Over-the-counter sales support system for requested commodity

Abstract

To maintain a user's desire to visit a store or to purchase a commodity, or to enhance the user's desire to visit the store or to purchase the commodity when receiving a request for the commodity desired to be sold at a store from the user and selling the commodity at the store.SOLUTION: There is provided a system for receiving a request for a commodity desired to be sold over the counter from a user and supporting the sales over the counter of the requested commodity related to the request. The one or more processors determine whether or not the user is in a stock state in which the user can purchase the requested product at the store based on stock information in the store of a product that can be handled by the store and information on the requested product. When it is determined that the requested product is in a stock state in which the requested product can be purchased, the one or more processors generate purchase support information for supporting purchase of the requested product at the store, and transmit the purchase support information to the information terminal of the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system that receives requests from users for products they wish to sell in stores and supports the in-store sales of the requested products. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-154969 discloses a management server that connects a user terminal with terminals at stores that handle various products. When the management server receives information about a product that the user wishes to purchase from the user terminal, it checks whether the product is registered in a product inventory database. If the product is registered in the product inventory database and the stock quantity of the product is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the management server sends a product arrival notification to the user terminal. The arrival notification includes the name of the product that the user wishes to purchase, the store where the product has arrived, and the date the product arrived.

[0003] In addition to JP 2020-154969 A, JP 2015-121828 A can be cited as examples of documents that show the state of the art in the technical field related to the present disclosure. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-154969 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-121828 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the technology of JP 2020-154969 A, it is unclear whether a user will actually purchase a product when they receive an arrival notification from the management server. This is because the user cannot purchase the newly arrived product unless they visit the store. Even if the user does visit the store, they may not end up making a purchase if they cannot find the newly arrived product there. Furthermore, even if they find the desired product at the store, they may change their mind and cancel the purchase. Therefore, improvements are desired from the perspective of maintaining and even increasing a user's desire to visit a store and purchase the newly arrived product from the time they receive the arrival notification until they actually purchase the newly arrived product.

[0006] One objective of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can maintain or increase a user's desire to visit a store or purchase a product when a request for the product to be sold in-store is received from the user and the product is sold in-store. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure relates to a system that receives requests from users for products that they wish to sell in a store and supports the store in selling the requested products, and has the following features. The system includes one or more storage devices and one or more processors. The one or more storage devices store inventory information for products available at the store and information about users of the store. The processor is configured to perform various processes. The information about the user includes information about the user's information terminal and information about the requested product. The one or more processors are configured to perform the following processes: determine whether the requested product is in stock at the store so that the user can purchase it, based on the inventory information and information about the requested product; if it is determined that the requested product is in stock so that the user can purchase it, generate purchase support information to support the purchase of the requested product at the store; and transmit the purchase support information to the information terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is determined whether the requested product is available for purchase at the store based on the store's inventory information for products available at the store and information about the requested product. If it is determined that the requested product is available for purchase, purchase support information is generated to support the purchase of the requested product at the store and is transmitted to the user's information terminal. By transmitting the purchase support information to the user's information terminal, it is possible to maintain or increase the user's motivation to visit the store or purchase the product from the time of transmission of the purchase support information to the actual purchase of the requested product at the store. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a store sales support system for a requested product 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] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a request voting process. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed to add information to support in-store purchase of a requested product. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 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.

[0011] 1. System configuration example Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example configuration of a store sales support system for requested products (hereinafter also simply referred to as "system") according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 1 illustrates a product voting system 10, a payment system 20, a store management terminal 30, and a voting reception terminal 40. These elements constitute the system according to the embodiment.

[0012] The system according to the embodiment supports commercial activities in a way that benefits both the store ST and the user US. 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 in that space. Examples of the facility include commercial facilities (e.g., shopping malls and commercial buildings). The user US is a consumer of the products sold by the store ST.

[0013] The voting system 10 provides a service (hereinafter also referred to as the "request voting service") that covers everything from collecting the needs of the user US based on a request vote by the user US to encouraging the user US to visit the store ST and purchase products.

[0014] The voting system 10 includes a communication device 11, one or more processors 12 (hereinafter simply referred to as "processors 12"), and one or more storage devices 13 (hereinafter simply referred to as "storage devices 13"). The communication device 11 communicates with the payment system 20, the store management terminal 30, and the vote acceptance terminal 40 via a wired or wireless communication network.

[0015] 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).

[0016] 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 voting system 10 may be realized by cooperation between the processor 12 executing the computer program and the storage device 13.

[0017] 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 voting system 10. That is, the payment system 20 includes a communication device, one or more processors (hereinafter simply referred to as "processors"), and one or more storage devices (hereinafter simply referred to as "storage devices").

[0018] The storage device of the payment system 20 stores a database of various information related to the payment service (e.g., product transaction data, product master data). The processor of the payment system 20 executes processing related to payment for products by the user US. In the payment processing, the processor authenticates the user US (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 user US using the payment function of the vote acceptance terminal 40. Once payment is complete, the processor transmits the payment result of the user US to the store ST (e.g., the vote acceptance terminal 40). The processor also transmits payment information to the voting system 10. The payment information includes information such as the identification information of the user US who made the payment, and the details, quantity, and amount of the product for which payment has been completed by the user US.

[0019] The store management terminal 30 is an information terminal that manages the products sold by the store ST. The basic configuration of the store management terminal 30 is the same as that of the voting system 10. As part of the management of the products sold by the store ST, the store management terminal 30 manages ordering products to wholesalers and receiving products. The store management terminal 30 sends and receives various information related to the request voting service to and from the voting system 10.

[0020] The vote acceptance terminal 40 is an information terminal operated by the user US. The basic configuration of the vote acceptance terminal 40 is the same as that of the 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 pay for products at the store ST, and an information terminal of the user US (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 voting system 10.

[0021] 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 user information DUS. When there are multiple stores ST that use the request voting service, the store information DST and user information DUS are managed for each store ST that uses the request voting service.

[0022] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the store information DST includes identification information of the store ST that uses the request voting service, product information, sales history information, voting holding information, and voting result information.

[0023] The identification information includes, for example, the ID number of the store ST and the attributes of the store ST (e.g., business format, business scale). The product information includes, for example, the ID number of a product available at the store ST, the attributes of that product, the inventory status of that product, and the display position of that product in the store ST (e.g., shelf position). The product information is acquired from an information terminal of the store ST (e.g., store management terminal 30). The attributes of a product are set by appropriately combining elements that make up the product's master data (e.g., category, size, weight, color, sales target, release date, etc.). The inventory status of a product is either in stock or out of stock (out of stock). If in stock, the number of products currently displayed on the shelves of the store ST is also included. The display position of a product is, for example, the location of the shelf where the product is displayed. The sales history information is generated based on payment information from the payment system 20. The sales history information includes, for example, the ID number of a sold product, the date and time of sale of that product, the number of units sold, the sale price, and the ID number of the purchaser.

[0024] 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, attributes, estimated selling price, product image, 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 result 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.).

[0025] 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).

[0026] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the user information DUS also includes identification information, purchase history information, and voting history information of the user US.

[0027] The identification information includes the ID number of the user US, the attributes of the user US (e.g., gender, age, family composition), and the preferences of the user US (purchasing preferences, voting preferences, coupon usage preferences, etc.). The identification information may also include the identification information of the information terminal of the user US and facial image information required for authenticating the user US. The purchase history information includes the ID number of the product that the user US purchased at the store ST, the attributes of this product, and information on the purchase date and time, number of units purchased, and purchase price of this product. The voting history information is information related to the history of when the user US cast a vote in response to a request vote proposal made by the store ST. Examples of voting history information include the ID number of the request vote, the voting target for which the user US voted, the attributes of the voting target, the voting date and time, and the total number of votes for the voting target.

[0028] The flow of the request voting process will be described with reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5. Figures 3, 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing an example of the request voting process performed by the voting system 10 (processor 12).

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] If the determination result in step S12 is negative, the current process 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 user US 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.

[0032] 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 voting system 10 when the user US pays for a product at the store ST.

[0033] If the determination result of step S21 is negative, this processing ends. If the determination result of step S21 is positive, vote proposal information is sent (step S22). The destination of the proposed vote information is the vote acceptance terminal 40 used by the user US to pay for the product. The vote acceptance terminal 40 is an information terminal of the store ST (e.g., an in-store tablet) or an information terminal of the user US (e.g., a smartphone).

[0034] Following the processing of step S22, it is determined whether or not voting response information has been received (step S23). The voting response information is information that is input to the voting reception terminal 40 by operation of the user US 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.

[0035] 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 voting acceptance period. The feedback information generated in step S24 is intended for user US 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 user US, the preferences of other users US can be learned. It is also possible to give user US a sense of satisfaction that they are cooperating with the management of store ST.

[0036] The processing routine shown in Fig. 5 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, every day, week, or month). In the processing routine shown in Fig. 5, first, store information DST and user information DUS are acquired (step S31). Configuration examples of the store information DST and user information DUS are as described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0037] 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).

[0038] If the determination result in step S32 is negative, the current process ends. If the determination result in step S32 is positive, feedback information (FB information) based on the final voting results is generated and transmitted (step S33). The final voting results are final information that reflects all of the response information received during the voting acceptance period. The feedback information generated in step S33 includes information directed to the user US and information directed to the store ST that requested the voting.

[0039] The feedback information for the user US is sent to the information terminal of the user US (for example, a smartphone used as the vote reception terminal 40). An example of the feedback information for the user US is the final number of votes for each of multiple voting targets. By feeding back such final information to the user US, it becomes possible to provide the user US with information about the possibility that the voting target for which the user voted will be available for purchase at the store ST in the near future. The feedback information for the user US can be sent by identifying the information terminal of the user US based on the user information DUS (identification information).

[0040] The feedback information for the store ST is transmitted to an information terminal of the store ST (for example, the store management terminal 30). The feedback information for the store ST includes the final number of votes for each of the multiple voting targets, the attributes of the users US who voted for each voting target, and the like. By feeding back each final number of votes to the store ST, the store ST can be provided with information to consider when deciding whether to replace a product. Each final number of votes may also be a sales forecast for each voting target. In this case, the sales forecast can be made using a prediction model (statistical model) based on machine learning. The attributes of the users US who voted for the voting targets can be generated, for example, based on user information DUS (voting history information). By feeding back the attributes of the users US to the store, it becomes possible to provide the store ST with information to select voting targets for subsequent request votes.

[0041] 3. Purchasing support information In the embodiment, consider the case where, if the final number of votes for a certain voting object is 1 or more, the store ST decides to sell this voting object in-store. The reason for this is that if a voting object with a final number of votes of 1 or more is sold in the store ST, it is expected that the user US who voted for this voting object will purchase it. However, it is up to the user US to decide whether to purchase the voting object in-store, and as a result, there is a possibility that the voting object will not be purchased in-store.

[0042] Therefore, in the embodiment, in the request voting process, a process is performed to add information (purchase support information) that supports the in-store purchase of the voting target (i.e., the requested product) for which the user US has voted to the feedback information for the user US. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process performed by the voting system 10 (processor 12) for adding the purchase support information. The process routine shown in FIG. 6 is performed, for example, as a subroutine of the process of step S33 shown in FIG. 5. In another example, the process routine shown in FIG. 6 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, one day, one week).

[0043] 6, first, the store information DST and the user information DUS are acquired (step S41). The process of step S41 is the same as the process of step S31 in FIG.

[0044] Following the processing of step S41, it is determined whether or not there is information about the requested product (step S42). In the processing of step S42, for example, it is determined based on the store information DST (voting information or voting result information) whether or not there is information about a request vote whose voting acceptance period has ended. This determination is the same as that made in the processing of step S32 in FIG. 5. If it is determined that there is information about a request vote, it is further determined based on the store information DST (product information) whether or not there is information about the voting target of this request vote (i.e., the requested product).

[0045] If the voting target (requested product) is an existing product, the information about the voting target is included in the store information DST (product handling information). On the other hand, if the voting target (requested product) is a new product, the store information DST (product handling information) is updated when the store ST decides to handle the voting target and the voting target arrives in stock at the store ST. Therefore, the store information DST (product handling information) makes it possible to determine whether or not there is information about the voting target (i.e., the requested product) for a request vote whose voting acceptance period has ended.

[0046] If the determination result in step S42 is negative, the current process ends. If the determination result in step S42 is positive, it is determined whether the requested product is in stock (step S43). In the process of step S43, the inventory quantity of the voting target (requested product) determined to be in stock in the process of step S42 is obtained based on the store information DST (handled product information) of the voting target (requested product).

[0047] If the voting target (requested product) is an existing product, the result of the determination in step S43 will be affirmative unless it is out of stock. On the other hand, if the voting target (requested product) is a new product, the new product will arrive at the store ST and the store information DST (handled product information) will be updated, and the result of the determination in step S43 will be affirmative.

[0048] If the determination result in step S43 is negative, the current processing ends. If the determination result in step S43 is negative, suggestion information regarding replenishing the voting target (requested product) (for an existing product) or considering product lineup (for a new product) may be transmitted to the information terminal of the store ST. If the determination result in step S43 is positive, purchase support information for the voting target (requested product) is generated and transmitted (step S44). The purchase support information may include the display location, inventory quantity, and incentives of the voting target (requested product). Information on display location and inventory quantity is generated based on the store information DST (product information). The incentive may be something that can be used when purchasing the voting target (requested product) (for example, a discount coupon valid only when purchasing the voting target), or something that can be used when purchasing a product other than the voting target after purchasing the voting target (requested product) (for example, a discount coupon valid within a specified period starting from the purchase date of the voting target).

[0049] The destination of the purchase support information is the information terminal of the user US who voted for the voting target (requested product) whose existence was determined in the processing of step S42. This user US is identified, for example, based on user information DUS (identification information and voting history information). The display location of the voting target (requested product) is expected to make it easier for the user US to find the voting target when visiting the store ST. The inventory quantity and incentives for the voting target (requested product) are expected to provide the user US with an incentive to visit the store ST.

[0050] The purchase support information may include information for outputting a predetermined input screen to the information terminal of the user US. Examples of the predetermined input screen include a screen that prompts the user US to input the planned date of visit to the store, a screen that prompts the user US to input a preference for periodic notification of the stock quantity of the voting target (requested product), etc.

[0051] When the planned visit date is received from the information terminal of the user US, the inventory quantity of the voted item (requested item) may be sent to the information terminal of the user US according to a different processing routine at any date and time between the date of transmission of the purchase support information and the planned visit date (for example, the day before the planned visit date, or opening time on the planned visit date).When a request for periodic notification of inventory quantity is received from the information terminal of the user US, the inventory quantity of the voted item (requested item) may also be sent to the information terminal of the user US periodically (for example, every few days) from the date of transmission of the purchase support information according to a different processing routine.

[0052] When generating or transmitting the purchase support information, information that is easily accepted by the user US who transmits the purchase support information may be selected from the examples of purchase support information described above. The selection of purchase support information may be performed, for example, by referring to the user information DUS (preference information) of the user US who transmits the purchase support information.

[0053] 4.Effects As described above, according to the embodiment, a request voting process is performed. The request voting process collects voting result information for products currently on sale by the store ST (existing products) and products that the store ST is considering stocking and selling in the near future (new products), and generates and transmits various types of feedback information to the user US and the store ST.

[0054] In particular, according to the embodiment, information (purchase support information) supporting the in-store purchase of the requested product is added to the feedback information for the user US. Therefore, from the time of sending the feedback information or purchase support information to the time of in-store purchase of the requested product, it is possible to maintain or increase the user US's motivation to visit the store or purchase the requested product. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10... Voting system, 11... Communication device, 12... Processor, 13... Storage device, 20... Payment system, 30... Store management terminal, 40... Voting reception terminal, ST... Store, US... User, DUS... User information, DST... Store information

Claims

1. A system for receiving a request from a user for a product that the user wishes to sell at a store and supporting the store in selling the requested product, comprising: one or more storage devices that store inventory information about products that the store can handle and information about users of the store; one or more processors that perform various processes; the information about the user includes information about the user's information terminal and information about the requested product; the one or more processors: a process of determining whether the requested product is in stock at the store and available for purchase by the user based on the inventory information and information on the requested product; a process of generating purchase support information for supporting the purchase of the requested product at the store when it is determined that the requested product is in stock and available for purchase; a process of transmitting the purchase support information to the information terminal; The in-store sales support system for requested products is characterized by:

2. 10. The system of claim 1, The storage device further stores information on the display positions of products that the store can handle, The purchase support information includes information on the display position of the requested product, which is generated based on the information on the display position and the information on the requested product. The in-store sales support system for requested products is characterized by the above.

3. 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, The purchase support information includes information on incentives that can be used at the store when purchasing the requested product or after purchasing the requested product. The in-store sales support system for requested products is characterized by the above.

4. 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, The inventory information includes information on the number of items in stock that can be handled at the store, the purchase support information includes information for outputting to the information terminal a screen for inputting a planned store visit date by the user; When the one or more processors further receive the planned store visit date from the information terminal, they perform a process of transmitting information on the stock quantity of the requested product to the information terminal at any date and time between the date on which the purchase support information was sent and the planned store visit date. The in-store sales support system for requested products is characterized by the above.

5. 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, The inventory information includes information on the number of items in stock that can be handled at the store, the purchase support information includes information for outputting to the information terminal an input screen for the user to request periodic notification of the stock quantity of the requested product, When the one or more processors further receive the request for periodic notification from the information terminal, the one or more processors perform processing to periodically transmit information on the stock quantity of the requested product to the information terminal from the date of transmission of the purchase support information. The in-store sales support system for requested products is characterized by the above.

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