Advertisement mediation apparatus, advertisement mediation method, and program

Abstract

To allow an advertiser to transmit information targeted to users having attributes that the advertiser desires.SOLUTION: An advertisement mediation apparatus includes: a matching information management unit which acquires, from a first device used by an affiliated store affiliated with an electronic settlement service, rental information including a location of an advertisement which is to be placed in a desired location of the affiliated store, and causes a storage unit to store the rental information together with attribute information of the affiliated store or a user who uses the store, as search registration information; a search execution unit which acquires, from a second device used by an advertiser, a search condition that designates attribute information of the user at least, and provides a result of searching the search registration information with the search condition to the second device; and a mediation content providing unit which mediates a rental contract for a location of the advertisement between the affiliated store and the advertiser, and provides content for the mediation to the first device and the second device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an advertisement intermediation device, an advertisement intermediation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Local media such as cable television, community FM, free papers, and websites exist as a means of disseminating information to local areas. The challenge with local media is that they have less customer reach than major media that disseminate information nationwide, and businesses operating in the region struggle with how to distribute local information to local residents. However, local information is in high demand among specific users, such as local residents.

[0003] In this regard, there is known an invention of a vacant advertising billboard information providing system that provides billboard information and mediates the leasing of billboards, and that includes a vacant advertising billboard supply information storage means that stores a billboard information database in which information including the installation locations of billboards is registered, a search means that can search for billboards under predetermined conditions via a communications network, and a search output means that allows the search results to be viewed via the communications network (Patent Document 1). In this system, billboard owners register vacant advertising billboard information via the communications network, and advertisers who wish to rent billboards search for billboard information via the communications network, and when they find the billboard they want, they can apply to rent it via the communications network. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-127285 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] With conventional technology, when searching for signboard information, users could only input information such as the location, size of the signboard, and price, and could not specify the attributes of the users who would visit that location. As a result, advertisers were sometimes unable to transmit information that targeted users with the attributes they desired.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an advertising intermediation device, advertising intermediation method, and program that enable advertisers to transmit information targeted at users with the attributes desired by the advertisers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is an advertising intermediation device that includes: a matching information management unit that acquires, from a first device used by a member store that is a member of an electronic payment service, rental information including the location of an advertisement to be placed in a desired location in the store of the member store, and stores the information in a memory unit as search registration information together with attribute information of the member store or a user who uses the store; a search execution unit that acquires, from a second device used by an advertiser, search conditions that specify at least the user's attribute information, and provides the second device with the results of searching the search registration information using the search conditions; and an intermediation content provision unit that mediates a rental contract for the advertisement placement location between the member store and the advertiser, and provides the first device and the second device with content for the intermediation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible for an advertiser to transmit information that targets users with attributes desired by the advertiser. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an advertisement intermediation system according to the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a content screen IM1 displayed on the member store terminal 30 for obtaining rental information. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of search registration information 272. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a content screen IM2 displayed on the advertiser terminal 40 for acquiring search conditions. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of advertisement management information 274. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a poster posted under the management of an advertisement intermediation system. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram simply illustrating a process performed after determining whether an advertisement is viewed. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram simply illustrating a process performed after determining whether an advertisement is viewed. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow relating to display of information content. [Figure 16] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of search registration information 272A, which is another example of search registration information 272. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [overview] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the advertising mediation device, advertising mediation method, and program of the present invention will be described. Various devices for providing services to users and performing internal analysis, such as "servers," "management devices," and "information providing devices," which appear below, may be realized by a group of distributed devices, and each device may be operated by a different business. Furthermore, the owner of the device hardware (the cloud server provider) and the business that actually operates the device may also be different.

[0011] Below, the electronic payment service will be explained first, and the functions of the advertising intermediation system will be described later. The application program and payment server work together to provide the electronic payment service. In the following explanation, the application program will be referred to as the payment app. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payments for purchasing goods and services at stores. A store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in real space, but may also include virtual stores for e-commerce. Virtual stores may also include stores provided by entities other than the operator of the electronic payment service. In such cases, when paying for purchases at the virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In an electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at a store is primarily conducted between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be conducted between the user and the store.

[0012] [Electronic payment service] Figure 1 shows an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, and one or more second store terminal devices 70 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc.

[0013] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment app 20, which operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment app 20 is installed on the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0014] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0015] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store (anyone who belongs to the affiliated store, including not only the representative but also employees, part-time workers, etc.). The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, tablet device, personal computer, etc. An interface for affiliated stores 72 runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface for affiliated stores 72 may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface for affiliated stores 72 accepts coupon settings and the like by the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image and reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

[0016] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, this distinction will not be made and it is assumed that payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

[0017] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns for electronic payment: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2.

[0018] In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal device 10, with the payment application 20 running, decodes the store code image 60 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is the domain of the electronic payment service to which store identification information has been added, and is associated with an affiliated store ID, store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described below). The payment application 20 sends first payment information including the store URL and account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described below) using the affiliated store ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires the affiliated store name and store name information (S3), and sends this to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen displaying the affiliated store name and store name (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 makes the electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment app 20 (S8), and the payment app 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include information on the payment amount in addition to the store URL. In this case, the step of the user inputting the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and store name may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0019] In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, the payment app 20 sends a request to issue a one-time code to the payment server 100 when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, at the automatic update timing (e.g., every minute), and at other timings (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a user code image, such as a QR code or barcode, generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first in-store terminal device 50, and the first in-store terminal device 50 decodes the user code image using its optical reading function and acquires the one-time code, etc. (S15). The first in-store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode, manually entering it, etc. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs electronic payment (S17). Then, the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0020] Note that electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Furthermore, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Furthermore, issuing a one-time code may be omitted in store scanning, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In this case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0021] [Payment server] 4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a payment content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, an advertisement collaboration processing unit 150, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an SOC (System On Chip), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0022] The storage unit 170 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, payment content information 174, and affiliated store / shop information 176.

[0023] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW, and is, for example, a network interface card.

[0024] The payment content providing unit 120 has, for example, a function of a web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The payment content providing unit 120 reads out necessary content from the payment content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

[0025] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. User information 172 is an example of user registration information. User information 172 includes, for example, a user URL, account ID, telephone number, and password, as well as email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, gender, registration date, remaining charge balance, deferred payment settings, deferred payment limit, deferred payment usage amount, available deferred payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, payment history information, and advertisement ID (described below) of viewed advertisements. The user URL is used for remittance processing between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a telephone number and password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID can be set by the user (or does not have to be set). The email address, name, address, and date of birth are also information that can be set by the user (or do not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0027] The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by the user by transferring funds to the account in advance. Transfer methods include transfer from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated service provider (bank) or transfer from a registered bank account. The deferred payment setting is information indicating whether the settings for enabling deferred payment electronic payments have been completed, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed." Further details on deferred payment will be described later. The payment method setting is setting information indicating whether the user will make electronic payments using the charge balance or by deferred payment at that time. The bank account and credit card number are information on bank accounts or credit card numbers (account number, card number), respectively, that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a history of the user transferring funds to the electronic payment service in advance to increase the charge balance. The payment history information is information indicating the details of each payment made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0028] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store ID is associated with an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above), and a third table 176C in which a store ID is associated with a store name. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may also include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the store's location, and payment patterns.

[0029] The information management unit 140 manages the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records to, edits, deletes, etc. the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176.

[0030] The function of the advertisement cooperation processing unit 150 will be described later.

[0031] [Electronic Payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 references the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance," the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows: For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds. The item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds is not itself used as electronic money, for example, but rather the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0032] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payments for users whose "setting information" is set to "deferred payment" as follows. Deferred payment is set separately from "credit card payment," which is set in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service. The operator of the electronic payment service acts as the creditor, and allows electronic payments within the deferred payment limit, independent of the remaining balance. To receive the deferred payment service, a user may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used for deferred payment is settled in full on the following month's payment date, for example, by debit from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 makes a provisional payment by adding the payment amount to the deferred payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available deferred payment balance. On the closing date, the payment processing unit 130 performs the process described above to debit the current month's payment on the following month's payment date, or requests the credit card operator to perform this process. If the payment amount exceeds the available deferred payment balance at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment app 20.

[0033] [Advertising intermediation] The following describes an advertising intermediation system according to the present invention. The advertising intermediation system is a system that primarily mediates advertisers' posting of advertisements in desired locations in stores of affiliated stores that are affiliated with an electronic payment service, and performs tasks such as searching, contracts, and after-sales support. Desired locations in stores include, for example, walls (which may include interior and exterior walls), windows, doors, and tabletops. The advertisements are, for example, announcements in the form of paper posters, but may also be displayed electronically by signage devices. In the following description, the advertisements are assumed to be posters. The advertiser may also be an affiliated store, or may be a business that is not an affiliated store. If the advertiser also serves as an affiliated store, it will be possible to provide generous services such as point awarding in the electronic payment service.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for implementing an advertising intermediation system according to the present invention. The advertising intermediation system is realized by one or more affiliated store terminals (first devices) 30 used by affiliated stores, advertiser terminals (second devices) 40 used by advertisers, a payment server 100, and an advertising intermediation device 200. The term "one or more" means that one affiliated store may use multiple affiliated store terminals 30, and one advertiser may use multiple advertiser terminals (second devices) 40. The advertising intermediation device 200 may be included in the payment server 100, but is depicted here as a separate device from the payment server 100. The first device 30 may be the same as the second store terminal device 70 shown in FIG. 1, in which case the content for the affiliated store may be the same as the interface for the affiliated store 72. However, the following description will be given assuming that they are separate entities.

[0035] The advertisement intermediation device 200 includes, for example, an intermediary content providing unit 210, a matching information management unit 220, a search execution unit 230, an advertisement FB (feedback) processing unit 240, and a storage unit 270. The components other than the storage unit 270 are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU, or SOC, or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0036] The storage unit 270 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM, etc. The storage unit 270 may be a NAS device that can be accessed by the advertisement intermediation device 200 via a network. The storage unit 270 stores information such as search registration information 272 and advertisement management information 274.

[0037] The intermediary content provider 210 mediates between the member store and the advertiser in entering into a rental contract for the advertisement placement space, and provides the content for the member store to the member store terminal 30 and the content for the advertiser to the advertiser terminal 40. These contents are, for example, websites. The details will be explained step by step.

[0038] The matching information management unit 220 acquires rental information, including the location of advertisement posting, from the affiliated store terminal 30 and stores it in the storage unit 270 as search registration information 272 together with attribute information of the affiliated store or the user who uses the store. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a content screen IM1 displayed on the affiliated store terminal 30 for acquiring rental information. The content screen IM1 has an area A1 for inputting the affiliated store ID, store location, posting location, desired price, etc. When the application button B1 is operated with various information entered in area A1, the information entered in area A1 is sent to the advertisement intermediation device 200 as rental information. In the figure, the desired price is calculated by multiplying the number of views (the method for obtaining this will be described later) by the amount per view, but the fee for advertising posting may also be set as a fixed amount according to the period.

[0039] 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of search registration information 272. Search registration information 272 is created, for example, for each posting location. Search registration information 272 includes rental information and attribute information of users who use affiliated stores or shops. The attribute information includes, for example, information such as user demographics (either one or both of age and gender), category information of affiliated stores or shops, and average unit price.

[0040] The matching information management unit 220 acquires attribute information based on, for example, payment history information of an electronic payment service. The payment history information is information stored in the storage unit of the payment server 100 based on the first payment information and second payment information described in FIGS. 2 and 3, and some of this information is also registered in the user information 172. In other words, the payment history information is information indicating the input information and processing results when the payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing. The payment history information used by the advertisement mediation device 200 includes an account ID (information that can identify the user), affiliated store ID, store ID, payment amount, etc. The matching information management unit 220 generates information indicating the user demographic of the affiliated store or store by applying attribute information previously obtained for each user to a group of users who have made electronic payments at the affiliated store or store, and acquires this information as attribute information of users who use the affiliated store or store. Since account IDs are associated with information corresponding to user demographics in the user information 172, the matching information management unit 220 can extract the account IDs of users who have made payments at a member store corresponding to a member store ID, and then obtain user demographic information corresponding to the account ID from the user information 172, thereby aggregating the user demographic information corresponding to the member store ID corresponding to the posting location. Note that the user demographic information registered in the user information 172 is not limited to information directly entered by users, but may also be information estimated by the payment server 100 using some method. The matching information management unit 220 may also obtain user attribute information self-reported by the operator of the member store or store from the member store terminal 30. The matching information management unit 220 obtains category information from the member store ID, and obtains average unit price information based on the payment amount of electronic payments made at the member store or store and the number of people obtained by some means (for example, the number of people entered into the store's POS device).

[0041] The search execution unit 230 acquires search criteria specifying at least attribute information from the advertiser terminal 40 and provides the results of searching the search registration information 272 using the search criteria to the advertiser terminal 40 via the intermediary content providing unit 210. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a content screen IM2 displayed on the advertiser terminal 40 for acquiring search criteria. An advertiser logs in in advance with an advertiser ID to access the content screen IM2. The content screen IM2 has an area A2 in which the advertiser selects (or enters text) search criteria, such as the area in which the advertiser wants to place an advertisement, the desired price, the customer demographic of the affiliated store or store, the store category, and the average unit price of the store, from among pre-prepared options. When the application button B2 is operated after selecting or entering various information in area A2, the information entered in area A2 is sent to the advertisement intermediary device 200 as search criteria.

[0042] The intermediary content providing unit 210 displays on the advertiser terminal 40, among the posting locations that were at least partially hit as a result of the search performed by the search execution unit 230, for example, in descending order of hit rate (i.e., the number of search conditions satisfied). When the advertiser selects one or more posting locations on the advertiser terminal 40, the intermediary content providing unit 210 displays a content screen on the affiliated store terminal 30 of the affiliated store corresponding to the selected posting location to inquire whether or not to accept the rental of the posting location. When the operator of the affiliated store performs an operation to accept, a rental contract for the advertising posting location is concluded. The intermediary content providing unit 210 registers the concluded rental contract in the advertising management information 274 and notifies both parties of the conclusion of the contract. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the advertising management information 274. The advertising management information 274 is information in which, for example, an advertising ID, an affiliated store ID, an advertiser ID, a fee, a period, and the like are associated with each other. One advertising ID is assigned in advance to each combination of a member store ID and an advertiser ID by the advertisement mediation device 200 (for example, by the advertising FB processing unit). Note that if an advertiser places the same advertisement in multiple member stores, multiple advertising IDs are assigned.

[0043] At a later date, the advertiser's poster is delivered to the posting location. A store employee posts the poster in the designated posting location, takes a picture of the poster with a smartphone or the like, and uploads the image to the advertisement intermediation device 200. The intermediation content providing unit 210 acquires this image and makes it viewable on the advertiser terminal 40 as proof that the advertisement has been posted (for example, by posting it on a specified website). The advertiser confirms this image, completing the first stage of the intermediation of the advertisement rental contract.

[0044] [Understanding ad viewing] The following describes the advertising format and impression management. Figure 12 shows an example of a poster posted under the management of the advertising intermediation system. A code image CD is printed on the poster along with the advertising content, and a guide is displayed to read the code image CD using the function of payment application 20.

[0045] 13 and 14 are diagrams simply illustrating the processing performed after determining whether an advertisement has been viewed. As shown in FIG. 13, the payment application 20, which has read the code image CD, notifies the payment server 100 of information indicating that it has read information such as an advertisement ID encoded in the code image CD (hereinafter, this notification will be referred to as an advertisement view notification). Upon receiving the advertisement view notification, the advertisement collaboration processing unit 150 performs processing to count up the number of times the advertisement has been viewed. For example, as processing to count up the number of times the advertisement has been viewed, the advertisement collaboration processing unit 150 performs processing to notify the advertisement intermediation device 200 that the advertisement has been viewed, thereby counting up the number of times the advertisement has been viewed. Alternatively, the advertisement collaboration processing unit 150 may count up the number of times the advertisement has been viewed in the storage unit 170 itself, and notify the advertisement intermediation device 200 of the total number of views each time a deadline arrives. This makes it possible to easily understand the status of advertisement viewing.

[0046] The advertising feedback processing unit 240 of the advertising intermediary device 200 counts up the "number of views" in the advertising management information 274 by one (or by the number of views if multiple notifications are received from the settlement server 100 at once). The advertising feedback processing unit 240 determines the advertising fee to be paid by the advertiser to the affiliated store, for example, according to the number of views at the end of the advertisement posting period, and notifies both parties of the amount. The advertising feedback processing unit 240 may also arrange for a portion of the advertising fee to be paid in advance.

[0047] At this time, the advertising feedback processing unit 240 may make the payment of the advertising fee via an electronic payment service. For example, the advertising feedback processing unit 240 may request the payment server 100 to output a payment notification to the payment app 20 corresponding to the account of the advertiser's representative, for example, and accept payment from the charge balance of the account. At this time, the payment server 100 may transfer the advertising sales to the affiliated store's account at the same time as the affiliated store's settlement sales. This simplifies accounting processing. The advertising feedback processing unit 240 may also count the number of views, etc. for each advertisement placement location. In this case, a flag indicating the placement location may be encoded in the code image of the poster.

[0048] Furthermore, the information management unit 140 of the payment server 100 may know in advance the purchase target displayed in the advertisement, and when an electronic payment is made for that purchase target, notify the advertisement intermediation device 200 of the payment amount and the advertising ID that is the source of the payment, and the advertisement FB processing unit 240 may measure the number of conversions or the conversion amount based on the notification.

[0049] 14, the information management unit 140 of the payment server 100 knows the account ID (identification information) of the user who uses the payment application 20, and may grant a benefit to the account of the user in response to receiving a viewing notification from the user terminal device 10. The benefit is points or a coupon that can be used in the electronic payment service.

[0050] Furthermore, the information management unit 140 of the payment server 100 may notify the advertisement mediation device 200 of the point usage amount and the advertising ID that is the source of the points each time the points are used, and the advertising feedback processing unit 240 may measure the point usage rate resulting from the advertisement being viewed. The funds for the points may be borne by, for example, the advertiser. If the advertiser is an affiliated store, a coupon that can only be used at that affiliated store may be given.

[0051] Furthermore, the payment content providing unit 120 of the payment server 100 may cause the payment application 20 to display information content related to the advertisement in response to receiving a viewing notification from the user terminal device 10. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow related to the display of information content. Information content is, for example, content that contains more detailed information than that displayed on an advertisement poster. The information content is created in advance mainly by the advertiser, and the data is stored in the storage unit 170 of the payment server 100 via the advertisement intermediation device 200.

[0052] 5, the payment content providing unit 120 stores the advertisement ID of the advertisement viewed by the user in the user information 172. When the payment content providing unit 120 receives a notification (including, for example, the advertisement ID of the advertisement and the updated information content) from the advertisement intermediation device 200 that the advertisement content has been updated for the same advertisement target (the advertisement target associated with the same advertisement ID in the advertisement intermediation device 200) as the advertisement viewed by the user, the payment content providing unit 120 may display the updated information content on the payment app 20 by, for example, a push notification.

[0053] Furthermore, when the payment content providing unit 120 receives a notification from the advertisement intermediation device 200 that a new advertisement will be posted by the same advertiser (including, for example, the advertiser ID of an advertisement previously posted by the advertiser and new information content), the payment content providing unit 120 may display information content corresponding to the new advertisement in the payment app 20, for example, by push notification, to users who have previously viewed advertisements by the same advertiser, as identified by referring to the user information 172. Through these processes, the payment server 100 can provide electronic added value to users who have viewed the advertisement.

[0054] In addition, if the advertisement content is associated with a time period, such as the purchase object displayed in the advertisement being a ticket for a time-limited event, the payment application 20 may be notified of the event (the arrival of the period) in the form of a push notification before the period (for example, the day before or a few days before).

[0055] Additionally, the code image CD attached to the advertisement may be encoded with identification information for a product or service related to the advertisement. In this case, the payment application 20 may notify the payment server 100 of the identification information for the product or service, and, upon receiving the notification, the payment content providing unit 120 of the payment server 100 may cause the payment application 20 to display a screen that guides the user to electronic payment for the product corresponding to the identification information for the product or service. This allows for smooth support of electronic payments.

[0056] In addition, when the code image attached to the advertisement is read by a general-purpose code reader other than the payment app 20, the payment app 20 may be activated if the user terminal device 10 has the payment app 20 installed, and the user may be directed to a site that encourages the installation of the payment app 20 if the terminal device does not have the payment app 20 installed.

[0057] The results of grasping the number of advertisement views may be reflected in the search registration information 272. In this case, the matching information management unit 220 may register, for example, the number of advertisement views and the number of conversions in a unit period in the search registration information 272 so that they can be used for searches. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of search registration information 272A, which is another example of the search registration information 272. In addition to this, general categories of advertisement targets may also be added to the search registration information 272A.

[0058] According to the embodiment described above, it is possible for an advertiser to transmit information that targets users with attributes desired by the advertiser.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, it is possible to provide electronic added value to users who have viewed the advertisement.

[0060] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 30 Merchant terminal 40 Advertiser Terminal 100 Payment Server 120 Payment Contents Department 122 Display control unit 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 200 Advertising mediation device 210 Intermediary Content Provider 220 Matching Information Management Department 230 Search execution unit 240 Advertising FB Processing Unit 270 Storage section 272 Search Registration Information 274 Advertising Management Information

Claims

1. a matching information management unit that acquires rental information, including a location where an advertisement is to be placed in a desired location in a store of a member store, from a first device used by the member store that is a member of an electronic payment service, and stores the rental information together with attribute information of the member store or a user who uses the store as search registration information in a storage unit; a search execution unit that acquires search conditions specifying at least attribute information of the user from a second device used by an advertiser, and provides the second device with a result of searching the search registration information using the search conditions; an intermediary content provider that mediates a rental contract for the advertisement placement space between the affiliated store and the advertiser and provides the first device and the second device with content for the intermediation; An advertising intermediation device comprising:

2. the matching information management unit acquires attribute information of users who use the affiliated store or the shop based on payment history information of the electronic payment service; 2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

3. The payment history information includes at least identification information of the affiliated store or the store and information that can identify the user, the matching information management unit generates information indicating the user demographics of the affiliated store or the store by applying attribute information previously obtained for each user to a group of users who have made electronic payments at the affiliated store or the store, and acquires this information as attribute information of users who use the affiliated store or the store; 3. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 2.

4. the matching information management unit acquires user attribute information self-reported by the affiliated store or the store from the first device; 2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

5. The attribute information includes one or both of the user's age group and gender, 2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

6. The attribute information includes category information of the affiliated store or the store.

2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

7. The attribute information includes an average unit price of the affiliated store or the store.

2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

8. the matching information management unit acquires information indicating the viewing status of the advertisement, and adds statistical information based on the acquired information to the search registration information; 2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

9. the intermediary content providing unit acquires from the first device an image of the advertisement being posted in the posting location, and provides the image to the second device as evidence of the advertisement posting; 2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

10. further comprising an advertisement feedback processing unit that manages payment of advertisement fees from the advertiser to the affiliated store based on the viewing status of the advertisement; 2. The advertisement intermediation device according to claim 1.

11. An advertisement intermediation method executed by an advertisement intermediation device, Acquire rental information including a location of an advertisement to be placed in a desired location in the store of the affiliated store from a first device used by the affiliated store that is affiliated with the electronic payment service, and store the information in a storage unit as search registration information together with attribute information of the affiliated store or a user who uses the store; acquiring search conditions specifying at least attribute information of the user from a second device used by the advertiser, and providing the search results of the search registration information using the search conditions to the second device; Intermediating a rental contract for the advertisement placement space between the affiliated store and the advertiser, and providing content for the intermediation to the first device and the second device; An advertising mediation method comprising:

12. A processor of the advertisement intermediation device Acquire rental information including a location of an advertisement to be placed in a desired location in the store of the affiliated store from a first device used by the affiliated store that is affiliated with the electronic payment service, and store the information in a storage unit as search registration information together with attribute information of the affiliated store or a user who uses the store; acquiring search conditions specifying at least attribute information of the user from a second device used by the advertiser, and providing the search results of the search registration information using the search conditions to the second device; Intermediating a rental contract for the advertisement placement space between the affiliated store and the advertiser, and providing content for the intermediation to the first device and the second device; A program that executes the following.

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