Commercial activity support system

Abstract

To grasp customer needs for a commodity which a store considers to sell or a service which the store considers to provide.SOLUTION: One or more processors of a system for supporting commercial activities of a store that performs at least one of sale of a product and provision of a service perform a process of generating voting proposal information in which a plurality of candidates for a new product that the store is considering selling and a new service that the store is considering providing are set as voting targets of request voting by customers of the store. The one or more processors also perform processing for transmitting voting proposal information to the voting reception terminal, and processing for receiving voting answer information to the voting proposal information from the voting reception terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system for supporting commercial activities of a store that sells products and / or provides services. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-065488 discloses a device that suggests to a store how many items to order for a product sold in the store. This conventional device collects information about out-of-stock items that customers were unable to purchase due to being out of stock through a survey of customers who purchased products at the store, and calculates the number of items that are in short supply. The conventional device also calculates the number of items to be ordered by the store based on information about the store's product ordering history. The conventional device further calculates a recommended order quantity for the out-of-stock items based on the ordered number and the number of items that are in short supply, and suggests this to the store.

[0003] In addition to JP 2008-065488 A, examples of documents showing the state of the art in the technical field related to the present disclosure include JP 2007-102481 A and JP 2023-092350 A. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-065488 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-102481 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-092350 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Consider support for commercial activities of a store that sells products and / or provides services. This support includes, for example, grasping customer needs for the products sold by the store or the services provided by the store.

[0006] Conventional devices can understand customer needs for products sold by a store from the results of a survey. However, the survey targets only products currently sold in the store or products that customers are aware of being sold in the store. Therefore, it is not possible to understand customer needs for products that have not been sold in the store or products that customers are unaware of. Therefore, there is a need for technology development that can understand customer needs for the sale of new products and services that are new to stores or store customers.

[0007] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can grasp customer needs regarding a product that a store is considering selling or a service that a store is considering providing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The commercial activity support system according to the present disclosure is a system that supports commercial activities of a store that sells products and / or provides services, and has the following features. The system includes one or more storage devices and one or more processors. Store information about the store is stored in the one or more storage devices. The one or more processors are configured to execute various processes. The store information includes at least one of information about new products that the store is considering selling and information about new services that the store is considering providing. The one or more processors are configured to execute the following processes: generate voting proposal information based on at least one of the information on the new product and the information on the new service, in which multiple candidates for at least one of the new product and the new service are the subject of a request vote by customers of the store; transmit the generated voting proposal information to a voting acceptance terminal; and receive voting response information for the voting proposal information from the voting acceptance terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The commercial activity support system according to the present disclosure can invite customers of a store to participate in a request vote using a vote reception terminal, and collect voting result information for multiple candidates for at least one of a new product that the store is considering selling and a new service that the store is considering providing. This makes it possible to understand customer needs for new products and new services. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a commercial activity support system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of various information used in the request voting process. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a request voting process. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a request voting process. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information output from the vote acceptance terminal during the processing of steps S21-S24 in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a request voting process. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a request voting process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0012] 1. System configuration example Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example configuration of a commercial activity support system (hereinafter also simply referred to as "system") according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 1 illustrates a request voting system 10, a payment system 20, a store management terminal 30, and a vote acceptance terminal 40. These elements constitute the system according to the embodiment.

[0013] The system according to the embodiment supports commercial activities in a way that benefits both the store ST and the customer CS. The store ST is, for example, a tenant store (e.g., a grocery store, a general merchandise store, or a restaurant) that rents a section of a facility and operates within it. Examples of the facility include commercial facilities (e.g., shopping malls and commercial buildings). The customer CS is a consumer of the products sold by the store ST and the services provided by the store ST. The customer CS is, for example, a resident of the town or city where the store ST is located.

[0014] The request voting system 10 provides a service (hereinafter also referred to as the "request voting service") that starts with collecting the needs of customers CS based on request voting by customers CS, and guides customers CS to visit stores ST and to purchase products or use services at the stores ST. The voting targets for the request voting include multiple candidates for at least one of new products that the stores ST are considering selling and new services that the stores ST are considering providing.

[0015] The request voting system 10 includes a communication device 11, one or more processors 12 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "processors 12"), and one or more storage devices 13 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "storage devices 13"). The communication device 11 communicates with each of the payment system 20, the store management terminal 30, and the voting reception terminal 40 via a wired or wireless communication network.

[0016] The processor 12 executes various processes. Examples of the processor 12 include a general-purpose processor, a specific-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The storage device 13 stores various information required for various processes. Examples of the storage device 13 include a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), and a solid state drive (SSD).

[0017] The processor 12 may execute a computer program. The computer program is stored in, for example, the storage device 13. The computer program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The functions of the request voting system 10 may be realized by cooperation between the processor 12 executing the computer program and the storage device 13.

[0018] The payment system 20 provides a service (payment service) for payment of at least one of the products sold at the store ST and the services provided at the store ST. The basic configuration of the payment system 20 is the same as that of the request voting system 10. That is, the payment system 20 includes a communication device, one or more processors (hereinafter also simply referred to as "processors"), and one or more storage devices (hereinafter also simply referred to as "storage devices").

[0019] The storage device of the payment system 20 stores a database of various information related to payment services (e.g., transaction data for products or services, product master data). The processor of the payment system 20 executes processing related to payment by the customer CS for at least one of products and services. In the payment processing, the processor authenticates the customer CS (e.g., facial recognition) using, for example, a camera installed in the store ST. Once authentication is complete, the processor accepts the payment operation by the customer CS using the payment function of the vote reception terminal 40. Once payment is complete, the processor transmits the payment result of the customer CS to the store ST (e.g., the vote reception terminal 40). The processor also transmits payment information to the request voting system 10. The payment information includes information about the customer CS who made the payment, and information such as the content, quantity, and amount of the product or service for which payment has been completed by the customer CS.

[0020] The store management terminal 30 is an information terminal that manages at least one of the products sold by the store ST and the services provided by the store ST. The basic configuration of the store management terminal 30 is the same as that of the request voting system 10. As part of the management of the products sold by the store ST, the store management terminal 30 manages ordering products from wholesalers and the arrival of products. As part of the management of the services provided by the store ST, the store management terminal 30 manages the arrangement of business supplies necessary for service activities, the allocation of employees, etc. The store management terminal 30 sends and receives various information related to the request voting service to and from the request voting system 10.

[0021] The vote acceptance terminal 40 is an information terminal operated by the customer CS. The basic configuration of the vote acceptance terminal 40 is the same as that of the request voting system 10. Examples of the vote acceptance terminal 40 include an information terminal of the store ST (e.g., an in-store tablet) used to make payments for at least one of goods and services at the store ST, and an information terminal of the customer CS (e.g., a smartphone) used for this payment. The vote acceptance terminal 40 transmits and receives various information related to the request voting service to and from the request voting system 10.

[0022] 2. Request Voting The various processes executed by the processor 12 include processes related to request voting (hereinafter also referred to as "request voting processes"). The storage device 13 stores various types of information used in the request voting processes. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the various types of information used in the request voting processes. In the example shown in Figure 2, the various types of information include store information DST and customer information DCS. When there are multiple stores ST that use the request voting service, the store information DST and customer information DCS are managed for each store ST that uses the request voting service.

[0023] In the example shown in Figure 2, the store information DST includes identification information of the store ST that uses the request voting service, information on products for sale, product payment information, voting holding information, and voting result information. Note that the explanation of Figure 2 assumes that the store ST sells products, but by replacing "sale" with "provision," "product" with "service," "purchase" with "use," and "arrival" with "introduction" in the explanation of Figure 2, an example of when the store ST provides a service can be explained.

[0024] The identification information includes, for example, the ID number of the store ST and the attributes of the store ST (for example, business format, business scale). The sales product information includes, for example, the ID number of a product currently on sale at the store ST and the attributes of this product. The sales product information is acquired from an information terminal of the store ST (for example, the store management terminal 30). The attributes of the product are set by appropriately combining elements that make up the product's master data (for example, category, size, weight, color, sales target, release date, etc.). The product payment information is generated based on payment information from the payment system 20. The product payment information includes, for example, the ID number of the sold product, the date and time of sale of this product, the number sold, the sales price, and the ID number of the purchaser.

[0025] The voting information is information related to the request voting. The voting information includes, for example, the ID number of the request voting, the voting theme (e.g., "Sweets that make you feel spring"), the voting acceptance period (e.g., the start date and time and the end date and time), and information on the voting target (e.g., the ID number, the planned selling price, the product image, the description, etc.). The voting information is acquired from an information terminal of the store ST (e.g., the store management terminal 30). The voting result information is information related to the results of the request voting. The voting result information includes, for example, the ID number of the request voting, the voting theme, the voting acceptance period, and information on the voting target (e.g., the voting ranking, the number of votes, the vote percentage, etc.).

[0026] Here, the voting targets included in the voting information include products currently being sold by the store ST (existing products) and products that the store ST is considering stocking and selling in the near future (for example, next month) (new products). Examples of new products include products newly produced by manufacturers and products that are already on the market but have not yet been sold by the store ST. New products also include improved products that are released after improving existing products. Even if the store ST has been selling existing products, when an improved product is released, the improved product is treated as a new product. Note that existing products and improved products are distinguished by, for example, referring to the product's master data (release date).

[0027] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the customer information DCS also includes identification information of the customer CS, product payment information, and voting history information.

[0028] The identification information includes the ID number of the customer CS, the attributes of the customer CS (e.g., gender, age, family composition), and the preferences of the customer CS (purchasing preferences, voting preferences, etc.). The identification information may also include identification information of the information terminal of the customer CS and facial image information required for authenticating the customer CS. The product payment information includes the ID number of the product purchased by the customer CS at the store ST, and information on the purchase date and time, quantity purchased, and purchase price of the product. The voting history information is information related to the history of when the customer CS cast a vote in response to a request vote proposed by the store ST. Examples of voting history information include the ID number of the request vote, the voting target for which the customer CS voted, the voting date and time, and the total number of votes for the voting target.

[0029] The flow of the request voting process will be explained with reference to Figure 3-7. Note that the explanation of Figure 3-7 assumes that the voting target is a product, but by applying the example of reinterpretation of Figure 2 to Figure 3-7, an example when the voting target is a service will be explained. Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing an example of the request voting process performed by the request voting system 10 (processor 12).

[0030] The processing routine shown in Fig. 3 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, every day, week, or month). In the processing routine shown in Fig. 3, first, store information DST is acquired (step S11). An example of the configuration of the store information DST is as described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0031] Following the processing of step S11, it is determined whether or not there is a request to hold a vote (step S12). For example, if the store information DST (voting information) acquired in step S11 has been updated, it is determined that there is a request to hold a vote. In the processing of step S12, it may be determined whether or not the holding conditions are met by referring to the voting information. Examples of the holding conditions include that a voting theme is set, that a voting acceptance period is set, that multiple voting targets are set, that the voting targets have common attributes, and that the attributes of the voting targets are related to the voting theme. If it is determined that the holding conditions are not met, support information may be sent to the information terminal (e.g., store management terminal 30) of the store ST from which the store information DST was acquired, prompting the registration of information necessary to meet the holding conditions.

[0032] If the determination result in step S12 is negative, this processing ends. If the determination result in step S12 is positive, voting proposal information is generated (step S13). The voting proposal information is information that proposes a request vote for a voting target to the customer CS of the store ST from which the store information DST was obtained. The voting proposal information is generated based on the voting holding information obtained in step S11. The voting proposal information is generated, for example, by assigning multiple voting targets to each request vote ID number or voting theme.

[0033] The processing routine shown in Fig. 4 is executed repeatedly at a predetermined interval during the voting acceptance period for the request vote. In the processing routine shown in Fig. 4, first, it is determined whether or not payment information has been received (step S21). As already explained, the payment information is transmitted from the payment system 20 to the request voting system 10 when the customer CS pays for at least one of a product and a service at the store ST.

[0034] If the determination result of step S21 is negative, this processing ends. If the determination result of step S21 is positive, voting proposal information is sent (step S22). The destination of the proposed voting information is the voting acceptance terminal 40 used by the customer CS to pay for at least one of the product and the service. The voting acceptance terminal 40 is an information terminal of the store ST (e.g., an in-store tablet) or an information terminal of the customer CS (e.g., a smartphone).

[0035] Following the processing of step S22, it is determined whether or not voting response information has been received (step S23). Voting response information is information that is input to the voting reception terminal 40 by operation of the customer CS as a response to the voting proposal information output from the voting reception terminal 40. Whether or not voting response information has been received is determined, for example, based on whether or not the voting response information has been received before a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission of the voting proposal information.

[0036] If the determination result in step S23 is negative, this processing ends. If the determination result in step S23 is positive, feedback information (FB information) based on the interim voting results is generated and transmitted (step S24). The interim voting results are real-time information generated based on voting result information that sequentially reflects response information during the reception period. The feedback information generated in step S24 is intended for the customer CS who responded (voted) in response to the voting proposal. Examples of feedback information include the interim vote counts for multiple voting targets. By feeding back such interim information to the customer CS, the preferences of other customers CS can be learned. It is also possible to give the customer CS a sense of satisfaction that they are cooperating with the management of the store ST.

[0037] 5 is a diagram showing an example of information output from the vote acceptance terminal 40 during the processing of steps S21-S24. The upper part of FIG. 5 depicts a vote image IM1 generated based on the vote proposal information. The vote image IM1 includes images of products C1, C2, C3, and C4 as voting targets. The vote image IM1 also includes text images saying "Choose your favorite product" and "These products are under consideration for sale," as well as an icon image saying "Vote for this product."

[0038] The middle section of Figure 5 depicts a voting image IM2 that is generated when customer CS selects product C1 by, for example, tapping on the image of product C1 in voting image IM1. The voting image IM2 is enhanced by, for example, surrounding the image of product C1 with a bold frame. The voting image IM2 also includes an enhancement, such as changing the color of the icon image that says "Vote for this product."

[0039] The lower part of Figure 5 depicts a voting image IM3 that is output from the voting reception terminal 40 when the customer CS taps on the icon image in the voting image IM2, for example. The voting image IM3 includes an image of the voting target (product C1) for which the customer CS voted. The voting image IM3 also includes an image of a horizontal bar graph showing the intermediate vote counts N1, N2, N3, and N4 for the voting target. The voting image IM3 also includes a text image (Thank you for voting) expressing gratitude to the customer CS.

[0040] The feedback information generated in step S24 may include a sales forecast for the voting target at the store ST for which the customer CS voted. The sales forecast can be calculated, for example, based on the conditions under which the store ST will likely start selling the voting target (e.g., the product with the highest vote ranking, the product with the highest vote rate, or the product with a number of votes equal to or greater than a threshold) and the interim voting results for the voting target. The sales forecast may be output by the vote acceptance terminal 40 alone, or may be output in appropriate combination with the interim vote counts for multiple voting targets. By feeding back the sales forecast to the customer CS, it is possible to provide the customer CS with information about the possibility that the voting target for which the customer CS voted will be available for purchase at the store ST in the near future.

[0041] The processing routine shown in Fig. 6 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, every day, week, or month). In the processing routine shown in Fig. 6, first, store information DST and customer information DCS are acquired (step S31). Configuration examples of the store information DST and customer information DCS are as described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0042] Following the process of step S31, it is determined whether or not the voting acceptance period has ended (step S32). Whether or not the voting acceptance period has ended is determined based on the voting opening information or the voting result information (voting acceptance period).

[0043] If the determination result in step S32 is negative, this processing ends. If the determination result in step S32 is positive, feedback information (FB information) based on the final voting result is generated and transmitted (step S33). The final voting result is the final information that reflects all of the response information received during the acceptance period. The feedback information generated in step S34 includes information directed to the customer CS who responded (voted) in response to the voting proposal, and information directed to the store ST that requested the voting to be held.

[0044] An example of feedback information to customer CS is the final number of votes for each of multiple voting targets. By feeding back such final information to customer CS, it becomes possible to provide customer CS with information about the possibility that the voting target for which customer CS voted will be available for purchase at store ST in the near future. It is also possible to provide customer CS with information about the possibility that a voting target that customer CS did not vote for but was selected by request voting will be available for purchase at store ST in the near future. Feedback information to customer CS can be sent by identifying the information terminal of customer CS used as vote acceptance terminal 40 based on customer information DCS (identification information).

[0045] The feedback information for the store ST includes the final number of votes for each of the multiple voting targets, the expected sales amount from the sale of each voting target, and the attributes of the customers CS who voted for each voting target. The expected sales amount from the sale of the voting target can be calculated, for example, using a prediction model (statistical model) based on machine learning. The attributes of the customers CS who voted for the voting target can be generated, for example, based on customer information (voting history information). By feeding back the expected sales amount to the store ST, it becomes possible to provide the store ST with information for making a final decision on the sale of the voting target. By feeding back the customer attributes to the store ST, it becomes possible to provide the store ST with information for selecting voting targets for the next and subsequent request votes.

[0046] The processing routine shown in Fig. 7 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, every day, week, or month). In the processing routine shown in Fig. 7, first, store information DST and customer information DCS are acquired (step S41). The processing in step S41 is the same as the processing in step S31 in Fig. 6.

[0047] Following the processing of step S41, it is determined whether the voting object has arrived at the store ST (step S42). Whether the voting object has arrived at the store ST is determined, for example, by comparing the ID number of the voting object contained in the voting holding information with the ID number of the product contained in the sales product information. If the voting holding information in the store information DST includes a final decision on the sale of the voting object, the determination in step S42 may be made based on this final decision.

[0048] If the determination result in step S42 is negative, this processing ends. If the determination result in step S42 is positive, feedback information (sales schedule) is generated and transmitted (step S43). The sales schedule includes the planned in-store sales date, planned sales quantity, planned sales price, etc. of the voting target for which the customer CS voted. The sales schedule may also include the planned in-store sales date, planned sales quantity, planned sales price, etc. of the voting target for which the customer CS did not vote. By providing feedback of such sales schedule to the customer CS, it is possible to encourage the customer CS to visit the store ST and purchase the voting target.

[0049] 3.Effects As described above, according to the embodiment, a request voting process is performed. The request voting process makes it possible to collect voting result information for multiple candidates for at least one of a new product that the store ST is considering selling and a new service that the store ST is considering providing. Therefore, it becomes possible to grasp customer needs for new products and new services.

[0050] In addition, various feedback information can be generated based on the voting result information and sent to the customer CS and the store ST. Therefore, through the request voting, it is possible to realize support for commercial activities that are beneficial to both the store ST and the customer CS. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10...Request voting system, 11...Communication device, 12...Processor, 13...Storage device, 20...Payment system, 30...Store management terminal, 40...Voting reception terminal, C1-C4...Product, CS...Customer, ST...Store, DCS...Customer information, DST...Store information

Claims

1. A system for supporting commercial activities of a store that sells products and / or provides services, one or more storage devices in which store information relating to the store is stored; One or more processors that perform various processes; Equipped with The store information includes at least one of information on new products that the store is considering selling and information on new services that the store is considering providing, the one or more processors: generating voting proposal information for making multiple candidates for at least one of the new product and the new service into voting targets for a request vote by customers of the store based on at least one of the information on the new product and the information on the new service, and transmitting the information to a voting reception terminal; receiving voting response information for the voting proposal information from the voting reception terminal; A commercial activity support system characterized by executing the above.

2. 10. The system of claim 1, The one or more processors further generating feedback information for the store based on a final voting result of the request vote generated based on the voting response information; a process of transmitting the store-oriented feedback information to an information terminal of the store; The feedback information for the store includes at least one of the final number of votes for each of the voting targets, the expected sales amount from at least one of the sale and provision of the voting targets, and attributes of the customers who voted for the voting targets. A commercial activity support system.

3. 10. The system of claim 1, The one or more processors further A process of generating customer feedback information based on the intermediate voting results of the request voting generated based on the voting response information; and transmitting the customer feedback information to the vote acceptance terminal; The customer feedback information includes at least one of an intermediate vote count for each of the voting targets and a forecast of at least one of sales and provision of the voting targets at the store. A commercial activity support system.

4. 10. The system of claim 1, The one or more processors further A process of generating feedback information for customers based on the final voting result of the request vote generated based on the voting response information; and transmitting the customer feedback information to the vote acceptance terminal; The customer feedback information includes at least one of the final number of votes for each of the voting targets and a schedule of at least one of sales and provision of the voting targets at the store. A commercial activity support system.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The new products include products that have not been sold at the store, The new service includes a service that has not been provided at the store, The voting reception terminal includes an information terminal operated by the customer when paying for at least one of a product and a service at the store. A commercial activity support system.

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