Method, program, and information processing apparatus for processing related to order of product in electronic commerce

Abstract

To provide a method, a program and an information processor for reducing the labor of order work when repeating the same order in electronic commerce.SOLUTION: The storage device 2 stores order template information including information on one or more products and information on a delivery destination of each of the one or more products. An information processor 1 performs an order preparing process (ST170) for generating order preparing information including information related with merchandise to be ordered according to the instruction of a user to be inputted and an order executing process (ST180) for executing the order of the merchandise indicated by the order preparing information according to the instruction of the user to be inputted. In the order preparing step (ST170), the information processor 1 generates order preparing information based on one piece of order template information stored in the storage device 2 in accordance with a user's instruction to be input.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, a program, and an information processing device for processing product orders in electronic commerce. [Background technology]

[0002] On a typical e-commerce site, a customer first places the desired product in a virtual shopping cart, then determines the delivery address, payment method, etc. for the product in the shopping cart, and then issues an order to purchase the product. The following patent document describes an electronic shipping control method that allows a customer to easily specify a delivery address when ordering a product by using delivery address information that has been registered in a database in advance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-150167 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When you place an order for an item in your shopping cart, the information about that order (item, delivery address, etc.) disappears from the shopping cart. Therefore, if you make the same order multiple times, you have to add the item to your shopping cart and re-enter the delivery address information each time, which is time-consuming.

[0005] Information that disappears from the shopping cart when an order is placed may be saved as an order history. However, if you frequently purchase a variety of products, you will end up with a large number of unrelated order histories, making it difficult to find the information for the order you are looking for. Therefore, if you repeatedly place the same order, there is a problem that referring to the order history does not significantly reduce the effort required to place the order.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a method, a program, and an information processing device that can reduce the effort required for ordering when the same order is repeatedly placed in electronic commerce. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is a method for processing product orders in electronic commerce, the method comprising: an information processing device that can access a storage device; the storage device that stores one or more pieces of order template information, each piece of order template information including information about one or more products and information about a delivery address for each of the one or more products; an order preparation process that generates order preparation information including information about the products to be ordered in accordance with input user instructions; and an order execution process that executes an order for the products indicated by the order preparation information in accordance with input user instructions, the order preparation process including generating order preparation information based on the piece of order template information stored in the storage device in accordance with input user instructions.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a program including instructions for causing an information processing device to perform processing related to ordering products in electronic commerce, wherein the information processing device has access to a storage device, and the storage device stores one or more pieces of order template information, each piece of order template information including information about one or more products and information about a delivery address for each of the one or more products, and the processing performed by the information processing device in accordance with the instructions includes an order preparation step of generating order preparation information including information about the products to be ordered in accordance with input user instructions, and an order execution step of executing an order for the products indicated by the order preparation information in accordance with the input user instructions, and the order preparation step includes generating order preparation information based on the piece of order template information stored in the storage device in accordance with the input user instructions.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that performs processing related to ordering products in e-commerce, the information processing device having a processing unit and a memory unit that stores instructions to be executed by the processing unit, the processing unit being accessible to a memory device that stores one or more pieces of order template information, each piece of order template information including information about one or more products and information about a delivery address for each of the one or more products, the processing performed by the processing unit in accordance with the instructions includes an order preparation step that generates order preparation information including information about the products to be ordered in accordance with input user instructions, and an order execution step that executes an order for the products indicated by the order preparation information in accordance with the input user instructions, the order preparation step including generating order preparation information based on the piece of order template information stored in the memory device in accordance with input user instructions.

[0010] A fourth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device for processing product orders in e-commerce, the information processing device having access to a storage device, the storage device storing one or more pieces of order template information, each piece of order template information including information about one or more products and information about the delivery address for each of the one or more products, and having an order preparation means for generating order preparation information including information about the products to be ordered in response to input user instructions, and an order execution means for executing an order for the products indicated by the order preparation information in response to input user instructions, wherein the order preparation means generates order preparation information based on the piece of order template information stored in the storage device in response to input user instructions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method, a program, and an information processing device that can reduce the effort required for ordering when the same order is repeatedly placed in electronic commerce. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing related to an order. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen showing the search results for products. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a shopping cart. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying an order template. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for generating an order template from an order history. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying an order history. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for creating an order template. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for generating a new order template from an existing order template. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying an order template. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for automatically generating order template candidates from an order history. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying an order template. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for controlling the display order of order templates according to the scheduled order date. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying an order template. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for estimating a scheduled order date. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for updating an estimated scheduled order date. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying an order template. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for acquiring and displaying an order history corresponding to an order template. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying an order template. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to this embodiment. The system shown in the example of Fig. 1 includes an information processing device 1 that can communicate via a communication network 9 such as the Internet, and a plurality of terminal devices 3. The information processing device 1 is an example of an information processing device of the present invention. The terminal device 3 is an example of the terminal device of the present invention.

[0014] 1, the information processing device 1 is an e-commerce site, and the terminal device 3 is a device of a customer who accesses the e-commerce site and purchases products. In this embodiment, information on repeated orders (products, delivery addresses, etc.) is registered as an order template, thereby reducing the effort required to input order information.

[0015] In this specification, "goods" broadly refers to anything that can be bought and sold, and is not limited to goods (products, etc.), but also includes, for example, services, rights (securities, etc.), information, content, etc.

[0016] [Information processing device 1] The information processing device 1 is a device that functions as an e-commerce site and performs various processes related to e-commerce, such as providing information about products, accepting orders, making payments, and arranging for product delivery. For example, the information processing device 1 may include one or more computers. The information processing device 1 shown in the example of FIG. 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a processing unit 13.

[0017] The communication unit 11 communicates with other devices (such as the terminal device 3) via the communication network 9. The communication unit 11 includes a device (such as a network interface card) that communicates in accordance with a predetermined communication standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or wireless LAN.

[0018] The storage unit 12 stores one or more programs 121 including instructions to be executed by the processing unit 13, data temporarily saved during processing by the processing unit 13, data used in processing by the processing unit 13, data obtained as a result of processing by the processing unit 13, etc. The storage unit 12 may include, for example, a main storage device (RAM, ROM, etc.) and an auxiliary storage device (flash memory, SSD, hard disk, memory card, optical disk, etc.). The storage unit 12 may be composed of one storage device or multiple storage devices. When the storage unit 12 is composed of multiple storage devices, each storage device is connected to the processing unit 13 via a computer bus or any other communication means.

[0019] The processing unit 13 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 1 and executes predetermined information processing. The processing unit 13 includes, for example, one or more processors (such as a central processing unit (CPU), a micro-processing unit (MPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a neural network processing unit (NPU)) that perform processing according to instructions in one or more programs 121 stored in the storage unit 12. The processing unit 13 operates as one or more computers by the one or more processors executing instructions in one or more programs 121 stored in the storage unit 12. The information processing device 1 may include multiple computers, and at least a part of the processing according to this embodiment may be executed by the multiple computers in cooperation with each other.

[0020] The processing unit 13 may include one or more dedicated hardware (such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)) configured to realize a specific function. The processing unit 13 may execute all of the processes described in this embodiment on a computer, or may execute some of the processes on a computer and some of the dedicated hardware, or may execute all of the processes on dedicated hardware.

[0021] The program 121 may be recorded, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium (such as an optical disc, a memory card, a USB memory, or other non-transitory tangible medium). The processing unit 13 may read at least a portion of the one or more programs 121 recorded on such a recording medium using a recording medium reading device (such as an optical disc device) or an interface device (such as a USB interface), not shown, and write the read program into the storage unit 12. Alternatively, the processing unit 13 may download at least a portion of the one or more programs 121 from another device connected to the communication network 9 via the communication unit 11, and write the downloaded program into the storage unit 12. The one or more programs 121 include instructions that cause the processing unit 13 to perform at least a portion of the processing according to this embodiment, which will be described later.

[0022] [Storage device 2] The storage device 2 stores various information used in the processing of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 and the storage device 2 can communicate with each other via any communication path (such as a LAN, a dedicated line network, or the Internet). For example, the storage device 2 may be included in a file server, database server, or cloud server that accepts access from multiple devices, or may be a dedicated storage device accessible only to the information processing device 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage device 2 stores a customer database 21, a product database 22, an order history database 23, a shopping cart database 24, and an order template database 25. In the following description, database may be abbreviated to "DB."

[0023] The customer DB 21 includes multiple pieces of customer information related to customers (hereinafter, customers may be referred to as "users") who use the e-commerce site of the information processing device 1. One piece of customer information includes information about one customer. One piece of customer information includes, for example, at least some of the following information: Information that identifies individual customers (customer ID) Customer Personal Information (Example) Name, address, email address, phone number, age, gender, etc. Information about the delivery address of the product (Example) Name of delivery recipient, delivery address

[0024] The product DB 22 includes multiple pieces of product information related to products ordered at the e-commerce site of the information processing device 1. One piece of product information includes information about one product. One piece of product information includes, for example, at least some of the following information: -Information that identifies each individual product (product ID) Product name and model number Information about the product manufacturer and provider Information about product classification Product price Product volume Product images and descriptions

[0025] The order history DB 23 includes multiple pieces of order history information related to the product ordering history of customers. One piece of order history information includes information about one product order placed by one customer. One piece of order history information includes, for example, at least some of the following information: Information that identifies each order (order ID) Date and time of the order Customer ID indicating the customer who placed the order Product ID indicating the ordered product Information about the delivery address of the product - The date and time when the product was delivered Order status (Example) Item is waiting for arrival, delivery arranged, in transit, delivery completed, return accepted, returned

[0026] The shopping cart DB 24 includes multiple pieces of order preparation information related to products that customers have placed in their shopping carts. Each piece of order preparation information includes information related to products that a single customer has placed in their shopping cart in preparation for an order. For example, each piece of order preparation information includes at least some of the following information: Customer ID indicating the shopping cart user (customer) One or more product IDs that represent one or more products in the shopping cart Delivery information for each item in your shopping cart

[0027] The order template DB 25 includes multiple pieces of order template information related to predetermined order contents. One piece of order template information includes information related to the contents of one order predetermined by one customer. One piece of order template information includes, for example, at least some of the following information: Customer ID indicating the customer placing the order One or more product IDs that indicate one or more products to be ordered The quantity of each item in your order Information about the delivery address for each item ordered

[0028] [Terminal device 3] The terminal device 3 is a device operated by a customer who orders a product on the e-commerce site of the information processing device 1, and is a device equipped with information communication functions, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. The terminal device 3 accesses the information processing device 1 in accordance with the customer's operation, displays a web page provided by the information processing device 1, and inputs various instructions from the customer (such as instructions to search for a product, instructions to add a product to a shopping cart, instructions to order a product from the shopping cart, etc.) and transmits them to the information processing device 1. For example, the terminal device 3 communicates with the information processing device 1 and displays web pages using an arbitrary web browser.

[0029] The terminal device 3 has a communication unit, a memory unit, and a processing unit similar to the communication unit 11, the memory unit 12, and the processing unit 13 of the information processing device 1 shown in Figure 1, for example, and also has an input unit (touch panel, touchpad, keyboard, mouse, buttons, switches, microphone, camera, etc.) for inputting instructions from the user (customer) and other information, and a display unit (liquid crystal display, organic EL display, etc.) for displaying images.

[0030] Here, a description will be given of the operation of the system having the above-mentioned configuration shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing related to orders in the system shown in Fig. 1. Step ST145 is an example of a first order template generating step of the present invention. Steps ST125, ST135, and ST170 are an example of the order preparation process of the present invention. Steps ST155 and ST180 are an example of the order execution process of the present invention.

[0031] The terminal device 3 accesses a product search web page in the information processing device 1, and inputs a user instruction (search keywords, etc.) to the information processing device 1 to search for a desired product (ST100). The information processing device 1 searches for the target products from the product DB 22 in response to the product search instruction input from the terminal device 3, and generates a web page listing the products found by the search (ST105). The information processing device 1 provides the generated search result web page to the terminal device 3 (ST110), and the terminal device 3 displays the provided web page (ST115).

[0032] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (web page) showing product search results. Screen A shown in FIG. 3 includes a product list A6 showing product search results. Each row of the product list A6 displays the product name, selling price, and inventory, and next to each row is a button A7 that can be pressed to purchase the product displayed in that row. Above the product list A6 on screen A are an input box A5 for entering search keywords when searching for a product again, a button A1 that can be pressed to display a user-specific page, a button A2 that can be pressed to display an order history page, a button A3 that can be pressed to display an order template (described later), and a button A4 that can be pressed to display a shopping cart.

[0033] Return to Figure 2. When a user inputs an instruction to add a desired product to the shopping cart at the terminal device 3 (ST120), the information processing device 1 generates order preparation information for the product specified by the user and registers it in the shopping cart DB 24 (ST125). For example, when button A7 is pressed on screen A in Fig. 3, the information processing device 1 generates order preparation information for the product displayed in the row of product list A6 where button A7 is located, and stores it in the shopping cart DB 24 of the storage device 2.

[0034] When information regarding the delivery destination of an item placed in the shopping cart is entered from the terminal device 3, the information processing device 1 identifies the order preparation information for this item in the shopping cart DB 24 and adds the delivery destination information entered from the terminal device 3 to the identified order preparation information (ST135).

[0035] When an instruction is input from the terminal device 3 requesting that an order template be generated based on information about one or more items placed in the shopping cart and their delivery destinations (ST140), the information processing device 1 generates order template information based on the order preparation information (shopping cart DB24) of the customer operating the terminal device 3 and stores it in the order template DB25 of the storage device 2 (ST145).

[0036] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (web page) displaying a shopping cart. Screen B shown in FIG. 3 has areas B8-1 and B8-2 that display items added to the shopping cart. Areas B8-1 and B8-2 each display information about the item's delivery destination (delivery address, delivery destination name, delivery destination phone number) and information about the item to be delivered to that delivery destination (item image, product description, ordered quantity, price). In the example of FIG. 4, areas B8-1 and B8-2 display only one item, but two or more items may also be displayed in these areas. In this case, the same delivery destination displayed in that area is set for two or more items displayed in the same area.

[0037] Areas B8-1 and B8-2 each contain a button B80 that is pressed to change the delivery address, a check box B81 for specifying the items to be ordered when placing an order, and a button B82 that is pressed to delete an item from the shopping cart.

[0038] Above areas B8-1 and B8-2 on screen B are button B6, which is pressed to create an order template for items added to the shopping cart, and button B7, which is pressed to delete all items added to the shopping cart. Above buttons B6 and B7 is area B5, which displays the progress of each stage until the order for the items added to the shopping cart is completed. Further above area B5 are buttons B1 to B4, which have the same functions as buttons A1 to A4 on screen A (Figure 3), respectively.

[0039] Below areas B8-1 and B8-2 on screen B is area B10, which displays the total price of the items added to the shopping cart, the amount of tax included in that total, and the name of the sender to be notified to the delivery address. Also located below areas B8-1 and B8-2 is button B9, which can be pressed to recalculate the total price in area B10. Further below area B10 are button B11, which can be pressed to place an order for the items added to the shopping cart, and button B12, which can be pressed to create a quote for the items added to the shopping cart.

[0040] When button B6 is pressed on the shopping cart screen B shown in FIG. 4 (ST140), the information processing device 1 generates order template information based on the products and their delivery destination information displayed in areas B8-1 and B8-2 at that time (ST145).

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (web page) displaying an order template. For example, when button A3 on screen A (FIG. 3) or button B3 on screen B (FIG. 4) is pressed, this order template screen is displayed. Screen C shown in FIG. 5 has areas C5-1 to C5-3, each displaying information about one order template. Areas C5-1 to C5-3 include an area C50 displaying the registration date of the order template, an area C51 displaying information about the product and its delivery destination, and an area C52 displaying the update date of the order template.

[0042] Area C51 of one order template displays information about one delivery destination (delivery destination address, delivery destination name, etc.) and information about one or more products to be delivered to that delivery destination (product images, product descriptions, etc.). Areas C5-2 and C5-3 each have one area C51, and each has one delivery destination in the order template. Area C5-1 has two areas C51, and the order template has two delivery destinations.

[0043] Area C50 for one order template contains a button C53 that is pressed to generate order preparation information based on that order template (adding products to the shopping cart), and a button C54 that is pressed to delete that order template. When the text "View details" in area C50 is operated, the information processing device 1 displays a screen on the terminal device 3 that includes more detailed information about the order template.

[0044] Button C6, which is pressed to return to the original screen, is arranged below areas C5-1 to C5-3 on screen C. Buttons C1 to C4, which have the same functions as buttons A1 to A4 on screen A (FIG. 3), are arranged above areas C5-1 to C5-3.

[0045] The order template in area C5-1 on screen C in FIG. 5 is an order template generated based on the information about the two products and their delivery destinations displayed on shopping cart screen B in FIG.

[0046] Let's return to Figure 2 again. When an instruction to place an order for an item in the shopping cart is input to the terminal device 3 (ST150), the information processing device 1 proceeds with processing related to the execution of the order based on the order preparation information registered in the shopping cart DB 24 (ST155). For example, the information processing device 1 displays a screen on the terminal device 3 for specifying a payment method. When the payment method is specified on this screen, the information processing device 1 displays a screen on the terminal device 3 for final confirmation of the order details (item, quantity, delivery address, payment method). When an instruction to place the order is input on the final confirmation screen, the information processing device 1 performs payment processing such as credit card processing in accordance with the order details. When the payment processing is completed, the information processing device 1 performs processing to arrange for the department in charge of shipping the item or a delivery company, etc., to ship and deliver the ordered item. When the order for the item is completed, the information processing device 1 updates the order preparation information in the shopping cart DB 24 so that information on the ordered item is deleted. The information processing device 1 also generates order history information for the ordered item and stores it in the order history DB 23 of the storage device 2 (ST160).

[0047] When an instruction to put products into a shopping cart based on the order template information registered in the order template DB 25 is input into the terminal device 3 (ST165), the information processing device 1 generates order preparation information based on the instructed order template information and registers it in the shopping cart DB 24 (ST170). For example, when button C53 in area C50 of one order template is pressed on the order template screen C (FIG. 5), the information processing device 1 generates order preparation information based on the order template information related to that one order template.

[0048] When order preparation information is generated based on the order template information specified by the user, the same product information and delivery address information as included in the order template information are displayed on the shopping cart screen B (FIG. 4). When an instruction to place an order for the products in the shopping cart is input to the terminal device 3 (ST175), the information processing device 1 executes the order process in the same manner as in step ST155 described above (ST180), and generates order history information for the products for which the order has been completed (ST185).

[0049] As described above, according to this embodiment, order preparation information including information on products to be added to the shopping cart and information on their delivery destinations can be generated based on order template information registered in the order template DB 25 of the storage device 2. As a result, when the same order is placed repeatedly, order preparation information can be easily generated based on the order template information, eliminating the need to re-enter order information (products, delivery destination, etc.) each time or to search for information on past orders from the order history. This effectively reduces the effort required for ordering when the same order is placed repeatedly in e-commerce transactions.

[0050] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, order template information can be generated based on order preparation information that includes product information and delivery address information. This allows order template information to be generated easily and without effort once order-related information (products, delivery addresses, etc.) has been prepared in the shopping cart.

[0051] Next, some modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described.

[0052] <Variation 1> FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for generating an order template from an order history in this modified example. Step ST225 is an example of a second order template generating step of the present invention.

[0053] When an instruction to display the order history (for example, pressing buttons A2, B2, C2) is input to the terminal device 3 (ST200), the information processing device 1 generates a web page displaying the order history information registered in the order history DB 23 (ST205). The information processing device 1 provides the generated web page of the order history to the terminal device 3 (ST210), and the terminal device 3 displays the provided web page (ST215).

[0054] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (web page) displaying order history. Screen D shown in Fig. 5 has areas D5-1 to D5-4, each displaying information about one order history. Areas D5-1 to D5-4 include area D50, which displays the order date of the product, the date the product was delivered to the delivery destination, the name of the delivery destination, the total price of the product, and the order number (e.g., order ID), and area D51, which displays information about the ordered product (product image, product description, product unit price, and quantity). Note that on screen D, multiple order history areas similar to these continue below areas D5-1 to D5-4.

[0055] Area D51 of areas D5-1 to D5-4 contains a button D52 that is pressed to repurchase the product displayed in this area, a button D53 that is pressed to display detailed information about the order history, and a button D54 that is pressed to generate an order template based on the order history.

[0056] Above the areas D5-1 to C5-4 where the order history is displayed, buttons D1 to D4 having the same functions as buttons A1 to A4 on screen A (FIG. 3), respectively, are arranged.

[0057] Return to Figure 6. When a user instruction to generate an order template from one or more order histories is input into the terminal device 3 (ST220), the information processing device 1 generates order template information based on one or more pieces of order history information registered in the order history DB 23, and saves the order template information in the order template DB 25 of the storage device 2 (ST225). For example, when one order history button D54 is pressed on the order history screen D shown in Fig. 7, the information processing device 1 generates a screen (web page) for creating an order template shown in Fig. 8 and displays it on the terminal device 3. Screen E shown in Fig. 8 has areas E6-1 and E6-2 that respectively display the order histories selected by the user using button D54 on screen D.

[0058] In the following explanation, a combination of information about one product and information about the delivery destination for that product may be referred to as a "product / delivery destination set." One piece of order history information includes one product / delivery destination set and the quantity of the product associated with this product / delivery destination set. Areas E6-1 and E6-2 on screen E shown in Figure 8 each display the product / delivery destination set and product quantity included in one piece of order history information. To the right of areas E6-1 and E6-2 is button E61, which can be pressed to delete the product / delivery destination set and product quantity displayed in these areas (so that they are not used in generating an order template).

[0059] Button E7, which is pressed to return to the original screen, is located below areas E6-1 and E6-2 on screen E. Button E5, which is pressed to generate an order template from the product / delivery address set and product quantity displayed in areas E6-1 and E6-2, is located above areas E6-1 and E6-2. Further above button E5, buttons E1 to E4, which have the same functions as buttons A1 to A4 on screen A (Figure 3), are located.

[0060] When button E7 is pressed on the screen E for creating an order template, the information processing device 1 causes the terminal device 3 to display the original screen (screen D for order history in this modified example). When another order history button D54 is pressed on the order history screen D, the information processing device 1 causes the terminal device 3 to display the screen E for creating an order template again, and adds the product / delivery address sets and product quantities of that other order history to screen E. By repeating this operation, product / delivery address sets and product quantities of multiple order histories can be added to screen E for creating an order template.

[0061] When button E5 is pressed on screen E for creating an order template, the information processing device 1 generates one piece of order template information based on the order history (product / delivery destination set and product quantity) displayed on screen E and saves it in the order template DB25.

[0062] According to this modification, even if an order template is not generated from the order preparation information of the shopping cart, it is possible to generate an order template based on the order history information stored in the order history DB 23.

[0063] When generating one piece of order template information based on multiple pieces of order history information, if two or more sets of products and delivery addresses in the multiple pieces of order history information match, the information processing device 1 may generate the order template information so that the total value of the product quantities associated with the two or more sets of products and delivery addresses is included as the quantity of the products associated with the matching sets of products and delivery addresses. For example, if the order template creation screen E contains multiple identical sets of products and delivery addresses, the information processing device 1 sums the product quantities of these sets of products and delivery addresses and sets this total value as the product quantity of the corresponding set of products and delivery addresses. In other words, the information processing device 1 combines multiple overlapping sets of products and delivery addresses into a single set of products and delivery addresses before generating the order template information. This allows for easy generation of an order template without any special operations, even when the sets of products and delivery addresses in the multiple order histories selected to generate the order template match.

[0064] <Variation 2> FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for generating a new order template from an existing order template in this modification. Step ST325 is an example of a third order template generating step of the present invention.

[0065] When an instruction to display an order template (for example, an operation to press buttons A3, B3, D3, E3) is input to the terminal device 3 (ST300), the information processing device 1 generates a screen C displaying the order template information to be registered in the order template DB 25 (ST305). The information processing device 1 provides the generated screen C of the order template to the terminal device 3 (ST310), and the terminal device 3 displays the provided screen C (ST315).

[0066] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen C that displays order templates in this modified example. The screen C shown in Fig. 10 is obtained by adding a button C55 to the screen C shown in Fig. 5. In the area C52 of each order template on the screen C shown in Fig. 10, a button C55 is arranged that is pressed when an order template is to be generated based on that order template.

[0067] Return to Figure 9. When a user instruction to generate one piece of order template information from multiple existing pieces of order template information is input into the terminal device 3 (ST320), the information processing device 1 generates one piece of order template information based on one or more pieces of order template information registered in the order template DB25 and stores it in the order template DB25 (ST325).

[0068] For example, when button C55 for one order template is pressed on order template screen C shown in FIG. 9, the information processing device 1 adds the product / delivery address set and product quantity for that one order template to the order template creation screen E (FIG. 8) described above. When button C55 for another order template is pressed on order template screen C, the information processing device 1 again displays order template creation screen E on the terminal device 3, and adds the product / delivery address set and product quantity for that other order template to screen E. By repeating this operation, product / delivery address sets and product quantities for multiple order templates can be added to order template creation screen E. When button E5 on screen E is pressed in this state, the information processing device 1 generates one piece of order template information based on the multiple order templates (product / delivery address sets and product quantities) displayed on screen E, and saves it in the order template DB 25.

[0069] According to this modification, it is possible to easily generate another order template from a plurality of existing order templates.

[0070] When generating one piece of order template information based on multiple pieces of order template information, if two or more sets of products and delivery addresses in the multiple pieces of order template information match, the information processing device 1 may generate the order template information so that the total value of the quantities of the products associated with the two or more sets of products and delivery addresses is included as the quantity of the products associated with the matching sets of products and delivery addresses. This makes it possible to easily generate a different order template without performing any special operations, even if the sets of products and delivery addresses in the multiple order templates selected to generate the order template match.

[0071] <Variation 3> FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for automatically generating order template candidates from an order history. Step ST405 is an example of a set order specifying step of the present invention. Steps ST410 and ST435 are an example of a fourth order template generating step of the present invention.

[0072] In the following explanation, either or both of placing an order for one or more products that match one or more sets of products and delivery destinations at once, and placing an order for one or more products that match one or more sets of products and delivery destinations on the same day, may be referred to as a "set order" for the one or more sets of products and delivery destinations.

[0073] When an instruction to display an order template is input into the terminal device 3 (for example, by pressing buttons A3, B3, D3, or E3) (ST400), the information processing device 1 identifies set orders that have been repeated a predetermined number of times or more based on the product / delivery destination sets of the multiple order history information registered in the order history DB23 of the storage device 2 (ST405). Because each order history information contains information on the product / delivery destination set (product information, delivery destination information), the information processing device 1 can identify order history information that indicates a repeated set order from the multiple order history information registered in the order history DB23.

[0074] When a set order is identified in step ST405, the information processing device 1 generates order template candidates based on one or more product / delivery destination sets of order history information corresponding to this identified set order (ST410). The information processing device 1 then generates an order template screen C notifying that an order template candidate has been generated (ST415) and provides it to the terminal device 3 (ST420). The terminal device 3 displays the provided screen C (ST425).

[0075] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of screen C displaying order templates in this modified example. Screen C shown in Fig. 12 is obtained by adding a notification C7 notifying that order template candidates have been generated and a button C8 to be pressed to display the candidates to screen C shown in Fig. 5. When button C8 on screen C is pressed, the information processing device 1 causes the terminal device 3 to display screen E (Fig. 8) displaying the order template candidates generated in step ST410.

[0076] Return to Figure 11. When a user instruction requesting that order template information be generated based on the order template candidates generated in step ST410 is input into the terminal device 3 (ST430), the information processing device 1 generates order template information based on these order template candidates and saves it in the order template DB 25 of the storage device 2 (ST405). For example, when button E5 is pressed on screen E displaying the order template candidates generated in step ST410, the information processing device 1 generates order template information based on the displayed order template candidates (product / delivery destination set and product quantity) and saves it in the order template DB 25.

[0077] According to this modification, an order template can be automatically generated based on past order history, thereby further improving user convenience.

[0078] <Variation 4> FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for controlling the display order of order templates according to the scheduled order date. Step ST505 is an example of a first order schedule setting step of the present invention. Steps ST520 and ST525 are an example of an order schedule notifying step and an order template displaying step of the present invention.

[0079] When an order schedule for one order template is input to the terminal device 3 (ST500), the information processing device 1 generates order schedule information relating to the repetitive order schedule, associates it with the order template information for that one order template, and stores it in the storage device 2 (ST505). For example, the information processing device 1 adds the generated order schedule information to the order template information.

[0080] When an instruction to display an order template is input into the terminal device 3 (for example, by pressing buttons A3, B3, D3, or E3) (ST510), the information processing device 1 acquires each piece of planned order information associated with the order template information registered in the order template DB 25, and checks whether the planned order date indicated by the planned order information is approaching within a predetermined number of days and whether the planned order date indicated by the planned order information has passed (ST515). When the information processing device 1 identifies an order template associated with planned order information whose planned order date is approaching within a predetermined number of days or whose planned order date has passed, it generates an order template screen C including a notification related to the identified order template (that the planned order date is approaching within a predetermined number of days, or that the planned order date has passed) (ST520).

[0081] Furthermore, in step ST520, if two or more pieces of order template information each associated with planned order information are registered in the order template DB25, the information processing device 1 generates an order template screen C so that the two or more pieces of order template information are arranged in an order according to the planned order date indicated by the planned order information.

[0082] The information processing device 1 provides the generated screen C of the order template to the terminal device 3 (ST525), and the terminal device 3 displays the provided screen C (ST530).

[0083] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of screen C displaying an order template in this modified example. Screen C shown in Fig. 14 is similar to screen C shown in Fig. 5 in that notifications C9 and C56 regarding the planned order date are added, and buttons C57 and C58 for adding and deleting planned order information are added.

[0084] In the example of Figure 14, the next scheduled order date is displayed in area C50 of two order templates (C5-1, C5-2). The other order template (C5-3) is not associated with scheduled order information, so no scheduled order date is displayed in area C50. Areas C5-1 and C5-2 of the two order templates associated with scheduled order information are arranged from top to bottom in order of the closest next scheduled order date.

[0085] The two order templates associated with the scheduled order information each display the scheduled order information in area C52. This scheduled order information includes, for example, the cycle at which the scheduled order date repeats and the specific date on which the repeat cycle started. Area C52 also includes a button C58 that can be pressed to delete the scheduled order information.

[0086] A button C57, which is pressed when setting planned order information, is located in the area C52 of an order template that is not associated with planned order information. When this button C57 is pressed on the terminal device 3, the information processing device 1 generates a web page (not shown) for setting planned order information and displays it on the terminal device 3. When planned order information for one order template is input on this web page (ST500), the information processing device 1 performs processing of step ST505, in which the input planned order information is associated with the one order template and stored in the storage device 2.

[0087] The order template in area C5-1, located at the top, has its next scheduled order date approaching within a predetermined number of days (within three days in the example of FIG. 14). Therefore, area C50 in area C5-1 displays a notification C56 informing users that the scheduled order date is approaching within three days. Additionally, above the list of order templates (areas C5-1, C5-2, ...), a notification C9 is displayed informing users that there is an order template whose scheduled order date is approaching within a predetermined number of days.

[0088] According to this modification, the user is notified when the scheduled order date indicated by the order schedule information associated with the order template information is approaching within a predetermined number of days or when the scheduled order date has passed, thereby enabling the order of products based on the order template information to be executed appropriately according to the schedule set by the user.

[0089] Furthermore, according to this modification, the order template information is arranged in the order template information list displayed on screen C in the order template information order schedule date indicated by the order schedule information associated with the order template information. Therefore, it is possible to easily find order template information with a close scheduled order date from the order template information list.

[0090] <Variation 5> FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for estimating a scheduled order date in this modified example. Step ST610 is an example of a first template order date specifying step of the present invention. Step ST620 is an example of a second order schedule setting step of the present invention.

[0091] In the following explanation, the date on which an order for one or more products that match one or more product / delivery address sets included in one order template information is placed may be referred to as the "template order date" for that one order template information.

[0092] When new order template information is generated in response to a user instruction input from the terminal device 3 (ST600), if no order schedule information is associated with this new order template information (No in step ST605), the information processing device 1 identifies one or more template order dates for that one piece of order template information based on the multiple pieces of order history information registered in the order history DB 23 of the storage device 2 (ST610). That is, the information processing device 1 performs processing similar to step ST405 (FIG. 11) to identify order histories related to set orders for one or more product / delivery destination sets included in the new order template information, and obtains the order date of the set order included in the identified order history as the template order date.

[0093] If multiple template order dates are identified in step ST610 (Yes in ST615), the information processing device 1 generates order schedule information indicating estimated scheduled order dates based on the multiple identified template order dates as estimated order schedule information (ST620). For example, the information processing device 1 generates estimated order schedule information including a cycle at which the scheduled order dates are repeated and a specific date on which the repetition cycle started, based on the multiple template order dates identified in step ST610. The information processing device 1 stores this generated estimated order schedule information in the storage device 2 in association with newly generated order template information.

[0094] 16 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a process for updating the estimated scheduled order date in this modification. The process shown in the flowchart in FIG. 16 is repeatedly executed at any timing. Step ST710 is an example of a second template order date specifying step of the present invention. Step ST720 is an example of an estimated order schedule updating step of the present invention.

[0095] First, the information processing device 1 selects one piece of order template information registered in the order template DB25 for one user (ST700), and determines whether estimated order schedule information is associated with the one piece of order template information (ST705). If estimated order schedule information is associated with the one piece of order template information (Yes in ST705), the information processing device 1 identifies multiple template order dates for the one piece of order template information based on multiple pieces of order history information registered in the order history DB23 of the storage device 2 (ST710).

[0096] If the multiple template order dates identified in step ST710 include a new template order date that was not identified in the previous processing (ST610, ST710) (Yes in ST715), the information processing device 1 generates new estimated order schedule information based on the multiple template order dates identified in the processing of step ST710 (the multiple template order dates identified in the past and the newly identified template order date this time) and replaces the existing estimated order schedule information (ST720).

[0097] Thereafter, if there is unselected order template information to be registered in the order template DB 25 (Yes in ST725), the information processing device 1 selects one of the unselected order template information (ST730) and repeats the processing of steps ST705 to ST720 described above.

[0098] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of screen C displaying an order template in this modified example. Screen C shown in Fig. 17 has an additional display related to estimated order schedule information in area C5-3 of screen C shown in Fig. 14 (the area of ​​the order template not associated with the order schedule information set by the user). That is, area C50 of area C5-3 has an additional display of the next scheduled order date (estimated scheduled date) indicated by the estimated order schedule information. Furthermore, area C52 of area C5-3 has an additional display of button C58 that is pressed to delete the estimated order schedule information.

[0099] According to this modification, order template information that is not associated with scheduled order information entered by the user is associated with estimated scheduled order information that estimates the scheduled order date based on past order history. This eliminates the need to enter scheduled order information for each order template, improving user convenience.

[0100] <Variation 6> FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for acquiring and displaying an order history corresponding to an order template. Steps ST805 and ST810 are an example of an order template display step of the present invention. Steps ST825, ST830 and ST835 are an example of an order history display process of the present invention.

[0101] When an instruction to display an order template (for example, an operation to press buttons A3, B3, D3, E3) is input to the terminal device 3 (ST800), the information processing device 1 generates a screen C displaying the order template information to be registered in the order template DB 25 (ST805). The information processing device 1 provides the generated screen C of the order template to the terminal device 3 (ST810), and the terminal device 3 displays the provided screen C (ST815).

[0102] When an instruction to display the order history of one order template is input to the terminal device 3 displaying the order template screen C, the information processing device 1 acquires the order template information registered in the order template DB 25 for that one order template, and identifies one or more pieces of order history information that match a set order for one or more product / delivery destination sets included in the acquired order template information (ST825). The information processing device 1 generates an order history screen D including the identified one or more pieces of order history information (ST830) and provides it to the terminal device 3 (ST835). The terminal device 3 displays the order history screen D provided by the information processing device 1 (ST840).

[0103] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a screen C displaying order templates in this modification. Screen C shown in Fig. 19 differs from screen C shown in Fig. 5 in that a button C59 is arranged in the area C52 of each order template. When button C59 arranged in the area C52 of one order template is pressed, the information processing device 1 performs processing of step ST825, in which one or more pieces of order history information are identified for that one order template.

[0104] According to this modification, it is possible to easily view order history based on an order template, which significantly reduces the user's effort compared to searching for the relevant order history from a list of order histories.

[0105] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various variations. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and substitutions to the components of the above-described embodiment within the technical scope of the present invention or its equivalents.

[0106] The screens (web pages) shown in the above-described figures are examples, and the components included in each screen and their arrangement can be changed as desired.

[0107] In the above-described embodiment, the operation elements used to instruct the execution of a specified process on the screen (web page) displayed on the terminal device 3 are mainly buttons, but any operation element other than a button may be used to instruct the execution of a process.

[0108] A part of the processing executed by the information processing device 1 in the above-described embodiment may be executed by the terminal device 3. In this case, it can be said that the processing as the information processing device according to this embodiment is executed by a plurality of computers (or a system consisting of a plurality of devices) including the information processing device 1 and the terminal device 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 1...information processing device, 11...communication unit, 12...storage unit, 121...program, 13...processing unit, 2...storage device, 21...customer DB, 22...product DB, 23...order history DB, 24...shopping cart DB, 25...order template DB, 3...terminal device, 9...communication network

Claims

1. A method for an information processing device to perform processing related to ordering a product in electronic commerce, comprising: the information processing device is capable of accessing a storage device; The storage device stores one or more pieces of order template information; one of the order template information includes information on one or more of the products and information on the delivery destination of each of the one or more products; an order preparation step of generating order preparation information including information about the product to be ordered in response to an input instruction from the user; an order execution step of executing an order for the product indicated by the order preparation information in response to an instruction input by the user, the order preparation step includes generating the order preparation information based on one piece of order template information stored in the storage device in response to an instruction input by the user. method.

2. the order preparation step includes generating the order preparation information including information on one or more of the products to be ordered and information on delivery destinations for each of the one or more products; a first order template generating step of generating the order template information based on the order preparation information in response to an instruction input by the user and storing the generated order template information in the storage device; The method of claim 1.

3. The storage device stores one or more pieces of order history information; One of the order history information includes information about one of the ordered products and information about a delivery address of the one product, a second order template generating step of generating the order template information based on one or more pieces of order history information in response to an instruction input by the user and storing the generated order template information in the storage device; The method of claim 1.

4. A combination of information about one of the products and information about the delivery destination of the product is called a product-delivery destination set, One of the order history information includes the product-delivery destination set and the quantity of the product associated with the product-delivery destination set, the second order template generating step includes, when generating the order template information based on a plurality of pieces of order history information, if two or more sets of products and delivery destinations in the plurality of pieces of order history information match, generating the order template information so that the total value of the quantities of the products associated with the two or more sets of products and delivery destinations is included as the quantity of the products associated with the matched sets of products and delivery destinations; The method of claim 3.

5. a third order template generating step of generating one piece of order template information based on the plurality of pieces of order template information in response to an instruction input by the user, and storing the generated piece of order template information in the storage device; The method of claim 1.

6. A combination of information about one of the products and information about the delivery destination of the product is called a product-delivery destination set, one of the order template information includes one or more sets of products and delivery destinations and a quantity of the products associated with each of the one or more sets of products and delivery destinations; the third order template generating step includes, when generating one piece of order template information based on a plurality of pieces of order template information, if two or more of the product-delivery destination sets in the plurality of pieces of order template information match, generating the order template information so that the total value of the quantities of the products associated with the two or more product-delivery destination sets is included as the quantity of the products associated with the matching product-delivery destination sets; The method of claim 5.

7. A combination of information about one of the products and information about the delivery destination of the product is called a product-delivery destination set, An order for one or more products that match one or more sets of products and delivery destinations is called a set order for the one or more sets of products and delivery destinations, and is executed at the same time or on the same day. One of the order template information includes one or more of the product / delivery destination sets, The storage device stores a plurality of pieces of order history information; One of the order history information includes the product / delivery address set related to the ordered product, a set order identifying step of identifying the set order that has been repeated a predetermined number of times or more based on the product / delivery destination sets of the plurality of pieces of order history information stored in the storage device; a fourth order template generation step of generating the order template information based on one or more product / delivery destination sets corresponding to the specified set order in response to an instruction input by the user, and storing the order template information in the storage device; The method of claim 1.

8. a first order schedule setting step of storing order schedule information relating to a schedule of orders that are repeatedly made in accordance with an instruction input by the user in the storage device in association with one piece of order template information; an order schedule notifying step of performing processing to display on a terminal device operated by the user that the scheduled order date indicated by the order schedule information associated with the order template information is approaching within a predetermined number of days and / or that the scheduled order date has passed; The method of claim 1.

9. a first order schedule setting step of storing order schedule information relating to a schedule of orders that are repeatedly made in accordance with an instruction input by the user in the storage device in association with one piece of order template information; an order template display step of performing processing to display a list of one or more pieces of order template information stored in the storage device on a terminal device operated by the user in response to an instruction input by the user, the order template display step includes, when two or more pieces of order template information each associated with the order schedule information are stored in the storage device, displaying the list so that the two or more pieces of order template information are arranged in an order according to the scheduled order dates indicated by the order schedule information. The method of claim 1.

10. A combination of information about one of the products and information about the delivery destination of the product is called a product-delivery destination set, One of the order template information includes one or more of the product / delivery destination sets, The date on which an order for one or more products that match one or more product / delivery destination sets included in one piece of order template information is executed is called the template order date for that piece of order template information, The storage device stores a plurality of pieces of order history information; One of the order history information includes the product / delivery address set related to the ordered product and the order date of the product, a first template order date specifying step of specifying, when one piece of order template information not associated with the order schedule information is stored in the storage device, one or more template order dates for the one piece of order template information based on the plurality of pieces of order history information stored in the storage device; a second order schedule setting step of, when a plurality of template order dates are identified for one piece of order template information that is not associated with the order schedule information, generating the order schedule information indicating an estimated scheduled order date based on the identified plurality of template order dates as estimated order schedule information, and storing the generated estimated order schedule information in the storage device in association with the one piece of order template information; 10. The method of claim 9.

11. a second template order date specifying step of specifying the template order date for the order template information when the order template information associated with the estimated order schedule information is stored in the storage device; an estimated order schedule updating step of, when a new template order date is identified for one of the order template information associated with one of the estimated order schedule information, updating the one of the estimated order schedule information based on the plurality of template order dates previously identified for the one of the order template information and the new template order date; The method of claim 10.

12. A combination of information about one of the products and information about the delivery destination of the product is called a product-delivery destination set, An order for one or more products that match one or more sets of products and delivery destinations is called a set order for the one or more sets of products and delivery destinations, and is executed at the same time or on the same day. One of the order template information includes one or more of the product / delivery destination sets, The storage device stores a plurality of pieces of order history information; One of the order history information includes the product / delivery address set related to the ordered product, an order template display step of performing processing to display a list of one or more pieces of order template information stored in the storage device on a terminal device operated by the user in response to an instruction input by the user; an order history display step of selecting one piece of order template information from the list of order template information displayed on the terminal device in response to an instruction input by the user, identifying one or more pieces of order history information that match the set order for one or more product / delivery destination sets included in the selected order template information, and displaying the identified order history information on the terminal device. The method of claim 1.

13. A program including instructions for causing an information processing device to perform processing related to ordering a product in electronic commerce, The processing performed by the information processing device in accordance with the command includes each step of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 12. program.

14. An information processing device that processes orders for products in electronic commerce, a processing unit; a storage unit that stores instructions to be executed by the processing unit; The processing performed by the processing unit in accordance with the instructions includes each step of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 12. Information processing device.

15. An information processing device that processes orders for products in electronic commerce, A method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising: a means for performing each step of the method; Information processing device.

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