment service that enables a user to pay for a product or service (purchase amount) using a digital local currency (hereinafter referred to as local currency) that can be used only in a specific region when the user purchases a product at a store S located in a specific region or receives a service from the store S. In this specification, the behavior of purchasing a product at the store S or receiving a service from the store S is collectively referred to as a "purchase behavior," and a user who performs a purchase behavior at the store S is referred to as a "customer."

[0034] Furthermore, the information provision system 1 in this embodiment is configured to be able to implement an information provision service that provides customers who have made a purchase at a store S with additional information that corresponds to the customer's usage of the store S.

[0035] 1 is broadly composed of a portable terminal M, a payment terminal device 100, a payment processing device 200, and an information providing device 300. The portable terminal M, the payment terminal device 100, the payment processing device 200, and the information providing device 300 can be connected to a network N such as the Internet.

[0036] (Portable Terminal M) The portable terminal M is a terminal device that can be operated by a customer visiting the store S, and is, for example, a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by the customer. Although only one portable terminal M is shown in FIG. 1, each of multiple customers has a portable terminal M.

[0037] The portable terminal M includes a processor such as a CPU capable of executing application programs, an imaging function such as a camera, an audio output function such as a speaker, a display function and input reception function such as a touch panel, a wireless communication function capable of connecting to the network N, and a web browsing function for accessing websites via a web browser. The portable terminal M may also include a fingerprint sensor, and may further include a biometric authentication function using a fingerprint sensor, a camera, or the like.

[0038] A cashless payment app is installed on the portable terminal M. The cashless payment app is an application that manages local currency. The cashless payment app in this embodiment operates to manage the local currency and provide customers with an electronic payment service using the local currency. Note that the method of providing an electronic payment service to customers is not limited to the cashless payment app. For example, the information providing device 300 may be configured to provide an electronic payment service through a web service, and the portable terminal M may connect to the information providing device 300 through the web service to provide a similar electronic payment service to customers.

[0039] For example, when a customer visits store S and makes a purchase at store S that accepts payment in local currency, they can launch a cashless payment app and receive payment in local currency, a so-called smartphone payment service.

[0040] The smartphone payment method is not particularly limited. For example, a code image may be displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M and read by the payment terminal device 100 in the store S (see FIG. 10). In this case, the customer's identification information, the store S's identification information, and the purchase amount, which are identified from the code image, are transmitted from the payment terminal device 100 to the payment processing device 200. Alternatively, the portable terminal M may use a camera to read a code image placed in the store S. In this case, the customer's identification information, the store S's identification information, and the purchase amount, which are identified from the code image, are transmitted from the portable terminal M to the payment processing device 200. Note that the code image may be, for example, a one-dimensional code image such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code image such as a QR code (registered trademark).

[0041] (Payment terminal device 100) Payment terminal device 100 is installed in each store S and can be operated by a clerk at each store S. At store S, payment can be made in local currency that can only be used in a specific area. Although only one payment terminal device 100 is shown in FIG. 1, a payment terminal device 100 is installed in each of multiple stores S.

[0042] Payment terminal device 100 is configured to process purchase information relating to a purchase made by a customer who owns portable terminal M. As shown in FIG. 1, payment terminal device 100 includes a reading unit 110, an input receiving unit 120, and a communication unit 130.

[0043] The reading unit 110 is equipped with, for example, an optical reader or a camera, and is capable of reading code information contained in a code image displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M by a cashless payment app. The code information includes, for example, customer identification information that can uniquely identify a customer.

[0044] The input receiving unit 120 has a function of receiving input of a purchase amount related to a purchasing behavior by a store clerk at the store S. The input receiving unit 120 may be configured to receive the purchase amount input by the clerk. The input receiving unit 120 may also be a scanner that scans the barcode or the like of a product, and in this case, the input receiving unit 120 may be linked to a POS system or the like so that the purchase amount can be determined from code information such as the barcode.

[0045] Communication unit 130 has a communication function that connects payment terminal device 100 to network N. Communication unit 130 is capable of transmitting purchase information to payment processing device 200. The purchase information includes at least customer identification information contained in the code image read by reading unit 110, store identification information that identifies store S where payment terminal device 100 is installed, and the purchase amount entered by input acceptance unit 120. Communication unit 130 is also capable of receiving payment result information transmitted from payment processing device 200.

[0046] (Payment processing device 200) The payment processing device 200 is a payment server managed by payment agency B. The payment processing device 200 is configured to perform payment processing related to local currency that can only be used in a specific region, based on purchase information generated by customer purchasing behavior. As shown in Figure 1, the payment processing device 200 includes a communication unit 210 and a payment processing unit 220.

[0047] Communication unit 210 has a communication function that connects payment terminal device 100 to network N. Communication unit 210 is capable of receiving purchase information from portable terminal M or payment terminal device 100, and is also capable of transmitting payment result information generated by payment processing unit 220 to payment terminal device 100 and information providing device 300.

[0048] The payment processing unit 220 has a payment processing function of executing payment based on the purchase information received by the communication unit 210 and generating payment result information including the success or failure of the payment. The payment result information includes, for example, the purchase information in addition to information indicating the success or failure of the payment process.

[0049] The payment processing unit 220 also has the function of managing various information related to each customer's local currency, such as the balance of the local currency and payment history. The payment processing method in the payment processing unit 220 is not particularly limited. Each payment agency B has its own technology related to the payment processing method, and in this embodiment, payment processing related to the local currency may be carried out using any payment processing method.

[0050] (Information providing device 300) When the information providing device 300 receives payment result information from the payment processing device 200, it is configured to refer to various information related to the customer and store S identified by the payment result information, generate additional information according to the customer's usage status at store S, and transmit the additional information to the portable terminal M. The information providing device 300 may be located on a network N, which is a so-called cloud system, or may be located in an environment owned by a provider or the like that provides the information providing service in this embodiment.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 1, the information providing device 300 includes a communication unit 310, an authentication unit 320, a control unit 330, and a storage unit 340.

[0052] The communication unit 310 has a communication function for connecting the information providing device 300 to the network N. The communication unit 310 is capable of receiving payment result information from the payment processing device 200, and is also capable of transmitting a message created by the message creation unit 333 of the control unit 330 to the portable terminal M. The communication unit 310 constitutes a payment result information receiving unit and a message sending unit according to the present invention.

[0053] The authentication unit 320 has a function of authenticating a customer. The authentication method used by the authentication unit 320 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, ID / password authentication using customer identification information (customer ID) and a password, or biometric authentication via a fingerprint sensor, camera, or the like provided in the portable terminal M.

[0054] The control unit 330 has the function of executing various processes related to the information provision service in this embodiment. The control unit 330 has a matching processing unit 331, a purchasing information determination unit 332, a message creation unit 333, and an information update unit 334.

[0055] When payment result information is received from the payment processing device 200, the matching processor 331 has the function of matching the payment result information with the customer information database 350 in the storage unit 340 in order to identify the customer corresponding to the payment result information. Specifically, the matching processor 331 is able to refer to the customer information database 350 to identify a data record corresponding to the customer identification information included in the payment result information. Note that if the matching process is not completed successfully for reasons such as the customer corresponding to the payment result information not being found in the customer information database 350, the matching processor 331 may output an error.

[0056] When the matching processing unit 331 identifies a customer, the purchasing information determination unit 332 has the function of matching the payment result information with the purchasing information database 370 in the storage unit 340 and identifying the customer's usage status (past purchase history) at store S. Specifically, the purchasing information determination unit 332 is able to identify a data record corresponding to the store identification information included in the payment result information by referring to the purchasing information database 370 related to the customer identified by the matching processing unit 331. The data record identified by the purchasing information determination unit 332 stores past purchase information of the customer identified from the payment result information when the customer previously used store S identified from the payment result information.

[0057] Furthermore, the purchase information determination unit 332 has a function of analyzing the customer's usage at the store S by referring to the purchase information database 370. Specifically, the purchase information determination unit 332 is capable of determining the classification of the usage based on the customer's usage at the store S. Examples of usage analyzed by the purchase information determination unit 332 include, but are not limited to, whether this is the first time the customer has purchased at the store S (first time use), how many times the customer has purchased at the store S in the past (number of purchases), how frequently the customer purchases at the store S, when the customer last purchased at the store S, and how much the customer has paid at the store S in the past (purchase amount and cumulative purchase amount).

[0058] Furthermore, the purchase information determination unit 332 is capable of outputting the analysis results of the customer's usage behavior at the store S. In this embodiment, the purchase information determination unit 332 is capable of classifying the customer's usage behavior at the store S and outputting the classification results as an identification number linked to the classification. As an example, if the customer is a regular customer who frequently makes purchases at the store S, an identification number "1" is output, and if the customer is a new customer who has made a purchase at the store S for the first time, an identification number "2" is output.

[0059] The purchasing information determination unit 332 is not particularly limited to any particular algorithm for analysis, as long as it can analyze the customer's usage behavior at store S and output the analysis results. For example, the purchasing information determination unit 332 may refer to only specific conditions and classify the usage behavior based on simple criteria such as thresholds. Also, complex classifications that combine multiple conditions may be set. For example, a machine learning algorithm may be applied to the analysis process of the purchasing information determination unit 332, and the purchasing information determination unit 332 may perform calculations on the multiple input conditions and output the classification results as simple numerical values ​​(identification numbers).

[0060] The message creation unit 333 has a function of referring to a message table 390 in the storage unit 340 and creating a message according to the usage status based on the analysis result of the customer's usage status at store S output by the purchasing information determination unit 332. The purchasing information determination unit 332 can output the analysis result of the usage status as an identification number, and the message creation unit 333 can refer to the message table 390 shown in Fig. 4 and create a message using a content template linked to the identification number output by the purchasing information determination unit 332. The message includes information indicating whether the payment was completed successfully, as well as content (provided content) according to the customer's usage status at store S.

[0061] The message creation unit 333 also has a function of creating a message in response to an error in the processing in the information providing device 300. The message created by the message creation unit 333 is transmitted from the communication unit 310 to the portable terminal M of the customer through the network N.

[0062] The information update unit 334 has a function of updating the purchase information database 370 in the storage unit 340 based on the payment result information received from the payment processing device 200. Specifically, the information update unit 334 is capable of identifying which customer made a purchase at which store S from the purchase information included in the payment result information, and adding the purchase information to the purchase information database 370 as the customer's purchase history at store S.

[0063] The storage unit 340 has a data storage function for storing various information necessary for the processing performed by the control unit 330. While the information providing device 300 is shown in FIG. 1 as having the storage unit 340, the storage unit 340 may be disposed in a database system provided outside the information providing device 300.

[0064] The storage unit 340 stores a customer information database 350, a purchase information database 370, and a message table 390.

[0065] The storage unit 340 can store various information, including a point management database and a coupon management database (not shown). The point management database is a database for managing the balance, usage history, and point award rate of points, which are provided separately from the local currency. Points are, for example, benefit information awarded according to the purchase amount, and can be exchanged for local currency or used to receive various other services depending on the amount of points. The coupon management database is a database for managing the issuance conditions and issuance history of coupon information that provides services such as discounts on the purchase amount or increased points and award rates. In this embodiment, the information providing device 300 may be configured to update the point management database and coupon management database as appropriate when awarding points or issuing coupons.

[0066] (Customer information database 350) The customer information database 350 is a database that stores information about customers who have registered to use the information provision service in this embodiment. Fig. 2 shows, as an example, a schematic diagram of the customer information database 350 in a table format that stores customer information.

[0067] 2, each data record (each row) is provided for each customer, and each item (each column) stores various attribute information for each customer. When a customer registers for use, a data record corresponding to that customer is added to the customer information database 350.

[0068] The items (columns) of the customer information database 350 shown in Figure 2 include a "Customer ID" item 351, which stores customer identification information for identifying the customer, a "Customer Name" item 352, a "Gender" item 353, a "Date of Birth" item 354, a "Postal Code" item 355, an "Address 1" item 356, an "Address 2" item 357, a "Telephone Number" item 358, and a "Registration Date" item 359, which indicates when the application for use was made through the cashless payment app.

[0069] Note that the items in the customer information database 350 shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples, and other items may be set as necessary. For example, information identifying a customer's portable terminal M may be stored in the customer information database 350. The information identifying the portable terminal M is not particularly limited as long as it is identification information assigned to the portable terminal M in advance. As an example, the application identification information of a cashless payment application installed on the portable terminal M may be used. By using the identification information identifying the portable terminal M, the information providing device 300 becomes able to send a message created according to the usage status of each customer at each store S to the portable terminal M identified by the identification information. Furthermore, customer authentication information (e.g., a password required for authentication) may be stored in the customer information database 350. However, the authentication information may also be stored in an authentication database (not shown).

[0070] Although not shown, the storage unit 340 also stores a store information database that stores information about stores S that participate in the information provision service of this embodiment. The store information database can have the same configuration as the customer information database 350 shown in FIG.

[0071] (Purchase Information Database 370) The purchase information database 370 is a database that stores the past purchase history of each customer who made payments at each store S as the customer's usage status at each store S. Figure 3 shows, as an example, a schematic diagram of the purchase information database 370 in a table format that stores the usage status.

[0072] In the purchase information database 370 shown in Figure 3, each data record (each row) is provided for each customer, and each item (each column) stores the purchase information of each customer. In addition, in the data record of each customer, purchase information can be stored for each store S. Every time a customer makes a purchase at a store S, the purchase information related to that purchase is added and updated in the purchase information database 370.

[0073] The items (columns) of the purchase information database 370 shown in Figure 3 include a "Customer ID" item 371, a "Customer Name" item 372, a "Store ID" item 373, a "Number of Purchases" item 374, a "Purchase Date" item 375, a "Purchase Amount" item 376, a "Purchased Item 1" item 377, and a "Purchased Item 2" item 378, which store customer identification information that can identify the customer.

[0074] The data record of each customer can be uniquely identified by the customer identification information stored in the "customer ID" field 371. The data record of each customer can further store purchase information for each store S.

[0075] There are multiple stores S where local currency can be used, and customers make purchases at each store S. The "store ID" item 373 stores store identification information that identifies the store S where the customer made a purchase. For example, if a customer identified by customer identification information "001" makes a purchase at store S identified by store identification information "ABC," the purchase information related to that purchase is stored in each item linked to the customer identification information "001" and the store identification information "ABC." Also, if a customer identified by customer identification information "001" makes a purchase at store S identified by store identification information "XYZ," the purchase information related to that purchase is stored in each item linked to the customer identification information "001" and the store identification information "XYZ."

[0076] The "Number of Purchases" item 374 stores the cumulative number of purchases at each store S (cumulative number of purchases). For example, if a customer identified by customer identification information "001" makes a purchase at a store S identified by store identification information "ABC", the cumulative number of purchases stored in the "Number of Purchases" item 374 is incremented by one. Note that, in parallel with the "Number of Purchases" item 374, or instead of the "Number of Purchases" item 374, the cumulative total purchase amount at each store S (cumulative purchase amount) may be stored.

[0077] Details of the purchase information are stored in a "Purchase Date" field 375, a "Purchase Amount" field 376, a "Purchased Item 1" field 377, and a "Purchased Item 2" field 378. The "Purchase Date" field 375 stores the date the purchase was made. The "Purchase Amount" field 376 stores the purchase amount paid in the purchase. The "Purchased Item 1" field 377 and "Purchased Item 2" fields 378 store the names of the goods or services paid for in the purchase.

[0078] 3 are merely examples, and other items may be set as necessary. For example, as will be explained in a derivative example (see FIG. 12) below, an item may be set that stores flag information indicating whether each customer has received a stamp at each store S.

[0079] (Message Table 390) Message table 390 is a database that stores content templates used to create messages according to customer usage. Figure 4 shows an example of message table 390 in table format that stores content templates.

[0080] 4, each data record (each row) is provided for each message, and each item (each column) stores information such as a content template to be referenced when creating a message. The various information included in message table 390 is set in advance.

[0081] The items (columns) of the message table 390 shown in Figure 4 include an "identification number" item 391, which stores an identification number that can identify each data record, a "visit message" item 392, a "thank you message" item 393, a "comment" item 394, and a "coupon flag" item 395.

[0082] Each data record containing a content template can be uniquely identified by an identification number stored in the "identification number" item 391. In the message table 390 shown in Fig. 4, the data record with identification number "1" contains a content template for a regular customer who frequently makes purchases at a specific store S (frequently visits the store), and the data record with identification number "2" contains a content template for a new customer who makes a purchase at a specific store S for the first time.

[0083] In addition to this, content templates may be prepared according to various usage situations, such as a content template for a customer who has not made a purchase at a particular store S in a long time, or a content template for a customer who has made a round number of purchases (for example, their 10th visit), and stored on a data record basis. Content templates may be prepared according to not only the frequency of purchasing behavior and the number of purchases, but also the amount of a single purchase or the cumulative amount of purchases.

[0084] The "visit message" item 392 and the "thank you message" item 393 store visit thank you content templates that express gratitude to customers for making a purchase at store S. The "visit message" item 392 stores content templates related to the visit, and the "thank you message" item 393 stores content templates related to thanking customers for the visit.

[0085] 4, for example, a message such as "Thank you for always visiting us" is prepared as a message for regular customers, and a thank-you message such as "Thank you for visiting us" is prepared as a message for new customers. It is also possible to prepare a content template such as "Thank you for visiting us" as a message for customers who have not visited us in a long time. The content template is not limited to text data, and may be, for example, still image data, moving image data, or audio data.

[0086] It should be noted that it is not necessary to categorize the messages into two types, a store visit message and a thank you message, and the "store visit message" item 392 and the "thank you message" item 393 may be combined. Alternatively, the types of content templates may be further subdivided to more precisely accommodate various customer usage situations.

[0087] The "Comment" item 394 stores a comment to be notified to the customer. Various content templates can be stored in the "Comment" item 394. In the message table 390 shown in FIG. 4, as an example, a comment for regular customers is "A coupon has been issued," and a thank-you message for new customers is "You will be eligible for double points next time."

[0088] The "Coupon Flag" item 395 stores flag information indicating that a coupon should be issued when a predetermined condition is met. The "Coupon Flag" item 395 is set to a value of "1" when a coupon needs to be issued, and to a value of "0" when a coupon does not need to be issued. A coupon can be issued to a customer by selecting a data record with a value of "1" in the "Coupon Flag" item 395 under any condition, such as when the customer is determined to be a regular customer, or when the number of purchases or number of stores visited reaches a predetermined number. Note that the flag information stored in the "Coupon Flag" item 395 is not limited to use as a criterion for determining whether to issue a coupon, and may also be used, for example, as a criterion for determining whether to change the point award rate.

[0089] 4, in response to the comment for regular customers, "A coupon has been issued," flag information encouraging the issuance of a coupon is stored in the "Coupon Flag" field 395. Similarly, for the comment, "Your points will be doubled next time," flag information encouraging the doubling of points next time may be stored in the "Coupon Flag" field 395 or in a separate field.

[0090] The items of the message table 390 shown in FIG. 4 are merely an example, and other items may be set as necessary.

[0091] (Operation in information provision system 1) An outline of the operations performed in the information providing system 1 shown in Fig. 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operations performed in the information providing system 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0092] A customer visits a store S that accepts local currency, and when making a purchase, such as buying a product or using a service, at the store S, the customer pays for the purchase in local currency. First, a cashless payment app is launched on the portable terminal M to make the payment (step S401). At this time, a customer authentication process may be performed between the portable terminal M and the information providing device 300. Note that the cashless payment app does not necessarily need to be installed on the portable terminal M; instead, the portable terminal M may achieve the same function as the cashless payment app by accessing the electronic payment service of the information providing device 300 from a web browser installed on the portable terminal M.

[0093] Next, the portable terminal M executes payment processing for the consideration (step S402). There are various methods for paying the consideration, and the present embodiment is not particularly limited to these. As an example, a case will be described here in which the consideration is paid by displaying a code image on the display screen D of the portable terminal M and reading the code image with the payment terminal device 100 of the store S, as shown in FIG. 10 (to be described later).

[0094] The payment terminal device 100 reads the code image displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M and accepts the payment (step S403). More specifically, the reading unit 110 reads the code image using an optical reader, camera, or the like to extract code information, and the input accepting unit 120 accepts input of the purchase amount to be paid by the customer. The code information extracted by the reading unit 110 includes at least customer identification information that identifies the customer.

[0095] Next, payment terminal device 100 transmits the purchase information regarding the payment accepted in step S403 to payment processing device 200 via communication unit 130 (step S404). The purchase information transmitted in step S404 includes at least customer identification information, store identification information that identifies store S, and the purchase amount.

[0096] When payment processing device 200 receives the purchase information transmitted from payment terminal device 100 in step S404 via communication unit 210 (step S405), payment processing unit 220 performs payment processing based on the purchase information (step S406). The payment processing method performed by payment processing unit 220 is not particularly limited, and any existing and arbitrary method may be used.

[0097] Next, payment processing device 200 transmits the result of the payment processing performed in step S405 as payment result information to payment terminal device 100 and information providing device 300 (step S407). The payment result information transmitted in step S407 includes purchase information in addition to information indicating the success or failure of the payment processing.

[0098] Payment terminal device 100 receives the payment result information sent in step S407 (step S408) and may notify a store clerk at store S of whether the payment was completed successfully or unsuccessfully, for example, based on information indicating the success or failure of the payment process. Payment terminal device 100 may also store the payment result information received in step S408 in a predetermined memory unit as a purchase history.

[0099] Information providing device 300 receives the payment result information sent in step S407 via communication unit 310 (step S409). In addition to information indicating the success or failure of the payment process, the information includes purchase information. If the payment result information includes information indicating a failure of the payment process, information providing device 300 may send a payment failure message to portable terminal M. Here, we will explain the operation when payment processing is successfully completed in payment terminal device 100.

[0100] The information providing device 300 uses the matching processing unit 331 to match the received payment result information with various databases such as the customer information database 350 and the purchase information database 370. Then, the information providing device 300 uses the purchase information determination unit 332 to identify the past usage status of the customer identified by the payment result information (the current target customer) at the store S identified by the payment result information (the current target store S) (step S410).

[0101] Next, the information providing device 300, by using the message creation unit 333, refers to the message table 390 and creates a message according to the usage situation identified in step S410 (step S411). At this time, the message creation unit 333 selects, from the data records prepared in advance in the message table 390, a data record including a content template according to the past usage situation of the current target customer at the current target store S, and creates a message using the content template stored in the selected data record. The message created by the message creation unit 333 includes information indicating that the payment has been successfully completed, as well as content (provided content) according to the customer's usage situation at the store S.

[0102] The information providing device 300 transmits the message created in step S411 to the portable terminal M via the communication unit 310 (step S412), and adds and updates the purchasing information related to this payment to the purchasing information database 370 via the information update unit 334 (step S413).

[0103] In addition, if any problem occurs, such as the target customer not being registered in the customer information database 350 or the data record containing the content template corresponding to the usage situation not existing in the message table 390, the information providing device 300 may record this as an error and may also create and send to the portable terminal M a payment completion message that simply notifies that the payment process has been completed successfully.

[0104] When the portable terminal M receives the message transmitted in step S412 (step S414), it outputs a predetermined payment sound from the speaker indicating that the payment has been completed, and also outputs the content included in the received message (step S415). Note that the information indicating that the payment has been completed is not limited to the payment sound, and may be notified by a screen display, vibration of the portable terminal M, or the like.

[0105] The content included in the message received in step 415 is provided content set according to the customer's usage of the store S, and is, for example, text data, still image data, moving image data, audio data, etc. The portable terminal M displays the content set according to the customer's usage of the store S on the display screen D, as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later, as an example.

[0106] The operation shown in Figure 5 employs a method in which a code image is displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M and read by the payment terminal device 100 in the store S, but it is also possible to employ a method in which the portable terminal M reads a code image placed in the store S with a camera. In this case, the purchase information is sent from the portable terminal M to the payment processing device 200 without passing through the payment terminal device 100. The subsequent operation is the same as that described above.

[0107] (Operation of information providing device 300) Next, details of the operation of the information providing device 300 of the information providing system 1 shown in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing details of the operation of the information providing device 300 of the information providing system 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0108] The information providing device 300 waits to receive payment result information sent from the payment processing device 200 (step S501), and starts a series of processes related to creating and sending a message addressed to the portable terminal M as a trigger when the payment result information is received.

[0109] When the information providing device 300 receives payment result information from the payment processing device 200 ("YES" in step S501), it analyzes the received payment result information and extracts the success or failure of the payment process, customer identification information, store identification information, and purchase amount included in the payment result information. If the information indicates that the payment process was not completed successfully, it may send a payment failure message notifying the created portable terminal M of the payment failure at this point. The following describes the processing when the payment process is completed successfully.

[0110] The information providing device 300 uses the matching processor 331 to match the customer identification information included in the payment result information with the customer information database 350 (step S502). Specifically, the matching processor 331 refers to the "customer ID" item 351 in the customer information database 350 to identify a data record (row) that stores a value matching the customer identification information included in the payment result information.

[0111] For example, if the customer identification information included in the payment result information is "0001", a data record containing "0001" in the "Customer ID" field 351 is identified in the customer information database 350 shown in Figure 2. The processing in step S502 makes it possible to identify information about the current target customer who is the subject of the payment process.

[0112] If a data record corresponding to the customer identification information included in the payment result information is not found ("NO" in step S503), an error is recorded in a predetermined event log, etc. (step S550), and a payment completion message is created that simply notifies that the payment process has been completed successfully (step S560).

[0113] If a data record corresponding to the customer identification information included in the payment result information can be identified ("YES" in step S503), the information providing device 300 causes the purchase information determination unit 332 to compare the purchase information included in the payment result information with the purchase information database 370 (step S504). Specifically, the purchase information determination unit 332 identifies a data record corresponding to the customer identification information included in the payment result information from the purchase information database 370, and identifies, within that data record, a data record linked to the store identification information included in the payment result information.

[0114] For example, if the customer identification information included in the payment result information is "0001" and the store identification information is "XYZ," then in the purchase information database 370 shown in Figure 3, among the data records that contain "0001" in the "customer ID" field 371, a data record that further contains "XYZ" in the "store ID" field 373 is identified. The processing in step S504 makes it possible to identify past purchase information at the current target store S where the current target customer, who is the subject of the payment process, made a purchase.

[0115] Then, the purchase information determination unit 332 refers to the past purchase information of the customer identified in step S504 at the store S, analyzes the customer's usage at the store S, and outputs the analysis results (step S506).

[0116] As described above, the purchasing information determination unit 332 may refer to the purchasing information database 370 and analyze the customer's usage of the store S based on various conditions, such as the purchase frequency of past purchasing behavior, the number of purchases (cumulative number of purchases), and the purchase amount (cumulative purchase amount), and may output the analysis result as, for example, a simple numerical identification number. As an example, the purchasing information determination unit 332 may output an identification number indicating that the customer is a regular customer if the customer frequently makes purchases at a specific store S (e.g., three or more times a week). Furthermore, the purchasing information determination unit 332 may output an identification number indicating that the customer is a long-time visitor if a predetermined period of time has passed since the customer last made a purchase at the specific store S (e.g., if the customer has not visited the store for more than six months). Furthermore, the purchasing information determination unit 332 may output an identification number indicating that the customer is a regular customer or a valued customer if the customer's cumulative purchase amount at the store S reaches a predetermined amount.

[0117] If the customer is a new customer who has never made a purchase at a particular store S and is making a purchase for the first time, the corresponding store S is not linked to the customer in the purchase information database 370. If there is no purchase history at the store S ("NO" in step S505), the customer is determined to be a new customer who is using the store S for the first time (step S507). In this case, the purchase information determination unit 332 outputs an identification number indicating that the customer is a new customer.

[0118] Next, the information providing device 300 causes the message creating unit 333 to compare the analysis result output by the purchasing information determining unit 332 with the message table 390 (step S508). Specifically, the message creating unit 333 identifies, from the message table 390, a data record corresponding to the identification number output by the purchasing information determining unit 332, and extracts the content template included in that data record.

[0119] As an example, if the identification number output by the purchasing information determination unit 332 is identification number "1," which indicates a regular customer, a content template is extracted from a data record in the message table 390 shown in Fig. 4 that has "1" in the "identification number" field 391. Also, if the identification number output by the purchasing information determination unit 332 is identification number "2," which indicates a new customer, a content template is extracted from a data record in the message table 390 shown in Fig. 4 that has "2" in the "identification number" field 391.

[0120] Then, the message creation unit 333 creates a message (step S510) using a content template extracted from the data record corresponding to the identification number output by the purchase information determination unit 332. The message created in step S510 includes information indicating that the payment process has been completed successfully, and also includes content that reflects the customer's usage status at store S.

[0121] The information providing device 300 transmits the message created by the message creating unit 333 to the portable terminal M via the communication unit 310 (step S511). Furthermore, the information providing device 300 adds and updates the purchase history related to the currently processed payment result information to the purchase information database 370 via the information updating unit 334 (step S512). Specifically, for example, if the customer identification information included in the payment result information is "0001" and the store identification information is "XYZ," the current purchase information is added to a data record with "0001" in the "customer ID" field 371 and "XYZ" in the "store ID" field 373, and the cumulative number of purchases stored in the "number of purchases" field 374 is incremented by one. Note that if it is determined in step S507 that the customer is a new customer who has made a purchase at a specific store S for the first time, the corresponding store S is not linked to the customer, so a new data record related to the current target store S for the current target customer is added, and then the purchase information is added.

[0122] Similarly, when a payment completion message is created in step S513, the information providing device 300 transmits the payment completion message to the portable terminal M via the communication unit 310 (step S511). In this case, there is no need to update the purchase information database 370.

[0123] (Operation on portable terminal M) Next, details of the operation of the portable terminal M of the information providing system 1 shown in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flow diagram showing details of the operation of the portable terminal M of the information providing system 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0124] First, the portable terminal M launches a cashless payment app to make payment (step S601). Next, the portable terminal M transmits customer identification information (customer ID) and a password to the information providing device 300. Each time the cashless payment app is launched, the customer may input the customer identification information and password, or the customer identification information and password stored in the portable terminal M may be automatically transmitted to the information providing device 300. If authentication by the information providing device 300 fails ("NG" in step S602), the portable terminal M needs to transmit the customer identification information and password again to the information providing device 300.

[0125] If the authentication by the information providing device 300 is successful ("OK" in step S602), the customer becomes able to operate the cashless payment app and make payment using the cashless payment app. When making payment with local currency at the store S, the customer operates the portable terminal M to display a code image on the display screen D of the portable terminal M as shown in FIG. 10 (described later) (step S604). The code image displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M is read by the payment terminal device 100 installed in the store S, and a series of payment processes begins. Note that in step S604, the portable terminal M may read the code image placed in the store S with a camera. In this case, the customer inputs the purchase amount into the portable terminal M, and purchase information is sent from the portable terminal M to the payment processing device 200, and a series of payment processes begins.

[0126] 5, a series of payment processes is performed by payment terminal device 100, payment processing device 200, and information providing device 300. Portable terminal M enters a standby state to receive a message notifying completion of the series of payment processes (step S605).

[0127] When a message is received from the information providing device 300 ("YES" in step S605), the portable terminal M performs a notification process to the customer based on the received message. When the message includes information indicating that the payment has been completed successfully, the portable terminal M outputs a predetermined payment sound from the speaker indicating that the payment has been completed, and also outputs the content included in the message (step S606). At this time, the display screen D of the portable terminal M displays content that has been set according to the customer's usage of the store S, as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later as an example.

[0128] The message received from the information providing device 300 includes information set based on the customer's usage status at the store S. Since the usage status of each customer at each store S is different, different information is displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M based on the wide variety of usage statuses.

[0129] (Display on portable terminal M) The display modes on the display screen D of the portable terminal M of the information providing system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0130] FIG. 8 shows the balance of the local currency displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M. When the cashless payment app is launched on the portable terminal M, a screen that allows the operation of the cashless payment app is displayed on the display screen D. When the customer selects the balance check button for the local currency (shown as coins in FIG. 8) on the display of the cashless payment app, the current balance of the local currency is displayed in the balance display area A1 as shown in FIG. 8.

[0131] Fig. 9 shows the point balance displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M. When the customer selects the point balance check button on the cashless payment app display, the current point balance is displayed in the point display area A2 as shown in Fig. 9.

[0132] Fig. 10 shows a state in which a code image is displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M. When a customer selects the payment button on the display of the cashless payment app, a code image is displayed in the code image display area A3 as shown in Fig. 10. Here, as an example, both a one-dimensional code and a two-dimensional code are displayed in the code image display area A3.

[0133] When making a purchase at store S and paying for it, the customer displays a code image on the display screen D of the portable terminal M, as shown in Figure 10. The code image is image information in which customer identification information is coded, and the reader 110 of the payment terminal device 100 installed in store S reads this code image and extracts the customer identification information, thereby starting a series of payment processes.

[0134] When the series of payment processes begins, the portable terminal M enters a state of waiting to receive a message notifying the completion of the payment process, and upon receiving the message, updates the display on the display screen D to, for example, the state shown in Figure 11 based on the message.

[0135] FIG. 11 shows a state in which content reflecting the customer's usage status at store S is displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M. When a message notifying the completion of payment processing is received from the information providing device 300, the cashless payment app displays the content included in the message in a content display area A4, as shown in FIG. 11. The message includes content reflecting the customer's usage status at store S. As a result, the content reflecting the customer's usage status at store S is displayed in the content display area A4.

[0136] As an example, it is assumed here that the information providing device 300 determines that the customer is a regular customer of store S and creates a message using information contained in the data record with identification number "1" in the message table 390 shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the message created by the information providing device 300 includes a store visit message for regular customers, "Thank you for visiting us," and a comment, "A coupon has been issued." The content display area A4 of the display screen D displays the text "Thank you for visiting us," and "A coupon has been issued," as shown in FIG. 11. Note that the content displayed in the content display area A4 of the display screen D is not limited to text and may be a still image or a moving image. Furthermore, audio reflecting the customer's usage of store S may be output.

[0137] As described above, the information provision service of this embodiment makes it possible to display content suited to each customer's usage status at each store S. One example of the content to be displayed is store-visit thank-you content that expresses gratitude to the customer for making a purchase at the store S. In particular, for local currencies that can be used in limited areas, displaying different store-visit thank-you content for each customer and even for each store S can improve the satisfaction that customers get from using the local currency. This can also improve engagement with customers and stimulate communication, and further increase the adoption rate of the local currency and promote consumption using the local currency.

[0138] The usage status of each customer at each store S can be determined based on various conditions, such as the frequency of purchases made by each customer at each store S (number of purchases in a specified period, the period since the last purchase, etc.), the cumulative number of purchases, or the cumulative purchase amount. In this way, by finely categorizing the wide variety of usage status of each customer at each store S based on conditions such as purchase frequency, cumulative number of purchases, or cumulative purchase amount, and displaying content that matches the usage status, it is possible to give customers the joy of using local currency and also to convey the appeal and convenience of local currency.

[0139] (Example of derivative) Derivative examples of this embodiment will be described below.

[0140] In order to revitalize the entire region by utilizing a local currency that can only be used in a limited area, it is also effective to have customers make purchases at multiple stores S within that region. As a means of revitalizing the region in this way, a stamp rally can be introduced in which stamps are issued for purchases made at each store S, and customers can receive special benefits by collecting multiple stamps. By introducing a stamp rally, customers will visit multiple stores S within the region to collect stamps, which will improve economic activity and lead customers to stores S that they do not usually visit. It can also increase opportunities for interaction within the region.

[0141] The stamp rally may be held as a time-limited event, for example. A stamp may be issued when a customer makes a purchase at the store S, or may be issued by the store S simply by visiting the store S (i.e., simply by checking in).

[0142] In a stamp rally, it is necessary to manage the history of purchasing behavior of each customer at each store S. For example, as shown in Fig. 12, the purchase information database 370 shown in Fig. 3 may be improved so that it is possible to manage whether or not each customer has received a stamp at each store S. Fig. 12 schematically shows a purchase information database 370 in a derivative example of this embodiment.

[0143] 12 has been added to the items (columns) of the purchase information database 370 a "stamp flag" item 379 that stores flag information indicating whether or not each customer has received a stamp at each store S. The "stamp flag" item 379 has a default value of "0" that is changed to "1" when the customer makes a purchase at store S.

[0144] The information providing device 300 may be configured to have a stamp issuing unit that issues a stamp to a customer when the customer makes a purchase for the first time at a specific store S. The stamp issuing unit can check whether each customer has made a purchase for the first time during the stamp rally event period by referring to the value of the "stamp flag" item 379 in the purchase information database 370, and can issue a stamp if the customer has made a purchase for the first time.

[0145] Furthermore, when a stamp is issued, the information update unit 334 can record the information that a stamp has been issued by changing the value of the "stamp flag" item 379 linked to the store S from "0" to "1." This allows the next time a customer makes a purchase at the same store S, it can be confirmed that the value of the "stamp flag" item 379 has become "1," and a stamp cannot be issued.

[0146] The customer can check the status of stamp acquisition on the display screen D of the portable terminal M. FIG. 13 shows the status of stamp acquisition displayed on the display screen D of the portable terminal M. When the customer selects the check stamp status button on the cashless payment app display, the number of stamps currently acquired is displayed in the stamp display area A5 as shown in FIG. 13. When the number of stamps issued at each store S reaches a predetermined number, the customer can be given an optional benefit or reward, which can encourage the customer to visit multiple different stores S and contribute to regional revitalization.

[0147] As described above, according to a derivative example of this embodiment, by issuing stamps to customers who visit each store S in a limited area using a local currency that can be used in that area, it becomes possible to induce customers to visit multiple different stores S. This not only revitalizes the economy of the entire area, but also increases opportunities for interaction within the area.

[0148] (Hardware configuration) The functions of the portable terminal M, payment terminal device 100, payment processing device 200, and information providing device 300 described above can be realized, for example, by a computer 900 having the hardware configuration described below. Fig. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing an example configuration of a computer 900 capable of performing the processing in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0149] 11 includes, as an example, a processor 910, a memory 920, a storage 930, an input / output interface 940, and a communication interface 950, and these components are connected via a bus 960. The computer 900 can be, for example, a general-purpose computer, a mobile communication terminal, or the like, as appropriate.

[0150] The processor 910 is hardware that executes various instructions written in a program and realizes and controls various functions in the computer 900. The processor 910 may be, for example, a CPU, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that performs data processing specialized for a specific purpose, or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that has a high degree of design freedom.

[0151] The memory 920 is a volatile memory that temporarily stores programs and data executed by the computer 900, and is a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0152] The storage 930 is, for example, an auxiliary storage device such as a magnetic disk such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, etc. The storage 930 may be connected via an input / output interface 940, or may be located in a position accessible via the communication interface 950.

[0153] The storage 930 is capable of storing programs and data in which the processing procedures of this embodiment are written as program instructions. The processor 910 reads the program according to this embodiment from the storage 930, expands it on the memory 920, and executes the program instructions, thereby enabling the computer 900 to implement the functions according to this embodiment. For example, the functions of the portable terminal M (including a cashless payment app), the functions of the payment terminal device 100, the functions of the payment processing device 200 (e.g., the functions of the payment processing unit 220), and the information providing device 300 (e.g., the functions of the authentication unit 320 and the control unit 330) are all created as programs, and the processor 910 reads the program from the storage 930, expands it on the memory 920, and executes the program instructions, thereby realizing the desired functions.

[0154] Input / output interface 940 has a function of accepting input from outside and a function of outputting information to outside. Input / output interface 940 is configured to be able to connect, as necessary, user input devices (e.g., input acceptance unit 120 of payment terminal device 100) represented by mouse 941 and keyboard 942, information collection devices such as camera 943 and microphone 944, and information output devices such as display 945 and speaker 946.

[0155] The communication interface 950 has a function for the computer 900 to communicate with other computers (e.g., communication units 130, 210, 310). The communication interface 950 may be configured to enable the computer 900 to access other computers via a network N. Examples of the network N include a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet. The communication interface 950 may also be configured to enable direct communication with other computers. There are no particular limitations on the communication method used by the communication interface 950, and either a packet communication method or a circuit switching method may be used, and either wired communication or wireless communication may be used.

[0156] (Action of this embodiment) The operation of this embodiment will be described below.

[0157] The information providing device 300 in this embodiment is configured to be able to provide information to a portable terminal M owned by a customer based on information including the result of payment made by the customer at a store S.

[0158] The information providing device 300 in this embodiment includes a payment result information receiving unit, a purchase information database 370, a verification processing unit 331, a message table 390, a purchase information determining unit 332, a message creating unit 333, a message sending unit, and an information updating unit 334.

[0159] The payment result information receiving unit is composed of a communication unit 310 and is capable of receiving payment result information from a payment processing device 200 that processes payments made by a customer at store S, the payment result information including information on the payment result, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies store S, and the purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at store S.

[0160] The purchase information database 370 is capable of storing the past purchase history of each customer who has made payments at each store S.

[0161] If the information including the payment result indicates that payment has been completed, the matching processing unit 331 is capable of referring to the purchase information database 370 and identifying the past purchase history in which the customer identified by the customer identification information made payments at the store S identified by the store identification information as the target customer's usage status at the target store S.

[0162] The message table 390 is pre-classified into a plurality of usage situations, and is capable of storing content templates corresponding to each of the classifications of the plurality of usage situations.

[0163] The purchase information determination unit 332 is capable of determining the classification of the usage situation based on the usage situation of the target customer at the target store S identified by the verification processing unit 331.

[0164] The message creation unit 333 is configured to refer to the message table 390, identify a content template set in accordance with the classification determined by the purchase information determination unit 332, and create a message including the identified content template as the provided content.

[0165] The message sending unit is configured by the communication unit 310, and is capable of sending the message created by the message creating unit 333 to the portable terminal M owned by the target customer.

[0166] The information update unit 334 is capable of adding purchase information related to the payment result information to the purchase information database 370 as a purchase history.

[0167] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide information to each customer individually according to the customer's usage status at each store S. In particular, since it is possible to change the content provided to each customer for each store used by each customer, it is possible to provide appropriate content set according to the various usage status at each store S of each customer.

[0168] In the information providing device 300 of this embodiment, in the above configuration, the target customer may make payment at the target store S using local currency that can be used at each store S located within a limited area.

[0169] According to the above configuration, by providing different content for each customer and even for each store S regarding local currency that can be used in a limited area, it is possible to increase the satisfaction that customers get from using the local currency, improve engagement with customers, and stimulate communication, and further increase the rate of adoption of local currency and promote consumption using local currency.

[0170] In the information providing device 300 of this embodiment, in the above configuration, the content template is a store visit thank-you content template that expresses gratitude to each customer for making a purchase at each store S, and the provided content may be store visit thank-you content for the target customer's purchasing behavior at the target store S.

[0171] According to the above configuration, by providing different store visit appreciation content for each customer and even for each store S for local currency that can be used in a limited area, it is possible to further increase the satisfaction that customers get from using the local currency, improve engagement with customers, and make communication more active, as well as increase the rate of adoption of the local currency and further promote consumption using the local currency.

[0172] In the information providing device 300 of this embodiment, in the above configuration, the purchase information determination unit 332 may determine the usage status of the target customer at the target store S based on at least one of the target customer's past purchase frequency, number of purchases, and purchase amount at the target store S.

[0173] According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine the customer's usage status at each store S based on at least one of the customer's past purchasing frequency, number of purchases, and purchase amount at each store S, and to more appropriately provide content set according to the various usage status of each customer at each store S.

[0174] In the above configuration, the information providing device 300 in this embodiment may include a stamp issuing unit that issues a stamp to a target customer when the target customer makes a purchase at a target store S for the first time.

[0175] According to the above configuration, stamps can be issued to customers who visit each store S, thereby encouraging customers to visit multiple different stores S. In particular, with regard to a local currency that can be used in a limited area, customers can be encouraged to visit each store S within that area, thereby revitalizing the economy of the entire area and increasing opportunities for interaction within the area.

[0176] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the information providing method according to the present invention is an information providing method executed by an information providing device 300 that provides information to a portable terminal M owned by a customer based on information including a settlement result of a payment made by the customer at a store S, and includes a payment result information receiving step of receiving, from a payment processing device 200 that performs settlement processing for payments made by each customer at each store S, payment result information including information including the settlement result, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store S, and a purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at the store S; and, if the information including the settlement result indicates completion of payment, referring to a purchase information database 370 that stores past purchase histories in which each customer made payments at each store S, the past purchase history in which the customer identified by the customer identification information made payments at the store S identified by the store identification information, at the target store S of the target customer. a purchase information determination step of determining the classification of the usage situation based on the usage situation at the target store S of the target customer identified in the verification step; a message creation step of referring to a message table 390 in which a plurality of usage situations are classified in advance and content templates are set corresponding to each classification of the plurality of usage situations, identifying the content template set corresponding to the classification determined in the purchase information determination step, and creating a message including the identified content template as provided content; a message sending step of sending the message created in the message creation step to a portable terminal M owned by the target customer; and an information update step of adding purchase information related to payment result information to the purchase information database 370 as a purchase history.

[0177] According to the above process, it is possible to provide information to each customer individually according to the customer's usage status at each store S. In particular, since it is possible to change the content provided to each customer for each store used by the customer, it is possible to provide appropriate content set according to the various usage status at each store S of each customer.

[0178] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, an information provision method according to the present invention is an information provision method that performs settlement processing for a payment made by a customer at a store S and provides information to a portable terminal M owned by the customer based on information including a result of the settlement processing, the information provision method including: a payment processing step of performing processing related to the payment made by the customer at the store S at the portable terminal M; a step of performing settlement processing for the payment made by the customer at the store S at the payment processing device 200; a payment result information receiving step of receiving, at the information provision device 300, payment result information including information including a settlement result of the payment made by the customer at the store S, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store S, and a purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at the store S; and a matching processing step of, when the information including the payment result indicates completion of payment, referring to a purchase information database 370 that stores past purchase histories in which each customer made payments at each store S, and identifying the past purchase history in which the customer identified by the customer identification information made payments at the store S identified by the store identification information as the usage status of the target customer at the target store S. a purchase information determination step in the information providing device 300 of determining a classification of the usage status based on the usage status of the target customer at the target store S identified in the matching processing step; a message creation step in the information providing device 300 of referring to a message table 390 in which a plurality of usage statuses are previously classified and content templates are set corresponding to each classification of the plurality of usage statuses, identifying a content template set corresponding to the classification determined in the purchase information determination step, and creating a message including the identified content template as provided content; a message sending step in the information providing device 300 of sending the message created in the message creation step to a portable terminal M owned by the target customer; an information update step in the information providing device 300 of adding purchase information related to payment result information to a purchase information database 370 as a purchase history; a step in the portable terminal M of receiving the message from the information providing device 300; and an output step in the portable terminal M of outputting information indicating payment completion and the provided content included in the message.It is characterized by having

[0179] According to the above process, it is possible to provide information to each customer individually according to the customer's usage status at each store S. In particular, since it is possible to change the content provided to each customer for each store used by the customer, it is possible to provide appropriate content set according to the various usage status at each store S of each customer.

[0180] According to this embodiment, it is also possible to provide an information communication system configured with portable terminal M, payment terminal device 100, payment processing device 200, and information providing device 300. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is also possible to provide a program that causes a processor to execute processing in each of portable terminal M, payment terminal device 100, payment processing device 200, and information providing device 300.

[0181] The above-described embodiments are described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The components and processing steps disclosed in the above-described embodiments are intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0182] The present invention is applicable to technologies related to cashless payments and to technologies for providing information to portable terminals M held by customers. In particular, the present invention is applicable to technologies for revitalizing local areas by utilizing local currencies that can only be used in limited areas. [Explanation of symbols]

[0183] 1 Information provision system 100 Payment terminal device 110 Reading unit 120 Input reception section 130, 210, 310 Communications Department 200 Payment Processing Device 220 Payment Processing Unit 300 Information provision device 320 Authentication Department 330 Control Unit 331 Matching processing unit 332 Purchasing Information Judgment Department 333 Message Creation Department 334 Information Update Department 340 Storage section 350 customer information database 351, 371 "Customer ID" item 352, 372 "Customer name" item 353 “Gender” item 354 "Date of Birth" item 355 "Postal Code" field 356 “Address 1” item 357 “Address 2” item 358 “Telephone number” item 359 "Date of Registration" item 370 Purchasing Information Database 373 "Store ID" item 374 "Number of purchases" item 375 “Purchase date” item 376 “Purchase amount” item 377 “Purchased items 1” item 378 “Purchased items 2” item 379 "Stamp Flag" item 390 Message Table 391 “Identification number” item 392 "Visit Message" item 393 "Thank you message" items 394 "Comments" item 395 "Coupon Flag" item 900 Computers 910 processor 920 memory 930 Storage 940 Input / Output Interface 941 Mouse 942 keyboard 943 Camera 944 Mike 945 Display 946 Speaker 950 Communication Interface 960 Bus A1 Balance display area A2 Point display area A3 code image display area A4 content display area A5 stamp display area B. Payment agency D Display screen M Portable terminal N Network S store

Claims

1. An information providing device that provides information to a portable terminal owned by a customer based on information including a payment result of the customer's payment at a store, a payment result information receiving unit that receives, from a payment processing device that performs payment processing for the payment by the customer at the store, information including the payment result, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store, and payment result information including the purchase amount related to the payment by the customer at the store; A purchase information database that stores the past purchase history of each customer who has made payments at each store; a verification processing unit that, when the information including the payment result indicates that payment has been completed, refers to the purchase information database and identifies a past purchase history in which the customer identified by the customer identification information made payments at the store identified by the store identification information as the target customer's usage status at the target store; a message table in which a plurality of usage situations are classified in advance and content templates corresponding to each classification of the plurality of usage situations are stored; a purchase information determination unit that determines a classification of the usage status based on the usage status of the target customer at the target store identified by the verification processing unit; a message creating unit that refers to the message table, identifies a content template set corresponding to the classification determined by the purchasing information determining unit, and creates a message that includes the identified content template as provided content; a message sending unit that sends the message created by the message creating unit to the portable terminal owned by the target customer; an information updating unit that adds purchase information related to the payment result information to the purchase information database as a purchase history; An information providing device comprising:

2. 2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the target customer makes payment at the target store using a local currency that can be used at each store located within a limited area.

3. The information providing device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the content template is a store visit thank-you content template expressing gratitude to each customer for making a purchase at each store, and the provided content is store visit thank-you content for the target customer's purchasing behavior at the target store.

4. The information providing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the purchasing information determination unit determines the target customer's usage status at the target store based on at least one of the target customer's past purchasing frequency, number of purchases, and purchase amount at the target store.

5. 3. The information providing device according to claim 1, further comprising a stamp issuing unit that issues a stamp to the target customer when the target customer makes a purchase at the target store for the first time.

6. 1. An information providing method executed by an information providing device that provides information to a portable terminal owned by a customer based on information including a payment result of a payment made by the customer at a store, the method comprising: a payment result information receiving step of receiving, from a payment processing device that performs payment processing for payments made by each customer at each store, payment result information including information on the payment result, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store, and a purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at the store; a verification process step of, when the information including the payment result indicates that payment has been completed, referring to a purchase information database storing past purchase histories of payments made by each customer at each store, and identifying the past purchase history of payments made by the customer identified by the customer identification information at the store identified by the store identification information as the usage status of the target customer at the target store; a purchase information determination step of determining a classification of the usage situation based on the usage situation of the target customer at the target store identified in the matching processing step; a message creating step of referring to a message table in which a plurality of usage situations are classified in advance and content templates are set corresponding to each classification of the plurality of usage situations, identifying a content template set corresponding to the classification determined in the purchasing information determining step, and creating a message including the identified content template as provided content; a message sending step of sending the message created in the message creating step to the portable terminal owned by the target customer; an information updating step of adding purchase information related to the payment result information to the purchase information database as a purchase history; An information providing method comprising:

7. 1. An information providing method for performing a payment process for a customer at a store and providing information to a portable terminal owned by the customer based on information including a result of the payment process, comprising: a payment processing step of performing a process related to payment by the customer at the store in the portable terminal; performing, in a payment processing device, the payment processing of the payment made by the customer at the store; a payment result information receiving step in which, in the information providing device, payment result information including information including a payment result of the payment made by the customer at the store, customer identification information that identifies the customer, store identification information that identifies the store, and a purchase amount related to the payment made by the customer at the store is received from the payment processing device; a verification process step in the information providing device, when the information including the payment result indicates that payment has been completed, of referring to a purchase information database storing past purchase histories of payments made by each customer at each store, and identifying the past purchase history of payments made by the customer identified by the customer identification information at the store identified by the store identification information as the usage status of the target customer at the target store; a purchase information determination step in the information providing device of determining a classification of the usage situation based on the usage situation of the target customer at the target store identified in the matching processing step; a message creating step in the information providing device of referring to a message table in which a plurality of usage situations are classified in advance and content templates are set corresponding to each classification of the plurality of usage situations, identifying a content template set corresponding to the classification determined in the purchasing information determining step, and creating a message including the identified content template as provided content; a message sending step in the information providing device of sending the message created in the message creating step to the portable terminal owned by the target customer; an information updating step in the information providing device of adding purchase information related to the payment result information to the purchase information database as a purchase history; receiving, at the portable terminal, the message from the information providing device; an output step of outputting, at the portable terminal, information indicating the completion of the payment and the provided content included in the message; An information providing method comprising:

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