Server, item information providing method, and program

Abstract

To suitably provide information of an item to a user.SOLUTION: The server 10 acquires a plurality of proposal lists including a plurality of pieces of item information from the shop terminals 30 of a plurality of shops. Upon receiving the first request from the user terminal 20, the server 10 extracts a plurality of pieces of item information from the suggestion list and transmits a first response, obtains whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information designated in the first response has been selected by the user terminal 20, and upon receiving the second request from the user terminal 20, the server 10 newly extracts a plurality of pieces of item information that have not been extracted yet from the suggestion list on the basis of the degree of similarity or the like with the interested item information selected by the user terminal 20 and transmits a second response.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a server, an item information providing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A technique has been proposed for displaying a plurality of products related to a product in which a user has shown interest in a recommended product section in a shop or the like established on the Internet (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-282098 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When providing information about items such as products to a user, it is desirable to provide information that matches the user's interests. It is also desirable to provide information to the user without excluding it, even if it is unclear whether the user will be interested, to increase the usefulness of the information.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a server or the like that can provide item information to users in an appropriate manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a server of the present invention acquires a plurality of proposal lists from a plurality of shops, Each of the plurality of proposal lists includes item information related to an item proposed by a shop from which the proposal list was acquired; The server Upon receiving a first request from the terminal, extracting a plurality of pieces of item information from the acquired plurality of proposal lists, and transmitting a first response specifying the extracted plurality of pieces of item information to the terminal; Obtaining from the terminal whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information specified in the first response has been selected at the terminal; When a second request is received from the terminal following the first request, a plurality of item information items that have not yet been extracted are newly extracted from the plurality of proposal lists based on the similarity between the interesting item information items selected on the terminal and the dissimilarity between the interesting item information items selected on the terminal and the disinterested item information items that have not been selected on the terminal; A second response specifying the newly extracted plurality of item information is transmitted to the terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, item information can be provided to the user in an appropriate manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram of an item information providing system and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an example of shop information, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an example of user information. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device that constitutes the item information providing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an introduction list providing process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a first recommended item extraction process. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a second recommended item extraction process. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing an image of generating an introduction list. [Figure 8]10A to 10C are diagrams showing display examples of an introduction list. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The item information providing system 100, the server 10, and the item information providing method executed by the server 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0010] 1 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an item information provision system 100 and a server 10 according to this embodiment. The item information provision system 100 includes the server 10, a user terminal 20, and a shop terminal 30. The server 10 and the user terminal 20 are connected via a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile communication network, and transmit and receive information via the communication network. Similarly, the server 10 and the shop terminal 30 are connected via a communication network, and transmit and receive information via the communication network.

[0011] The item information providing system 100 of this embodiment is a system that transmits a list of item information to be introduced to a user to a user terminal 20 and provides it to the user terminal 20. Specifically, the server 10 selects item information provided from the shop terminal 30, generates an introduction list including multiple pieces of item information, and provides the generated introduction list to the user terminal 20. The introduction list is, for example, an electronic flyer (digital flier) including multiple pieces of item information. A shop staff member using the shop terminal 30 transmits a proposal list including multiple pieces of information (product names, prices, etc.) of recommended items sold in the shop to the server 10 using the shop terminal 30. The server 10 accumulates and stores the proposal lists transmitted from multiple shop terminals 30. In response to a request for an introduction list from the user terminal 20 (for example, a request to view an electronic flyer), the server 10 selects a proposal list based on user information (location, favorites, etc.). Then, the server 10 transmits an introduction list in which item information is extracted and arranged from the selected proposal list to the user terminal 20.

[0012] Thus, in this embodiment, a list of item information provided from the server 10 to the user terminal 20 is called an introduction list. The introduction list is, for example, an electronic flyer that introduces items to the user of the user terminal 20 and encourages them to purchase the items. A list of item information provided from the shop terminal 30 to the server 10 is called a proposal list. The server 10 accumulates and stores a group of proposal lists provided from the shop terminal 30. The server 10 then generates an introduction list by extracting and arranging item information suitable for the user from the group of proposal lists. Therefore, the proposal list is a list of item information that the shop wants to introduce to the user and wants them to purchase. In the proposal list, for example, the shop can set a priority order for each item information and arrange the item information in order of recommendation or recommendation.

[0013] The server 10 is configured by, for example, a communication-capable information processing device such as a personal computer (PC) or a workstation. The server 10 may be a dedicated device. Although one server 10 is shown in FIG. 1, multiple servers 10 may be provided, for example, for each item to be stored and managed.

[0014] The server 10 is a web server that provides item information (electronic flyers, introduction lists) to the user terminal 20 via a web browser or app. Functionally, the server 10 is composed of a transmitting / receiving unit 101, an item extraction unit 102, a user interest determination unit 103, an item information DB (Data Base) 104, and a user information DB 105, as shown in FIG.

[0015] The transmitting / receiving unit 101 transmits various types of information to the user terminal 20 via the communication network, and receives various types of information from the user terminal 20. The transmitting / receiving unit 101 also receives a proposal list including information on multiple items from the shop terminal 30.

[0016] The item extraction unit 102 selects a proposal list stored in the item information DB 104 based on the location information, favorite information, shop usage history, etc. of each user stored in the user information DB 105, and extracts multiple pieces of item information included in the selected proposal list. Then, an introduction list listing the multiple pieces of extracted item information is transmitted to the user terminal 20 via the transmission / reception unit 101.

[0017] The user interest determination unit 103 obtains, via the transmitting / receiving unit 101, whether or not each item of item information has been selected in the introduction list provided to the user terminal 20. Then, the user interest determination unit 103 determines that an item related to the item information selected by the user in the introduction list is an item of interest to the user. Furthermore, after providing the introduction list to the user terminal 20, if there is a request to acquire the next introduction list (next page), the user interest determination unit 103 determines that an item related to the item information not selected in the previously provided introduction list is an item of no interest to the user. These determination results (interested item, uninterested item) are stored in the user information DB 105 in association with the user.

[0018] The item information DB 104 stores the proposal list provided from the shop terminal 30 in association with shop information. FIG. 2(A) shows an example of shop information stored in the item information DB 104. The shop information is information that associates a shop ID, which is identification information of the shop, the shop name, the shop's location information (address, latitude, longitude, etc.), and a proposal list, which is a list of item information such as recommended items provided by the shop. Since the shop in this embodiment is assumed to be a physical store, the shop information includes the shop's location information. If the shop is an online shop, the shop's location information may be omitted.

[0019] In the proposal list, the item information is arranged in the order recommended by the shop. That is, the proposal list lists the item information in the order in which the shop wants to provide it to users as an electronic flyer. Each item information may include information for use in an electronic flyer, such as the item name, image, price, manufacturer, etc. The items in this embodiment may be products sold by the shop, services provided by the shop, etc.

[0020] The shop information is stored in the item information DB 104 in response to a request to register shop information including the proposal list received from the shop terminal 30. The proposal list may be updated at any time in response to an update request operation on the shop terminal 30. The shop information may also include other information such as shop information (branch name, business type, business hours, etc.).

[0021] The user information DB 105 stores user information of users who are users of the item information providing system 100. Fig. 2(B) shows an example of user information stored in the user information DB 105. The user information is information that associates a user ID, which is identification information of the user, location information of the user, favorite information, shop usage history, items of interest, and items of no interest.

[0022] The user's location information is, for example, information indicating an address registered by the user in advance or an address obtained from a partner linked to the item information providing system 100. By searching for nearby shops based on this location information, a suggested list of shops near the user's location, i.e., shops within the user's range of activity, can be selected. Then, an introduction list (electronic flyer) including information on items sold by the shop can be provided. Note that the user's location information may be the location information of the user terminal 20. The location information of the user terminal 20 may be transmitted to the server 10, for example, together with a request to obtain an introduction list.

[0023] The favorite information includes information about favorite shops and favorite items selected in advance by the user. For example, when the user is displaying an introduction list on the user terminal 20, the user may specify a shop or an item and register the favorite information based on a predetermined favorite registration operation.

[0024] The shop usage history is the user's past purchase history at shops, and includes information such as the products the user purchased at each store and the purchase amount. The shops stored in the shop usage history are shops that the user has used in the past, so there is a high possibility that the user will use them again. The shop usage history may be obtained from the shop, or from payment information using the user's user terminal 20. Note that this item may be omitted if the user's shop purchase history cannot be obtained.

[0025] The interesting items and uninteresting items are information indicating items that the user is determined to be interested in or not interested in. The interesting items and uninteresting items store information indicating interesting or uninteresting items (item name, category, shop name, etc.) corresponding to the determination result of the user interest determination unit 103 based on the selection status of the item information in the introduction list provided to the user terminal 20. Based on these interesting items and uninteresting items, items similar to the interesting items and items not similar to the uninteresting items can be extracted.

[0026] The user information may include other information such as login information such as a user name and a password, and attribute information such as age and gender.

[0027] 1 is an example, and can be changed arbitrarily as long as the configuration provides a similar effect. For example, the functional configuration of the server 10 may be further subdivided. In addition, in this embodiment, the server 10 is configured to include the item information DB 104 and the user information DB 105, but at least one of the item information DB 104 and the user information DB 105 may be provided outside the server 10.

[0028] The user terminal 20 is, for example, an information processing device with a communication function, such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC used by a user. While one user terminal 20 is shown in FIG. 1, any number of user terminals 20 may be used. The user terminal 20 transmits a request to acquire an introducer list to the server 10 via a communication network based on a user operation. The user terminal 20 then receives the introducer list transmitted from the server 10 based on the request. The received introducer list is displayed on the screen of the user terminal 20. This allows the user to acquire and view an introducer list tailored to the user.

[0029] Furthermore, when the user terminal 20 detects a selection operation for selecting item information included in the introduction list, it transmits selection operation information that can identify the selected item information to the server 10. The selection operation information is, for example, a request for an individual page (detailed information) related to the item information. The user terminal 20 receives the individual page of the item information in response to the request from the server 10 and displays the received individual page on the screen.

[0030] The introduction list sent to the user terminal 20 includes information on a predetermined number of items (e.g., eight items). The user can view the next introduction list (the next page of the introduction list, also called the next list) by performing an operation to view the rest of the introduction list. When the user terminal 20 detects an operation to view the rest of the introduction list, it sends an acquisition request for the next introduction list to the server 10. Then, the user terminal 20 receives the introduction list sent from the server 10 based on the acquisition request, and displays it on the screen of the user terminal 20. This allows the user to view the introduction lists in sequence.

[0031] The shop terminal 30 is an information processing device with a communication function, such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC used by shop staff or the like. While FIG. 1 shows one shop terminal 30, one is provided for each shop. The shop terminal 30 transmits a proposal list to the server 10 together with a shop ID or the like based on a proposal list registration or update operation by the shop staff or the like. The proposal list registration or update operation only needs to be capable of registering item information to be included in the proposal list and information on the recommended order of each item information. The shop terminal 30 transmits the proposal list including this information to the server 10. The server 10 stores the proposal list transmitted from the shop terminal 30 as shop information, in association with the shop ID or the like. In this embodiment, the shop terminal 30 is used to register the proposal list in the server 10. However, the shop terminal 30 may also receive information such as the usage status of the proposal list from the server 10 and make it viewable. Furthermore, the shop terminal 30 may transmit information indicating the user's usage history at the shop to the server 10.

[0032] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device constituting the server 10 and the user terminal 20. The server 10 has a processor 11 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit), a storage device 12 such as a memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a communication interface 13 for wired or wireless communication, an input device 14 for accepting input operations, and an output device 15 for outputting information. The input device 14 is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a camera, a mouse, and / or a microphone. The output device 15 is, for example, a display and / or a speaker.

[0033] The processor 11 of the server 10 reads the programs stored in the storage device 12, and operates as the various functional units shown in FIG.

[0034] The storage device 12 of the server 10 functions as an item information DB 104, and stores multiple proposal lists and multiple item information included in each proposal list. The storage device 12 also functions as a user information DB 105, and stores user information for each user who accesses the storage device 12 via the user terminal 20.

[0035] The user terminal 20 similarly includes a processor 21 , a storage device 22 , a communication interface 23 , an input device 24 , and an output device 25 .

[0036] The processor 21 of the user terminal 20 reads a program stored in the storage device 22 to implement a function for using the item information provision system 100. The function may be implemented by a dedicated application or a general-purpose web browser. For example, the processor 21 transmits a referral list acquisition request to the server 10 in response to a user's operation to acquire a referral list, and acquires the referral list from the server 10. Furthermore, when the processor 21 detects a selection operation on the user's referral list, it transmits selection operation information specifying the selected item information to the server 10.

[0037] Similarly, the shop terminal 30 has a processor 31, a storage device 32, a communication interface 33, an input device 34, and an output device 35. The processor 31 of the shop terminal 30 reads a program stored in the storage device 32 to realize a function for sending and registering a proposal list to the server 10. This function may be realized by a dedicated application or a general-purpose web browser. Note that unnecessary components may be omitted from the server 10, the user terminal 20, and the shop terminal 30, as appropriate, and other components may be added.

[0038] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the item information provision system 100 and the server 10. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a recommendation list provision process executed by the server 10. The recommendation list provision process is executed by the processor 11 of the server 10 reading a program stored in the storage device 12.

[0039] In the introduction list providing process, the server 10 first determines whether or not a request to acquire an introduction list has been received from the user terminal 20 (step S11). The introduction list acquisition request is transmitted, for example, in response to a user's operation to view a battery flyer using the user terminal 20. In this embodiment, the first introduction list acquisition request in one session is also referred to as a first request. The second or subsequent introduction list acquisition requests in one session are also referred to as second requests. One session corresponds to the time from when a user starts browsing the introduction list to when they finish browsing, and ends, for example, when no operation information related to the introduction list is received for a predetermined period after receiving the first introduction list acquisition request. If a request to acquire an introduction list has not been received from the user terminal 20 (step S11; No), the introduction list providing process ends.

[0040] If a request to obtain an introduction list (first request) has been received from the user terminal 20 (step S11; Yes), the server 10 executes a first introduction item extraction process to extract item information to be included in the introduction list to be provided to the user based on the first request (step S12).

[0041] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a first recommended item extraction process. The first recommended item extraction process is executed by the item extraction unit 102 of the server 10. In the first recommended item extraction process, first, the item extraction unit 102 acquires location information of the user corresponding to the user terminal 20 from the user information DB 105, and narrows down the proposal list (step S101). For example, the item extraction unit 102 acquires shop location information from the shop information stored in the item information DB 104, and selects and narrows down the proposal lists corresponding to shops located within a predetermined distance from the user's location from all the proposal lists stored in the server 10 as extraction candidates for item information.

[0042] Since the recommendation list is an electronic flyer encouraging the purchase of items sold at brick-and-mortar shops, the advertising effect is low if item information is introduced from a proposal list related to a shop far from the user's location and outside the user's area of ​​activity. Therefore, in this embodiment, the proposal list is narrowed down to shops close to the user's location and within the user's area of ​​activity. The processing of step S101 can also be considered as narrowing down the shops to determine which shops' item information should be extracted. Note that the proposal list can be narrowed down by any number, but it is sufficient to narrow down the proposal list so that at least a specific number (3, 10, etc.) of proposal lists remain, for example. In this way, the recommendation list (electronic flyer) can include item information from at least a specific number of shops.

[0043] Next, the item extraction unit 102 sets priorities for extracting items from the proposal list narrowed down in step S101 based on the user information (step S102). For example, in step S102, the priority of proposal lists of shops that the user is likely to use is increased based on the user information. For example, the priority of proposal lists of shops closer to the user's location indicated by the user information is set high, the priority of proposal lists of favorite shops included in the user information is set high, the priority of proposal lists including favorite items indicated by favorite information included in the user information is set high, and the priority of proposal lists of shops that the user has used in their usage history is set high. In this way, priorities (priorities) can be set for each proposal list based on each piece of information indicated by the user information or by combining each piece of information appropriately. Note that when setting priorities, it is possible to weight any information as long as the priorities can be set appropriately. For example, the weight of each piece of information when setting the dominance may be determined by feeding back the selection status of item information in the user's recommendation list. Item information is extracted from each proposal list in the order of priorities set in this way.

[0044] Next, the item extraction unit 102 determines the number of item information to be extracted from each proposal list based on the priority set in step S102 (step S103). In step S103, for example, the number of item information to be extracted is set to be larger from the proposal list with the higher priority (priority). Furthermore, the number of item information to be extracted from each proposal list with each priority (priority) may be determined in advance, or the number of item information to be extracted from each proposal list may be determined based on user information or the like.

[0045] In step S103, when determining the number of items of item information to be extracted from each proposal list, at least one item of item information may be extracted from the proposal lists narrowed down as candidates for item information extraction. Also, at least one item of item information may be extracted from a predetermined percentage of the proposal lists of the candidates for item information extraction. In this way, item information is more likely to be extracted from many proposal lists, and an introduction list that combines item information from multiple proposal lists can be provided to the user.

[0046] Then, the item extraction unit 102 extracts the number of item information determined in step S103 from each proposal list (step S104). In step S104, for example, the number of item information determined in step S103 may be extracted from the top of the recommendation order in each proposal list. Thereafter, the first recommended item extraction process ends.

[0047] When the first recommendation item extraction process is completed, returning to FIG. 4, the server 10 generates an introduction list in which the item information extracted in the first recommendation item extraction process is arranged based on the priority of each proposal list, and transmits the list to the user terminal 20 (step S13). In the introduction list, for example, it is sufficient that items extracted from proposal lists with high priority are arranged at the top. This introduction list becomes the first response of the server 10 to the first request from the user terminal 20.

[0048] Thereafter, the server 10 determines whether or not favorite registration operation information has been received from the user terminal 20 (step S14). The favorite registration operation information is transmitted, for example, in response to a predetermined favorite registration operation being performed in the introduction list transmitted to the user terminal 20.

[0049] When the server 10 receives the favorite registration operation information from the user terminal 20 (step S14; Yes), the server 10 registers the shop or item for which the favorite registration operation has been performed as favorite information in the user information (step S15).

[0050] After the process of step S15 or when favorite registration operation information has not been received (step S14; No), the server 10 determines whether or not selection operation information of item information in the introduction list has been received from the user terminal 20 (step S16). The selection operation information of item information is transmitted, for example, in response to a selection operation of any item information in the introduction list transmitted to the user terminal 20.

[0051] When selection operation information of item information in the introduction list is received from the user terminal 20 (step S16; Yes), the server 10 stores the item related to the selected item information in the interesting items of the user information (step S17), and transmits an individual page of the selected item information to the user terminal 20 (step S18). The individual page of the item information may be, for example, a web page or the like that includes more detailed information about the item than the item information in the introduction list.

[0052] After the process of step S18 or when the selection operation information of the item information has not been received (step S16; No), the server 10 determines whether or not a request (second request) for acquiring the next list of the introduction list has been received from the user terminal 20 (step S19). The request for acquiring the next list of the introduction list is transmitted, for example, in response to a next list acquisition operation (operation to view the rest of the introduction list) being performed in the introduction list transmitted to the user terminal 20.

[0053] If a request (second request) to obtain the next list of the introduction list has been received from the user terminal 20 (step S19; Yes), items in the introduction list (previous list) already sent to the user terminal 20 that have not been selected by the user (items corresponding to item information for which selection operation information has not been received) are stored in the uninteresting items of the user information (step S20).

[0054] Next, the server 10 executes a second recommendation item extraction process for extracting item information to be included in the next recommendation list to be provided to the user based on the second request (step S21).

[0055] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a second recommendation item extraction process. The second recommendation item extraction process is executed by the item extraction unit 102 of the server 10. In the second recommendation item extraction process, first, the item extraction unit 102 resets the priority of each proposal list based on the user's interesting and uninteresting items included in the user information, and the frequency of extraction of item information from each proposal list (step S111). For example, in step S111, the priority (priority order) of a proposal list including an interesting item and a proposal list including items similar to the interesting item in terms of product category, price, etc. is relatively increased. In addition, the priority of a proposal list including an uninteresting item and a proposal list including items similar to the uninteresting item is relatively decreased. In addition, the priority of a proposal list including items dissimilar to the uninteresting item is relatively increased. The priority may be reset by appropriately combining these conditions. In this way, in the second recommendation item extraction process, the priority of each proposal list is reset based on the user's interesting and uninteresting items determined based on the user's selections in the recommendation list. Therefore, the next list of the introduction list is more likely to include item information related to interesting items and less likely to include item information related to uninteresting items, so that item information can be provided to the user in a suitable manner.

[0056] Also, in step S111, for example, the priority of a proposal list with a low frequency of recent item information extraction (number of extracted items) is relatively increased. Here, "most recent" means, for example, during the same session. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which item information is extracted biasedly from proposal lists selected as item extraction candidates, or in which no or almost no item information is extracted from a particular proposal list, resulting in item information from a particular shop not being introduced. Furthermore, because item information is more likely to be extracted from more proposal lists, regardless of whether the item is of interest or disinterest to the user, it is expected that item information will be provided to the user as if it were a chance encounter.

[0057] In step S111, the priority may be reset according to the positional relationship between the location information of each shop and the location information of the shop that proposed the proposal list including the interesting item information. For example, the item extraction unit 102 may set a high priority to the proposal list of a shop that is located close to the shop that proposed the proposal list including the interesting item information.

[0058] When resetting the priority, the weighting of the information may be arbitrary as long as the priority can be suitably set.

[0059] Furthermore, if there are no items that interest or disinterest the user, or if there is no bias in the frequency of extraction of item information from each proposal list, it is not necessary to reset the priority of the proposal list.

[0060] Next, the item extraction unit 102 determines the number of pieces of item information to extract from each proposal list based on the priority reset in step S111 (step S112). The process of step S112 may be the same as the process of step S103 described above.

[0061] Next, the item extraction unit 102 extracts the number of item information determined in step S112 from each proposal list based on the similarity between the user's interesting items and the dissimilarity between the user's uninteresting items (step S113). In step S113, item information that has not yet been extracted from the item information included in each proposal list is extracted. Also, in step S113, for example, item information of items similar to the interesting items and items dissimilar to the uninteresting items is preferentially extracted. From a proposal list that does not have items dissimilar to the interesting items and the uninteresting items, the number of item information determined in step S112 can be extracted from the top of the recommendation order of the proposal list. Thereafter, the second recommended item extraction process is terminated.

[0062] In this way, the extraction of item information to be included in the next list based on the second request is performed based on the similarity of items the user is interested in and items the user is not interested in, making it possible to provide item information that matches the user's interests. Also, by increasing the priority of proposal lists with a low frequency of extraction of item information (number of extracted items), it is possible to suppress bias in the extraction of item information from each proposal list, making it possible to provide the user with a variety of item information.

[0063] When the second introduction item extraction process is completed, returning to FIG. 4, the server 10 generates an introduction list (next list) by adding the item information extracted in the second introduction item extraction process to the end of the introduction list that has already been transmitted in the order in which they were extracted, and transmits this to the user terminal 20 (step S22). This introduction list (next list) becomes the server 10's second response to the second request from the user terminal 20. After the process of step S22, returning to step S14, the server 10 monitors the reception of operation information and requests from the user terminal 20.

[0064] In step S19, if the server 10 has not received a request (second request) for the next introduction list from the user terminal 20 (step S19; No), the server 10 determines whether a predetermined period (e.g., three minutes) corresponding to one session has elapsed since receiving the first introduction list acquisition request, thereby determining whether the session for browsing the introduction list has timed out (step S23). If the session has not timed out (step S23; No), the server 10 returns to the processing of step S14.

[0065] If the session has timed out (step S23; Yes), the server 10 resets the interesting and uninteresting items in the user information in the user information (step S24) and terminates the introduction list providing process. As described above, in this embodiment, the interesting and uninteresting items in the user information are reset for each session for viewing the introduction list. Therefore, the result of determining whether the user is interested in an item based on the user's selection operation is valid only for that session. This prevents the introduction list from including the same item information each time and providing the same item information to the user each time. Note that the interesting and uninteresting items may not be reset immediately at the end of the session, but may be used for selecting proposal lists and extracting items from the next time onwards. Furthermore, the priority of each proposal list set for the user may be stored, and the priority may be reused in the introduction list providing process from the next time onwards. In this way, the process of setting the priority of the proposal list for each user does not need to be performed every time, thereby reducing the processing burden.

[0066] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of generating an introduction list by extracting item information from a proposal list. A first request is sent from the user terminal 20 to the server 10. As shown in FIG. 7A, multiple proposal lists are narrowed down to proposal lists A, B, and C as candidates for extracting item information, and the priority order is set to proposal lists A, B, and C. For example, it is determined that three items of item information are extracted from proposal lists A, three items from proposal list B, and two items from proposal list C, respectively. In this case, item information for three items {a1, a2, a3} is extracted from proposal list A, three items {b1, b2, b3} from proposal list B, and two items {c1, c2} from proposal list C. An introduction list 1 is generated, containing the item information for items {a1, b1, c1, a2, b2, c2, a3, b3}. In this example, the introduction list includes eight items of item information. In other words, eight items of item information are provided for each introduction list acquisition request, such as the first or second request. In Fig. 7(A), the item information is arranged one by one in order of priority, such as proposal list A → B → C → A... The order of the item information is not limited to this, and may be other orders, such as in descending order of priority of the proposal list, such as three items from proposal list A, three items from proposal list B, and two items from proposal list C.

[0067] 7A to the user terminal 20, if the user terminal 20 sends a second request to the server 10, the priority is reset according to the user's selection operation and the frequency of extraction of item information from each proposal list. Here, as shown in FIG. 7B, in the introduction list 1, the number of extracted item information from proposal list C is one less than that of proposal lists A and B, so the priority of proposal list C is raised to the highest. Then, for example, it is determined that four, two, and two items of item information are extracted from proposal lists C, A, and B, respectively. In this case, for example, item information of four items {c3, c4, c5, c6} is extracted from proposal list C, two items {a4, a5} is extracted from proposal list A, and two items {b4, b5} is extracted from proposal list B, and introduction list 2 is generated by adding a next list containing item information of items {c3, a4, b4, c4, a5, b5, c5, c6} after introduction list 1.

[0068] Furthermore, after the introduction list 2 shown in FIG. 7(B) is provided to the user terminal 20, if the user terminal 20 further sends a second request to the server 10, the priority is reset according to the user's selection operation and the frequency of extraction of item information from each proposal list. Here, as shown in FIG. 7(C), it is assumed that the item information extracted from proposal list B is selected in introduction list 2, and therefore it is determined that the user is highly interested in proposal list B, and the priority of proposal list B is raised to the highest. Then, for example, it is determined that three, three, and two items of item information are extracted from proposal lists B, C, and A, respectively. In this case, for example, item information of three items {b6, b7, b8} is extracted from proposal list B, three items {c7, c8, c9} is extracted from proposal list C, and two items {a6, a7} is extracted from proposal list A, and introduction list 3 is generated by adding a next list containing item information of items {a6, b6, c7, a7, b7, c8, b8, c9} after introduction list 2.

[0069] Thus, according to the item information provision system 100, server 10, and item information provision method executed by the server 10 of this embodiment, the user's interests are determined in accordance with the selection operation in the introduction list, and item information according to the interests is extracted, and item information is extracted from multiple proposal lists while suppressing bias. Therefore, an introduction list including item information according to the user's interests can be generated, and a variety of item information can be provided to the user while preventing the introduction list from becoming monotonous.

[0070] Next, a display example in the item information providing system 100 of this embodiment will be described. Here, a display example will be described in which a screen of a website where an electronic flyer can be viewed as an introduction list is displayed on the display 110 of a smartphone as the user terminal 20. Note that, although the description here is based on the assumption that the electronic flyer screen is displayed on a web browser installed on the user terminal 20, it may also be displayed on a dedicated application provided by the item information providing system 100.

[0071] FIG. 8(A) shows an example of the top screen of a website (item introduction site) where electronic flyers can be viewed. When a user accesses the item introduction site using the user terminal 20, the top screen of the item introduction site as shown in FIG. 8(A) is displayed on the display 110 of the user terminal 20. The item introduction site can be logged in using, for example, an account for the item information provision system 100. In the example shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the user has already logged in and the server 10 can identify the user of the user terminal 20. Note that when the item introduction site is accessed, the identification information and location information of the user terminal 20 may be acquired, and temporary user information may be created and stored. This allows users who do not have an account for the item information provision system 100 or users who have not logged in to use the item introduction site.

[0072] The top screen of the item introduction site includes a link 111 for registering a favorite shop and an introduction list 112 including multiple pieces of item information i (i1 to i4). When the link 111 for registering a favorite shop is operated, for example, the page transitions to one for selecting a shop to register as a favorite, and in response to the shop selection operation, favorite operation information is sent to the server 10, and the selected shop is registered in the favorite information of the user information on the server 10.

[0073] Each piece of item information i in the introduction list 112 includes information about the item, such as the shop name, product image, product name, and price. For the sake of explanation, in FIG. 8(A), the shop name and the like are shown only for item information i1 and i2, but the shop name and the like are similarly displayed for the other pieces of item information i. At least a portion of each piece of item information i (for example, the product image or product name) is a link to an individual page related to the item, and when item information is selected by operating the link, selection operation information for that item information is sent to the server 10, and the item related to the selected item information is registered in the server 10 as an interesting item in the user information.

[0074] Each item information i also includes an icon 113 for registering the item related to that item information as a favorite. When the icon 113 is operated, favorite operation information is transmitted to the server 10, and the item corresponding to the operated icon 113 is registered in the favorite information of the user information in the server 10.

[0075] When the introduction list 112 is scrolled on the screen of Fig. 8(A), subsequent item information i5 to i8 included in the introduction list 112 that was initially sent is displayed as shown in Fig. 8(B). At the end of the introduction list 112, a next page request button 114 with the words "See more" written on it is displayed.

[0076] When the next page request button 114 is operated on the screen of Fig. 8(B), a second request is sent to the server 10, and new item information is extracted based on the user's items of interest and disinterest, and the frequency of extraction of item information from each proposal list. Then, the next page of the introduction list 112 including the extracted item information is sent from the server 10, and item information i9 and i10 are displayed as shown in Fig. 8(C). In this way, the introduction list 112 can be viewed by sequentially acquiring item information i on the user terminal 20.

[0077] In the display example shown in FIG. 8, the next page of the introduction list 112 is displayed by operating the next page request button 114, but the method of displaying the next page is not limited to this. For example, the next page may be displayed by further scrolling at the end of the introduction list 112.

[0078] (Variation) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. For example, some of the above-described embodiments may be omitted or replaced, or any configuration may be added.

[0079] In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the shops that provide the proposal list are brick-and-mortar stores, but at least some of the shops may be online shops.

[0080] When a shop provides a proposal list to the server 10, it is conceivable that the shop may pay an advertising fee to the operator of the server 10 in exchange for providing item information to users and advertising it. In this case, the server 10 may set the priority of each proposal list according to the advertising fee paid by the shop. For example, the higher the advertising fee paid by a shop, the higher the priority of the proposal list of that shop may be set, so that the item information included in the proposal list of that shop is more likely to be introduced to users. In other words, the server 10 may be able to arbitrarily set the priority of the proposal list.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the priority of each suggestion list is set and item information is extracted from the suggestion list based on the degree of similarity between the user's interested items and the degree of dissimilarity between the user's uninterested items. In this case, the criteria for similarity and dissimilarity may be arbitrary. For example, if similar or dissimilar item information is not found based on the predetermined criteria, the criteria may be relaxed and similar or dissimilar item information may be searched for until a predetermined number of similar or dissimilar item information is found.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the priorities of multiple proposal lists are set, and then items are extracted from each proposal list according to the priorities. Priorities may not be set for proposal lists narrowed down as candidates for item information extraction based on the user's location information, and items to be included in the introduction list may be extracted from the multiple item information contained therein based on the user information, similarity with items of interest, and dissimilarity with items of no interest. Even in this case, items may be extracted from proposal lists that have been selected less frequently recently. This may also make it easier to

[0083] The server 10 can be realized using a normal computer, not a dedicated device. For example, the server 10 that executes the above-described processes may be configured by installing a program for executing the above-described functions on a computer from a recording medium that stores the program. Also, one server 10 may be configured by multiple computers operating in cooperation with each other.

[0084] Furthermore, the method for supplying the program to the computer is arbitrary. For example, the program may be supplied via a communication line, a communication network, a communication system, etc. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing the program for executing the above-described functions may be distributed.

[0085] Furthermore, if an OS (Operating System) provides some of the above functions, the functions other than those provided by the OS may be provided by a program.

[0086] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The flowcharts, sequences, elements included in the embodiments, and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc., described in the embodiments are not limited to those illustrated and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially substituted or combined with each other.

[0087] (Invention realized by this embodiment) As described above, this embodiment realizes the following inventions.

[0088] (Appendix 1) The server acquires a plurality of proposal lists from a plurality of shops, Each of the plurality of proposal lists includes item information related to an item proposed by a shop from which the proposal list was acquired; Upon receiving a first request from the terminal, extracting a plurality of pieces of item information from the acquired plurality of proposal lists, and transmitting a first response specifying the extracted plurality of pieces of item information to the terminal; Obtaining from the terminal whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information specified in the first response has been selected at the terminal; When a second request is received from the terminal following the first request, a plurality of item information items that have not yet been extracted are newly extracted from the plurality of proposal lists based on the similarity between the interesting item information items selected on the terminal and the dissimilarity between the interesting item information items selected on the terminal and the disinterested item information items that have not been selected on the terminal; A second response specifying the newly extracted plurality of item information is transmitted to the terminal. server.

[0089] (Appendix 2) In the process of making the first response, priorities of the plurality of proposal lists are determined, and an order in which the extracted plurality of item information is to be specified in the response is determined according to the priorities. The server described in Appendix 1.

[0090] (Appendix 3) In the process of making the first response, priorities of the plurality of proposal lists are determined, and the number of pieces of item information to be extracted from each proposal list is determined according to the priorities. A server as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0091] (Appendix 4) The priority of the plurality of proposal lists is determined according to the positional relationship between the location of each shop and the location of the terminal. A server as described in Appendix 2 or 3.

[0092] (Appendix 5) The priority of the plurality of proposal lists is determined according to the positional relationship between the location of each shop and the location of the shop that proposed the proposal list including the interesting item information. A server as described in Appendix 2 or 3.

[0093] (Appendix 6) The priority of the plurality of suggestion lists is determined according to the favorite shops selected in advance by the user. A server as described in Appendix 2 or 3.

[0094] (Appendix 7) The priority of the plurality of proposal lists is determined according to the shops that the user has used in the past. A server as described in Appendix 2 or 3.

[0095] (Appendix 8) Prioritize the list of suggestions that have been selected less recently A server as described in Appendix 2 or 3.

[0096] (Appendix 9) An item providing method executed by a server, comprising: The server acquires a plurality of proposal lists from a plurality of shops, Each of the plurality of proposal lists includes item information related to an item proposed by a shop from which the proposal list was acquired; The server Upon receiving a first request from the terminal, extracting a plurality of pieces of item information from the acquired plurality of proposal lists, and transmitting a first response specifying the extracted plurality of pieces of item information to the terminal; Obtaining from the terminal whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information specified in the first response has been selected at the terminal; When a second request is received from the terminal following the first request, a plurality of pieces of item information that have not yet been extracted are newly extracted from the plurality of proposal lists based on a similarity with the interesting item information selected on the terminal; A second response specifying the newly extracted plurality of item information is transmitted to the terminal. How to provide item information.

[0097] (Appendix 10) Computer, It functions as a server that acquires multiple proposal lists from multiple shops, Each of the plurality of proposal lists includes item information related to an item proposed by a shop from which the proposal list was acquired; Upon receiving a first request from the terminal, extracting a plurality of pieces of item information from the acquired plurality of proposal lists, and transmitting a first response specifying the extracted plurality of pieces of item information to the terminal; Obtaining from the terminal whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information specified in the first response has been selected at the terminal; When a second request is received from the terminal following the first request, a plurality of pieces of item information that have not yet been extracted are newly extracted from the plurality of proposal lists based on a similarity with the interesting item information selected on the terminal; A second response specifying the newly extracted plurality of item information is transmitted to the terminal. A program that acts as a server. [Industrial Applicability]

[0098] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a server, an item information providing method, and a program that can provide item information to a user in an appropriate manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 10 servers, 20 user terminals, 30 shop terminals 11, 21, 31 Processor, 12, 22, 32 Storage device, 13, 23, 33 Communication interface, 14, 24, 34 Input device, 15, 25, 35 Output device 100 Item Information System 101 Transmitting and receiving unit, 102 Item extraction unit, 103 User interest determination unit, 104 Item information DB, 105 User information DB 110 Display 111 Links, 112 Referral List, 113 Icons, 114 Request Button i1~i10 item information

Claims

1. The server acquires a plurality of proposal lists from a plurality of shops, Each of the plurality of proposal lists includes item information related to an item proposed by a shop from which the proposal list was acquired; Upon receiving a first request from the terminal, extracting a plurality of pieces of item information from the acquired plurality of proposal lists, and transmitting a first response specifying the extracted plurality of pieces of item information to the terminal; Obtaining from the terminal whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information specified in the first response has been selected at the terminal; When a second request is received from the terminal following the first request, a plurality of item information items that have not yet been extracted are newly extracted from the plurality of proposal lists based on the similarity between the interesting item information items selected on the terminal and the dissimilarity between the interesting item information items selected on the terminal and the disinterested item information items that have not been selected on the terminal; A second response specifying the newly extracted plurality of item information is transmitted to the terminal. server.

2. In the process of making the first response, priorities of the plurality of proposal lists are determined, and an order in which the extracted plurality of item information is to be designated in the response is determined according to the priorities. The server of claim 1 .

3. In the process of making the first response, priorities of the plurality of proposal lists are determined, and the number of pieces of item information to be extracted from each proposal list is determined according to the priorities. The server of claim 1 .

4. The priority of the plurality of proposal lists is determined according to the positional relationship between the location of each shop and the location of the terminal.

4. The server according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The priority of the plurality of proposal lists is determined according to the positional relationship between the location of each shop and the location of the shop that proposed the proposal list including the interesting item information.

4. The server according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The priority of the plurality of suggestion lists is determined according to the favorite shops selected in advance by the user.

4. The server according to claim 2 or 3.

7. The priority of the plurality of proposal lists is determined according to the shops that the user has used in the past.

4. The server according to claim 2 or 3.

8. Prioritize the list of suggestions that have been selected less recently 4. The server according to claim 2 or 3.

9. An item providing method executed by a server, comprising: The server acquires a plurality of proposal lists from a plurality of shops, Each of the plurality of proposal lists includes item information related to an item proposed by a shop from which the proposal list was acquired; The server Upon receiving a first request from the terminal, extracting a plurality of pieces of item information from the acquired plurality of proposal lists, and transmitting a first response specifying the extracted plurality of pieces of item information to the terminal; Obtaining from the terminal whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information specified in the first response has been selected at the terminal; When a second request is received from the terminal following the first request, a plurality of pieces of item information that have not yet been extracted are newly extracted from the plurality of proposal lists based on a similarity with the interesting item information selected on the terminal; A second response specifying the newly extracted plurality of item information is transmitted to the terminal. How to provide item information.

10. Computer, It functions as a server that acquires multiple proposal lists from multiple shops, Each of the plurality of proposal lists includes item information related to an item proposed by a shop from which the proposal list was acquired; Upon receiving a first request from the terminal, extracting a plurality of pieces of item information from the acquired plurality of proposal lists, and transmitting a first response specifying the extracted plurality of pieces of item information to the terminal; Obtaining from the terminal whether or not each item information of the plurality of item information specified in the first response has been selected at the terminal; When a second request is received from the terminal following the first request, a plurality of pieces of item information that have not yet been extracted are newly extracted from the plurality of proposal lists based on a similarity with the interesting item information selected on the terminal; A second response specifying the newly extracted plurality of item information is transmitted to the terminal. A program that acts as a server.

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