Commodity management system, commodity management method and commodity management program

Abstract

To provide a new technique for determining appropriate discount for a commodity.SOLUTION: There is provided a commodity management system for managing discount for a commodity, the commodity management system includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit and a determination unit. In the commodity management system, the acquisition unit acquires a purchase history of a customer, the calculation unit calculates a stock quantity of a commodity, and the determination unit determines a discount for the commodity on the basis of the purchase history and the stock quantity. With this configuration, it becomes possible to determine the discount (a discount amount, a discount rate, etc.) for the commodity on the basis of the purchase history (a purchase record, etc.) of the customer and the stock quantity (a stock situation, etc.) of the commodity, and to determine an appropriate discount according to the purchase history of the customer and the demand for the commodity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a merchandise management system, a merchandise management method, and a merchandise management program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there exists a technique for determining a discount on a product based on a customer's purchase history.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for increasing discounts for customers with many purchases and decreasing discounts for customers with no purchases. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-94543 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The greater the discount on a product, the faster the product will sell, and the less inventory the product provider will need to hold. On the other hand, the greater the discount, the less profit the product provider will make. Therefore, product providers want to sell products at as small a discount as possible, so that the product will sell out. However, while the technology in Patent Document 1 can determine a discount based on a customer's purchase history, it cannot determine a discount based on the product's inventory status.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new technique for determining an appropriate discount for a product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] [1] A product management system for managing product discounts, The product management system includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a determination unit, The acquisition unit acquires a purchase history of the customer, The calculation unit calculates the inventory quantity of the product, the determination unit determines a discount for the product based on the purchase history and the inventory quantity. Product management system.

[0008]

[10] A merchandise management method executed by a merchandise management system that manages merchandise discounts, The product management system includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a determination unit, the acquiring unit acquiring a purchase history of the customer; a step of the calculation unit calculating the inventory quantity of the product; the determination unit determining a discount for the product based on the purchase history and the inventory quantity, Product management method.

[0009]

[11] A product management program for managing product discounts, A computer is configured to function as an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a determination unit; The acquisition unit acquires a purchase history of the customer, The calculation unit calculates the inventory quantity of the product, the determination unit determines a discount for the product based on the purchase history and the inventory quantity. Product management program.

[0010] This configuration makes it possible to determine product discounts (discount amount, discount rate, etc.) based on the customer's purchase history (purchase record, etc.) and the product inventory (inventory status, etc.), making it possible to determine appropriate discounts based on the customer's purchase history and product demand.

[0011] [2] The product management system includes a storage unit and a classification unit, the storage unit stores customer classification conditions for classifying the customers; the classification unit classifies the customers based on the purchase history and the customer classification conditions; the determination unit determines a discount for the product based on the classification result and the inventory quantity. [1] The product management system described in [1].

[0012] By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to classify customers in detail according to their purchase history (purchase record, etc.), and to determine an appropriate discount for each customer.

[0013] [3] The storage unit stores a plurality of discount ranges including upper and lower limits of the discount for the product, linked to customer classification conditions; the determination unit determines a discount range according to the customer based on the classification result, and further determines a discount for the product within the discount range based on the inventory quantity; [2] The product management system described in [2].

[0014] This configuration makes it possible to determine an appropriate discount range for each customer classification, and to determine an appropriate discount within the discount range depending on the number of products in stock (stock status, etc.).

[0015] [4] The product management system includes a reception unit, the receiving unit receives a target sales quantity of the product and a sales period for achieving the target sales quantity; the calculation unit calculates the inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity and a purchase history during the sales period; [2] or [3].

[0016] This configuration allows the administrator (product provider, etc.) to set the number of products they want to sell during a specific period, and to determine an appropriate discount based on the number of products in stock (stock status, etc.) during the specific period.

[0017] [5] The sales period is divided into equal splits, The calculation unit calculates the inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity and the purchase history in the split. [4] The product management system described in [4].

[0018] By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to determine an appropriate discount according to the number of items in stock (stock status, etc.) using the demand for the item in each subdivided period (split).

[0019] [6] The determination unit determines a discount range according to the customer based on the classification result, and further determines a discount for the next split based on the purchase history in the split, the number of remaining splits, and the inventory quantity. [5] The product management system described in [5].

[0020] By configuring in this way, it is possible to determine an appropriate discount based on the purchase history in the subdivided period (split) and the remaining period (split).

[0021] [7] The storage unit stores a virtual inventory calculation weight for calculating a virtual inventory quantity, which is a virtual inventory quantity of the product; The calculation unit calculates the virtual inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity, the purchase history during the sales period, and the virtual inventory calculation weight, the determination unit determines a discount for the product based on the classification result and the virtual inventory quantity. A product management system according to any one of [4] to [6].

[0022] By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to use virtual stock numbers, and to determine discounts that encourage specific customers to purchase products.

[0023] [8] The acquisition unit acquires a customer behavior history relating to the customer's behavior, The classification unit classifies virtual inventory calculation weights according to the customers based on the customer behavior history. [7] The product management system described in [7].

[0024] By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to use the customer's behavioral history and determine discounts that will encourage specific customers to purchase products.

[0025] [9] The customer classification conditions include a predetermined period and a set amount for classifying customers during the predetermined period. [2] to [8] described in the product management system

[0026] By adopting such a configuration, it becomes possible to use the purchase history (purchase record, etc.) of the customer over a predetermined period, and to classify the customers into more appropriate categories. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the present invention, a new technique for determining an appropriate discount for a product can be provided by executing a unique process that utilizes the inventory status of the product. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a product management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functional components in the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 shows an example of a data configuration stored in a storage unit in this embodiment. [Figure 5] 3 shows an example of a data configuration stored in a storage unit in this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic image diagram of a product management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a process for determining a discount on a product for a customer according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of a screen display that displays a product discount for a customer in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The product management system of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show preferred embodiments. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0030] For example, although the configuration, operation, etc. of a product management system will be described in this embodiment, similar effects can be achieved by the executed method (steps), device, computer program, etc. The program in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, or may be provided so as to be downloadable from an external server, or the program may be started on an external computer to implement its functions on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0031] In addition, in this embodiment, the term "unit" may include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In this embodiment, "information" is represented by, for example, the physical value of a signal value representing voltage or current, the high or low value of a signal value as a binary bit set consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculation can be performed on a circuit in the broad sense.

[0032] A circuit in the broad sense is a circuit realized by appropriately combining a circuit, circuitry, processor, memory, etc. That is, it includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc.

[0033] <System Overview> Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a product management system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the product management system 0 includes a product management device 1, a customer terminal 2, and an administrator terminal 3. The product management device 1 is configured to be able to communicate with the customer terminal 2 and the administrator terminal 3 via a network NW. The product management device 1 operates as a server, and the customer terminal 2 and the administrator terminal 3 operate as client terminals.

[0034] The product management device 1 accepts product orders from customers via the customer terminal 2. The product management device 1 also accepts input from an administrator via the administrator terminal 3. The product management device 1 determines product discounts (discount rate, discount amount, etc.) for customers based on information related to orders accepted from customers, information related to input accepted from the administrator, information stored in the memory unit, etc. The product management device 1 may also determine discounts for each customer.

[0035] A general-purpose server computer, a personal computer, etc. can be used as the product management device 1. It is also possible to configure the product management device 1 using multiple computers.

[0036] The customer terminal 2 is a terminal through which a customer places an order for a product. The customer inputs information related to the order of the product, etc., via the customer terminal 2. The customer terminal 2 may be a terminal device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. It is conceivable that there may be multiple customer terminals 2.

[0037] The administrator terminal 3 is a terminal for an administrator to input information (for example, discount range, target sales quantity, sales period, etc.). As the administrator terminal 3, a terminal device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or personal computer can be used. There may be one or more administrator terminals 3.

[0038] In this embodiment, the network NW is an IP (Internet Protocol) network, but there is no limitation on the type of communication protocol, and there is also no limitation on the type and scale of the network.

[0039] <Hardware configuration> 2 is a hardware configuration diagram. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the information processing device 10 (product management device 1) has a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a communication unit 103, which are used to perform the functions of each unit and each process.

[0040] The control unit 101 includes one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls the overall operation and processing of the information processing device 10 by executing the product management program of the present invention, an OS (Operating System), browser software, and other applications.

[0041] The storage unit 102 is a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), or the like, and stores the product management program according to the present invention and data used when the control unit 101 executes processing based on the program. The control unit 101 executes processing based on the product management program stored in the storage unit 102, thereby realizing the functional configuration described below.

[0042] The communication unit 103 controls communication with the network NW, and performs input necessary for operating the information processing device 10 and output related to the operation results.

[0043] As shown in Figure 2(b), the terminal device 9 (customer terminal 2 and administrator terminal 3) has a control unit 91, a memory unit 92, a communication unit 93, an input unit 94, and an output unit 95, and is used to perform the functions of each unit and each process.

[0044] The control unit 91 of the terminal device 9 includes one or more processors such as a CPU, and controls the overall operation and processing of the terminal device 9. The storage unit 92 of the terminal device 9 is an HDD, SSD, ROM, RAM, or the like, and stores the above-mentioned applications and data used when the control unit 91 executes processing based on a program.

[0045] A communication unit 93 of the terminal device 9 controls communication with the network NW. An input unit 94 of the terminal device 9 is a mouse, keyboard, etc., and inputs operation requests from the user / provider to the control unit 91. An output unit 95 of the terminal device 9 is a display, etc., and displays the results of processing by the control unit 91, etc.

[0046] <Functional components> As shown in FIG. 3, the product management device 1 includes an acquisition unit 11, a classification unit 12, a calculation unit 13, a determination unit 14, and a reception unit 15.

[0047] The arrangement of these functional components is an example, and part of the functional configuration of the product management device 1 may be arranged in one or more devices configured to be able to communicate with the customer terminal 2, the administrator terminal 3, and the product management device 1. Similarly, part of the functional configuration of the customer terminal 2 may be arranged in one or more devices configured to be able to communicate with the product management device 1, the administrator terminal 3, and the customer terminal 2. Furthermore, part of the functional configuration of the administrator terminal 3 may be arranged in one or more devices configured to be able to communicate with the product management device 1, the customer terminal 2, and the administrator terminal 3.

[0048] <Data structure> 4 shows an example of the data structure stored in the storage unit in this embodiment. The storage unit of the product management device 1 stores customer information, product information, purchase history information, inventory information, customer classification information, discount range information, target sales information, virtual inventory calculation weight information, etc.

[0049] The arrangement of each piece of data is an example, and some or all of the data stored in the memory unit of the product management device 1 may be stored in one or more devices configured to be able to communicate with the customer terminal 2, the administrator terminal 3, and the product management device 1. Similarly, some or all of the data stored in the memory unit of the customer terminal 2 may be stored in one or more devices configured to be able to communicate with the product management device 1, the administrator terminal 3, and the customer terminal 2. Furthermore, some or all of the data stored in the memory unit of the administrator terminal 3 may be stored in one or more devices configured to be able to communicate with the product management device 1, the customer terminal 2, and the administrator terminal 3.

[0050] Customer information is information about a customer. As shown in FIG. 4(a), customer information includes the customer's name, address, telephone number, etc., and is managed by customer ID for each customer. In addition, customer information may also include the payment method when the customer purchases a product, and information about that payment method (such as information such as a credit card number).

[0051] Product information is information about a product. As shown in Figure 4(b), product information includes the product name, category, price, etc., and is managed by product ID.

[0052] Purchase history information is information about a customer's product purchase history. As shown in Figure 4(c), purchase history information includes the purchase date and time when the customer purchased the product, a product ID for identifying the product purchased by the customer, the number of products purchased by the customer, and other customer purchase history information, and is managed by customer ID. In this way, it is possible to manage when, what, and how many each customer purchased.

[0053] Inventory information is information about product inventory. As shown in FIG. 4(d), inventory information includes the number of products in stock, shelf life, etc., and is managed by product ID. If the product is a cosmetic, the shelf life may be the period during which the product can maintain its quality in an unopened state. If the product is a food or beverage, the shelf life may be the best-before date and / or the expiration date.

[0054] Customer classification information is information used to classify customers. As shown in Figure 4(e), customer classification information includes customer classification conditions, which are conditions for classifying customers, and is managed by classification ID. Customers are classified into one of several types of classifications based on the customer classification conditions. Customers are classified by setting the customer classification conditions, such as how many products the customer has purchased (how much they have spent in total), how long it has been since their last purchase, etc.

[0055] For example, the customer classification conditions include a predetermined period and a set amount for classifying customers within the predetermined period. By including the predetermined period and the set amount in the customer classification conditions, it becomes possible to classify customers into those who have made purchases of more than the set amount within the predetermined period and those who have not.

[0056] In addition, customers may be classified by setting gender and age as customer classification conditions. Furthermore, customers may be classified by the media through which they were acquired (the media from which the customer visited).

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4(e), those who have purchased a product may be classified by the amount of product purchased (for example, amount, number of times, etc.). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4(e), a specific period (for example, the past three months, January 2024 to April 2024, etc.) may be set to classify customers. The administrator can set customer classification conditions (period, product purchase amount, etc.) via the administrator terminal 3.

[0058] Discount range information is information about the range of product discounts (discount rate, discount amount, etc.) for customers. Discount range information includes the discount range, which is the range of product discounts for customers, as shown in Figure 5(f), and is managed by classification ID. The discount range includes upper and lower limits of the product discount, and there are multiple types depending on the number of customer classifications. The discount for a customer is determined within the discount range.

[0059] Target sales information is information about targets set by an administrator (such as a product provider) for product sales. As shown in FIG. 5(g), target sales information includes a target sales quantity, which is the target number of units to be sold for a certain product, a sales period, which is the target period for achieving the target sales quantity, and the like, and is managed by product ID. The administrator can set the target sales quantity and sales period via the administrator terminal 3.

[0060] The virtual inventory calculation weight information is information for calculating the virtual inventory quantity, which is the virtual inventory quantity of a product. As shown in Figure 5(h), the virtual inventory calculation weight information includes the virtual inventory calculation weight conditions and the virtual inventory calculation weight for calculating the virtual inventory quantity, which is the virtual inventory quantity of a product, and is managed by the virtual inventory calculation weight ID.

[0061] The virtual inventory calculation weight conditions are conditions related to customer behavior history, which is a history of customer behavior regarding products. Customers are classified into one of a plurality of virtual inventory calculation weights according to the virtual inventory calculation weight conditions.

[0062] Each customer can be classified by setting conditions related to customer behavior history as virtual inventory calculation weight conditions, such as whether the customer has previously purchased the product they are trying to order, or whether they have viewed the product they are trying to order three or more times in the past.

[0063] <Overview> 6 is a schematic image diagram of the product management system in this embodiment. Using this schematic image diagram, an image of determining a discount on a product will be explained.

[0064] The administrator inputs customer classification conditions, discount range, target sales quantity, sales period, virtual inventory calculation weight conditions, virtual inventory calculation weights, etc. via the administrator terminal 3 and transmits them to the product management device 1 (see (A)). The product management device 1 stores the information received via the administrator terminal 3 in a memory unit.

[0065] The merchandise management device 1 determines a discount for the customer using information received via the administrator terminal 3 and / or information stored in the storage unit (see (B)).

[0066] The product management device 1 transmits information about the determined discount to the customer terminal 2 (see (C)). Specifically, the product management device 1 may transmit something like a coupon for the discount, or display the discounted price when the customer orders the product.

[0067] The customer transmits information regarding the product order via the customer terminal 2 (see (D)).

[0068] <Processing flowchart> FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for determining a discount on a product for a customer in this embodiment.

[0069] <Acquisition of customer purchase history information> First, in step S701, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the purchase history of a customer. The acquisition unit 11 acquires the purchase history of all products related to the customer. Every time the product management device 1 receives an order for a product from a customer, information related to the purchase is stored in the storage unit as shown in FIG. 4(c), which enables the acquisition unit 11 to acquire the purchase history of all products related to the customer.

[0070] The acquisition unit 11 may acquire a purchase history of a product that the customer is about to order. The acquisition unit 11 may also acquire a purchase history of the customer for a specific period of time.

[0071] <Customer classification> In step S702, the classification unit 12 classifies customers based on the customer's purchase history and the customer classification conditions. The classification unit 12 classifies customers into a plurality of predetermined classifications. By classifying customers using the customer classification conditions, customers can be classified into frequent customers (for example, customers who have spent a certain amount of money or more on product purchases) and non-regular customers. By classifying customers and determining appropriate discounts for each, customers' willingness to purchase products can be increased.

[0072] <Calculating product inventory> In step S703, the calculation unit 13 calculates the inventory quantity of the product. Specifically, every time an order for the product is received from a customer, the calculation unit 13 calculates the current inventory quantity of the product and stores the inventory quantity in the storage unit.

[0073] In addition, the calculation unit 13 may store the number of items received in the memory unit when the item arrives, and calculate the inventory quantity of the item using the number of items received and the customer's purchase history (for example, by subtracting the number of items purchased by the customer based on the purchase history from the number of items received).

[0074] <Determining product discounts> In step S704, the determination unit 14 determines a discount for the product based on the purchase history and the inventory quantity. For example, the determination unit 14 determines a large discount (discount rate or discount amount) for a frequent customer.

[0075] Furthermore, when the inventory quantity of a product is large, the determination unit 14 determines to increase the discount (discount rate or discount amount) for that product. For example, when the inventory quantity of the product is equal to or greater than a threshold value stored in advance in the storage unit, the determination unit 14 may determine to increase the discount for that product.

[0076] The determination unit 14 may determine the discount based on the gender and age of the customer. For example, when a woman tries to purchase a product that is set as being preferred for women, the determination unit 14 determines a higher discount than a man.

[0077] Furthermore, the determination unit 14 may determine the discount based on information such as the number of times the customer views the product, whether the customer has added the product to their cart but has not purchased it, whether they have opened an email, the media through which the customer was acquired, etc. For example, if the number of times the customer views the product is equal to or greater than a threshold value stored in advance in the storage unit, the determination unit 14 may determine to increase the discount on the product for that customer.

[0078] Alternatively, the determination unit 14 may determine whether all of the product inventory can be sold out and then determine the discount. If the determination unit 14 determines that all of the product inventory cannot be sold out, the determination unit 14 determines the discount. Specifically, the determination unit 14 determines whether all of the product inventory can be sold out within the period based on the number of products in stock and the period for selling the products.

[0079] The determination unit 14 may determine the discount value using a trained model that has been trained in advance. The trained model may be a model trained based on the discount value of the product and the number of products sold. The trained model may also be trained using information such as the customer's gender, age, the number of times the customer has viewed the product, whether the customer added the product to their cart but did not purchase it, whether they opened an email, and the media through which the customer was acquired.

[0080] The determination unit 14 may determine a discount on a product based on the inventory quantity and the classification result of classifying customers based on the customer classification conditions. By classifying customers based on the customer classification conditions, it becomes possible to determine detailed discounts for each of multiple customers.

[0081] The determination unit 14 may determine a discount range for each customer based on the classification results obtained by classifying customers based on customer classification conditions, and may further determine a discount for each product within the determined discount range based on the number of items in stock. By storing the discount range in the memory unit in association with the customer classification, the determination unit 14 can determine a discount range for each customer based on the classification results, and further determine a discount within the discount range according to the number of items in stock, and can determine a discount using purchase history and stock status.

[0082] <Determining product discounts using target sales information> The reception unit 15 receives the target sales quantity of the product and the sales period for achieving the target sales quantity. By transmitting the target sales quantity and the sales period via the administrator terminal 3, the administrator can set the number of products to be sold in a specific period.

[0083] The sales period may be divided into splits, which are equal periods. The sales period may be divided into any number of splits, which are equal periods of any length. The reception unit 15 may divide the sales period into splits of any length.

[0084] For example, if the sales period is 9 days, it may be divided into three 3-day splits. Alternatively, if the sales period is 12 days, it may be divided into three 4-day splits or two 6-day splits. The reception unit 15 may receive information about the length of the splits into which the sales period is to be divided or the number of splits into which the sales period is to be divided.

[0085] The calculation unit 13 calculates the inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity and the purchase history during the sales period (for example, by subtracting the number of purchases by the customer based on the purchase history during the sales period from the target sales quantity). The calculation unit 13 may calculate the inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity and the purchase history during the split.

[0086] The determination unit 14 determines the discount range according to the customer based on the classification results obtained by classifying the customers based on the customer classification conditions, and may further determine the discount for the next split based on the purchase history in the split, the number of remaining splits, and the inventory quantity.

[0087] The discount determination by the determination unit 14 will be explained using an example where the target sales quantity is 300 units and the sales period is 9 days. In this case, since the sales period is 9 days, it is possible to divide it into three periods (splits S1 to S3) with 3-day splits. In addition, the discount range in Figure 5(f) will be used to explain how to determine the discount for the product.

[0088] For example, in split S1, the lower limit discounts (5, 20, 35%) of the discount range are determined for each customer. The discounts in split S1 may be any discount within the discount range.

[0089] Next, the discount for the next split S2 is determined based on the purchase history for split S1, the number of remaining splits (2), and the inventory. For example, if 40 units of the product were sold in split S1, the remaining target sales quantity is 260 units.

[0090] Since 40 units of the product were sold in split S1, if the product continues to sell at the current pace (40 units per split), it will be impossible to sell the remaining target number of units in the remaining two splits. For example, the remaining target number of units, 260, divided by the number of remaining splits (2) is 130 units, so 130 units must be sold in one split.

[0091] Therefore, the determination unit 14 determines to increase the discount within the discount range. For example, the determination unit 14 determines the discounts for split S2 to be 15%, 30%, and 45%, respectively.

[0092] Next, the discount for the next split S3 is determined based on the purchase history for split S2, the number of remaining splits (one), and the inventory. For example, if 160 units of the product were sold in split S2, the remaining target sales quantity is 100 units.

[0093] Since 160 units of the product were sold in split S2, if the product continues to sell at the current pace (160 units per split), there is a possibility that the remaining target sales quantity will be sold out early in the remaining split.

[0094] Therefore, the determination unit 14 determines to lower the discount within the discount range. For example, the determination unit 14 determines the discounts for split S3 to be 10%, 25%, and 40%, respectively.

[0095] In other words, the determination unit 14 determines whether or not the target sales quantity can be sold in its entirety during the sales period based on the purchase history for the split, the number of remaining splits, and the inventory quantity, and determines the discount for the next split based on the result of that determination.

[0096] Specifically, the determination unit 14 calculates how many items need to be sold in one split based on the number of remaining splits and the inventory, and then compares the calculated number with the number of items sold in the most recent split to determine whether or not the target sales quantity can all be sold during the sales period.

[0097] Furthermore, the determination unit 14 determines the same discount value for customers belonging to each category. For example, in the above example, when the determination unit 14 determines to increase the discount, it increases the discount by 10% for customers belonging to each category. Furthermore, in the above example, when the determination unit 14 determines to decrease the discount, it decreases the discount by 5% for customers belonging to each category. Alternatively, the determination unit 14 may determine different discount values ​​for customers belonging to each category.

[0098] The determination unit 14 may determine the discount value for a split by increasing or decreasing a predetermined constant. For example, if the number of items sold in the latest split falls below the number of items required to be sold in one split, the determination unit 14 may increase the discount by a predetermined constant (e.g., 5%).

[0099] Furthermore, if the number of products sold in the latest split exceeds the number of products that need to be sold in one split, the determination unit 14 reduces the discount by a predetermined constant (for example, 5%).

[0100] The determination unit 14 may also calculate the ratio between the number of products that need to be sold in one split and the number of products that have been sold in the latest split, and determine the discount value according to this ratio.

[0101] Alternatively, the determination unit 14 may determine the discount value for a split using a trained model that has been trained in advance. The trained model may be a model trained based on the target sales quantity, the sales period, the length of the split period, the number of splits, the discount value of the product in the split, and the number of products sold.

[0102] <Determining product discounts using virtual inventory> Instead of actual inventory numbers, product discounts may be determined using virtual inventory numbers, which are virtual inventory numbers different from actual inventory numbers. When selling a product, there are times when you want specific customers (target customers) to purchase the product. On the other hand, there are also times when you want to determine discounts for customers other than the target customers, and by using virtual inventory numbers, you can also provide discounts to customers other than the target customers.

[0103] For example, if you want customers who have never purchased a product to purchase a product more than customers who have purchased a product in the past, you can calculate the virtual inventory quantity by multiplying the number of products purchased by each customer by a different weight (for example, a larger weight for target customers than for non-target customers).

[0104] By using such virtual inventory numbers, if many people who are not target customers are purchasing products, the virtual inventory number calculated will be larger than the actual inventory number. By calculating a virtual inventory number larger than the actual inventory number, a higher discount value can be determined for the products.

[0105] The calculation unit 13 calculates the virtual inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity, the purchase history during the sales period, and the virtual inventory calculation weight. The calculation unit 13 calculates the virtual sales quantity of the product based on the purchase history during the sales period and the virtual inventory calculation weight of the customers classified based on the virtual inventory calculation weight conditions.

[0106] The determination unit 14 determines a discount on the product based on the classification result obtained by classifying the customers based on the customer classification conditions and the virtual stock quantity.

[0107] For example, consider a case where the target sales quantity is 300 units and the number of splits is 3. In split S1, a customer with a virtual inventory calculation weight of 1.0 purchases 5 units of an item, a customer with a virtual inventory calculation weight of 0.7 purchases 10 units, and a customer with a virtual inventory calculation weight of 0.5 purchases 150 units. In this case, the number of units virtually sold is 5 x 1.0 + 10 x 0.7 + 150 x 0.5 = 87 units. Meanwhile, the actual number of units sold is 5 + 10 + 150 = 165 units.

[0108] In this case, if actual inventory is used, the discount will be lowered because there is a possibility that the remaining target sales quantity will be sold out early in the remaining split if the product is sold at the current pace. On the other hand, if virtual inventory is used, the discount will be higher because it is impossible to sell out the remaining target sales quantity in the remaining split even if the product is sold at the current pace.

[0109] Furthermore, when the determination unit 14 determines to increase the discount, it may determine to increase the discount only for target customers (customers with a low virtual inventory calculation weight). Also, the determination unit 14 may determine a higher discount for customers with a lower virtual inventory calculation weight.

[0110] The acquisition unit 11 acquires a customer behavior history relating to customer behavior. The classification unit 12 classifies virtual inventory calculation weights according to customers based on the customer behavior history.

[0111] The customer behavior history is information about a customer's behavior toward a product, such as whether the customer has purchased the product in the past, whether the customer has added the product to their cart but not yet purchased it, the number of times the customer has viewed the product, etc. A customer who has ordered a product in the past is more likely to purchase the product again, a customer who has added a product to their cart in the past is more likely to purchase the product, and a customer who has viewed the product multiple times in the past is more likely to purchase the product.

[0112] Therefore, if you want customers (target customers) who are unlikely to purchase a product to purchase that product, you set a lower virtual inventory calculation weight for customers (non-target customers) who are likely to purchase the product. By doing this, if non-target customers purchase a lot of the product, the virtual inventory quantity will be large, and the product discount will be more likely to be high.

[0113] By determining the virtual inventory calculation weights using customer behavior history, it is possible to classify the virtual inventory calculation weights for customers using more detailed information such as the number of times a product has been viewed.

[0114] <In addition to discounts based on purchase history and stock quantity, offer the same discount to all customers> During a specific period such as a sale, all customers may receive the same discount. In this case, the same discount is given to all customers regardless of their purchase history or inventory, and the decision unit 14 then applies the discount based on the customer's purchase history and the inventory of the product.

[0115] FIG. 8 is an example of a screen display that displays product discounts for customers in this embodiment. (a) and (b) of FIG. 8 are examples of screen displays that display product discounts for different customers. The "regular discount" in FIG. 8 is the same discount that all customers can receive. On the other hand, special discounts (discounts based on the customer's purchase history and product inventory) may differ depending on each customer's purchase history, etc.

[0116] For example, customer X in Figure 8(a) belongs to category ID: CL2, so a special discount is applied to the product in addition to the regular discount. On the other hand, customer Y in Figure 8(b) belongs to category ID: CL4, so only the regular discount is applied, and no special discount is applied. If only special discounts exist for product discounts, customer Y would not be able to receive any discounts. The existence of regular discounts allows product discounts to be applied to all customers.

[0117] On the screen displaying product discounts, both the regular discount and the special discount may be displayed, as shown in Figure 8. Alternatively, the discount may be applied after applying both the regular discount and the special discount. For example, for product A in Figure 8(a), 30% (the total discount rate) or 18% (the discount rate obtained by applying one discount rate and then the other (100 - 0.9 x 0.8 x 100 = 18%)) may be displayed.

[0118] While it is good to apply discounts to products to encourage customers to purchase them, if the same discount is given to all customers, it will significantly reduce the profits of the product provider. By using both regular and special discounts, it is possible to apply discounts to all customers to encourage all customers to purchase products, while avoiding applying large discounts to all customers.

[0119] The administrator or the like may input and set the same discount that all customers can receive via the administrator terminal 3. Also, the same discount that all customers can receive may be different for each product.

[0120] If the discount is an amount, the total of both discount amounts will be deducted from the product price. If the discount is a percentage, the price can be calculated using the total of both discount rates. It is also possible to apply one discount rate first and then the other.

[0121] Figure 8(c) is an example of a display screen that displays products and discounts for those products. If the discount in W81 is a special discount (a discount based on the customer's purchase history and the product's inventory), the discount in W82 (the same discount that all customers can receive) is a regular discount. Also, if the discount in W81 is a regular discount, the discount in W82 is a special discount. As for the discount, both the discount rate and the discount amount may be displayed, as in W81 in Figure 8(c).

[0122] The product management device 1 may include a display processing unit as a functional component, and may display an image of the product, a discount (special discount and / or regular discount) for the product, the regular price (price before any discounts are applied), and the price after one of the discounts is applied, as shown in Figure 8(c). If two discounts are applied to a product, the display processing unit may display the price after one of the discounts is applied, and the other discount as a discount amount or discount rate.

[0123] The display processing unit may also display a special discount, a regular discount, a regular price, and a price after one discount has been applied in different sizes and / or different colors. The display processing unit may display items that should be emphasized to customers in a larger size and / or in an eye-catching color (e.g., red). For example, the special discount, the regular discount, and the price after one discount has been applied may be displayed in an emphasized manner to encourage customers to make a purchase.

[0124] As described above, the configuration of the present invention can provide a new technique for determining an appropriate discount for a product based on the customer's purchase history and the product's inventory status. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 0 Product Management System 1 Product management device 11 Acquisition Department 12 Classification section 13 Calculation section 14 Decision Section 15 Reception 2. Customer terminal 3. Administrator terminal NW Network

Claims

1. A merchandise management system for managing merchandise discounts, The product management system includes a storage unit, an acquisition unit, a classification unit, and a determination unit, the storage unit stores the inventory quantity of the product, customer classification conditions for classifying customers, and discount ranges for the product linked to the customer classification conditions; The acquisition unit acquires a purchase history of the customer, the classification unit classifies the customers based on the purchase history and the customer classification conditions; the determination unit determines a discount for each product for each customer within a discount range corresponding to the classification based on the classification result, the inventory quantity, and a non-purchase history of products that the customer added to a cart to purchase the product but did not purchase. Product management system.

2. The product management system includes a reception unit and a calculation unit, the receiving unit receives a target sales quantity of the product and a sales period for achieving the target sales quantity; the calculation unit calculates the inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity and a purchase history during the sales period; The merchandise management system according to claim 1 .

3. The sales period is divided into equal splits, The calculation unit calculates the inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity and the purchase history in the split. The merchandise management system according to claim 2 .

4. The determination unit determines a discount range according to the customer based on the classification result, and further determines a discount for the next split based on the purchase history in the split, the number of remaining splits, and the inventory quantity. The merchandise management system according to claim 3 .

5. The storage unit stores a virtual inventory calculation weight for calculating a virtual inventory quantity, which is a virtual inventory quantity of the product; The calculation unit calculates the virtual inventory quantity based on the target sales quantity, the purchase history during the sales period, and the virtual inventory calculation weight, the determination unit determines a discount for the product based on the classification result and the virtual inventory quantity. The merchandise management system according to claim 2 .

6. the acquisition unit acquires a customer behavior history relating to the behavior of the customer; The classification unit classifies virtual inventory calculation weights according to the customers based on the customer behavior history. The merchandise management system according to claim 5 .

7. The customer classification conditions include a predetermined period and a set amount for classifying customers during the predetermined period. The merchandise management system according to claim 1 .

8. A merchandise management method executed by a merchandise management system that manages merchandise discounts, The product management system includes a storage unit, an acquisition unit, a classification unit, and a determination unit, a step in which the storage unit stores the inventory quantity of the product, customer classification conditions for classifying customers, and a discount range for the product linked to the customer classification conditions; the acquiring unit acquiring a purchase history of the customer; the classification unit classifying the customers based on the purchase history and the customer classification conditions; the determination unit determines a discount for each product for each customer within a discount range corresponding to the classification based on the classification result, the inventory quantity, and a non-purchase history of products that the customer added to a cart to purchase the product but did not purchase, Product management method.

9. A product management program for managing product discounts, A computer is configured to function as a storage unit, an acquisition unit, a classification unit, and a decision unit; the storage unit stores the inventory quantity of the product, customer classification conditions for classifying customers, and discount ranges for the product linked to the customer classification conditions; The acquisition unit acquires a purchase history of the customer, the classification unit classifies the customers based on the purchase history and the customer classification conditions; the determination unit determines a discount for each product for each customer within a discount range corresponding to the classification based on the classification result, the inventory quantity, and a non-purchase history of products that the customer added to a cart to purchase the product but did not purchase. Product management program.

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