Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To evaluate the value of a privilege properly.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes: an acquisition unit which acquires a history of settlement of one or more users of an electronic settlement service; a simulation unit which simulates electronic settlement in a future predetermined period of the user, on the basis of the settlement history; and a calculation unit which applies the simulated electronic settlement to the conditions of use of a privilege provided by an affiliated store of the electronic settlement service, to calculate the value of the privilege.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for providing suggested information such as coupons to a user using a terminal device such as a smartphone. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for transmitting suggested information regarding coupons for products offered by a store where the user is estimated to be located to the terminal device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-169713 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the prior art did not consider the terms and conditions of use of the benefit when proposing benefits to users. For example, if a store offered a benefit with a high return rate but extremely strict terms and conditions, the benefit may be offered to a limited number of users, but the apparent high return rate may lead to the proposal of such a benefit to users. In other words, the prior art may not be able to properly evaluate the value of the benefit.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can properly evaluate the value of a benefit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device comprising an acquisition unit that acquires the payment history of one or more users of an electronic payment service, a simulation unit that simulates the users' electronic payments over a predetermined future period based on the payment history, and a calculation unit that calculates the value of a benefit by applying the simulated electronic payment to the terms of use of a benefit provided by a member store of the electronic payment service. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can properly evaluate the value of a benefit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of coupon information 178. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a top screen IM of the payment application 20. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for using a coupon by the user terminal device 10. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when the nearby bargain button NE is pressed. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a simulation based on a user's payment history. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a simulation result 180 generated by a simulation unit 144. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the content of a coupon value 182 calculated by a calculation unit 146. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram showing an example of suggested information displayed on the user terminal device 10 based on the coupon value 182. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a diagram showing another example of suggested information displayed on the user terminal device 10 based on the coupon value 182. FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the payment server 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described. Various devices, such as a "server," a "management device," and an "information providing device," that provide services to users or perform internal analysis, may be implemented as a group of distributed devices, and each device may be operated by a different business. Furthermore, the hardware owner (the cloud server provider) and the business that actually operates the device may also be different. An application program and a payment server work together to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program is referred to as a "payment app." An electronic payment service is a service that supports payments for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real-world store) existing in real space, but may also include a virtual store for e-commerce transactions. A virtual store may also include a store operated by an entity other than the operator of the electronic payment service. In such a case, when making a payment for a purchase at the virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In an electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and when a purchase is made at a store, processing such as payment is primarily conducted between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] Figure 1 shows an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, and one or more second store terminal devices 70 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc.

[0011] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment app 20, which operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment app 20 is installed on the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0012] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0013] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, etc. An interface for affiliated stores 72 runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface for affiliated stores 72 may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface for affiliated stores 72 accepts coupon settings and the like from the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image and reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

[0014] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, this distinction will not be made and it is assumed that payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

[0015] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns for electronic payment: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2.

[0016] In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal device 10, with the payment application 20 running, decodes the store code image 60 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is the domain of the electronic payment service to which store identification information has been added, and is associated with an affiliated store ID, store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described below). The payment application 20 sends first payment information including the store URL and account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described below) using the affiliated store ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires the affiliated store name and store name information (S3), and sends this to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen displaying the affiliated store name and store name (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 makes the electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment app 20 (S8), and the payment app 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include information on the payment amount in addition to the store URL. In this case, the step of the user inputting the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and store name may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0017] In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, the payment app 20 sends a request to issue a one-time code to the payment server 100 when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, at the automatic update timing (e.g., every minute), and at other timings (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image, such as a QR code or barcode, generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first in-store terminal device 50, and the first in-store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). The first in-store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode, manually entering it, etc. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs electronic payment (S17). Then, the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0018] Note that electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Furthermore, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Furthermore, issuing a one-time code may be omitted in store scanning, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In this case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0019] [Payment server] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a payment content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are implemented by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as a large-scale integration (LSI), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The information management unit 140 further includes an acquisition unit 142, a simulation unit 144, a calculation unit 146, and a display control unit 148, the functions of which will be described in detail later. The function of the information management unit 140 in the payment server 100 is an example of an "information processing device."

[0020] The storage unit 170 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, payment content information 174, affiliated store / shop information 176, coupon information 178, simulation results 180, and coupon value 182.

[0021] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW, and is, for example, a network interface card.

[0022] The payment content providing unit 120 has, for example, a function of a web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The payment content providing unit 120 reads out necessary content from the payment content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

[0023] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. User information 172 is an example of user registration information. User information 172 includes, for example, a user URL, account ID, telephone number, and password, as well as an email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, remaining balance, credit card payment settings, credit card limit, credit card payment amount, available credit card payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, payment history information, followed affiliated stores, acquired coupons, and owned points. The user URL is used for remittance processing between users. Registration of a phone number and password is required when registering for an electronic payment service. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID can be set by the user (or does not have to be set). The email address, name, address, and date of birth are also information that can be set by the user (or do not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0025] The charge balance indicates the balance of electronic money set by the user by transferring funds to the account in advance. Transfer methods include transfers from a designated bank's ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) or from a registered bank account. The credit payment setting indicates whether the settings for electronic credit payment have been completed and is set to either "Completed" or "Not Completed." The credit payment limit is the monthly credit payment limit. The credit payment amount is the amount of credit payment already used in the current month. The available credit payment amount is the amount of credit payment available in the current month, calculated by subtracting the credit payment amount from the credit payment limit. While the figure shows only one credit payment limit, in reality, there may also be daily limits, and the lower of these may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details on credit payments will be discussed later. The payment method setting indicates whether the user will currently make electronic payments using the charge balance or by credit payment. The bank account and credit card number are the bank account or credit card number information (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a history of the user's previous transfers to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. The payment history information is information that shows the breakdown of payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.). Details of followed member stores, earned coupons, and held points will be provided later.

[0026] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store ID is associated with an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above), and a third table 176C in which a store ID is associated with a store name. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may also include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the store's location, and payment patterns.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of coupon information 178. Coupon information 178 associates information such as a coupon ID, a member store ID, a benefit, terms of use, an expiration date, and a maximum number of uses. The benefit is information indicating the details of the benefit provided by the coupon corresponding to the coupon ID. For example, a coupon with a coupon ID of "0001" indicates that a user can receive a 10% rebate on the payment amount by using the coupon. The terms of use are information indicating the conditions under which the coupon can be used at the time of payment. For example, a coupon with a coupon ID of "0001" indicates that a user can use the coupon for payments of 1,000 yen or more. The expiration date is information indicating the deadline by which the coupon can be used. The maximum number of uses is information indicating the maximum number of times a user can receive a rebate by using the coupon until the expiration date. Note that while FIG. 7 shows an example in which each coupon is issued for each member store ID (for each member store), the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and each coupon may be issued for each store ID (for each store) of each member store.

[0028] The information management unit 140 manages user information 172, affiliated store / store information 176, and coupon information 178 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records, edits, deletes, etc. for the user information 172, affiliated store / store information 176, and coupon information 178.

[0029] [Electronic Payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 references the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance," the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows: For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds. The item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds is not itself used as electronic money, for example, but rather the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0030] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payments for users whose "setting information" is set to "credit card payment" as follows. Credit card payment is a payment method in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service. The operator of the electronic payment service acts as the creditor, allowing electronic payments within the credit card payment limit and independent of the remaining balance. To receive the credit card payment service, a user may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The monthly amount used for credit card payment is settled on the following month's payment date, for example, by debit from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 makes a provisional settlement by adding the settlement amount to the credit card payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available credit card balance. On the closing date, the payment processing unit 130 performs the process described above to debit the current month's payment on the following month's payment date, or requests the credit card company operator to perform this process. If the settlement amount exceeds the available credit card balance at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is returned to the payment app 20.

[0031] [Top screen] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen IM of the payment application 20. A code image CD is displayed on the top screen IM. The code image CD includes, for example, a barcode and a QR code. Text indicating whether to make electronic payment using the remaining balance or by deferred payment (in the figure, "Pay with balance") is also displayed along with the code image CD. This text is drawn by the payment application 20 based on information updated by the payment application 20 each time the selector switch SW is operated. The top screen IM also includes an operation area CA including the selector switch SW and a transition button TB, which will be described later. Note that the "switch" and "button" refer to a graphical user interface (GUI) implemented in cooperation with a touch panel. The selector switch SW accepts an operation to switch between making electronic payment using the remaining balance and by deferred payment. The selector switch SW is set to make electronic payment using the remaining balance by default, and each time the user operates the selector switch SW, the setting switches between making electronic payment using the remaining balance and making electronic payment by deferred payment. In the figure, the description "Postpaid" is displayed, which means that the setting is for postpaid electronic payments. The operation area CA has buttons for instructing the main operations in electronic payments, such as a button for instructing scanning (starting user scanning) and a button for instructing charging. When the transition button TB is operated, the screen transitions to a payment screen that displays the code image used for electronic payments and the available balance. Furthermore, when the wallet button WA is operated, the screen transitions to a payment history display screen that displays a list of the user's electronic payment history information in chronological order. The nearby bargain button NE will be described later.

[0032] [Using coupons] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of how a coupon can be used by the user terminal device 10. The screen on the left side of Figure 9 represents a screen that is displayed on the user terminal device 10 when, for example, the user accesses a dedicated page of a member store of the electronic payment service via the payment application 20 of the user terminal device 10. This screen is displayed, for example, when the user clicks the coupon button CP on the top screen IM of Figure 7 and searches for a store that offers a coupon.

[0033] The affiliated store page includes, for example, an area A1 displaying summary information about the affiliated store, a button B1 for following the affiliated store, and an area A2 displaying detailed information about the affiliated store in a switchable manner using tabs. When the user presses the follow button B1, the payment app 20 transmits information indicating that the follow button B1 has been pressed together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID) to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the affiliated store (e.g., affiliated store ID) in "Followed Affiliated Store" in the user information 172. As a result, for example, every time the affiliated store updates the content of the affiliated store page, the payment server 100 notifies the user via the payment app 20 that the content of the affiliated store page has been updated.

[0034] 9, for example, if the user taps "Coupon," one of the tabs included in area A2, coupons that the user can currently use for electronic payment at the store are displayed. When the user, for example, follows the affiliated store and presses button B2 to acquire a coupon, payment application 20 transmits information indicating that Acquire button B2 has been pressed together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID) to payment server 100, and information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the coupon acquired by the user in "Acquired Coupon" in user information 172.

[0035] After a user acquires a coupon, when the user terminal device 10 executes an electronic payment, the payment processing unit 130 refers to the coupon information 178 to determine whether the electronic payment matches the terms and conditions of the coupon acquired by the user and satisfies the terms and conditions regarding the expiration date and the maximum number of times it can be used. If it is determined that the electronic payment matches the terms and conditions of the coupon and satisfies the terms and conditions regarding the expiration date and the maximum number of times it can be used, the payment processing unit 130 grants the user a reward according to the coupon content. For example, in the case of coupon ID "C0001" in coupon information 178 shown in FIG. 7, if the payment amount of the user is 1,000 yen or more, the payment date and time is before May 31, 2024, and the number of times the same coupon has been used is two or less, the payment processing unit 130 grants points equivalent to 10% of the payment amount.

[0036] The payment app 20 then displays a payment completion screen with area A3 displaying the payment store, area A4 displaying the payment amount, and area A5 displaying the awarded benefits and remaining number of uses. The right side of Figure 9 shows, as an example, a case in which a user receives 100 yen in points for a 1,000 yen payment in exchange for receiving a 10% off coupon. In this case, the information management unit 140 stores the 100 yen worth of points in the "reserved points" field of the user information 172, and the payment processing unit 130 prioritizes subtracting the retained points from the payment amount at the user's next electronic payment, and then subtracts the remaining amount from the charge balance or the available deferred payment amount. Alternatively, the coupon may be directly subtracted from the payment amount for that day without being added as points that can be used for payment.

[0037] [Nearby deals] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 8, when a nearby bargain button NE is operated, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the nearby bargain button NE has been operated to the payment server 100 together with information indicating the current location of the user terminal device 10 (for example, the GNSS coordinates of the user terminal device 10). Upon receiving the current location from the user terminal device 10, the display control unit 148 refers to the affiliated store / shop information 176 and the coupon information 178, and transmits to the user terminal device 10 information about affiliated stores that are within a predetermined range of the user's current location and that offer some kind of benefit (including coupons). The user terminal device 10 causes the payment application 20 to display the received information about the store.

[0038] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when the nearby bargain button NE is pressed. As shown in FIG. 10, the payment application 20 displays, for example, a map area MP including the user's current location CP, filtering areas FL1 and FL2, and a store card SC. The map area MP displays the locations of nearby stores (two nearby stores S1 and S2 in FIG. 10 as an example) that offer special offers related to electronic payment services, based on the user's current location CP. The payment application 20 receives, for example, affiliated store / store information 176 and coupon information 178 related to a predetermined number of stores located within a predetermined range based on the current location CP from the payment server 100, and displays them.

[0039] The filtering areas FL1 and F2 are areas for filtering the store cards SC displayed below the map area MP. More specifically, for example, the payment application 20 displays a "Coupon" filter F1, a "Campaign" filter F2, an "All Deals" filter F3, etc. in the filtering area FL1. Similarly, the payment application 20 displays selectable sorting items such as "Rebate Rate" and "Coupon Value" in the filtering area FL2.

[0040] When the "Coupon" filter F1 is applied, the payment application 20 displays stores around the affiliated store that offers the coupon as store cards SC in order. In the case of FIG. 10, since "Rebate Rate" is selected in the filtering area FL2, the payment application 20 displays affiliated stores that offer the coupon in descending order of the coupon's rebate rate. As a result, "XX Coffee AA Store," which offers a coupon with a 10% rebate rate, will be displayed higher than "△△ Sushi BB Store," which offers a coupon with a 5% rebate rate.

[0041] When the "Campaign" filter F2 is applied, the payment application 20 sequentially displays, as store cards SC, stores in the vicinity of affiliated stores that offer campaigns. Here, a campaign means, for example, a benefit that is provided by making a payment at a store, unlike a coupon, without the need for prior acquisition operations. Even when a campaign is selected, the payment application 20 displays the store cards SC according to the sorting item selected from the filtering area FL2.

[0042] When the "All Benefits" filter F3 is applied, the payment application 20 sequentially displays, as store cards SC, stores in the vicinity of affiliated stores that offer at least one benefit from among all benefits, including coupons and campaigns. While coupons and campaigns are displayed as examples in FIG. 10, other examples of benefits may include stamp cards. Here, a stamp card refers to, for example, a benefit offered in exchange for multiple payments at affiliated stores. When the "All Benefits" filter F3 is applied, the payment application 20 sequentially displays store cards SC of stores that offer all benefits, evaluating them using a common index (e.g., return rate) according to the sorting item selected from the filtering area FL2.

[0043] The store card SC includes, for example, an information area SC_I that displays information about the store and a benefit area SC_C that displays information about the benefit of the store card SC. In FIG. 10, as an example, the information area SC_I includes information about the affiliated store's logo, the affiliated store's name, the store's name, and the distance from the current location CP. The benefit area SC_C is an area provided for each benefit offered by each store, and includes a display area SC_C1 that displays the benefit details and an operation area SC_C2 for performing an operation corresponding to the type of benefit. That is, when the user presses the operation area SC_C2, the payment application 20 performs a process according to the type of benefit. For example, if the benefit is a coupon, the operation area SC_C2 is an operation to acquire the coupon. In this case, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the operation area SC_C2 was pressed to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 grants the coupon to the user (recording the coupon ID of the coupon in the "acquired coupon" field of the user information 172).

[0044] [Coupon value calculation] As shown in FIG. 10, when "return rate" is selected from the filtering area FL2, the payment application 20 displays, as store cards SC, stores in the vicinity of affiliated stores that offer coupons in descending order of return rate. However, if affiliated stores are simply displayed in descending order of return rate, coupons with extremely strict terms and conditions, which actually apply to a limited number of users, may be displayed at the top due to their apparent high return rate. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, although the return rate of the coupon offered by "XX Coffee" is 10%, the terms and conditions require "spending 1,000 yen or more," so it is possible that the coupon may not actually be applied to many users.

[0045] In light of the above circumstances, this embodiment simulates the electronic payments of each user of an electronic payment service over a predetermined period of time in the future based on the user's payment history, and calculates the coupon value by applying the simulated electronic payments to the terms and conditions for using coupons offered by affiliated stores. The method for calculating the coupon value in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0046] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a simulation based on a user's payment history. The acquisition unit 142 first references the payment history information in the user information 172 and acquires a payment history for each user for a predetermined period in the past, including at least the date and time of electronic payment, the store ID, and the payment amount. In FIG. 11, payment T1, payment T2, payment T3, etc. represent payment histories acquired for a predetermined period in the past. Here, the predetermined period in the past is any period, such as six months or a year.

[0047] The simulation unit 144 simulates the date, time, and amount of electronic payments made by users at stores over a predetermined future period based on the payment history. Here, the predetermined future period is, for example, the period until the expiration date of the coupon for which the coupon value is calculated. More specifically, the simulation unit 144 first calculates the RFM indices (Recency, Age, Frequency, Monetary) for the period of the payment history from the date, time, and amount of electronic payments included in the payment history. Here, Recency represents the period elapsed since the most recent electronic payment, Age represents the period elapsed since the first electronic payment, Frequency represents the number of repeat electronic payments at the affiliated store (i.e., a single electronic payment is zero), and Monetary represents the average payment amount during repeat payments.

[0048] After calculating the RFM index, the simulation unit 144 obtains a trained BG / NBD model (Beta Geometric / Negative Binomial Distribution model) to be used for predicting the date and time of future electronic payments. More specifically, the simulation unit 144 trains the BG / NBD model using the RFM index to obtain trained parameters (Gamma distribution parameters r and β, and Beta distribution parameters a and b) that define the BG / NBD model. Similarly, the simulation unit 144 trains a known Gamma-Gamma model using the calculated RFM index to obtain a trained GG model to be used for predicting the amount of future electronic payments. More specifically, the simulation unit 144 trains the GG model using the RFM index to obtain trained parameters (Gamma distribution parameters τ and ν) that define the GG model. Note that if the parameters do not converge due to a lack of training data, the parameters may converge by training using a Bayesian version of these models.

[0049] After obtaining the trained BG / NBD model and GG model, the simulation unit 144 generates, through simulation, the date, time, and amount of electronic payments made by users at affiliated stores over a predetermined future period. In Figure 11, payment S1, payment S2, payment S3, etc. represent a series of predicted payment data generated through the simulation, and each predicted payment data includes the date, time, and payment amount.

[0050] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of a simulation result 180 generated by the simulation unit 144. The simulation result 180 is generated for each user, and for example, the date, time, and payment amount are linked to each affiliated store. As an example, FIG. 12 illustrates a simulation of an electronic payment between "XX Coffee" with affiliated store ID "13579" and "△△ Sushi" with affiliated store ID "24685" shown in FIG. 7. As explained in FIG. 7, "XX Coffee" issues a coupon for a "10% return" under the condition of "payment of 1,000 yen or more," while "△△ Sushi" issues a coupon for a "5% return" under the condition of "payment of 100 yen or more." Therefore, in FIG. 12, many of the electronic payments generated by the simulation do not satisfy the coupon usage conditions for "XX Coffee," but do satisfy the coupon usage conditions for "△△ Sushi."

[0051] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the coupon value 182 calculated by the calculation unit 146. The calculation unit 146 calculates the coupon value of the coupon by applying the simulated electronic payment to the coupon usage conditions. More specifically, the calculation unit 146 calculates the coupon value of the coupon by dividing the amount of the coupon that the affiliated store will give back to the user in accordance with the simulated electronic payment by the total amount of the simulated electronic payment.

[0052] For example, in Figure 12, the simulation results show that user A makes a payment of 500 yen (without coupon application) on 5 / 16, a payment of 400 yen (without coupon application) on 5 / 17, a payment of 1200 yen (with coupon application) on 5 / 30, and a payment of 900 yen (without coupon application) on 5 / 31 for "XX Coffee." In this case, the calculation unit 146 calculates the total simulated payment amount as 500 yen + 400 yen + 1200 yen + 900 yen = 3000 yen, but because the coupon is only applied to the 1200 yen payment on 5 / 30, the calculation unit 146 calculates the coupon return amount as 120 yen. As a result, the calculation unit 146 calculates the coupon value for "XX Coffee" for user A as 120 yen ÷ 3000 yen = 4%. Similarly, the calculation unit 146 calculates the coupon value for "△△ Sushi" for user A as 300 yen ÷ 4200 yen = 5%. In other words, the coupon for "XX Coffee" exceeds the coupon for "△△ Sushi" in terms of the return rate, but is lower than the coupon for "△△ Sushi" in terms of coupon value.

[0053] In this way, if coupons were evaluated simply based on the return rate, the "XX Coffee" coupon would be evaluated higher because it offers a "10% return" while the "△△ Sushi" coupon offers a "5% return." However, since the "XX Coffee" coupon's usage condition is "a payment of 1,000 yen or more," in reality, there will be many electronic payments to which the coupon does not apply. According to this embodiment, by applying a payment simulation that reflects actual payment history to the coupon usage conditions, the value of coupons with strict usage conditions will be evaluated lower, allowing for an evaluation of coupon value that is more in line with the actual payment situation.

[0054] After calculating the coupon value for each user, the calculation unit 146 calculates the final coupon value by averaging these multiple coupon values. This makes it possible to calculate a single coupon value that is not dependent on the payment behavior of each individual user. Note that in this embodiment, the coupon value is calculated by dividing the amount of the coupon that the affiliated store will return to the user by the total amount of the simulated electronic payment, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. It is sufficient that the calculated coupon value is larger at least as the ratio of the return amount to the payment amount increases.

[0055] Furthermore, although the above description has been given as an example of calculating the value of a coupon, the calculation method according to this embodiment can also be used to calculate the value of a campaign or stamp card. Generally, this embodiment can calculate the value of a benefit that is provided as a rebate amount in response to an electronic payment and that has usage conditions.

[0056] [Display suggestion information based on coupon value] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of suggested information displayed on the user terminal device 10 based on the coupon value 182. Fig. 14 shows a case where, for example, in response to selecting "coupon value" from the filtering area FL2, stores around the affiliated store are displayed as store cards SC in descending order of coupon value.

[0057] When the user selects "Coupon Value" from the filtering area FL2, the user terminal device 10 transmits information indicating that the selection operation has been performed to the payment server 100. In response, the display control unit 148 references the coupon value 182 stored in the memory unit 170 and obtains coupon values ​​for a predetermined number of stores located within a predetermined range based on the user's current location CP. The display control unit 148 transmits the coupon values ​​to the user terminal device 10, and the payment app 20 displays the store cards SC of the surrounding stores in descending order of coupon value. As a result, in the case of FIG. 14 , the payment app 20 displays the coupon for "△△ Sushi," whose coupon value is calculated as 5%, higher than the coupon for "XX Coffee," whose coupon value is calculated as 3.5%. This prevents affiliated stores from issuing coupons with high return rates but extremely strict terms of use in order to display the coupons higher on the map search screen.

[0058] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing another example of suggested information displayed on the user terminal device 10 based on the coupon value 182. Fig. 14 shows an example in which suggested information about coupons is displayed on a map search screen based on a coupon value that does not depend on the payment behavior of each user. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and suggested information about coupons may be displayed on a screen other than the map search screen (e.g., a home screen) based on a coupon value calculated individually for each user.

[0059] For example, as shown in FIG. 15, when a user launches payment app 20, display control unit 148 may refer to coupon value 182 stored in memory unit 170, identify the coupon of the affiliated store with the largest coupon value calculated for that user, and send the identified coupon to user terminal device 10, causing payment app 20 to display it on the home screen. In this case, since the coupon value taken into consideration is per user, as shown in FIG. 15, for example, for a user who always spends 1,000 yen or more on "XX coffee" (i.e., a user who always meets the coupon usage conditions), a coupon related to "XX coffee" may be displayed on the home screen. This makes it possible to suggest optimal coupons based on the coupon value, in accordance with the payment behavior of each individual user.

[0060] [Processing flow] Next, the flow of processing executed by the payment server 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the payment server 100. The processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 16 is executed, for example, when a certain member store issues a new coupon.

[0061] First, the acquisition unit 142 acquires the payment history of each user from the user information 172 (step S100). Next, the simulation unit 144 trains the BG / NBD model and the GG model based on the payment history of each user (step S102). Next, the simulation unit 144 uses the trained BG / NBD model and the GG model to simulate electronic payments over a predetermined period in the future (step S104).

[0062] Next, the calculation unit 146 calculates the refund amount by applying the simulation results to the coupon usage conditions (step S106). Next, the calculation unit 146 divides the refund amount by the total amount of the simulated electronic payment to calculate the coupon value for each user (step S108). Next, the calculation unit 146 calculates the average value of the coupon values ​​for each user as the final coupon value (step S110). This ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0063] In the above embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a distinction is made between operations mainly performed by the payment app 20 of the user terminal device 10 and operations mainly performed by the display control unit 148 of the payment server 100. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and some or all of the operations of one of the payment app 20 and the display control unit 148 can be implemented as operations of the other. For example, instead of the display control unit 148, the payment app 20 may refer to the coupon value 182 stored in the memory unit 170 of the payment server 100 to obtain coupon values ​​for a predetermined number of stores located within a predetermined range based on the user's current location CP, and determine the display order of the stores according to the obtained coupon values.

[0064] According to the embodiment described above, the payment history of one or more users of an electronic payment service is acquired, and based on the payment history, electronic payments for the users over a predetermined period of time in the future are simulated. The value of a benefit is calculated by applying the simulated electronic payments to the terms and conditions of use of the benefit offered by the affiliated stores of the electronic payment service. This allows the value of the benefit to be properly evaluated.

[0065] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 100 Payment Server 110 Communications Department 120 Payment Contents Department 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 142 Acquisition Department 144 Simulation Department 146 Calculation Unit 148 Display control unit

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires payment histories of one or more users of the electronic payment service; a simulation unit that simulates future electronic payments of the user over a predetermined period based on the payment history; a calculation unit that calculates the value of the benefit by applying the simulated electronic payment to the terms and conditions for use of the benefit provided by the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; Information processing device.

2. The payment history includes information about the store, date, time, and amount of the affiliated store where the user made the electronic payment, the simulation unit simulates the date, time, and amount of electronic payments made by the user at the store over the predetermined period based on the payment history; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the calculation unit calculates the value of the benefit based on the amount of the benefit that the affiliated store will give back to the user in response to the simulated electronic payment and the total amount of the simulated electronic payment; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the calculation unit calculates the value of the benefit by dividing the amount of the benefit that the affiliated store will give back to the user in response to the simulated electronic payment by the total amount of the simulated electronic payment; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. The calculation unit calculates the divided value for each user and calculates the value of the benefit as an average value of the divided values. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

6. a display control unit that displays, on the user terminal device of the user, benefit information related to benefits provided by one or more of the member stores in descending order of value; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. the display control unit acquires the current location of the user from the user terminal device, and causes the user terminal device to display the benefit information for one or more of the member stores within a predetermined range from the current location in descending order of value; The information processing device according to claim 6 .

8. the display control unit causes the user terminal device of the user to selectably display at least the return rate and the value specified for the benefit, and displays benefit information regarding the benefit provided by one or more of the member stores in descending order of the return rate or the value in accordance with the selection by the user; The information processing device according to claim 6 .

9. The computer Obtaining payment histories of one or more users of the electronic payment service; simulating future electronic payments of the user over a predetermined period based on the payment history; calculating the value of the benefit by applying the simulated electronic payment to the terms and conditions of use of the benefit provided by the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; Information processing methods.

10. On the computer, Obtaining payment histories of one or more users of an electronic payment service; simulating future electronic payments of the user over a predetermined period based on the payment history; calculating the value of the benefit by applying the simulated electronic payment to the terms and conditions of use of the benefit provided by the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; program.

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