Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique for attracting a customer by presenting privilege information to the customer who may enter a competing store.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine a possibility that a user carrying a user terminal enters a first store on the basis of position information transmitted from the user terminal, and a privilege information output unit configured to output privilege information regarding a second store different from the first store to the user terminal when it is determined that there is the possibility that the user enters the first store.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] As part of marketing aimed at attracting customers or promoting sales, it is well known to distribute flyers on the street or at train stations, or to send out electronic advertisements on the web or by e-mail. For example, these methods may provide information on new products or limited-time sales, as well as coupons offering special discounts or points. Hereinafter, information presented for the purpose of attracting customers or promoting sales will be collectively referred to as "special offer information."

[0003] However, among the customers who receive such special offer information, there are also customers who are expected to visit the store even without the special offer information. Therefore, if such special offer information is uniformly presented to an unspecified number of customers, there is a risk that excessive discounts or excessive services will be offered.

[0004] To prevent customers from staying in a particular store for a long period of time at a shopping center or the like, a technique is known that identifies the store where the customer is currently located, estimates the store that the customer is likely to visit next, and distributes coupons for that store with an expiration date (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-21146 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, with conventional methods, it has been difficult to target and attract customers who are likely to visit a rival store.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology for attracting customers who may be likely to visit a rival store by presenting them with special offer information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that includes a determination unit that determines the possibility of a user carrying the user terminal entering a first store based on location information transmitted from the user terminal, and a bonus information output unit that outputs bonus information regarding a second store different from the first store to the user terminal when it is determined that there is a possibility of entry into the first store. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an information processing device determines the possibility of entering a specific store based on location information of a user terminal, and when it is determined that there is a possibility of entering the specific store, outputs special benefit information about a different store to the user terminal. This makes it possible to present special benefit information to users (customers) who are likely to enter a competing store, thereby enabling more efficient marketing.

[0010] That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for attracting customers who may be likely to visit a competing store by presenting them with special offer information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a system including an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the processing of the entire system including the information processing device shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of the determination process among the processes shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of an image of determining the possibility of entering a store. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing a second example of an image for determining the possibility of entering a store. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing a third example of an image for determining the possibility of entering a store. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a fourth example of a determination image of the possibility of entering a store. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a first example of management image of benefit information by the information processing device shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the special benefit information is displayed on the user terminal. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second example of the management image of the benefit information by the information processing device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Elements that are the same as or similar to elements that have already been described will be designated by the same or similar reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will generally be omitted.

[0013] [One embodiment] (composition) (1) System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a system 1 including an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] This system 1 includes a server 100 as an information processing device. The server 100 is capable of communicating information with any number of store terminals 200-1, ..., 200-M (hereinafter simply referred to as "store terminals 200" unless otherwise specified) and any number of user terminals 300-1, ..., 300-N (hereinafter simply referred to as "user terminals 300" unless otherwise specified) via a network NW such as the Internet.

[0015] The store terminal 200 is, for example, a computer used by a manager of a company or the like that uses the system 1 as a marketing tool to attract customers to its store (hereinafter also referred to as the "used store"). The store terminal 200 is, for example, a personal computer, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like, and is equipped with a processor, a storage device, an input / output device, and a communication device. Note that the store terminal 200 does not necessarily have to be installed corresponding to the location of the used store. The store terminal 200 may be a personal computer installed in the store, or may be a personal computer or smartphone used by a manager in a head office building or the like separate from the store. The "store" may include a "store network" such as a convenience store chain. Note that the terms "store" and "shop" may be used interchangeably herein.

[0016] The user terminal 300 is an example of a terminal device, and is, for example, a computer used by a customer (hereinafter also referred to as a "member user" or "user") who uses the system 1 as a bonus information distribution tool. The user terminal 300 is, for example, a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet device, wearable device, etc., and is equipped with a processor, a memory device, an input / output device with a display unit such as an LCD display, a communication device, and a position measurement device such as a GPS sensor. The user terminal 300 can be owned (carried) by the member user.

[0017] The server 100 is, for example, a server computer operated by a business that provides a marketing service or a special information distribution service.

[0018] In the following description, the benefit information distributed by server 100 will be described as an electronic coupon (also simply referred to as a "coupon"). Note that an "electronic coupon" here refers to a benefit that is distributed to user terminal 300 via the Internet, and that allows a user to receive additional services such as a discount, a discount, points, or a gift by presenting the coupon on the terminal when paying for a product or service at a store. However, the benefit information is not limited to these, and may include a wide variety of information other than coupons, such as information on new product releases and sale items.

[0019] (2) Server (2-1) Functional configuration Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 100. For simplicity, only one store terminal 200 and one user terminal 300 are shown in Fig. 2.

[0020] The server 100 includes, as processing function units, a store information acquisition unit 101, a member information acquisition unit 102, a location information acquisition unit 103, a determination unit 104, a coupon output unit 105, and a history information acquisition unit 106. The server 100 may also include, as storage units, a store information master 151, a member information master 152, and a history information storage unit 153.

[0021] The store information acquisition unit 101 acquires store information transmitted from the store terminal 200 via the network NW. The store information is input, for example, by a manager of the store used via an input device of the store terminal 200, and includes store information, competing store information, and coupon information. The store information is information about the store used ("second store") designated as a store eligible for the service, and includes location information for each store. The location information may be input, for example, as an address or latitude and longitude. The competing store information is information about competing stores ("first store") designated arbitrarily by the store used, and also includes location information for each store. The coupon information includes information specifying details of coupons to be distributed to the store used ("special offer information related to the second store") and information specifying distribution conditions for each coupon. The store information acquisition unit 101 stores each acquired store information in the store information master 151, linking it to information identifying the store used.

[0022] The member information acquisition unit 102 acquires member information transmitted from the user terminal 300 via the network NW. The member information is input, for example, by a member user who owns the user terminal 300, and includes information representing the member user's attributes (attribute information) and information representing the member user's preferences (preference information). The attribute information includes personal information such as name, address, and date of birth. The preference information includes information regarding the member user's likes and dislikes. The member information acquisition unit 102 associates the acquired member information with information that identifies the member user and stores it in the member information master 152. Note that, although the description here assumes that the user is registered as a member, this does not mean that users who are not registered as members (non-member users) will be excluded from the distribution destinations of bonus information.

[0023] The location information acquisition unit 103 acquires location information transmitted from the user terminal 300 via the network NW. The location information is acquired as latitude and longitude information measured by a GPS sensor included in the user terminal 300, for example. The location information may include identification information of the terminal and measurement date and time information.

[0024] The determination unit 104 makes various determinations based on pre-stored store information and member information, and location information acquired as needed. As a first determination unit, the determination unit 104 first determines (estimates) the likelihood that a user carrying the user terminal 300 will enter a competing store based on the location information of the user terminal 300. For example, the determination unit 104 determines whether the user terminal 300 has entered the commercial area of ​​a competing store based on the location information of the user terminal 300. Here, the "commercial area" refers to a geographical area in which each store can influence consumers. For example, the "commercial area" may be defined by a Voronoi diagram obtained using the store as a kernel point, or may be arbitrarily set by a manager or the like of the store. As a second determination unit, the determination unit 104 may determine candidate coupons to be distributed to the user terminal 300 based on store information. As a third determination unit, the determination unit 104 may determine candidate coupons to be distributed to the user terminal 300 based on member information. The determining unit 104 may also function as a fourth determining unit to determine candidates for coupons to be distributed to the user terminal 300 based on the history of coupon acquisition or use by the user terminal 300.

[0025] The coupon output unit 105 is an example of a benefit information output unit, and when it is determined that there is a possibility of entering a competing store, it outputs benefit information regarding the store of interest that has designated the competing store to the user terminal 300. In one embodiment, the coupon output unit 105 transmits information (a coupon list) for displaying a list of coupons determined as distribution candidates to the user terminal 300. The coupon output unit 105 may also transmit the requested coupon in response to a coupon acquisition request from the user terminal 300.

[0026] The history information acquisition unit 106 acquires, as acquisition history information, coupon acquisition requests transmitted from the user terminal 300 via the network NW. The history information acquisition unit 106 also acquires, as usage history information, coupon usage histories transmitted from the user terminal 300 via the network NW. The history information acquisition unit 106 stores this history information in the history information storage unit 153, linking it to identification information, date and time information, and location information of the user or the user terminal 300.

[0027] The store information master 151 stores the store information acquired by the store information acquisition unit 101 in association with the identification information of each store used.

[0028] The member information master 152 stores the member information acquired by the member information acquisition unit 102 in association with the identification information of the member user.

[0029] The history information storage unit 153 stores the acquisition history information and use history information acquired by the history information acquisition unit 106 in association with the identification information of the user or the user terminal 300.

[0030] (2-2) Hardware configuration 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server 100. The server 100 includes a CPU 1001, a RAM 1002, a ROM 1003, a storage device 1004, and a communication interface (I / F) 1005.

[0031] The above-described processing functions of server 100 are realized by CPU 1001 loading a program stored in ROM 1003 or storage device 1004 into RAM 1002 and executing the program. CPU 1001 is an example of a hardware processor. The hardware processor is not limited to a general-purpose processor, but may also be a dedicated processor such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0032] The storage device 1004 includes a computer-readable storage medium that stores data in a nonvolatile manner, and may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SDD). The storage device 1004 may also function as a storage unit that includes a store information master 151, a member information master 152, and a history information storage unit 153.

[0033] However, the store information master 151, member information master 152, and history information storage unit 153 do not necessarily need to be built into or directly connected to the server 100, but may be provided in another device (such as a database server) accessible via the network NW.

[0034] The communication I / F 1005 is an interface for communicating with external devices. The communication I / F 1005 may include, for example, one or more wired or wireless communication interfaces, and performs data communication between the store terminal 200 and the user terminal 300 via the network NW. For example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) may be used as the wired interface, and for example, a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used as the wireless interface.

[0035] The configuration of the server 100 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and the above-described components may be omitted or changed, or other components may be added to the server 100 as appropriate.

[0036] As described above, the server 100 as an information processing device according to one embodiment determines the possibility that a user will enter a specific store based on the location information of the user terminal 300 carried by the user. If it is determined that the user is likely to enter the store, the server 100 transmits, to the user terminal 300 carried by the user, benefit information about a store that the user has used and that has designated the store as a competing store. This makes it possible to directly attract customers to a competing store in real time to specific users who are likely to enter the store.

[0037] (operation) Next, the operation of the entire system 1 including the server 100 configured as above will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the overall processing of the system 1. (1) Initial registration First, the server 100 receives an initial registration request and input of store information from the store terminal 200 (step S1). The store information acquisition unit 101 acquires the store information and stores it in the store information master 151 (step S2).

[0038] As described above, the store information obtained from the store terminal 200 may include store information (information about the store designated as the target of the service), competing store information (information about the store designated as the competing store), and coupon information (information specifying the coupon details and distribution conditions).

[0039] The store information includes, for example, the name and address of each store, and is stored in association with the store ID. The store information may also be associated with higher-level identification information, such as the store's management entity (e.g., a company) or its store network (e.g., a convenience store chain).

[0040] The competing store information may include, for example, the name and address of each specified competing store, and may be stored in association with the store ID. The competing store information may also be associated with higher-level identification information, such as the management entity of the store or its store network.

[0041] The coupon information includes details of the coupon, such as the name or identification information of the coupon, the category (food, clothing, daily necessities, etc.), the type (points, discounts, discounts, gifts, etc.), and the validity period, and also includes distribution conditions, such as the maximum number of coupons, the timing of issuance, the time period for issuance, eligible membership conditions, and upgrade conditions. The coupon information is stored in association with the store ID. The coupon information may also be associated with higher-level identification information.

[0042] The information stored in the store information master 151 can be changed or updated by receiving a request from the store terminal 200.

[0043] Meanwhile, the server 100 accepts an initial registration request and input of member information by operation of the user US from the user terminal 300 at any timing independent of the initial registration from the store terminal 200 (step S3). The member information acquisition unit 102 acquires the member information and stores it in the member information master 152 (step S4).

[0044] As described above, the member information acquired from the user terminal 300 may include attribute information (information representing the attributes of the member user) and preference information (information representing the preferences of the member user).

[0045] The attribute information includes, for example, the member user's name, date of birth, age, sex, address, telephone number, occupation, nearest station to home or workplace, family composition, and the like.

[0046] The preference information includes, for example, the companies / stores / product or service genres / coupon types from which the member user desires coupons, and the companies / stores / product or service genres / coupon types from which the member user does not desire coupons.

[0047] The member information is stored in association with the member user ID. The member information may further be associated with the ID of the user terminal 300.

[0048] The information stored in the member information master 152 can be changed or updated by receiving a request from the user terminal 300.

[0049] The above steps S1 to S4 may be performed at any timing and in any order.

[0050] (2) Determining the possibility of entering a competing store Next, a process for determining the possibility of entering a competing store will be described.

[0051] Assume that a user US is traveling with an authenticated user terminal 300 that has a dedicated application program pre-installed. The application program may be running on the user terminal 300, or only the GPS sensor and notification function may be active.

[0052] The user terminal 300 receives GPS satellite signals using a GPS sensor, calculates its own location information (latitude and longitude) through distance measurement, and transmits the calculated location information intermittently (for example, every second) to the server 100 (step S5). The transmitted location information may include identification information of the terminal and date and time information. Note that measurement of location information is not limited to the GPS sensor, and a satellite navigation system other than GPS may be used. Furthermore, location information services such as those via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or mobile networks may be used instead of or in combination with the GPS. The measured location may be corrected using measurement values ​​from a gyro sensor or acceleration sensor included in the user terminal 300.

[0053] Upon acquiring the location information transmitted from the user terminal 300, the location information acquisition unit 103 passes the information to the determination unit 104. The determination unit 104 is triggered by the receipt of the location information to make various determinations (step S6).

[0054] FIG. 5 shows the details of the determination process performed by the determination unit 104.

[0055] First, in step S601, the determination unit 104 receives location information from the user terminal 300.

[0056] Next, in step S602, the determination unit 104 determines whether the user is heading to a competing store (whether there is a possibility that the user will enter the store) based on the location information of the user terminal 300.

[0057] In one embodiment, the determination unit 104 determines whether the current location of the user terminal 300 is within a predetermined distance range from a specific competing store. In other words, the determination unit 104 determines whether a store registered as a competing store in the store information master 151 is within a predetermined distance range from the current location of the user terminal 300. The location of the competing store is obtained by converting the registered address into latitude and longitude. The address may be converted into latitude and longitude at the time of initial registration, and the latitude and longitude may be registered in the store information master 151 in advance.

[0058] If there is no store registered as a competing store within a predetermined distance from the current location of the user terminal 300 (NO), the process returns to step S601 and the reception and determination of location information is repeated. If there is a registered store, that is, if it is determined that the location of the user terminal 300 is within a predetermined distance from the competing store, it is determined that there is a possibility of entering the competing store (YES), and the process proceeds to step S603.

[0059] The "predetermined distance range" may be arbitrarily set by the administrator of the server 100 or the store manager. The predetermined distance range may be set as a fixed value, such as a circle with a radius of 1 m, 5 m, or 10 m from a competing store or the user terminal 300. In this case, the radius may be adjustable according to the movement speed of the user terminal 300. For example, assuming that the user is traveling by bicycle or car, the distance range used to determine the possibility of store entry may be increased as the movement speed increases. A movement speed above a certain speed may be considered as movement by vehicle. The movement speed of the user terminal 300 may be calculated based on changes in position information received from the user terminal 300 or may be calculated from measurements by an acceleration sensor. Furthermore, the movement direction of the user terminal 300 may be taken into consideration. The movement direction may be calculated by accumulating position information received from the user terminal 300 over a certain period of time. The "predetermined distance range" may be calculated using the trade area of ​​each store, such as that obtained by Voronoi division. Alternatively, if the location information of the store entrance is known, a predetermined distance range may be set based on the store entrance.

[0060] As described above, the possibility of store entry may be determined based on instantaneous values ​​of location information obtained from the user terminal 300. In other words, if the user terminal 300 is within a certain distance range from a competing store even for a moment, it may be determined that there is a possibility of store entry. Alternatively, it may be determined that there is a possibility of store entry if the user terminal 300 is within a certain distance range from a competing store for a certain period of time. Furthermore, it may be determined whether the user is heading toward a competing store based on the direction and speed of movement of the user terminal 300. For example, after it is determined that the user terminal 300 has entered within a certain distance range from a competing store, the possibility of store entry may be determined based on the subsequent direction and speed of movement.

[0061] In addition, if there are multiple competing stores within a specified distance range from the user terminal 300, it may be determined that there is a possibility of entry to all of the stores, or it may be determined that there is a possibility of entry to only one of the stores, for example, the store closest to the user terminal 300.

[0062] (3) Identifying the store you are using by specifying a competing store Next, in step S603, the determination unit 104 identifies the store that has registered the store that has been determined to be a store where the customer may enter as a competing store. The determination unit 104 identifies the store that the customer has entered by, for example, extracting information based on the identification information of the competing store from the store information master 151.

[0063] If there are multiple stores that have registered the store as a competing store, stores that are within a predetermined distance range from the user's current location are extracted. The distance range used to extract stores may also be set arbitrarily by the administrator of server 100 or the manager of the store. The distance range used to extract stores may be different from the distance range used to determine the possibility of store entry, and in one embodiment, is greater than the distance range used to determine the possibility of store entry. If it is determined that the user has the possibility of entering multiple competing stores, stores that have registered each of them as a competing store are extracted.

[0064] Fig. 6 shows an example of an image of determining whether a user can enter a store and which store to use based on the location information of the user terminal 300. In the example of Fig. 6, it is determined whether the user is heading to a competing store based on the current location of the user terminal 300. Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between a map (road) and stores, with a mark 301 in the center indicating the location of the user terminal 300 at a certain point in time.

[0065] Assume that at a certain point in time, a pre-registered competing store 501 is detected within a first circle 3011 (e.g., radius R1) centered on the current location 301 of the user terminal 300. The determination unit 104 extracts the used stores 201-1, 201-2, 201-3, ... and the used store 202 that have registered the competing store 501 from the store information master 151. The used stores 201-1, 201-2, 201-3, ... are, for example, stores that belong to a convenience store chain store network and are registered by a manager of the same company. The used store 202 is, for example, a store registered by a different business owner from the used stores 201-1, 201-2, 201-3, .... In this example, of the extracted stores, store 201-1 and store 202 within a second circle 3012 (for example, radius R2, where R2>R1) centered on the current location 301 are identified as registered stores of the competing store 501.

[0066] 7A and 7B show other examples of the determination image of store entry possibility based on the location information of the user terminal 300. In these examples, after it is determined that the user terminal 300 is within a predetermined distance range from a competing store based on its current location, it is further determined whether the user is heading toward the competing store based on the direction of movement. In other words, when it is determined that a competing store is within a predetermined distance range from the user terminal 300 based on location information (instantaneous value), the possibility of store entry is determined by further considering the movement trajectory (change in position) of the user terminal 300. The location information of the user terminal 300 is assumed to be stored for a certain period of time by the server 100. In this explanation, it is assumed that the position of the store 502 relative to the road RD on the map is obtained as a polygon.

[0067] In FIG. 7A, it is assumed that the position of the user terminal 300 changes from time T10 to time T11 relative to the store 502. At time T11, it is determined that the distance between the user terminal 300 and the store 502 is within a predetermined distance range (a first circle 5021 indicates the distance range used in this first determination, and is shown here by a dashed line with the store 502 at its center for comparison). At this time, the determination unit 104 reads, for example, the position information at the immediately preceding time T10, and obtains a vector A1 representing the movement between the two points at times T10 and T11. The determination unit 104 further determines whether A2, which is an extension of the vector A1, will intersect with a second circle 5022 centered on the competing store 502 in the future. In this example, the direction of A2 does not have an intersection with the circle 5022. Therefore, the determination unit 104 determines that there is no possibility that the user will enter the competing store 502. Alternatively, the determination unit 104 may suspend the determination of the possibility of entry and continue to monitor the movement trajectory of the user terminal 300. The radius of the second circle 5022 may also be set arbitrarily. In one embodiment, the circle 5022 has a smaller radius than the circle 5021.

[0068] In FIG. 7B, it is assumed that the position of the user terminal 300 changes from time T20 to time T21 relative to the store 502. At time T21, it is determined that the distance between the user terminal 300 and the store 502 is within a predetermined distance range (circle 5021). At this time, the determination unit 104 similarly reads the position information at the immediately preceding time T20 and obtains vector A3 representing the movement between the two points at times T20 and T21. In this case, vector A4, which is an extension of vector A3, has an intersection with circle 5022 whose center is the competing store 502. Therefore, the determination unit 104 determines that there is a possibility that the user will enter the competing store 502.

[0069] In this way, by using a two-stage determination process, the reliability of the determination of the possibility of store entry can be further improved. Note that FIGS. 7A and 7B are merely examples. Other polygons may be used instead of the circle 5022 to determine the intersection, or the presence or absence of an intersection with the polygon of the store 502 itself may be determined. If the location information of the store 502 is available only as latitude and longitude, a circle centered on the point of latitude and longitude may be used. The time between times T10 and T11, and between T20 and T21 may be set arbitrarily, for example, to 1 second, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds. These times and the radii of the circles 5021 and 5022 may be set to different values ​​depending on the moving speed of the user terminal 300, assuming, for example, whether the user is walking or traveling by car.

[0070] The above-mentioned determination based on the movement vector between two points is merely one example, and other determinations based on the movement trajectory are also possible. For example, an approximate line or approximate curve may be calculated from position information of three or more points, and the possibility of store entry may be determined based on whether or not the obtained line or curve intersects with a geometric figure related to a specific store. Alternatively, the movement speed between points may be calculated from position information of three or more points, and based on changes in the movement speed, for example, if the movement speed decreases near a specific store, it may be determined that there is a possibility of store entry. Furthermore, it is not necessary to use temporally continuous position information, and position information at any point in time may be used.

[0071] FIG. 8 shows yet another example of an image of determining the possibility of entering a store based on the location information of the user terminal 300. In this example, the possibility of entering a competing store is determined using the location information of the user terminal 300 as well as the direction and speed of movement of the user terminal 300. For example, the server 100 determines whether the user is traveling by car or walking based on the speed of movement. In the example of FIG. 8, it is assumed that the user is determined to be traveling on road RD in car 305. The server 100 also acquires information about the destination DST of the user who owns the user terminal 300, and estimates the direction of movement 401 from the current location of the user terminal 300.

[0072] Here, the server 100 may acquire information about the user's destination DST from the user terminal 300. For example, as described above, the user terminal 300 may be pre-installed with a dedicated application program ("app 1"), and the user may register the "destination" information via this app 1, thereby transmitting the "destination" information from the user terminal 300 to the server 100. Alternatively, the user terminal 300 may be pre-installed with another application program ("app 2") having a route search function and a navigation function, and the "destination" information registered via this app 2 may be linked from app 2 to app 1, thereby transmitting the "destination" information from the user terminal 300 to the server 100 via the function of app 1. Alternatively, the "destination" information registered by the user in an in-vehicle navigation device may be linked to app 1 via Bluetooth or the like, thereby transmitting the "destination" information from the user terminal 300 to the server 100 via the function of app 1. The information transmitted from the user terminal 300 to the server 100 via the app 1 includes information on the destination DST (which may include location information), identification information (ID) of the user terminal 300 or the member user, and current location (GPS) information of the user terminal 300.

[0073] The server 100, which has acquired the information about the destination DST, estimates the direction of travel 401 from the current location of the user terminal 300 and the location of the destination DST, and determines the possibility of entering a competing store. For example, the server 100 can determine the possibility of entering a competing store 503 using, as the direction of travel 401, a route from the current location to the destination, or simply a straight line connecting the current location and the destination. As an example, the server 100 can determine the possibility of entering a competing store 503 based on the intersection of the route or straight line as the direction of travel 401 with a circle 5031 centered on the competing store 503. The size of the circle 5031 centered on the competing store 503 may be set arbitrarily as described above, and may be adjusted according to the moving speed of the user terminal 300.

[0074] (4) Generate a coupon list Next, in step S604, the determination unit 104 narrows down the distribution candidate coupons based on the store information of the extracted store. In one embodiment, the determination unit 104 reads out conditions related to the time period for issuing coupons from the coupon information stored in the store information master 151, and narrows down the coupons to those for which the date and time information at the time when it is determined that there is a possibility of entering the store meets the conditions.

[0075] In step S605, the determination unit 104 further narrows down the coupons based on the member information. In one embodiment, the determination unit 104 first reads the gender, age or generation, occupation, etc. of the member user who owns the terminal 300 from the attribute information stored in the member information master 152, and narrows down the coupons that meet the target member conditions from the coupon information stored in the store information master 151.

[0076] In one embodiment, the determination unit 104 further narrows down the candidate coupons based on the member information (preference information) and whether the member user desires or dislikes coupon distribution. The determination unit 104 may extract, as candidate coupons, coupons corresponding to any or all of the companies / stores / genres / types from which the member user desires coupon distribution. Alternatively, the determination unit 104 may exclude, from the candidates, coupons corresponding to any of the companies / stores / genres / types from which the member user does not desire coupon distribution. Alternatively, the determination unit 104 may consider both desired and undesired conditions for distribution. The preference information may include more specific likes and dislikes regarding products and services, allergy information, and policy information (e.g., vegetarian). For example, if a member user registers "milk" as a disliked food, the determination unit 104 may exclude coupons related to dairy products from the candidate coupons for the member user.

[0077] In step S606, the determining unit 104 generates a coupon list that summarizes information about the narrowed-down coupons that are candidates for distribution.

[0078] Next, in step S7 of FIG. 4, the determining unit 104 transmits the generated coupon list to the user terminal 300.

[0079] FIG. 9 shows an example of how coupon information is managed. Coupon information can be managed in association with each store. In the example of FIG. 9, information on four types of coupons (Coupons A to D) is pre-registered for a specific store. Each coupon can include specific benefit details and distribution conditions. In this example, the distribution conditions that can be specified are a condition related to the time period (Condition 1), a condition related to the target user (member user to whom the coupon is to be distributed) (Condition 2), and a condition related to the region (Condition 3), with a blank indicating that no condition is specified.

[0080] In FIG. 9, coupon A is a benefit of "15% off when you spend 3,000 yen or more." Condition 1 specifies the time period "9:00 to 17:00" and condition 2 specifies the target user "20 years old or older." Therefore, coupon A is extracted as a candidate only when the time determined to be likely to be a store entry at a competing store falls within this time period and the target member is "20 years old or older." Coupon A is not extracted when the time determined to be likely to be a store entry does not meet the conditions, such as 21:00, and coupon A is not extracted if the target member is 19 years old or younger. Coupon B is a benefit of "double points." Condition 1 specifies the time period "weekends and holidays" and condition 2 specifies the target user "student." Therefore, coupon B is extracted as a candidate only when the day determined to be likely to be a store entry at a competing store falls within either "weekends and holidays" and the target member has the attribute information of "student." Similarly, coupon C offers the benefit of "one free drink," with condition 1 specifying the time period "14:00-15:00" and condition 3 specifying the region "Honshu." Coupon D offers the benefit of "a 100 yen discount on new product X," with no time period specified and condition 2 specifying the target members as "women in their 20s."

[0081] FIG. 9 is merely an example, and the content and distribution conditions can be arbitrarily set by the administrator of server 100 or the store manager. For example, the number of specifiable conditions is not limited to three, and more conditions may be registered, or other conditions such as the target person's birth month, occupation, place of residence, and nearest station may be registered. Furthermore, a coupon such as that shown in FIG. 9 may be linked to a specific business owner and uniformly applied to all stores registered by that business owner. In this case, coupons can be narrowed down using a region-related condition such as condition 3 above. In an example such as that shown in FIG. 8, where a store visit is determined to be possible if there is a competing store on the way from the current location to the destination, the coupon list may be generated and transmitted, for example, when it is determined that the store visit is possible, or when user terminal 300 (car 305) enters a certain distance range (e.g., a circle larger than circle 5031) from the competing store.

[0082] (5) Coupon issuance Next, in step S8 of FIG. 4, the user terminal 300 that has received the coupon list generates a display, for example, through a dedicated application program. Here, when issuing a coupon, the final recipients of the coupon may be selected based on member information (preference information). A list of excluded recipients may be created for each coupon based on the content of each coupon and the member user's preference information, and when issuing a coupon, the coupon may not be issued to users who fall on the excluded recipient list. For example, it is possible to process such that coupons related to dairy products are not issued to member users who do not like milk.

[0083] 10 is an example of a coupon list displayed on display screen 310 of user terminal 300 (a smartphone in this example). For example, when a user carrying smartphone 300 is detected to have driven into the trade area of ​​a registered competing store during a ticket issuing time period (e.g., 14:00 to 15:00) specified as a distribution condition, or when the user is detected to be about to enter a competing store on foot, it is determined that the user is likely to enter the store, and display screen 310 like this is displayed on smartphone 300 based on a signal received from server 100. In this example, display screen 310 includes a map display section 311, a coupon list display section 312, and a coupon acquisition button 313.

[0084] As shown in Figure 6, the map display unit 311 displays the current location 301 of the user terminal, a competing store 501 that has been determined to be accessible, and the available stores 201-1 and 202 that are within a certain distance from the user and have registered the competing store 501.

[0085] The coupon list display unit 312 displays a list of coupons that have been narrowed down as distribution candidates from among the coupons linked to the used store 201-1 and the used store 202. In the figure, the coupon for "Store X" is selected (active) from the listed coupons. At this time, the map display unit 311 further displays an arrow indicating guidance information to the used store 201-1, which represents Store X. Furthermore, the competing store 501 may be displayed inconspicuously, and the used stores 201-1 and / or 202 may be displayed prominently. For example, the display screen 310 may display the competing store 501 in a small, faint, or darkened form, and the used stores 201-1 and / or 202 in a large, dark, or brightened form.

[0086] Here, for example, when X Store is active as described above, the user can tap the coupon acquisition button 313 to send a request to acquire the coupon to the server 100 (step S9 in FIG. 4). Alternatively, the user may directly tap on a display in the coupon list display section 312 to send a coupon acquisition request.

[0087] When the server 100 receives a coupon acquisition request from the user terminal 300 (step S9), the coupon output unit 105 extracts the requested coupon information from the store information master 151 and delivers the coupon to the user terminal 300 (step S10). The coupon is set with a validity period specified as the store information.

[0088] The server 100 may also store, as history information in the history information storage unit 153, the fact that the acquisition request has been received by the history information acquisition unit 106 (step S11). The acquisition request may include identification information of the terminal 300, date and time information, location information, and coupon identification information.

[0089] On the other hand, when the user terminal 300 that received the coupon accepts a usage operation from the user US (for example, when a coupon display screen is generated based on a signal received from the server 100), it may again transmit usage history information to the server 100 (step S12). Again, the history information acquisition unit 106 may store the usage history information in the history information storage unit 153 (step S13). The usage history information may include, for example, identification information of the terminal 300, date and time information, location information, coupon identification information, and identification information of the store where the coupon was used. The coupon usage history information may be transmitted to the server 100 not only from the user terminal 300 but also from a store terminal (for example, the store terminal 200, a PoS terminal (not shown), etc.). The store terminal may read coupon information (for example, a barcode or two-dimensional code) displayed on the display screen 310 of the user terminal 300 using an attached scanner or the like, or may have a store clerk visually check the coupon information and input it into the terminal, extracting necessary information from the coupon information, and then transmit the extracted information as usage history information to the server 100.

[0090] The history information thus accumulated may be further used by the determination unit 104 to narrow down coupon candidates. For example, coupon upgrade conditions may be accepted as store information, and the coupon contents may be upgraded based on the conditions for users who have not acquired or used a coupon for a certain period of time. This increases the likelihood that users will find the coupon attractive, and is expected to have the effect of encouraging them to acquire and use coupons.

[0091] FIG. 11 shows a coupon management example when such an upgrade condition is applied. The coupon information in FIG. 11 is managed, for example, for each store where the coupon is used. The determination unit 104 determines whether the distribution candidate coupons narrowed down in step S605 of FIG. 5 further meet the upgrade condition. For example, if coupon A is selected as a distribution candidate and the upgrade condition is not met, "Coupon A1: 15% off when purchasing over 3,000 yen" is selected. On the other hand, if the user meets the condition of "purchasing over 3,000 yen within 3 days," the coupon is upgraded to "Coupon A2: 20% off when purchasing over 3,000 yen." Furthermore, if the user meets the condition of not acquiring a coupon for 30 days or more or not using a coupon for 50 days or more (regardless of whether a coupon has been acquired), the upgraded coupon "Coupon A3: 20% off + double points" is selected. If the coupon has not been used for 60 days or more, a further upgrade may be applied.

[0092] Similarly, in the example of Figure 11, if coupon B is initially selected as a delivery candidate, "Coupon B1: Double Points" is selected if the upgrade conditions are not met, but if "other coupons have been used within seven days (coupon B1 has not been used, but other coupons have been used)," it is upgraded to "Coupon B2: Double Points + Free Drink." The upgrade conditions may also include the period of time that has passed since membership registration. Past history information may also be analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) to determine appropriate upgrade conditions.

[0093] (effect) As described above in detail, in one embodiment of the present invention, the likelihood that a user carrying the user terminal 300 will enter a specific store is determined based on the location information of the user terminal 300. If it is determined that the user is likely to enter the store, benefit information regarding the store that the user has designated as a competing store is transmitted to the user terminal 300. This allows benefit information to be transmitted directly and in real time to users who are likely to enter the competing store, which is expected to have the effect of attracting customers from the competing store to the user's store.

[0094] The distance range used to determine the likelihood of store entry can be set arbitrarily, so coupons encouraging a visit to one's store can be distributed at appropriate times, such as immediately before entering a competing store if the user is presumed to be walking, or when the user enters the trade area of ​​a competing store if the user is presumed to be driving. Furthermore, conditions such as the time period for coupon issuance and the attributes of the members eligible for coupon issuance can be set, and taking these conditions into consideration enables targeted marketing. In particular, setting the time period for coupon issuance enables more strategic customer attraction, such as attracting customers during off-peak hours. Similarly, users can set conditions for whether or not they want coupons distributed, so taking these conditions into consideration enables distribution of coupons that are more appealing to users.

[0095] [Other embodiments] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the functional units of the server 100 may be distributed across multiple devices, and these devices may perform processing in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, each functional unit may be realized using a circuit. The circuit may be a dedicated circuit for realizing a specific function, or may be a general-purpose circuit such as a processor.

[0096] Furthermore, the flow of each process described above is not limited to the procedures described, and the order of some steps may be changed, or some steps may be performed simultaneously in parallel. Furthermore, the series of processes described above do not need to be performed consecutively, and each step may be performed at any timing.

[0097] For example, the member information entered by the member user during initial registration may be entered from a terminal different from the user terminal 300 that transmits the location information. For example, the user US may perform the initial registration in step S3 of Fig. 4 from a personal computer at home, and set their own smartphone as the source of the location information and the destination of the coupon from step S5 onwards.

[0098] In addition, in step S7, an electronic coupon may be directly distributed instead of a coupon list. Also, the coupon distribution process may be executed by a coupon distribution device (not shown) other than server 100.

[0099] The coupon usage process may be performed by any method, such as reading a "store QR code (registered trademark)" at the store, manually entering a store number at the store, or checking in to the store using a contactless IC card or the like. The user is not necessarily required to perform the coupon usage operation; the coupon may be usable by presenting a coupon list or coupon ID, etc. displayed on the display screen 310 of the user terminal 300 to a store clerk. Coupon usage history information may be transmitted from the user terminal 300 to the server 100, or may be transmitted to the server 100 from a store terminal such as the store terminal 200 or a PoS terminal (not shown).

[0100] In the above embodiment, the server 100 narrows down the distribution candidates based on a preset table and distribution conditions, but the present invention is not limited to this and parameters may be adjusted according to the distribution conditions. For example, "5% OFF" may be set as the initial coupon information, and parameters may be adjusted according to the distribution conditions, such as "7% OFF if it is during time period A (e.g., 14:00-15:00)" or "10% OFF if the member is 60 years old or older," to select the distribution candidates.

[0101] Furthermore, server 100 may further acquire, in addition to location information, activity data (number of steps, heart rate, calories burned, sleep time, etc.) and scheduler data (user schedule, to-do list, memos, etc.) from user terminal 300, and select distribution candidate coupons based on information extracted from this data. For example, when it is determined based on the activity data that the user carrying user terminal 300 is running or walking, server 100 may be configured to preferentially select coupons related to sports drinks from coupons related to beverages.

[0102] In the above embodiment, a store using the system registers competing stores in advance and determines whether a user is likely to visit the competing store. However, in the embodiment, it is sufficient for a specific store to be registered in the system, and the store does not necessarily have to be registered as a competing store. For example, the store using the system can register an affiliated store or sister store as a "specific store" and issue a coupon for the store using the system if there is a possibility of the user visiting the registered specific store.

[0103] The above-described method can be stored as a program (software means) that can be executed by a computer on a recording medium (storage medium), such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, MO, etc.), or semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), or can be transmitted and distributed via a communication medium. The program stored on the medium also includes a configuration program that configures the software means (including not only execution programs but also tables and data structures) that the computer executes. The computer that realizes the above-described device reads the program stored on the recording medium and, in some cases, configures the software means using the configuration program, and executes the above-described processing by having the operation controlled by this software means. The term "recording medium" as used herein is not limited to a storage medium for distribution, but also includes a storage medium such as a magnetic disk or semiconductor memory installed inside the computer or in a device connected via a network.

[0104] In addition, the process of determining the possibility of store entry can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0105] It should be noted that this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combining selected elements from the disclosed elements. For example, if the problem can be solved and the desired effect can be obtained even if some elements are deleted from all elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1...system, 100...server, 101...store information acquisition unit, 102...membership information acquisition unit, 103...location information acquisition unit, 104...determination unit, 105...coupon output unit, 106...history information acquisition unit, 151...store information master, 152...membership information master, 153...history information storage unit, 200...store terminal, 300...user terminal.

Claims

1. a first determination unit that determines the possibility of a user who possesses the user terminal entering a first store based on location information transmitted from the user terminal; a benefit information output unit that outputs, to the user terminal, benefit information regarding a second store different from the first store when it is determined that there is a possibility of entry into the first store; An information processing device comprising:

2. the first determination unit determines that there is a possibility of entry into the first store when it is determined that the location of the user terminal is within a predetermined distance range from the first store; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the first determination unit derives a first vector from a trajectory of movement of the user terminal, and determines that there is a possibility of entry into the first store when it is determined that the first vector has an intersection with a first circle centered on the first store or a polygon representing the first store in a two-dimensional space; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. a second determination unit that determines whether or not the attributes of the owner of the user terminal or the date and time when it is determined that there is a possibility of entry into the first store satisfy a condition that is specified in advance for each of the benefit information; The bonus information output unit further outputs the bonus information determined by the second determination unit to satisfy the condition to the user terminal. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. a third determination unit that determines whether or not an attribute of the second store or an attribute of the benefit information satisfies a condition specified in advance by the user; The bonus information output unit further outputs the bonus information determined by the third determination unit to satisfy the condition to the user terminal. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. a history information acquisition unit that acquires history information representing a history of use of or access to the privilege information by the user terminal; a fourth determination unit that determines whether the history information satisfies a predetermined condition for each of the pieces of benefit information related to the second store; The bonus information output unit further outputs the bonus information determined by the fourth determination unit to satisfy the condition to the user terminal. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. determining a possibility that a user who possesses the user terminal will enter a first store based on location information transmitted from the user terminal; When it is determined that there is a possibility of entry into the first store, benefit information relating to a second store different from the first store is output to the user terminal. An information processing method comprising:

8. a first display unit that displays on a map a first store that is determined to be a store that the user may enter based on the location information of the terminal device; a second display unit that displays, on the map, guidance information to a second store different from the first store; a third display unit that displays benefit information related to the second store; A terminal device comprising:

9. A program that causes a computer to execute processing by each unit of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. A program that causes a computer to execute the processing by each unit according to claim 8.

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