Value notification system, method and program

Abstract

To improve communication for conveying a benefit of purchase to a user in a system for giving some value to the user when the user performs the purchase at a store.SOLUTION: A system comprises: a function holding unit 21 which holds a function used for calculation of an amount of a value given to a user when the user performs purchase; a function determination unit 22 which determines the function used for the calculation of the amount of the value which can be given to the user according to the number of stores associated with the user; a value calculation unit 23 which calculates the amount of the value which can be given to the user by using the determined function; and a notification unit 62 which generates notification content for causing the user to grasp the calculated amount of the value to be output to a user terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to techniques for notifying a user of the amount of value that can be granted to the user. [Background technology]

[0002] A point management system has been proposed that records a user's purchase history, estimates the time when the user will make a new purchase and the amount to be paid for the new purchase based on the purchase history, obtains the planned number of points to be awarded to the user after the estimated time and the time when the planned number of points will be awarded, calculates the number of points that can be awarded prior to the obtained time based on the amount of payment and the planned number, awards the user the number of points at the estimated time, reduces the planned number by the number of points, and notifies the user that the number of points has been awarded (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-156211 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a user makes a purchase at a store, some value is given to the user to provide an incentive for the purchase.

[0005] However, the method for determining the amount of value that can be granted to a user is complicated, and there is room for improvement in communicating the benefits of the purchase to the user.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure aims to improve communication that conveys the benefits of a purchase to a user in a system that provides some value to the user when the user makes a purchase at a store. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One example of the present disclosure is a value notification system that includes a function storage means that stores a function used to calculate the amount of value that can be granted to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store; a function determination means that determines the function used to calculate the amount of value that can be granted to the user based on the number of stores associated with the user; a value calculation means that calculates the amount of value that can be granted to the user using the function determined by the function determination means; and a notification means that generates notification content to allow the user to understand the amount of value that can be granted to the user calculated for the user by the value calculation means, and outputs the notification content to the user's user terminal.

[0008] The present disclosure can be understood as an information processing device, a system, a method executed by a computer, or a program executed by a computer. The present disclosure can also be understood as such a program recorded on a recording medium readable by a computer or other device, machine, etc. Here, a recording medium readable by a computer, etc. refers to a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer, etc. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, in a system that provides some value to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store, it is possible to improve communication that conveys the benefits of the purchase to the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a functional configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a notification process according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a points management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a functional configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a system for awarding points in a campaign employed in an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating examples of notification screens that change depending on the number of stores where a purchase has been made, and are displayed on a user terminal in the first notification mode according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of notification screens that change depending on the number of stores where a purchase has been made, and are displayed on a user terminal in a second notification mode according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of notification screens that change depending on the number of stores where a purchase has been made, and are displayed on a user terminal in a third notification mode according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an overview of a notification process according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing system, an information processing device, a method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and the information processing system, the information processing device, the method, and the program according to the present disclosure are not limited to the specific configurations described below. In implementing the present disclosure, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted, and various improvements and modifications may be made.

[0012] [First embodiment] <System configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the functional configuration of an information processing system 100a according to this embodiment. The information processing system 100a according to this embodiment functions as an information processing system including a function storage unit 21a, a function determination unit 22a, a value calculation unit 23a, and a notification unit 62a by one or more processors interpreting and executing various programs deployed in various memories. While this embodiment describes an example in which these functions are all executed by a general-purpose processor, some or all of these functions may be implemented by one or more dedicated processors. Furthermore, each functional unit included in the information processing system 100a may be implemented remotely and / or in a distributed manner (e.g., on a cloud). Furthermore, these functional units may be implemented by multiple software modules rather than a single software module.

[0013] The function storage unit 21a stores a function used to calculate the amount of value to be granted to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store. Here, the type of store is not limited, and may be an online store or a physical store. Furthermore, the type of value to be granted to a user is not limited, and may be, for example, points, currency, miles, coupons, discount vouchers, discount rates, customer ranks, etc.

[0014] The function determination unit 22a determines a function used to calculate the amount of value that can be granted to a user based on the number of stores associated with the user. Here, the amount of value that can be granted to a user is not limited to the amount of value that will actually be granted to the user. The amount of value that can be granted to a user may be, for example, an estimated value or a rough estimate of the amount of value that will be granted to the user if the user makes a future purchase. Furthermore, the number of stores associated with a user may be, for example, the number of stores where the user made a purchase during a specified campaign period, or the number of stores visited by the user. Alternatively, the number of stores may be the number of stores counted under various conditions.

[0015] The value calculation unit 23a calculates the amount of value that can be given to the user using the function determined by the function determination unit 22a.

[0016] The notification unit 62a generates notification content for allowing the user to understand the amount of value that can be granted to the user, calculated for the user by the value calculation unit 23a, and outputs the notification content to the user terminal of the user.

[0017] <Processing flow> Next, the flow of processing executed in this embodiment will be described. Note that the specific content and processing order of the processing shown in the flowchart according to the embodiment are an example for implementing the present disclosure. The specific content and processing order may be selected as appropriate depending on the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of notification processing according to the first embodiment. The processing shown in this drawing is executed for each target user when a notification request is accepted or when a preset notification timing arrives.

[0019] First, the function determination unit 22a determines a function used to calculate the amount of value that can be granted to the user according to the number of stores associated with the target user (step S1). Then, the value calculation unit 23a calculates the amount of value that can be granted to the target user using the function determined in step S1 (step S2). Once the amount of value related to the target user has been calculated, the notification unit 62a generates notification content that allows the user to understand the amount of value that can be granted to the target user, which was calculated for the target user in step S2 (step S3), and outputs the notification content to the user terminal of the user (step S4). Thereafter, the processing shown in this flowchart ends.

[0020] According to the system of this embodiment, in a system that provides some value to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store, it is possible to improve communication that conveys the benefits of the purchase to the user.

[0021] [Second embodiment] In this embodiment, an embodiment will be described in which the information processing system, information processing device, method, and program according to the present disclosure are implemented in a point management system in which a predetermined point-granting campaign, which will be described later, is implemented. However, the information processing system, information processing device, method, and program according to the present disclosure can be widely used as a technology for notifying a user of the amount of value that can be granted, and the application of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples shown in the embodiment.

[0022] The point management system according to this embodiment manages value granted to a user in response to the user fulfilling a predetermined condition in an ecosystem in which multiple users are managed by user ID. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which so-called points are used as the value granted to the user (linked to the user ID of the user). A user can use the points granted to the user as a means of payment when purchasing goods or services or to receive other benefits. The conditions for granting points are not limited, and points may be granted for fulfilling other conditions, such as purchasing goods or services, applying for a campaign, signing a subscription contract, using a specified credit card, investing, trading cryptocurrency, reserving a service, or fulfilling other conditions. However, points may be points that can be used to cover part or all of the payment amount for a product purchase, or points that cannot be used for payment. The type of value granted to a user is not limited to points. For example, the value granted to a user may be value other than so-called points (e.g., currency, miles, coupons, discount coupons, discount rates, customer ranks, etc.). In this embodiment, "granting" is not limited to immediate granting and may also include setting a schedule for granting.

[0023] <System configuration> 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a point management system according to this embodiment. The system according to this embodiment includes one or more point processing servers 1, a data pipeline 3, a notification server 5, a point database 7a, a user attribute database 7b, one or more online store websites (hereinafter simply referred to as "online stores") 8a, one or more point-of-sale (POS) systems 8b installed in one or more brick-and-mortar stores, and one or more user terminals 9. The point processing server 1, the data pipeline 3, the notification server 5, the point database 7a, the online stores 8a, the POS systems 8b, and the user terminals 9 can access an account management server (not shown) to obtain information about users, such as user IDs, user membership status, and user attribute data. Furthermore, the system can verify the identity of users via the user IDs managed by the account management system.

[0024] The point processing server 1 is a server for providing point services to users. The point processing server 1 is a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage device 14 such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a communication unit 15 such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). However, the specific hardware configuration of the point processing server 1 can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. Furthermore, the point processing server 1 is not limited to a device consisting of a single housing. The point processing server 1 may be realized by multiple devices using technologies such as so-called virtualization, cloud computing, and distributed computing.

[0025] The data pipeline 3 is a pipeline that accepts input of various data, such as point data for each user or purchase data for each user, processed by the point processing server 1, and provides the point data for each user in response to requests from other servers, etc. Note that in this embodiment, an example using an asynchronous pipeline will be described in consideration of high-speed data processing, but the type of pipeline is not limited. The data pipeline 3 is a computer including a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a storage device 34, a communication unit 35, etc. However, the specific hardware configuration of the data pipeline 3 can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. Furthermore, the data pipeline 3 is not limited to a device consisting of a single housing. The data pipeline 3 may be realized by multiple devices using technologies such as so-called virtualization, cloud computing, and distributed computing.

[0026] The notification server 5 is a server for notifying a user of the amount of points that can be awarded to the user. The notification server 5 is a computer including a CPU 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a storage device 54, a communication unit 55, etc. However, the specific hardware configuration of the notification server 5 can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. Furthermore, the notification server 5 is not limited to a device consisting of a single housing. The notification server 5 may be realized by multiple devices using technologies such as so-called virtualization, cloud computing, and distributed computing.

[0027] The point database 7a is a database that manages the amount of points granted to users. The user attribute database 7b is a database that manages various attribute data related to users. The point database 7a and the user attribute database 7b are each computers equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, storage device, communication unit, etc. (not shown). However, the specific hardware configuration of the point database 7a and the user attribute database 7b can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. The point database 7a and the user attribute database 7b are not limited to devices consisting of a single housing. The point database 7a and the user attribute database 7b may be realized by multiple devices using technologies such as so-called virtualization, cloud computing, and distributed computing.

[0028] The online store 8a is a server that users connect to using a user terminal 9 to perform processes such as browsing product / service details, adding / removing from a shopping cart, and purchasing. The online store 8a is a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, a storage device, a communication unit, etc. (not shown). However, the specific hardware configuration of the online store 8a can be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. Furthermore, the online store 8a is not limited to a device consisting of a single housing. The online store 8a may be realized by multiple devices using technologies such as virtualization, cloud computing, and distributed computing.

[0029] The POS system 8b is a system installed at a location where a user purchases goods or services, such as a brick-and-mortar store, and is used to process payments for the purchase of goods or services. The POS system 8b is a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, a storage device, a communication unit, an input device, an output device, and other devices (not shown). The POS system 8b includes an input device 36, such as a keyboard or touch panel, as well as a device for reading user identification information, such as an optical code reader or RFID reader. However, the specific hardware configuration of the POS system 8b may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, instead of a conventional POS register terminal, the POS system 8b may be a so-called smartphone equipped with a touch panel display as an input / output device and on which a user can install and run desired applications. The type of device that can be used as the POS system 8b is not limited to a device consisting of a single housing. The POS system 8b may be implemented using multiple devices using technologies such as virtualization, cloud computing, and distributed computing.

[0030] The user terminal 9 is a terminal device used by a user. The user terminal 9 is a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, storage device, communication unit, input device, output device, etc. (not shown). Furthermore, the user terminal 9 is not limited to a device consisting of a single housing. The user terminal 9 may be realized by multiple devices using technologies such as so-called virtualization, cloud computing, and distributed computing. Users use various services provided by the point processing server 1 and notification server 5 via these user terminals 9.

[0031] 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the functional configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment. The point processing server 1 functions as an information processing device comprising a function storage unit 21, a function determination unit 22, a value calculation unit 23, and a value granting unit 24, by having a program recorded in a storage device 14 read into a RAM 13 and executed by a CPU 11, which controls each piece of hardware provided in the point processing server 1. Note that in this embodiment and other embodiments described below, each function provided in the point processing server 1 is executed by the CPU 11, which is a general-purpose processor, but some or all of these functions may be executed by one or more dedicated processors.

[0032] The function storage unit 21 stores a function used to calculate the amount of points that will be awarded to a user when the user makes a purchase at the online store 8a or a physical store, based on the user's purchase details and / or purchase history.

[0033] The amount of points awarded in response to a user's purchase of a product or service may be determined based on the purchase amount. In this embodiment, a function for calculating the point amount is used to determine the amount of points awarded based on the purchase amount. In the system according to this embodiment, a point-awarding campaign is conducted in which a function for calculating the amount of points awarded to a user in response to a purchase of a product or service is set to a function that is more advantageous to the user as the user fulfills predetermined, tiered conditions. This campaign effectively encourages users to make more purchases during the campaign. More specifically, for example, a campaign is conducted in which a function for calculating the amount of points awarded to a user is set to a function that is more advantageous to the user as the user purchases from more stores during the campaign period. This campaign effectively encourages users to make purchases from more stores during the campaign.

[0034] However, even in the case of campaigns that are advantageous to users as described above, it is difficult to convey to users the effect that "the more stores a user purchases from, the more advantageous a function will be set for that user," and there is a problem in effectively conveying the benefits that users can gain from the campaign to users who have never used the campaign or who have used it relatively infrequently.

[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates a campaign point system employed in this embodiment. In this campaign, if a user who has entered the campaign makes purchases (hereinafter referred to as "campaign-eligible purchases") of a predetermined amount (e.g., 1,000 yen; the predetermined amount and other amounts exemplified in this embodiment may be either tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive) at multiple stores during the campaign period, the point multiplier increases according to the number of stores purchased from. (For example, the point multiplier increases by 2x, 3x, and so on from the second store onward, up to a maximum of 10x.) Points awarded for campaign-eligible purchases during the campaign period are calculated based on the final multiplier. In other words, in this campaign, with each new campaign-eligible purchase, campaign points (hereinafter referred to as "bonus points") are awarded retroactively for past campaign-eligible purchases (however, a cap may be set on bonus points). Of the points earned for purchases during the campaign, points with a point multiplier of 1x are awarded regardless of the campaign (hereinafter referred to as "regular points"). Therefore, in the example shown in this embodiment, the bonus points awarded at the nth store through the campaign are (n-1) times the normal points.

[0036] If the number of stores purchased during the campaign is one or more, the total number of bonus points from the campaign (excluding regular points awarded regardless of the campaign) is calculated using the following formula. However, the formula used for the calculation is not limited to the example shown below. The specific formula used for the calculation may be selected appropriately depending on the parameters available in the embodiment and the resources for calculation. Bonus points = (total regular points earned from campaign-eligible purchases) * (number of stores purchased during the campaign - 1)

[0037] That is, if the number of stores from which purchases were made during the campaign is one or more, the increase in bonus points when a new purchase is made at a new store during the campaign is calculated using the following formula. However, the formula used for the calculation is not limited to the example shown below. The specific formula used for the calculation may be selected as appropriate depending on the parameters obtainable in the embodiment and the resources for calculation. Bonus points increase = (regular points earned from new purchases) * (number of stores purchased during the campaign - 1) + (total regular points earned from campaign-eligible purchases (excluding regular points earned from new purchases))

[0038] In the above formula, a "campaign-eligible purchase" is a purchase of a specified amount or more that is eligible for the campaign, and "regular points" are points awarded regardless of the campaign. For example, if the base point multiplier is 1%, a purchase of 1,000 yen will earn 10 regular points. Therefore, the "total regular points earned from campaign-eligible purchases" does not include regular points awarded for purchases of less than a specified amount that are not eligible for the campaign. Furthermore, the "number of stores purchased during the campaign" does not include stores where purchases of less than a specified amount were made that are not eligible for the campaign. Furthermore, because regular points are awarded regardless of the campaign, they are excluded from the bonus points awarded for the campaign by subtracting 1 from the number of stores purchased during the campaign. If the number of stores purchased during the campaign is 0, only regular points will be awarded to the user, and thus the bonus points will be 0.

[0039] That is, in the campaign according to this embodiment, each time a purchase is made at a new store, the point multiplier (a function determined based on the above formula) becomes more advantageous depending on the number of stores from which the purchase has been made (however, an upper limit may be set for the point multiplier), and the newly applied point multiplier is retroactively applied to previous purchases during the campaign period (however, an upper limit may be set for the number of points that can be earned during the campaign period). However, it is difficult to communicate to users that the point multiplier that becomes more advantageous each time a purchase is made at a new store is retroactively applied to previous purchases during the campaign period. This poses a problem in effectively communicating the benefits that users can gain from the campaign to users who have never used the campaign or who use it relatively infrequently. The system described in this embodiment includes a configuration for solving this problem.

[0040] The function determination unit 22 determines a function used to calculate the amount of points that can be awarded to a user, depending on the number of stores associated with the user. As described above, in this embodiment, the calculation is performed based on the above formula, and the formula includes the "number of stores where the user made purchases during the campaign" as a coefficient, so the more stores the user makes purchases from, the more advantageous the function determined for the user. In this embodiment, the function determination unit 22 determines a function (hereinafter referred to as an "awarded points calculation function") used to calculate the amount of points actually awarded to the user (hereinafter also referred to as "awarded points"), depending on the number of stores where the user made purchases within a predetermined period.

[0041] However, the amount of points that can be awarded to a user calculated in this embodiment is not limited to the amount of points that will actually be awarded to the user. The amount of points that can be awarded to a user may be, for example, the amount of points that can be awarded to the user if the user makes a purchase in the future. In this case, the function determination unit 22 determines a function (hereinafter referred to as a "potential point calculation function") that is used to calculate the amount of potential / expected points (hereinafter also referred to as "potential points") that will be awarded to the user if the user makes a purchase in the future, based on the number of stores where the user will make purchases if the user makes the future purchase.

[0042] The value calculation unit 23 calculates the amount of value (points in this embodiment) that can be awarded to the user using the function (award point calculation function or potential point calculation function) determined by the function determination unit 22. In this embodiment, when the user makes a purchase at a store, the value calculation unit 23 calculates the amount of awarded points to be awarded to the user using the awarded point calculation function determined by the function determination unit 22. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the value calculation unit 23 calculates the amount of potential points that can be awarded to the user for a future purchase by the user (a third notification mode, described later), using the potential point calculation function determined by the function determination unit 22, based on a hypothetical purchase history and hypothetical purchase contents when it is assumed that the user makes a purchase with hypothetical purchase contents.

[0043] When a user makes a purchase at a store, the value granting unit 24 grants the user the amount of grant value (points in this embodiment) calculated by the value calculation unit 23. The points may be granted immediately after calculation, or may be granted at a predetermined timing (for example, at the end of a campaign) after a reservation for granting has been made.

[0044] The data pipeline 3 functions as an information processing device including a first data acquisition unit 41, a second data acquisition unit 42, and a data processing unit 43, by reading a program recorded in the storage device 34 into the RAM 33 and executing it by the CPU 31, which controls each piece of hardware included in the data pipeline 3. Note that in this embodiment and other embodiments described later, each function included in the data pipeline 3 is executed by the CPU 31, which is a general-purpose processor, but some or all of these functions may be executed by one or more dedicated processors.

[0045] The first data acquisition unit (first data input interface) 41 sequentially accepts input of data that allows the amount of points that have been awarded or reserved as a result of a user making a purchase at a store with a first attribute (in this embodiment, a physical store that the user actually visits to make a purchase). In this embodiment, the first data acquisition unit 41 accepts input of purchase data transmitted from the POS system 8b and point data that has been calculated by the value calculation unit 23 for the purchase data and awarded by the value awarding unit 24.

[0046] The second data acquisition unit (second data input interface) 42 sequentially accepts input of data that allows the amount of points that have been granted or reserved as a result of a user making a purchase at a store with a second attribute (in this embodiment, the online store 8a where the user makes the purchase via the user terminal 9). In this embodiment, the second data acquisition unit 42 accepts input of purchase data sent from the online store 8a and point data that has been calculated by the value calculation unit 23 for the purchase data and granted by the value granting unit 24.

[0047] The data processing unit (asynchronous data pipeline) 43 acquires the amount of points granted or reserved for the user based on the data related to the physical store acquired by the first data acquisition unit 41 and the data related to the online store 8a acquired by the second data acquisition unit 42, and sequentially outputs the acquired amount of points linked to the user. That is, in this embodiment, the data pipeline 3 integrates data input from multiple different data input interfaces by pipeline processing.

[0048] The notification server 5 functions as an information processing device including a notification mode determination unit 61 and a notification unit 62, by having a program recorded in the storage device 54 read into the RAM 53 and executed by the CPU 51, which controls each piece of hardware included in the notification server 5. In this embodiment and other embodiments described later, each function included in the notification server 5 is executed by the CPU 51, which is a general-purpose processor, but some or all of these functions may be executed by one or more dedicated processors.

[0049] The notification mode determination unit 61 acquires user attribute data from the user attribute database 7b, and determines the notification mode for the user based on the acquired attribute data. The acquired attribute data may include general attribute data indicating the user's age, sex, residential area, annual income, assets, etc., as well as attribute data for each user group and data on the appeal effect of the notification on the user.

[0050] In this embodiment, the notification mode determination unit 61 acquires, as user attribute data, appeal effect data of the notification content notified by the notification unit 62 to the user or a user group having attributes common to the user, and determines the notification mode for the user based on the acquired appeal effect. Specifically, the appeal effect data may be, for example, reaction data indicating whether a user who received a past notification participated in a campaign in response to the past notification (in this embodiment, whether the user shopped at multiple stores), whether the user confirmed the content of the past notification, or whether the user accessed a link included in the past notification, or may be statistical data calculated for each notification mode (such as a campaign participation rate or a purchase quantity / amount during a campaign). Furthermore, which appeal effect data to use may be determined according to the attributes of the user or user group.

[0051] For example, for a light user group whose number of campaign participations or purchase volume / amount is less than a predetermined value, the campaign participation rate may be referenced as appealing effect data, while for a heavy user group whose number of campaign participations or purchase volume / amount is greater than a predetermined value, the purchase volume / amount during the campaign may be referenced as appealing effect data. By acquiring such appealing effect data and determining the notification mode, it is possible to observe which notification mode is effective and adopt an effective notification mode. Furthermore, the notification mode determination unit 61 may determine the notification mode for each campaign, every predetermined period (e.g., every three days), or each time a notification is sent (i.e., in real time). Furthermore, the notification mode may be determined each time a user makes a target purchase at a new store during a campaign, thereby determining the notification mode that is predicted to be most appealing to the target user at each stage of the campaign.

[0052] The specific content of the process for determining the notification mode based on the attribute data is not limited, but for example, the notification mode determination unit 61 can determine the notification mode based on the attribute data using a learning model that has learned the relationship between the attribute data and the notification mode that has achieved a favorable appeal effect (for example, an effect equal to or greater than a threshold or an effect that can be determined to be statistically significant). Furthermore, the notification mode determination unit 61 may determine the notification mode based on the attribute data by searching for a highly effective notification mode from a table that records the relationship between the attribute data and the retroactive effect of each notification mode.

[0053] In this embodiment, one or more of three notification modes, namely, a first notification mode, a second notification mode, and a third notification mode, are determined and used to notify the user. Here, the first notification mode and the second notification mode are notification modes that notify the user based on the amount of points granted or reserved for the user by the value granting unit 24, and the third notification mode is a notification mode that allows the user to know the amount of potential points calculated for the user by the value calculation unit 23.

[0054] FIG. 6 shows an example of a notification screen displayed on the user terminal 9 in the first notification mode of this embodiment, which changes depending on the number of stores where the purchase was made. The first notification mode notifies the user of the amount of points granted or reserved by the value granting unit 24. In this example, until the bonus points reach the upper limit that can be earned through the campaign, the notification is made in the message format "Participating in campaign <User name>'s expected points to be earned <Bonus points>." The bonus point calculation function is as described above. Since regular points granted regardless of the campaign are not included in the bonus points, 0 points are displayed when the number of stores where the purchase was made is 0 or 1, and actual bonus points are displayed when the number of stores where the purchase was made is 2 or more. Note that in this example, bonus points are reserved for granting and then actually granted to the user at the end of the campaign, so they are displayed as "Expected Points to be Acquired" in the figure.

[0055] In this embodiment, in any of the first to third notification modes, when the maximum number of bonus points that can be earned through a campaign is reached, a notification is sent in the message format of "Participating in the campaign, <user name>, you're steadily earning points!" In addition, in any of the first to third notification modes, the notification screen includes the message "Shop and get points" along with a link to the product page, store page, shopping mall page, etc., for the eligible purchase.

[0056] FIG. 7 shows an example of a notification screen displayed on the user terminal 9 in the second notification mode of this embodiment, which changes depending on the number of stores from which purchases have been made. The second notification mode notifies the user of the remaining number of points (the remaining number of points the user can earn) until the amount of points awarded or reserved to the user reaches the campaign limit. In this example, when the number of stores from which purchases are made is 0, the notification is made in the message format "Participating in the campaign. Points increase for each store you shop at. A chance to earn points > point limit by shopping around." When the number of stores from which purchases are made is 1, the notification is made in the message format "Participating in the campaign. 1 store achieved! Keep shopping to earn more points. A chance to earn points > point limit by shopping around." As described above, when the number of stores from which purchases are made is 0 or 1, the bonus points are 0, so the message displays the bonus point limit (e.g., 7,000 points).

[0057] When the number of stores you have purchased from is 2 or more, you will be notified in the message format, "<Number of stores you have purchased from> stores reached! Keep shopping and have a chance to earn <Point limit - Bonus points> points." In other words, when the number of stores you have purchased from is 2 or more, the amount of points that has been subtracted from the bonus points will be displayed.

[0058] FIG. 8 shows an example of a notification screen displayed on the user terminal 9 in a third notification mode according to this embodiment, which changes depending on the number of stores from which the user has made purchases. The third notification mode notifies the user of the amount of potential points expected to be earned if the user makes a purchase at the next store. In this example, when the number of stores from which the user has made purchases is zero, the notification is sent in a message format that explains the campaign and notifies the user of the amount of potential points that will be earned if the conditions are met: "Participating in a campaign: <User name> first purchases products worth 1,000 yen or more from two stores to receive +<potential points> points or more." That is, when the number of stores from which the user has made purchases is zero, the value calculation unit 23 calculates potential points by using the function in the formula for calculating the "bonus point increment" described above, but setting the "number of stores purchased during the campaign" to 2, and then calculating the "total regular points earned from campaign-eligible purchases" as the total regular points that would be awarded if the user made two 1,000 yen purchases. However, since the potential points calculated here will be the same if the assumed conditions and the regular point multiplier are fixed, a preset fixed value may be used for notification.

[0059] When the number of stores purchased from reaches one or more, a notification is sent in the message format: "Participating in campaign: <Number of stores purchased from> shops achieved! <User name> will receive at least +<potential points> points if he / she purchases a product worth 1,000 yen or more at the following store." In other words, when the number of stores purchased from reaches one or more, the value calculation unit 23 calculates the potential points that would be added to the bonus points if a new purchase were made at the next store during the campaign, using a potential points calculation function obtained by setting the number of stores in the formula for calculating "potential points" below. Here, the formula for calculating "potential points" is the same as above, except that the parameters of the formula for calculating the "bonus point increase" are replaced with parameters for calculating the increase in bonus points if a hypothetical purchase were made. In this example, the calculation is performed using a hypothetical amount of 1,000 yen. Potential points = (regular points you would earn if you made a hypothetical purchase at the next store) * (number of stores where you would have made a purchase during the campaign if you made a hypothetical purchase at the next store - 1) + (total regular points earned from campaign purchases)

[0060] The third notification mode can encourage users to make purchases by notifying them of the number of points they will receive if they make a future purchase. In particular, even for users who have only a small number of points actually received, notifying them of the number of points they will receive if they make a future purchase can visualize the benefits they will receive from future purchases. Furthermore, because the campaign structure dictates that the more stores a user purchases from, the greater the number of bonus points they will receive for their next purchase. By visualizing this, users can be encouraged to continue participating in the campaign. However, the third notification mode only displays a relatively small number of points until they have completed purchases at two stores. Therefore, for users who have purchased from a small number of stores or whose potential points that can be notified are below a predetermined threshold, notification can be provided using other notification modes, such as the second notification mode. The third notification mode can then be adopted when the user has completed purchases at two stores or when their potential points that can be notified exceed a predetermined threshold.

[0061] Furthermore, when a notification is made in the third notification mode, the message format may be different depending on whether the specific product is unknown or whether the specific product can be identified or estimated (for example, when the product details screen is displayed, or when the purchase procedure screen is displayed after adding the product to the cart). For example, when the specific product is unknown, as in the example above, it may display "If you purchase a product worth 1,000 yen or more at the next shop, you will receive +<potential points> or more points," but when the specific product can be identified or estimated, it may calculate potential points based on the identified or estimated product (for example, the product in the cart) and display "+<potential points> points with this purchase."

[0062] The notification unit 62 generates notification content for allowing the user to understand the amount of points that can be granted to the user, which is calculated for the user by the value calculation unit 23, and outputs the notification content to the user terminal 9 of the user. As described above, the amount of points that can be granted to the user is not limited to the amount of points that will actually be granted to the user, and the amount of points that can be granted to the user may be, for example, the amount of points that will be granted to the user when the user makes a future purchase. The notification unit 62 generates at least one of notification content (first notification mode or second notification mode) based on the amount of points granted or reserved for the user by the value granting unit 24 and notification content (third notification mode) for allowing the user to understand the amount of potential points calculated for the user by the value calculation unit 23, in the notification mode determined by the notification mode determination unit 61, and outputs the notification content to the user terminal 9 of the user.

[0063] Furthermore, the notification unit 62 may notify the user of other information in addition to the content described above as the first to third notification modes. For example, the notification unit 62 may extract a list of recommended products that are eligible for the campaign, a list of products that are worth more than the assumed amount set as future purchases in the calculation of potential points, and notify the user of these, along with the point notification. Furthermore, the notification unit 62 may notify the user of an explanation of the campaign content or a link to a page that provides information about the campaign content, along with the point notification.

[0064] <Processing flow> Next, a flow of processing executed by the information processing system according to this embodiment will be described. Note that the specific content and processing order of the processing described below are an example for implementing the present disclosure. The specific content and processing order may be selected as appropriate depending on the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] 9 is a flowchart showing an outline of the notification process according to this embodiment. The process shown in this figure is executed for each target user when a point notification request from the user terminal 9 is accepted or when a preset push notification timing arrives.

[0066] When displaying the screen on which the point notification is displayed, the user terminal 9 requests a point notification by accessing a URL included in the display program of the screen. The screen on which the point notification is displayed may be, for example, a user's point management screen, a superimposed screen (a modal window, a pop-up window, a dialog box, etc.), a campaign page, etc.

[0067] Examples of timings for executing the notification process include when the online store 8a or a product is searched for, when the page for the online store 8a or a product is accessed, when the purchase process is performed, when the purchase process is completed, when the point management screen is accessed, when the page for the shopping mall to which the online store 8a belongs is accessed, when a campaign page is accessed, when a purchase history page is accessed, when a favorites page is accessed, and when a preset push notification is sent. By notifying the user of the amount of points that may be awarded for a future purchase (e.g., a purchase at a next store) at the completion of the purchase process, it is possible to encourage the user to visit the next store or make further purchases. Alternatively, a push notification prompting the user terminal 9 to check their points may be sent at any timing, and the points may be notified by accessing a URL set in the push notification. The notification may be sent at a timing and in a manner that does not interfere with the purchase operation or process.

[0068] In steps S101 to S103, the notification mode of the point notification to the target user is determined. The notification mode determination unit 61 acquires attribute data of the target user from the user attribute database 7b (step S101) and determines the notification mode for the user based on the acquired attribute data (step S102). Note that the notification mode for each user may be predetermined by the notification mode determination unit 61 before the execution of the notification process. In that case, the processes of steps S101 and S102 may be omitted. That is, the notification mode determination unit 61 can determine and set the notification mode for each user at any or predetermined timing, independent of the execution of the notification process. If the determined notification mode is the first notification mode or the second notification mode (YES in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if the determined notification mode is the third notification mode (NO in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105.

[0069] In step S104, the bonus points of the target user are acquired. The notification unit 62 identifies the target user using the user ID and acquires the bonus points of the target user from the data processing unit 43 of the data pipeline 3. The bonus points acquired here are calculated by the value calculation unit 23 using the above formula that calculates bonus points based on the target user's "total number of regular points earned from campaign-eligible purchases" and "number of stores where purchases were made during the campaign," and are awarded to the target user by the value awarding unit 24. Processing then proceeds to step S106.

[0070] In step S105, the potential points of the target user are obtained. The notification unit 62 identifies the target user using the user ID and obtains the potential points for the target user calculated by the value calculation unit 23. As described with reference to FIG. 8, the calculation conditions for the potential points vary depending on the number of stores where the user made purchases during the campaign, and therefore the calculation conditions may be notified to the value calculation unit 23 by the notification unit 62 according to the notification mode. Then, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0071] In steps S106 and S107, notification content is generated and notified. The notification unit 62 generates actual notification content according to the determined notification mode and the number of stores where the user made purchases during the campaign (step S106), and notifies the user terminal 9 (step S107). Here, the specific notification content has been described with reference to Figures 6 to 8, so description thereof will be omitted. Thereafter, the processing shown in this flowchart ends.

[0072] <Effects> According to the system of this embodiment, it is possible to effectively notify users of the benefits they can obtain by purchasing at a store by personalizing the notification mode (display mode) according to the user's attributes, behavior (reaction), etc. Furthermore, it is possible to improve the campaign utilization rate (transaction volume) by users, and to improve the user experience and satisfaction in shopping.

[0073] <Variations> However, the specific contents of the system described in this embodiment are an example of applying the technology disclosed herein and are not limited to the specific example disclosed in this embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a brick-and-mortar store is exemplified as a store with a first attribute and an online store is exemplified as a store with a second attribute. However, the first attribute store and the second attribute store may have different attributes in at least one of the processing route and data format of data (purchase data and point data) output in connection with purchases at the store, and are not limited to the examples given in this embodiment. For example, online stores that process points using different point processing servers can also benefit from the data pipeline as a store with a first attribute and a store with a second attribute. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Point Processing Server 3. Data Pipeline 5 Notification Server 7a Points Database 7b User attribute database 8a Online Store 8b POS system 9 User terminals

Claims

1. a function storage means for storing a function used to calculate the amount of value to be granted to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store; a function determination means for determining a function used to calculate the amount of value that can be granted to a user in accordance with the number of stores associated with the user; a value calculation means for calculating an amount of value that can be granted to the user using the function determined by the function determination means; a notification means for generating a notification content for allowing the user to understand the amount of value that can be granted to the user calculated for the user by the value calculation means, and outputting the notification content to a user terminal of the user; A value notification system comprising:

2. the function determination means determines a function used to calculate the amount of value to be granted to a user in accordance with the number of stores at which the user has made a purchase; the value calculation means calculates an amount of value to be granted to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store, using the function determined by the function determination means; The value notification system a value granting means for granting the calculated amount of value to the user or granting the calculated amount of value to the user after reservation; and a notification mode determining means for determining a notification mode for the user based on the acquired attribute data. the notification means generates notification content based on the amount of value granted or reserved to the user by the value granting means in a notification format determined by the notification format determining means, and outputs the notification content to the user terminal of the user; The value notification system of claim 1 .

3. The notification mode determination means acquires, as the user's attribute data, an appeal effect of the notification content notified by the notification means to the user or a group of users having attributes common to the user, and determines a notification mode for the user based on the acquired appeal effect. The value notification system according to claim 2 .

4. the function determination means determines the function to be used in calculating the amount of value to be granted to the user when the user makes a future purchase, in accordance with the number of stores where the user will make a purchase when the user makes the future purchase; the value calculation means calculates the amount of potential value that can be granted to the user in a future purchase by the user, using the function determined by the function determination means, based on a hypothetical purchase history and hypothetical purchase contents in a case where it is assumed that the user makes a purchase with the hypothetical purchase contents; the notification means generates notification content for allowing the user to understand the amount of potential value calculated for the user by the value calculation means, and outputs the notification content to a user terminal of the user; The value notification system of claim 1 .

5. the function determination means determines a function used to calculate the amount of value to be granted to a user in accordance with the number of stores at which the user has made a purchase, and determines the function used to calculate the amount of value to be granted to the user when the user makes a future purchase in accordance with the number of stores at which the user will make a purchase when the user makes the future purchase; the value calculation means calculates the amount of value to be granted to the user when the user makes a purchase at a store using the function determined by the function determination means, and also calculates the amount of potential value that can be granted to the user in a future purchase by the user using the function determined by the function determination means based on a hypothetical purchase history and hypothetical purchase contents in the event that the user makes a purchase with hypothetical purchase contents; a value granting means for granting the calculated amount of value to the user or granting the calculated amount of value to the user after reservation; and a notification mode determining means for determining a notification mode for the user based on the acquired attribute data. the notification means generates at least one of notification content based on the amount of value granted or reserved to the user by the value granting means and notification content for allowing the user to understand the amount of potential value in a notification format determined by the notification format determination means, and outputs the notification content to the user terminal of the user; The value notification system according to claim 2 .

6. a first data acquisition means for sequentially receiving input of data that allows the amount of value granted or reserved by a user as a result of the user making a purchase at a store with a first attribute to be ascertained; a second data acquisition means for sequentially receiving input of data that allows the amount of value granted or reserved by a user as a result of the user making a purchase at a store having a second attribute to be ascertained; a data processing means for acquiring an amount of value granted or reserved for the user based on data relating to the store having the first attribute acquired by the first data acquisition means and data relating to the store having the second attribute acquired by the second data acquisition means, and sequentially outputting the acquired amount of value in association with the user; The value notification system of claim 1 further comprising:

7. the store having the first attribute is a physical store that the user actually visits to make a purchase, The store with the second attribute is an online store where the user makes a purchase via a user terminal. The value notification system according to claim 6.

8. The computer a function storage step for storing a function used to calculate the amount of value to be granted to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store; a function determination step of determining a function used to calculate the amount of value that can be granted to a user in accordance with the number of stores associated with the user; a value calculation step of calculating an amount of value that can be granted to the user using the function determined in the function determination step; a notification step of generating notification content for allowing the user to understand the amount of value that can be granted to the user calculated for the user in the value calculation step, and outputting the notification content to the user terminal of the user; Value notification method to perform.

9. Computer, a function storage means for storing a function used to calculate the amount of value to be granted to a user when the user makes a purchase at a store; a function determination means for determining a function used to calculate the amount of value that can be granted to a user in accordance with the number of stores associated with the user; a value calculation means for calculating an amount of value that can be granted to the user using the function determined by the function determination means; a notification means for generating a notification content for allowing the user to understand the amount of value that can be granted to the user calculated for the user by the value calculation means, and outputting the notification content to a user terminal of the user; Value notification program to function as.

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