Settlement management device, settlement management method and program

Abstract

To provide a settlement management device, settlement management method and program capable of suppressing or improving decline in users' motivation for investment.SOLUTION: A settlement management device for providing an electronic settlement service to users in cooperation with an application program operating on terminal devices of the users, the settlement management device includes a settlement processing unit that realizes the electronic settlement service, and a support information generation unit that generates support information to assist a user in making decision when selecting an investment object stock, on the basis of expenditure information relating to payments made by the user through settlement using the electronic settlement service.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, in relation to electronic payment services that provide payment functions using electronic money, it has been considered to improve the convenience of points by allocating points given to users to part or all of the amount of a deferred payment as a way of using the points (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 also describes a way of using points, in which the points are utilized for investment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-147563 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional technologies may not be able to sufficiently increase users' motivation to invest. More specifically, conventional technologies may not always be able to provide investment information that is suitable for each individual user. As a result, conventional technologies may not be able to make decisions about investing with a high degree of confidence or satisfaction.

[0005] The present invention has been made taking these circumstances into consideration, and one of its objectives is to provide a payment management device, a payment management method, and a program that can prevent or improve a decline in users' motivation to invest. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a payment management device that provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program running on the user's terminal device, and is equipped with a payment processing unit that realizes the electronic payment service, and a support information generation unit that generates support information to assist the user in making decisions when selecting investment targets based on expenditure information regarding payments made by the user through payments using the electronic payment service. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a payment management device, a payment management method, and a program that can suppress or increase a decrease in a user's motivation to invest. [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 a screen (automatic addition setting screen) for setting automatic addition of points, as an example of a user interface related to point investment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that allows a user to individually select stocks as investment targets, as an example of a user interface related to point investment. [Figure 9]10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in which the investment processing unit 150 provides the user with support information regarding point investment using the stock selection support function. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Below, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of a payment management device, a payment management method, and a program of the present invention are described. Various devices, such as a "server," a "management device," and an "information providing device," that provide services to users and perform internal analysis, may be realized by 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 store) that exists in the real world, but may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. A virtual store may also be provided by an entity other than the operator of the electronic payment service. In such a case, when making a payment for a purchase at a virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In an electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at a store is primarily conducted between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be 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, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and an affiliated securities company server 200 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, an investment processing unit 150, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[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, and affiliated store / shop information 176.

[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 associated information such as email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, deferred payment settings, deferred payment limit, deferred payment usage amount, deferred payment available amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, and payment history information. The user URL is used for remittance processing between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone number and password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID can be set by the user (or does not have to be set). The email address, name, address, and date of birth are also information that can be set by the user (or do not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[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 service provider (bank) ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) or from a registered bank account. The deferred payment setting indicates whether the setting for deferred payment electronic payments has been completed and is set to either "completed" or "not completed." The deferred payment limit is the monthly deferred payment limit. The deferred payment usage amount is the amount of deferred payment already used in the current month. The available deferred payment amount is the amount of deferred payment available in the current month, calculated by subtracting the deferred payment usage amount from the deferred payment limit. While the figure shows only one deferred payment limit, in reality, there may also be daily upper limits, and the lower of these may be set as the deferred payment limit. Further details on deferred payment will be discussed later. The payment method setting indicates whether the user will make electronic payments using the charge balance or by deferred payment at that time. The bank account and credit card number are information on the bank account or credit card number (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.).

[0026] The investment processing unit 150 executes processing to provide users of the electronic payment service with an investment function using funds available in the electronic payment service. The following describes a case where the investment function provided by the investment processing unit 150 is "point investment." Point investment is a function that realizes investment using points awarded in the electronic payment service as capital. For example, the investment processing unit 150, in cooperation with the payment application 20, displays a user interface related to point investment on the user terminal device 10 and accepts user operations related to point investment via the user interface. The investment processing unit 150 requests the affiliated securities company server 200 to execute an investment under conditions specified via the payment application 20. The affiliated securities company server 200 executes processing to realize the investment under the conditions requested by the investment processing unit 150, thereby realizing the point investment for the target user.

[0027] The investment function provided by the investment processing unit 150 may be funded by funds other than points. For example, the investment processing unit 150 may provide an investment function funded by electronic money charged to the user's electronic payment account. Also, for example, the investment processing unit 150 may provide an investment function funded by funds available from a credit card, bank account, or the like that has been registered in advance as a payment method in the electronic payment service.

[0028] The affiliated securities company server 200 is a server device of a securities company (hereinafter referred to as the "affiliated securities company") that receives and processes a request to make a point investment from the settlement server 100. A securities account is opened in advance for the target user at the affiliated securities company, and the securities account is managed by the affiliated securities company server 200. The securities account manages the stocks held by the user, the number of stocks held for each stock, the current value of the stocks held, and so on. The request to make a point investment may include, for example, information such as the credentials (ID and password) for accessing the user's securities account, the investment amount, and the stocks to be invested in. If the user has previously consented to the provision of information between the electronic settlement service provider and the affiliated securities company, the user's identification information may be exchanged instead of the credentials information.

[0029] The investment amount in point investment may be managed as points, or may be converted into a cash equivalent and managed. For example, if the affiliated securities company server 200 has a function for managing the investment amount of a point investment user as points, the settlement server 100 may link the investment amount to the affiliated securities company server 200 as points. Also, for example, so that the affiliated securities company server 200 does not have to distinguish between point investment and regular investment, the settlement server 100 may convert the points into an equivalent amount of cash and then link to the affiliated securities company server 200. Furthermore, if the status of each user's point investment is managed by the settlement server 100, the settlement server 100 may be configured to collectively manage each user's point investment in a specific securities account. In this case, the affiliated securities company server 200 may be provided with the specific securities account instead of a securities account for each user. In addition to these, the form of the securities account for realizing point investment, the form of point management, the form of securities management, etc. may be modified as appropriate depending on the relationship and arrangements between the payment service provider and the affiliated securities company, as long as it is possible to operate using points awarded through the electronic payment service.

[0030] 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.

[0031] The information management unit 140 manages the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records to, edits, deletes, etc. the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176.

[0032] [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.

[0033] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payments for users whose "setting information" is set to "postpaid" as follows. Postpaid payments are set separately from "credit card payments" 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 postpaid limit and independent of the remaining balance. To receive the postpaid service, a user may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used for postpaid payments is settled in full on the following month's payment date, for example, by debit from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 makes a provisional settlement by adding the settlement amount to the deferred payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available deferred payment balance. On the closing date, the payment processing unit 130 performs the process described above to debit the current month's payment on the following month's payment date, or requests the credit card operator to perform this process. If the settlement amount exceeds the available deferred payment balance at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is returned to the payment app 20.

[0034] [Select investment target (Part 1: Automatic addition settings)] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (automatic addition setting screen) for setting up automatic point addition, as an example of a user interface related to point investment. The example in FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the automatic addition setting screen B10 is displayed by transitioning from the payment history screen A10. Both the payment history screen A10 and the automatic addition setting screen B10 are screens displayed in the payment application 20. The payment history screen A10 is a screen that displays the history of payments made by the user using electronic payment services. The payment history screen A10 includes, for example, a list display area A11 that displays a list of past payments, and a button A12 for transitioning to the automatic addition setting screen B10. The list display area A11 displays, for each past payment, the payee, date, payment progress, payment amount, and the like. In addition, the list display area A11 displays buttons A111 to A115 for displaying detailed information for each listed payment. The user can operate any of the buttons A111 to A115 as needed to display detailed information for the corresponding payment history.

[0035] The automatic addition setting screen B10 is a screen that provides a user interface for setting up point investment. In the example of FIG. 7, the automatic addition setting screen B10 provides a user interface for setting up automatic point addition. Here, the automatic point addition setting refers to a setting for whether or not awarded points are automatically added to a point investment. Adding points to a point investment means using the points as a source of funds for point investment. The automatic addition setting screen B10 has, for example, an automatic addition setting switching section B11, a first course selection section B12, and a second course selection section B13.

[0036] The automatic addition setting switching unit B11 is a user interface that accepts an operation to enable / disable the automatic addition setting. When an operation to disable the automatic point addition setting is performed in the automatic addition setting switching unit B11, points will no longer be automatically added to the point investment when points are subsequently awarded. After the automatic point addition setting is disabled, points will be added to the point investment by the user's operation. This operation includes the user's operation to select investment target stocks, and the investment processing unit 150 can support the user's decision-making when selecting investment target stocks using the stock selection support function described below.

[0037] On the other hand, when an operation to enable the automatic point addition setting is performed in the automatic point addition setting switching unit B11, the points that are awarded thereafter are automatically added to the point investment. After the automatic point addition setting is enabled, when points are awarded, the points are automatically added to the course that was previously set in the first course selection unit B12 or the second course selection unit B13.

[0038] Here, the first course and the second course are classifications of investment targets (hereinafter also referred to as "courses") that can be selected in point investment. The first course is selected from a group of courses classified into the first course classification, and the second course is selected from a group of courses classified into the second course classification. The first course and the second course become selectable when the automatic addition setting is enabled, and either the first course or the second course can be selected as the investment target.

[0039] The first and second course classifications may be based on any criteria, and the number of course classifications and courses may be designed arbitrarily. Here, as an example, the first course classification is a classification of courses that aim to achieve investment results that are linked to the price movements of the investment target, and the second course classification is a classification of courses that aim to achieve investment results that are inversely linked to the price movements of the investment target. The example in Figure 7 shows an example in which five courses, Course A to Course E, are classified into the first course classification, and Course F is classified into the second course classification. The type of investment results each course aims for may be designed arbitrarily according to the criteria of the course classification to which each course belongs.

[0040] [Selecting investment targets (Part 2: Stock selection support function)] FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen that allows a user to individually select stocks as investment targets, as an example of a user interface for point investment. The example in FIG. 8 illustrates a case where a stock selection screen D10 is displayed by transitioning from a sector selection screen C10. Here, a sector refers to a classification of stocks that can be selected as investment targets, such as by related business type, industry, or theme. The sector selection screen C10 presents multiple sector options C11 and accepts a user's selection operation for the presented options C11. When the sector selection screen C10 accepts a sector selection operation, it transitions to the stock selection screen D10 corresponding to the selected sector. The sector selection screen C10 may also provide a means C12 for selecting a sector other than the sectors presented in the options C11.

[0041] The stock selection screen D10 presents a group of stocks belonging to the sector selected on the sector selection screen C10 as investment stock options D11, and accepts the user's selection operation for the presented options. The stock selection screen D10 may be controlled so as to be operable when the automatic point addition setting is disabled. Furthermore, when an investment stock is selected on the stock selection screen D10, the automatic point addition setting may be controlled so as to be automatically disabled. The stock selection screen D10 may provide a means D12 for selecting stocks other than those presented in the options D11. Furthermore, the investment processing unit 150 accepts, along with the stock selection, the specification of the number of points to be added to the selected stock. The investment processing unit 150 adds the specified number of points to the point investment of the specified stock.

[0042] At this time, the investment processing unit 150 provides information (hereinafter referred to as "support information") to support the user's decision-making when selecting an investment target stock on the sector selection screen C10 or the stock selection screen D10 using a stock selection support function. More specifically, the investment processing unit 150 generates the support information based on information regarding payments made by the user using the electronic payment service (hereinafter referred to as "expenditure information"). For example, the expenditure information is payment history information included in the user information 172. The payment history information may include information on affiliated stores used by the user and information on products and services purchased by the user. By analyzing this information, trends in the sectors and stocks preferred by the user can be understood. The expenditure information may be history information of payments made using payment methods available in the electronic payment service, and may be acquired and managed by the payment server 100 or may be acquired from another device. For example, the investment processing unit 150 may be configured to acquire payment history information regarding payments made using credit cards from the system of a credit card company, which is an entity separate from the operator of the electronic payment service.

[0043] For example, the payment history information and charge history information in the example of Fig. 5 are examples of expenditure information. For example, the investment processing unit 150 performs a ranking process for sectors based on this expenditure information, and displays the top-ranked sectors (e.g., 1st to 4th place) as options on the sector selection screen C10. The sector ranking process results displayed on the sector selection screen C10 in this way are an example of support information.

[0044] Furthermore, for example, the investment processing unit 150 performs a ranking process on the stocks belonging to the sector selected on the sector selection screen C10 based on the expenditure information, and displays the top-ranked stocks (for example, 1st to 3rd place) as options on the stock selection screen D10. The stock ranking process results displayed on the stock selection screen D10 in this way are an example of support information.

[0045] In this way, by providing users with a selection of sectors or stocks extracted based on expenditure information, users can make decisions when selecting investment targets for point investment with a high degree of confidence and satisfaction.

[0046] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in which the investment processing unit 150 provides a user with support information related to point investment using the stock selection support function. For example, the flowchart in FIG. 9 is executed when a user operates the sector selection screen C10 and / or the stock selection screen D10 to select a stock to invest in. For example, first, the investment processing unit 150 receives a request to acquire the sector selection screen C10 from the payment application 20 (S101). Next, the investment processing unit 150 acquires expenditure information of the requesting user and performs sector ranking processing based on the acquired expenditure information (S102). Here, it is assumed that the user has logged in to the electronic payment service via the payment application 20, and the login status is managed by the payment server 100. Therefore, the payment server 100 can identify the requesting user by referring to the login status of the requesting payment application 20. The investment processing unit 150 generates first support information based on the results of the ranking processing executed in S102 (S103).

[0047] For example, the investment processing unit 150 may tally the amounts paid by users using electronic payment services for each sector to which the payment destination merchant belongs, rank the amounts in order of total amount, and generate first support information based on the ranking results. Alternatively, for example, the investment processing unit 150 may tally the amounts paid by users using electronic payment services for each payment destination merchant, rank the amounts in order of total amount, and generate first support information based on the ranking results. The investment processing unit 150 may also rank based on the number of payments made instead of the payment amount. The investment processing unit 150 may also rank based on the results of tallying the payment amount and the number of payments for each location or region where the payment destination merchant is located. The investment processing unit 150 may also be configured to filter the payment history to be aggregated based on the attributes of the payment destination merchant or the user. In addition to these, the aggregation targets and aggregation units for aggregating expenditure information may be changed in any manner based on attributes that can be recognized based on the user information 172 or the merchant / store information 176, or a combination thereof.

[0048] The investment processing unit 150 generates content for the sector selection screen C10 capable of displaying the first support information generated in S103, and distributes it to the requesting payment application 20 (S104). For example, the investment processing unit 150 may generate and distribute the content for the sector selection screen C10 via the payment content providing unit 120. The payment application 20 displays the sector selection screen C10 by playing content received from the payment server 100. Subsequently, the payment application 20 accepts a sector selection operation on the sector selection screen C10, and transmits information on the sector selected by the operation (sector selection information) to the payment server 100.

[0049] Next, the investment processing unit 150 recognizes the sector (target sector) selected by the user on the sector selection screen C10 based on the sector selection information received from the payment application 20 (S105), and performs a ranking process on the stocks belonging to the target sector (S106). The investment processing unit 150 generates second support information based on the results of the ranking process performed in S106 (S107).

[0050] For example, the investment processing unit 150 ranks stocks belonging to the target sector in descending order of investment effectiveness over a predetermined period in the past, and generates second support information based on the ranking results. Note that the investment processing unit 150 may be configured to filter stocks to be ranked based on attributes that can be recognized based on the user information 172 and the affiliated store / shop information 176, or a combination thereof. For example, the investment processing unit 150 may be configured to calculate a score of the degree of relevance of each stock belonging to the target sector with affiliated stores frequently used by users, and to rank stocks with this score equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0051] The investment processing unit 150 generates content for the stock selection screen D10 capable of displaying the second support information generated in S107, and distributes the content to the requesting payment application 20 (S108). For example, the investment processing unit 150 may generate and distribute the content for the stock selection screen D10 via the payment content providing unit 120. The payment application 20 displays the stock selection screen D10 by playing content received from the payment server 100. Next, the payment application 20 accepts a stock selection operation on the stock selection screen D10, and transmits information on the stock selected by the operation (stock selection information) to the payment server 100. Next, in the payment server 100, the investment processing unit 150 can recognize the stock selected by the user on the stock selection screen D10 as an investment target stock based on the stock selection information received from the payment application 20 (S109).

[0052] According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to suppress or improve a decrease in a user's motivation for investing. More specifically, according to the stock selection support function of the embodiment, a user can select an investment target stock by referring to support information proposed based on the user's own expenditure information. This lowers the barrier to selecting an investment target stock, leading to improved motivation. Furthermore, according to the stock selection support function of the embodiment, a user can select a target sector from among sector options proposed based on the user's own expenditure information. This allows the user to select an investment target stock from sectors that have a high affinity with the user. Furthermore, according to the stock selection support function of the embodiment, a user can select an investment target stock from among stock options proposed based on the user's own expenditure information. This allows the user to select a stock that has a high affinity with the user as an investment target. In other words, according to the present embodiment, a user can make a decision about making an investment with a high sense of security and satisfaction.

[0053] <Modification> In the embodiment, a case where decision-making support is provided when selecting investment target stocks for point investment has been described, but the stock selection support function may also be applied to any investment function service provided in a form other than point investment. Furthermore, the stock selection support function of the embodiment may also be implemented in a system of another business that has a business partnership with a payment service provider that provides electronic payment services. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, if the payment service provider and an affiliated securities company have a business partnership and it can be assumed that the user's consent has been obtained for the user's spending information to be provided to the affiliated securities company, the stock selection support function may be implemented as a function of the affiliated securities company server 200.

[0054] In the embodiment, the case where the investment processing unit 150 in the payment server 100 generates support information (such as sectors and stocks) based on the user's payment history and presents it to the user has been described. However, any behavioral history information that can be used to understand the target user in the electronic payment service may be used to generate the support information instead of / in addition to the payment history information. In this case, the payment server 100 may be configured to acquire the behavioral history information of the target user from another specific system instead of / in addition to the history information generated / accumulated in the electronic payment service. For example, the payment server 100 may acquire the behavioral history information of the target user from the affiliated securities company server 200. Furthermore, when the payment server 100 cooperates with an affiliated bank server instead of / in addition to the affiliated securities company server 200, it may acquire the behavioral history information of the target user (such as deposit / withdrawal and remittance history) from the affiliated bank server.

[0055] In the embodiment, in the user terminal device 10, the display and operation of various screens are controlled by the payment app 20 playing content provided by the payment server 100. However, these controls may be performed mainly by the payment server 100, mainly by the payment app 20, or by the payment server 100 and the payment app 20 working together. For example, when the payment server 100 is the control entity, the payment server 100 may be configured to provide all of the content necessary for screen display to the payment app 20. Also, for example, when the payment app 20 is the control entity, the payment app 20 may be configured to include all of the content necessary for screen display. Also, for example, when the payment app 20 is the control entity, the payment app 20 may be configured to include some of the content necessary for screen display and display the screen in combination with other content provided by the payment server 100.

[0056] 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]

[0057] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 50 First store terminal device 60 Store Code Image 70 Second store terminal device 72 Merchant Interface 100 Payment Server 110 Communications Department 120 Payment Contents Department 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 150 Investment Department 170 Storage section 172 User information 174 Payment Content Information 176 Affiliated Stores / Store Information 200 Affiliated securities company server

Claims

1. A payment management device that provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program running on the user's terminal device, a payment processing unit that realizes the electronic payment service; a support information generation unit that generates support information to support the user in making a decision when selecting a stock to invest in, based on expenditure information regarding payments made by the user through settlement using the electronic settlement service; A payment management device comprising:

2. the support information generation unit provides options of stocks that can be selected as the investment target stocks for each sector into which stocks are classified; The support information generation unit determines a group of sectors to be presented to the user as options for the target sector selected as a target for selecting the investment target stock based on expenditure information of the user. The payment management device according to claim 1 .

3. The expenditure information includes history information of payments using electronic money that can be used in the electronic payment service and / or history information of credit card payments that can be used in the electronic payment service. The payment management device according to claim 1 .

4. the support information generation unit performs a first ranking on the options in the sector based on a first value that can be recognized based on the expenditure information, and provides the result of the first ranking to the user by including it in the support information; The payment management device according to claim 2 .

5. the support information generation unit extracts sectors to be subjected to the first ranking based on attributes that can be recognized regarding the user; The payment management device according to claim 4.

6. the support information generation unit determines a group of stocks to be presented to the user as options for the investment target stocks for the stocks belonging to the selected target sector based on expenditure information of the user; The payment management device according to claim 2 .

7. the support information generation unit performs a second ranking on the options for the investment target stocks based on a second value that can be recognized for the stocks belonging to the target sector, and provides the result of the second ranking to the user by including it in the support information; The payment management device according to claim 6.

8. the support information generation unit extracts brands to be subjected to the second ranking based on attributes that can be recognized regarding the user; The payment management device according to claim 7.

9. A payment management method in which a payment management device provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program running on the user's terminal device, comprising: Execute a payment process that realizes the electronic payment service; generating support information for supporting the user in making a decision when selecting a stock to invest in, based on expenditure information regarding payments made by the user through settlement using the electronic settlement service; Payment management methods.

10. A program for causing a payment management device to provide an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program running on the user's terminal device, a payment process that realizes the electronic payment service; a support information generation process for generating support information to support the user in making a decision when selecting a stock to invest in, based on expenditure information regarding payments made by the user through settlement using the electronic settlement service; A program for causing the payment management device to execute the above.

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