Product selling system

Abstract

To provide a product selling system which allows a user to immediately purchase a product being sold in a shop.SOLUTION: A product selling system 1 according to the present invention comprises: a user terminal 10 owned by a user; a first management server 20 for managing product information including price information on a product sold in a shop; and a payment server 40 for executing payment. The user terminal 10 includes: a camera capable of reading a product code showing product information attached to a product; a display unit for displaying price information read by the camera; an input unit for accepting input as to whether to purchase the product based on the price information displayed on the display unit; and a communication unit for sending the product information on the product to the payment server when an operation for purchasing the product is executed on the input unit. The payment server 40 executes the payment processing of the received product when it receives the product information sent from the communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a product sales system that allows a user to purchase products sold in a store using a user terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a technology that enables a user to make a payment to a store by having a terminal (e.g., a barcode reader) installed in the store read code information (e.g., a barcode) displayed on a user terminal (e.g., a smartphone) carried by the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6513861 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the method described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that when a user purchases a product displayed in a store, they have to go through the trouble of lining up at the cash register, making the process of obtaining the product extremely complicated.

[0005] The present invention provides a product sales system that allows a customer to immediately purchase products sold in a store. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The product sales system of the present invention is a product sales system comprising a user terminal carried by a user, a management server that manages product information including price information of products sold in a store, and a payment server that performs payment, wherein the user terminal has a reading unit that can read product codes that indicate the product information assigned to each product, a display unit that displays the price information read by the reading unit, an input unit that accepts input as to whether or not to purchase the product based on the price information displayed on the display unit, and a transmission unit that, when an operation to purchase the product is performed on the input unit, transmits the product information of the product to the payment server, and the payment server, when it receives the product information transmitted from the transmission unit, performs payment processing for the received product. It should be noted that the "product code indicating the product information attached to the product" here refers to a product code attached directly to the product (e.g., a barcode or QR code (registered trademark)) or a product code attached to the product packaging, but also includes other codes such as a product code attached to the display shelf on which the product is displayed.

[0007] Preferably, the management server has a purchase history information storage unit that stores purchase history information of products purchased by a user at the store in association with user identification information that identifies the user, and a preference determination unit that determines the user's preferences based on the purchase history information stored in the purchase history information storage unit.

[0008] Preferably, the store further includes a second management server that manages purchased product information indicating products purchased by users at the store, the second management server having a purchased product information storage unit that stores purchasing user information including contact information of the purchasing user who purchased the product in association with the purchased product information indicating the product, an information disclosure unit that discloses the purchased product information stored in the purchased product information storage unit on a public site, a purchased product inquiry unit that receives inquiries from prospective purchasers who wish to purchase the products disclosed on the public site, and a community information generation unit that, when the purchased product inquiry unit receives an inquiry from a prospective purchaser, generates community information based on the contact information of the relevant purchasing user, for forming a community between the purchasing user and the prospective purchaser. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, even with a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to immediately purchase products sold in stores. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a product sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a user terminal constituting the product sales system. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a first management server constituting the product sales system. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a second management server constituting the product sales system. [Figure 5] 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a payment server constituting the product sales system. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in each storage unit of a user information storage unit and a product information storage unit of the first management server. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a purchase history information storage unit of the first management server. [Figure 8]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information stored in a purchase product information storage unit of the second management server. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a product sales process in the product sales system. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a resale product information registration process in the product sales system. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a product resale process in the product sales system. [Figure 12] 12 is a flowchart showing the continuation of the product resale process of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a user terminal during execution of a product sales process. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a user terminal during execution of a resale product information registration process. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a user terminal during execution of a product resale process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to designate the same parts, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a product sales system according to this embodiment.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the product sales system 1 of this embodiment is a system that can be used mainly when purchasing products sold in stores, and is composed of a user terminal 10, a first management server 20 as a management server, a second management server 30, and a payment server 40.

[0014] The user terminal 10 according to this embodiment is a terminal that is carried by a user and is used when using the product sales system 1.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the user terminal 10 includes a control unit 11, a memory unit 12, a display unit 13, an input unit 14, a communication unit 15 as a transmission unit, and a camera 16 as a reading unit, which are connected to each other via a bus 17.

[0016] As will be described in more detail below, the camera 16 according to this embodiment is primarily configured to be used as a device for reading product codes attached to products sold in stores. In the following explanation, a smartphone will be used as an example of the user terminal 10, but other terminals, i.e., other terminals equipped with a camera or terminals to which a camera can be added later, can also be used. Examples of such other terminals include tablets and laptops.

[0017] The first management server 20 according to this embodiment is a server for managing product information of products sold in a store (hereinafter simply referred to as a "store") to which the product sales system 1 is applied. The first management server 20 may be installed individually for each store, or may be installed in an operating company that manages multiple stores.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, the first management server 20 includes a control unit 21, a memory unit 22, a display unit 23, an input unit 24, and a communication unit 25, which are connected to each other via a bus 26.

[0019] The control unit 21 is a device that reads programs stored in the storage unit 22 and performs various processes, and is configured to include a product code generation unit 21A and a preference determination unit 21B.

[0020] The product code generation unit 21A controls the generation of product codes that uniquely identify products sold in the store. The product code is a coded version of product information (see FIG. 1, hereinafter referred to as "product code C") that is composed of product name information, manufacturer name information, production date information, price information, etc. for each product. Product information will be explained later.

[0021] Such product codes C include two-dimensional codes that can be read by a known code reader or the camera 16 of the user terminal 10, such as the known QR Code (registered trademark) (see FIG. 1, etc.) or barcodes. The product codes C can be attached to products or packaging materials, as well as to other items, such as shelves on which multiple products are displayed.

[0022] The preference determination unit 21B performs control to determine (guess) the preferences of a user based on, for example, the purchase history of products that the user has previously purchased at a store. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, when a user purchases a product at a predetermined store, the product information is stored as history information (see FIG. 7). The preference determination unit 21B is able to determine the tendency of each user to like products based on such history information.

[0023] The storage unit 22 is made of a semiconductor memory such as a ROM, and includes a user information storage unit 22A, a product information storage unit 22B, and a purchase history information storage unit 22C.

[0024] The user information storage unit 22A is a storage area that stores, for each user, personal information and the like that was input when the user registered with the first management server 20. For example, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the user information storage unit 22A stores, for each user ID, general personal information such as name, sex, age, etc., contact information such as telephone number, address, etc., as well as payment-related information (for example, credit card number) for linking with the payment server.

[0025] The product information storage unit 22B is a storage area that stores product information for products sold in the store. The product information is information that is set in advance by a store clerk or the like before the product is displayed in the store. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the product information storage unit 22B stores, for example, for each product ID, information such as a product image, product name, color, manufacturer name, production date, and sales price information.

[0026] The purchase history information storage unit 22C is a storage area that stores, for each user ID, history information about products that a user has purchased at a store. As shown in Fig. 7, the purchase history information storage unit 22C stores, for example, for each user ID, information similar to the product information stored in the product information storage unit 22B, that is, information such as product images, product names, colors, manufacturer names, product IDs, and sales prices, as well as information such as the sales dates.

[0027] 1, the second management server 30 according to this embodiment is a server that manages products purchased by users at stores and is also used when reselling the purchased products to other users. Note that, like the first management server 20, the second management server 30 may be installed individually for each store, or may be installed in a management company that manages multiple stores.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the second management server 30 includes a control unit 31, a memory unit 32, a display unit 33, an input unit 34, and a communication unit 35, which are connected to each other via a bus 36.

[0029] The control unit 31 is a device that reads programs stored in the storage unit 32 and performs various processes, and includes an information disclosure unit 31A, a purchased product inquiry unit 31B, and a community information generation unit 31C.

[0030] The information disclosure unit 31A controls the disclosure of purchase product information stored in the purchase product information storage unit 32A (described later) on a predetermined site. Specifically, the information disclosure unit 31A generates a list of purchase products purchased by the user at a store with images, and executes a process of uploading the list of purchase products to a predetermined site (see FIGS. 15(a) to 15(c)). This makes it possible for the purchase products purchased by the user at a store to be freely viewed not only by the user himself but also by an unspecified number of people. As will be described in more detail later, in this embodiment, the purchase products disclosed on the predetermined site can be purchased by people other than the user who purchased them (hereinafter referred to as "other users").

[0031] The purchased product inquiry unit 31B performs a process of accepting an inquiry from another user regarding a purchased product published on the predetermined site. Such an inquiry can be made, for example, by writing the inquiry content in a predetermined input form and then sending it to the second management server 30 (see FIG. 15(d)).

[0032] After the purchased product inquiry unit 31B receives an inquiry, the community information generation unit 31C controls the creation of an environment (community space) in which the other user who made the inquiry and the user who purchased the product at the store can communicate with each other. Specifically, when the purchased product inquiry unit 31B receives an inquiry, the community information generation unit 31C executes a process of generating an input form (see, for example, FIG. 15(d)) that enables communication between the two users based on the contact information (see FIG. 8) of the user who purchased the product at the store and the contact information of the other user who made the inquiry.

[0033] The storage unit 32 is made up of a semiconductor memory such as a ROM, and includes a user information storage unit 32A and a purchased product information storage unit 32A.

[0034] The user information storage unit 32A is a storage area that stores user information of users who use the second management server 30. The user information includes information equivalent to the user information stored in the user information storage unit 22A (see FIG. 6(a)) of the first management server 20, such as general personal information such as name, gender, and age, contact information such as telephone number, address, and payment-related information for linking with the payment server.

[0035] The user information stored in the user information storage unit 32A may be the user information stored in the user information storage unit 22A of the first management server 20 (see Figure 6(a)), or it may be the user information registered by the user to use the second management server 30.

[0036] As shown in Figure 8, the purchased product information storage unit 32B is a storage area that stores the purchased product information of the product, resale information required when reselling the product, etc., linked to the user information of the user who purchased the product at the store.

[0037] The purchasing user information and purchased product information stored in the purchased product information storage unit 32B can utilize, for example, user information (see Figure 6(a)) and purchase history information (see Figure 7) stored in the storage unit 22 (see Figure 3) of the first management server 20.

[0038] The resale information stored in the purchased product information storage unit 32B may include, for example, information regarding the intention to resell the purchased product, such as whether or not the purchaser intends to resell the product, and information indicating the desired resale price. The process of storing the resale information in the purchased product information storage unit 32b will be described later (see FIGS. 10 and 14).

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, the payment server 40 according to this embodiment is a server that performs payment processing for products between itself and the user terminal 10, similar to known payment servers.

[0040] 5, the payment server 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a communication unit 43, which are connected to each other via a bus 44. Since the payment server 40 is similar to known payment servers, detailed explanations of the control unit 41, the storage unit 42, and the communication unit 43 will be omitted.

[0041] Next, the product sales process, resale product information registration process, and product resale process in the product sales system 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 9 to 15. Note that the following description will be given on the assumption that applications for using the first management server 20 and the second management server 30 have already been installed in the user terminal 10.

[0042] First, the product sales process in the product sales system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 9, the product sales process according to this embodiment begins with the user starting a predetermined application on the user terminal 10 (step S101). Next, the user uses the user terminal 10 to read the product code C attached to the product (step S102). FIG. 13(a) shows the read product code C displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10. As described above, the product code C is not limited to being attached directly to products sold in a store (including tags attached to products) or to product packaging, but can also be attached to other objects, such as display shelves on which products are displayed.

[0044] Thereafter, when the product code C is read by the user terminal 10, images such as those shown in FIGS. 13(b) to (d) are displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10. In this embodiment, when such an image is displayed and the user taps the "Payment Complete" icon (see FIG. 13(d)), the purchase of the product is confirmed (step S103). When an operation to confirm the purchase of the product is performed, the user terminal 10 is configured to transmit purchase information including identification information for identifying the user terminal 10, purchase amount information, product information, etc. to the payment server 40 (step S104).

[0045] When the payment server 40 receives the purchase information sent from the user terminal 10, it performs payment processing (step S105) and then performs processing to send payment information indicating the details of the payment to the first management server 20 (step S106).

[0046] When the first management server 20 receives the payment information transmitted from the payment server 40, it performs a process of notifying that a product has been sold (product sales notification process) (step S107). From the viewpoint of crime prevention, it is preferable that such notification be configured to display, for example, product information (see FIG. 6(b)) of the sold product and user information (see FIG. 6(a)) of the user who purchased the product on the display unit 23 of the first management server 20. With this configuration, it is possible to infer that a person who is near the location where the product corresponding to the product information is displayed is the person who purchased the product, and by determining whether the person's identity generally matches the content of the user information (e.g., gender and age), it is possible to improve the accuracy of such inference.

[0047] After performing the product sales notification process in step S107, the first management server 20 performs a purchase history information registration process (step S108). Specifically, the first management server 20 executes a process of linking product information of the sold product with user information of the user who purchased the product and storing the information in the purchase history information storage unit 22C (see FIG. 7). This allows the store to know the user's preferred products, colors, price ranges, etc. after the fact. In other words, since the store can individually understand the user's preferences, it can provide the user with services such as issuing discount coupons that match the user's preferences, and as a result, it becomes possible for the store to efficiently plan an effective sales strategy.

[0048] After performing the purchase history information registration process in step S108, the first management server 20 performs a process of transmitting payment completion information indicating that the payment has been completed to the user terminal 10 (payment completion information transmission process) (step S109). As a result, an image indicating that the payment has been completed (see FIG. 13(e)) is displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10 (step S110).

[0049] After performing the payment completion information sending process in step S109, the first management server 20 performs a process (purchased product information, etc. sending process) to send to the second management server 30 the user information of the user who purchased the product, purchased product information indicating the product purchased at the store, store information of the store that sold the product, etc.

[0050] When the second management server 30 receives the user information, purchased product information, store information, etc. transmitted from the first management server 20, it performs a process of storing this information in the storage unit 32 (purchased product information, etc. storage process). Specifically, the second management server 30 performs a process of storing the user information, purchased product information, store information, etc. in association with each other in the purchased product information storage unit 32B (see FIG. 8).

[0051] In order to further enhance crime prevention, the first management server 20 can add a sales product monitoring process (step S113) for monitoring products sold in the store in addition to the processes of steps S107 to S109 and step S111 described above. Such a configuration can be realized, for example, by installing surveillance cameras in the store that automatically track the movement of products, and controlling the surveillance cameras so that purchased products are not monitored. This makes it easy to find the person carrying an unpurchased product when it is moved around the store.

[0052] Next, the resale product information registration process in the product sales system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0053] 10, the resale product information registration process according to this embodiment begins when the user launches a predetermined application on the user terminal 10 (step S201). Next, the user uses the user terminal 10 to perform an operation to view information on all purchased products that the user has purchased at the store (a purchase product information request operation) (step S202). This causes the user terminal 10 to transmit a signal to the second management server 40 requesting transmission of the purchase product information (step S203).

[0054] When the second management server 30 receives the purchase product information request signal sent from the user terminal 10, it searches and extracts all purchase product information including the user ID corresponding to the user terminal 10 from the information stored in the purchase product information storage unit 32B (see Figure 8) (step S204), and performs a process of sending this to the user terminal 10 (purchase product information sending process) (step S205).

[0055] When the user terminal 10 receives the purchased product information transmitted from the second management server 30, it performs a process of displaying the purchased product information on the display unit 13 (purchased product information display process) (step S206). Fig. 14(a) is a diagram showing an example of the purchased product information displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10.

[0056] If there are no resalable products among the purchased product information displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10, the user performs an operation to indicate this (step S207). Taking FIG. 13(a) as an example, the user performs an operation to tap the "Cancel" icon. On the other hand, if there are resalable products among the purchased product information displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10, the user performs an operation to select the product (step S208). Taking FIG. 13(a) as an example, the user selects a resalable product and then performs an operation to tap the "Select" icon. As a result, an image that allows the user to input a desired selling price, as shown in FIG. 13(b), is displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10 (step S209).

[0057] When the user inputs the desired selling price while the desired selling price input image as shown in Figure 13(b) is displayed on the user terminal 10 and then taps the "OK" icon (step S211), the user terminal 10 performs a process of transmitting information on resaleable resale products and desired selling price information to the second management server 30 (resale product information, etc. transmission process) (step S212).

[0058] When the second management server 30 receives the resale product information etc. transmitted from the user terminal 10, it performs a purchase product information update process (step S213). For example, when the second management server 30 receives "resale product information: XXXXX" and "desired selling price information: 1,000 yen" from the user terminal 10 of "purchasing user ID: XXXXX", it extracts a cell containing the information "purchasing user ID: XXXXX" and "purchased product information: XXXXX" from the information stored in the purchase product information storage unit 32B, and executes a process of writing information such as "sell intention: 〇" and "desired selling price (excluding tax): 1,000 yen" in the "resale information" field (see FIG. 8).

[0059] After performing the purchase product information update process in step S213, the second management server 30 performs a process of transmitting registration completion information indicating that the registration has been completed to the corresponding user terminal 10 (registration completion information transmission process) (step S214). As a result, an image indicating that the resalable product has been registered in the purchase product information storage unit 32B of the second management server 30 at the desired selling price input in the process of step S211 is displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10.

[0060] Next, the product resale process in the product sales system 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1, 11, 12, and 15. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the user terminal on the side reselling the product will be referred to as user terminal 10A, and the user terminal on the side purchasing the product will be referred to as user terminal 10B (see Figures 1 and 15).

[0061] As shown in FIG. 11, the product resale process according to this embodiment begins with the launch of a predetermined application on the user terminal 10B (step S301). When a predetermined operation is performed on the user terminal 10B to search for a product, a product search screen such as that shown in FIG. 15(a) is displayed (step S302). This allows the user to input the product name of the product they wish to purchase on this product search screen (step S303). When the product name of the product they wish to purchase is input, the user terminal 10B performs a process of transmitting information indicating the product name (searched product name information) to the second management server 30 (searched product name information transmission process) (step S304).

[0062] When the second management server 30 receives the searched product name information sent from the user terminal 10B, it searches and extracts the cell of the purchased product information corresponding to the searched product name information from the information stored in the purchased product information storage unit 32B (see Figure 8) (step S305), and performs a process of sending this to the user terminal 10B (search result information sending process) (step S306).

[0063] When the user terminal 10B receives the information regarding the purchased product information transmitted from the second management server 30, it performs a process of displaying the information (search result information display process) (step S307). FIG. 15(b) is a diagram showing an example of search result information displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10B. In this embodiment, when the image shown in FIG. 15(b) is displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10B and the user taps the image of the desired product (step S308), the screen switches to one that displays an overview of the product including the "desired price," as well as icons such as "Ask the seller" and "Purchase," as shown in FIG. 15(c).

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the image shown in Figure 15(c) is displayed on the display unit 13 of the user terminal 10B, tapping the "Ask the seller" icon switches to a screen including an inquiry form (see Figure 15(d)), while tapping the "Purchase" icon switches to a purchase confirmation screen (see Figure 15(f)) that confirms the purchase of the product.

[0065] When the "Send" icon is tapped on the inquiry form shown in Figure 15(d) after the inquiry content has been entered (step S309), the user terminal 10B sends information indicating the inquiry content (inquiry information) to the second management server 30 (step S310), and then displays on the display unit 13 a message such as "We will notify you when we receive a response from seller XXXXX on the display unit 13" (see Figure 13(e)).

[0066] When inquiry information is transmitted from user terminal 10B, second management server 30 performs a process (community information generation process) to generate community information for forming a community between the user who transmitted the inquiry information (the user on user terminal 10B) and the user who is the recipient of the inquiry (the user on user terminal 10A) (step S311). Specifically, second management server 30 executes a process to construct a contact form that enables users to contact each other via second management server 30, based on the contact information of each user stored in user information storage unit 32A (see FIG. 4). Note that, from the viewpoint of reducing the control burden on second management server 30, such community information can be deleted at a predetermined timing after the payment for a product described below is completed, for example, after the payment completion information display process in steps S323 and S324 described below is performed.

[0067] After performing the community information generation process in step S311, the second management server 30 performs a process (inquiry information transfer process) of transmitting the inquiry information transmitted from the user terminal 10B to the user terminal 10A of the user who is the inquiry destination (step S312). This makes it possible for the user terminal 10A to display the inquiry information transferred from the second management server 30 on the display unit 13.

[0068] After the user terminal 10A inputs a response to the transferred inquiry, and then performs an operation to send the response (response information), the user terminal 10A performs a process to send the response information to the second management server 30 (response information sending process) (step S313).

[0069] When the second management server 30 receives the answer information transmitted from the user terminal 10A, it performs a process of transmitting the answer information to the user terminal 10B (answer information transfer process) (step S314). This makes it possible for the user terminal 10B to display the answer information transferred from the second management server 30 on the display unit 13 (step S315).

[0070] Thereafter, when an operation for purchasing a product is performed, for example, when the "Payment" icon is tapped in the image of FIG. 15(f) displayed on the display unit 13 after the image of FIG. 15(c) (step S316 of FIG. 11 and step S317 of FIG. 12), the user terminal 10B performs a process (purchase information transmission process) of transmitting information indicating the purchase of the product (purchase information) to the payment server 40 (step S318 of FIG. 12). This purchase information includes at least identification information for identifying the user terminal 10B, payment-related information required for payment (e.g., a credit card number), and product purchase amount information. In the example shown in FIG. 15, when the "Payment" icon is tapped in the image of FIG. 15(f), an image as shown in FIG. 15(g) is displayed on the display unit 13.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 12, when the payment server 40 receives the purchase information sent from the user terminal 10B, it performs processing similar to the well-known payment processing (step S319) and performs a process (payment completion information sending process) of sending information indicating that the payment has been completed (payment completion information) to the second management server 30 (step S320).

[0072] Upon receiving the payment completion information transmitted from the payment server 40, the second management server 20 extracts a cell containing the purchase product information of the resold product from the purchase product information storage unit 32B (see FIG. 8 ) and performs a process (purchase product information registration process) of writing information such as “Resold: O” in the “Resale Information” field (step S321). At this time, the second management server 20 can also store information about the user who owns the resold product, such as information indicating that the user who owns the product has changed from a user who owns user terminal 10A to a user who owns user terminal 10B, in the purchase product storage unit 32B. This makes it possible to further resell the resold product using the product sales system 1.

[0073] After performing the purchase product information registration process in step S321, the second management server 20 performs a process (payment completion information transmission process) of transmitting information indicating that the payment for the resold product has been completed (payment completion information) to the mobile terminals 10A and 10B (step S322). This makes it possible to display the payment completion information on the display units 13, 13 of the mobile terminals 10A and 10B (steps S323 and S324). Figure 15(g) is a diagram showing an example of the payment completion information displayed on the display unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10B.

[0074] Thereafter, the user who owns the user terminal 10B can acquire the resold product by having the user who owns the user terminal 10A carry out shipping procedures and the like.

[0075] The sales system 1 of this embodiment comprises a user terminal 10 carried by a user, a first management server 10 that manages product information including price information for products sold in stores, and a payment server 40 that performs payment. The user terminal 10 has a camera 16 that can read product codes indicating product information assigned to each product, a display unit 13 that displays the price information read by the camera 16, an input unit 14 that accepts input as to whether or not to purchase the product based on the price information displayed on the display unit 13, and a communication unit 15 that, when an operation to purchase the product is performed on the input unit 14, transmits product information for the product to the payment server. The payment server 40 is configured to perform payment processing for the received product when it receives the product information transmitted from the communication unit 15. With this configuration, users can immediately purchase products sold in stores without having to wait in line at the cash register.

[0076] In addition, in the sales system 1 according to this embodiment, the first management server 10 has a purchase history information storage unit 22C that stores purchase history information of products purchased by a user at a store in association with user identification information that identifies the user, and a preference determination unit 21B that determines the user's preferences based on the purchase history information stored in the purchase history information storage unit 22C. With this configuration, the store can grasp the preferences of each user individually, and can provide services such as issuing discount coupons to the user in line with those preferences, thereby enabling the store to efficiently plan effective sales strategies.

[0077] Furthermore, the sales system 1 according to this embodiment further includes a second management server 30 that manages purchased product information indicating products purchased by users at stores. The second management server 30 includes a purchased product information storage unit 32B that stores purchasing user information, including contact information of the purchasing user who purchased the product, linked to purchased product information indicating the product; an information disclosure unit 31A that discloses the purchased product information stored in the purchased product information storage unit 32B on a public site; a purchased product inquiry unit 31B that accepts inquiries from prospective purchasers who wish to purchase the products disclosed on the public site; and a community information generation unit 31C that, when the purchased product inquiry unit 31B accepts an inquiry from a prospective purchaser, generates community information based on the contact information of the purchasing user in question, for forming a community between the purchasing user and the prospective purchaser. That is, in the product sales system 1 according to this embodiment, products purchased at a store are uploaded to a public site that can be viewed not only by the user who purchased the product but also by an indefinite number of people. Therefore, a user can resell a product purchased at a store on the public site simply by operating the user terminal 10. Furthermore, since a user can resell a product while communicating with other users who wish to purchase the product, the user can buy and sell products in a mutually satisfactory manner. Furthermore, in this case, it is expected that the users will deepen their friendships through the buying and selling of products, and in such a case, it is also possible to further expand the circle of communication to include other users.

[0078] The above-described embodiments do not limit the present invention, and modifications that do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0079] Furthermore, the structure, system, program, etc. of the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. That is, in the above embodiment, the preference determination unit 21B (see FIG. 3) is configured to automatically determine the user's preferences, but a store clerk or the like can also manually determine the preferences.

[0080] For example, it is possible to combine two or more components into one, or conversely, it is possible to configure one component from two or more separate components and connect them together. That is, in the above embodiment, the system is configured with two servers, the first management server 20 and the second management server 30, but it may be configured with one server, or it may be configured with three or more servers.

[0081] Furthermore, the above embodiment is merely one of the best modes currently available.

[0082] Furthermore, the control may be performed by a higher-level control section, or by a lower-level control section.

[0083] Furthermore, the order of control can be changed as appropriate as long as it has a predetermined effect. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1: Product sales system 2: Network 10: User terminal 11: Control section 12: Storage section 13: Display section 14: Input section 15: Communication unit (transmitter) 16: Camera (reader) 17: Bus 20: First Management Server (Management Server) 21: Control unit 21A: Product code generation unit 21B: Preference judgment section 22: Storage section 22A: User information storage unit 22B:Product information storage section 22C: Purchase history information storage unit 23:Display section 24: Input section 25: Communications Department 26: Bus 30: Second management server 31: Control unit 31A: Information Disclosure Department 31B: Purchase Product Inquiry Department 32: Storage section 32A: Purchased product memory section 33:Display section 34: Input section 35: Communications Department 36: Bus 40: Payment server 41: Control unit 42: Storage section 43: Communications Department 44: Bus C: Product code

Claims

1. A product sales system including a user terminal owned by a user, a management server that manages product information including price information of products sold in a store, and a payment server that performs payment, The user terminal a reading unit capable of reading a product code indicating the product information attached to the product; a display unit that displays the price information read by the reading unit; an input unit that receives an input as to whether or not to purchase the product based on the price information displayed on the display unit; a transmission unit that transmits the product information of the product to the payment server when an operation for purchasing the product is performed on the input unit; and The payment server, upon receiving the product information transmitted from the transmission unit, performs payment processing for the received product.

2. The management server a purchase history information storage unit that stores purchase history information of products purchased by a user at the store in association with user identification information that identifies the user; a preference determination unit that determines a user's preference based on the purchase history information stored in the purchase history information storage unit; The product sales system according to claim 1 , comprising:

3. The system further includes a second management server that manages purchased product information indicating products purchased by users at the store, The second management server a purchased product information storage unit that stores purchasing user information including contact information of a purchasing user who has purchased a product and the purchased product information indicating the purchased product in association with each other; an information publishing unit that publishes the purchased product information stored in the purchased product information storage unit on a publishing site; a purchase product inquiry unit that receives inquiries from users who wish to purchase products published on the publication site; a community information generating unit that, when the purchase product inquiry unit receives an inquiry from a user wishing to purchase, generates community information for forming a community between the purchasing user and the user wishing to purchase based on the contact information of the purchasing user; The product sales system according to claim 1 , comprising:

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