Sales promotion support system, sales promotion support device, sales promotion support method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides a sales promotion support system, sales promotion support device, sales promotion support method, and program that can reliably transmit promotional information to store users and enhance the promotional effect of products. [Solution] The sales promotion support system 100 includes an acquisition processing unit 111 that acquires communication information related to the sales promotion of a predetermined product in a store where multiple products are displayed, and a recommendation information output processing unit 115 that outputs recommendation information for the predetermined product corresponding to the communication information acquired by the acquisition processing unit 111 to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping in the store.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sales promotion support system, a sales promotion support device, a sales promotion support method, and a program applied to a store where a plurality of products are displayed.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an information display device (terminal device) provided in a shopping cart or a shopping basket is known. For example, product information related to products in the store is displayed on the information display device.

[0003] Also conventionally, in a store, a self-checkout system is known in which a shopper (user) uses an operation terminal (terminal device) to read a barcode of a product and perform checkout for the product (see Patent Document 1). In general, the act of a shopper himself / herself reading a barcode of a product with an operation terminal is called self-scanning.

[0004] Also conventionally, a recommendation device that outputs information on recommended products related to products (products sold in a store) imaged by a tablet terminal (terminal device) is known (see Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Incidentally, in supermarkets and other retail stores, as a means of promoting the sale of products, store employees verbally appeal to shoppers near the product display area, highlighting the product's features and offering discounts. Another promotional method involves demonstrations where employees show shoppers how to use the product in the store. Furthermore, if the product is a perishable food item that requires cooking, tasting events may be held near the display area, where the product is actually cooked and offered to shoppers. Promotional videos for the product may also be played on monitors set up near the product display area.

[0007] While all such sales promotions involve information perceived by shoppers through their sight, hearing, and smell (visual information, auditory information, olfactory information, etc.), this information can get lost among other information in the shopper's surroundings, potentially preventing it from reaching the shopper accurately and thus failing to contribute to sales promotion.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a sales promotion support system, a sales promotion support device, a sales promotion support method, and a program that can reliably transmit promotional information for sales promotion to store users and enhance the sales promotion effect of products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A sales promotion support system and sales promotion support device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an acquisition processing unit that acquires communication information relating to the sales promotion of a predetermined product in a store where multiple products are displayed, and a recommendation information output processing unit that outputs recommendation information for the predetermined product corresponding to the communication information acquired by the acquisition processing unit to a terminal device that moves with a user shopping in the store.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a sales promotion support method, in which one or more processors perform an acquisition step of acquiring communication information relating to the sales promotion of a predetermined product in a store where multiple products are displayed, and a recommendation information output step of outputting recommendation information for the predetermined product corresponding to the communication information acquired in the acquisition step to a terminal device that moves with a user shopping in the store.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes one or more processors to execute an acquisition step of acquiring communication information relating to the sales promotion of a predetermined product in a store where multiple products are displayed, and a recommendation information output step of outputting recommendation information for the predetermined product corresponding to the communication information acquired in the acquisition step to a terminal device that moves with a user shopping in the store.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention can also be considered as an invention of a non-temporary, computer-readable recording medium on which the aforementioned program is stored. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably transmit promotional information for sales promotion to store users, thereby enhancing the promotional effect of products. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the floor layout of a store according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a screen displayed on a user terminal of a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a screen displayed on a user terminal of a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal of a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a management server of a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of terminal authentication processing executed in a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a first processing example of recommended information output processing executed in a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a second processing example of recommended information output processing executed in a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a third processing example of recommended information output processing executed in a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a fourth processing example of recommended information output processing executed in a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a fifth processing example of recommended information output processing executed in a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of a sixth processing example of recommended information output processing executed in a sales promotion support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are an example of embodying the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0016] [Sales Promotion Support System 100] As shown in Figure 1, the sales promotion support system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention (an example of the sales promotion support system of the present invention) includes at least a management server 10 and a user terminal 20 (an example of a terminal device of the present invention). The sales promotion support system 100 further includes a camera 30, an accounting terminal 40, and a speaker 50. Each component constituting the sales promotion support system 100 can communicate via a communication network N1 such as a LAN, the Internet, a WAN, or a public telephone line. Note that the accounting terminal 40 is not an essential component for realizing the support system of the present invention and may be omitted.

[0017] Furthermore, the management server 10 is connected to the payment server 6 in a communicative manner. The payment server 6 is a server device managed by a payment service provider (for example, a credit card company or an electronic payment service provider). The management server 10 and the payment server 6 can communicate with each other via a communication network N4 such as the Internet, LAN, WAN, or public telephone line. When a shopper (user) using the store 200 makes a payment (mobile payment) for the goods they wish to purchase (purchased goods) using the user terminal 20 without the assistance of store staff, payment information is sent and received between the management server 10 and the payment server 6.

[0018] The sales promotion support system 100 will be introduced to stores 200 (see Figure 2), such as supermarkets, which handle a wide variety of products. In the following explanation, a supermarket that mainly handles food and beverages will be used as an example of a store 200 in which the sales promotion support system 100 will be introduced. However, the store 200 is not limited to supermarkets, and may also be an existing retail store that handles multiple types of products, such as a sporting goods store that handles sporting goods, a liquor store that mainly handles alcoholic beverages, a convenience store that handles food and beverages, an apparel shop that handles clothing and shoes, an auto parts store that handles tires and car parts, a home center that mainly handles daily necessities and housing equipment, or a store that handles hobby-related products such as fishing equipment.

[0019] Figure 2 shows an example of store 200. As shown in Figure 2, multiple store fixtures 205 are installed on the floor 201 of store 200. There are several types of store fixtures 205, such as display shelves with multiple shelves in the vertical direction, showcases for storing frozen foods, refrigerated foods, fresh foods, etc., while maintaining an appropriate temperature, and basket racks with multiple baskets for storing fruits, vegetables, etc. Various products handled by store 200 are displayed or stored on the shelves and baskets of the store fixtures 205.

[0020] Furthermore, floor 201 is allocated to multiple sales areas 60, each corresponding to a different product category (type). Specifically, these areas include, for example, a bread sales area 61, a frozen food sales area 62, a meat sales area 63, a fresh fish sales area 64, a prepared food sales area 65, and a fresh produce sales area 66.

[0021] Cameras 30 are installed in store 200. Cameras 30 are, for example, fixed-point cameras and are imaging devices for capturing images of a predetermined area in store 200. Cameras 30 have a built-in microphone 31 for acquiring ambient sounds, and various sounds occurring within store 200 are collected by the microphone 31. In this embodiment, multiple cameras 30 are installed in store 200 so that the entire floor 201 of store 200 can be imaged. This allows shoppers to be imaged by multiple cameras 30 no matter where they are in store 200. In other words, shoppers moving around store 200 to shop can always be captured by multiple cameras 30. The microphones 31 may be installed at various locations within store 200 independently of the cameras 30.

[0022] Furthermore, if sales staff at the sales area 60 of store 200 verbally appeal to shoppers about the features of the products in that sales area 60 and other product benefits such as discount information (hereinafter referred to as "product appeal"), the situation of the said promotional activities can also be captured by multiple cameras 30. Also, if a demonstration sale is held in store 200 where store staff actually use the products for shoppers to see, the situation of the demonstration sale can also be captured by multiple cameras 30. Furthermore, if a tasting sale is held where products to be cooked, such as fresh food, are actually cooked near the sales area 60 and shoppers are allowed to sample them, the situation of the tasting sale can also be captured by multiple cameras 30. In addition, if a promotional video for the product is being played on a display device 80 such as a monitor installed near the product sales area 60, the multiple cameras 30 can capture the playback of the promotional video. Note that the aforementioned promotional activities, demonstration sales, tasting sales, and playback of the promotional video are examples of promotional means that promote the sale of the target product.

[0023] The image and video data captured by camera 30 are transmitted to the management server 10 and stored in the storage unit 13 (see Figure 6) within the management server 10, and used for predetermined image analysis processing as needed. Note that only one camera 30 may be installed, as long as it can capture images of shoppers and sales promotion activities within the store 200. Furthermore, camera 30 is not limited to a fixed-point camera; for example, it may be a so-called tracking camera with a movable part that allows the lens to be displaced horizontally or vertically, or a so-called PTZ camera equipped with zoom-in and zoom-out functions.

[0024] The microphone 31 built into the camera 30 is a sound-collecting microphone primarily used to collect various sounds that occur within the store 200. Examples of sounds to be collected include the sounds of sales staff promoting the products, the sounds made by demonstrators during product demonstrations and sounds produced when using the products, the sounds made by cooks during food sampling and sounds produced during cooking, and playback sounds produced when promotional videos are played.

[0025] The audio data collected by the microphone 31 is transmitted to the management server 10, stored in the storage unit 13 (see Figure 6) within the management server 10, and used for predetermined audio analysis processing as needed.

[0026] Additionally, store 200 is equipped with 50 speakers for in-store announcements, such as time-limited sales and today's recommended products.

[0027] In store 200, shoppers use user terminals 20 to make purchases. User terminals 20 are, for example, information processing devices lent out by store 200. The information processing devices are, for example, mobile devices such as smartphones or tablet devices.

[0028] The user terminal 20 may be an information processing device attached to a shopping cart or shopping basket used by a shopper when shopping. Of course, the user terminal 20 may also be a portable information processing device used independently of the shopping cart or shopping basket. Furthermore, the user terminal 20 may not be lent out by the store 200, but may be, for example, a portable information processing device owned by the shopper.

[0029] The following is an example of the process from when shopper X enters store 200, registers the items to be purchased while shopping in the store, and then completes payment for the registered items.

[0030] When customer X enters store 200, they turn on the power switch of the user terminal 20 to activate it and begin shopping inside the store 200. The user terminal 20 has a shopping application pre-installed, which is used for a system that allows customers to shop while reading information codes (such as barcodes and QR codes) attached to products. Customer X activates the shopping application on the user terminal 20 and shops while moving around the store 200.

[0031] When the shopping application is launched on the user terminal 20, the user terminal 20 communicates with the management server 10 via a relay communication terminal using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth® or FeliCa®. At this time, terminal identification information (terminal ID number) stored in the user terminal 20 is transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the management server 10.

[0032] When the shopping application is launched, the screen D1 (code reading screen D1) shown in Figure 3(a) is displayed on the user terminal 20. Screen D1 is displayed on the operation display unit 22 of the user terminal 20. This allows the shopper X to perform an operation (product information input operation) to input product information about the product they wish to purchase while in the store.

[0033] Shopper X picks up the item they wish to purchase (the item to be purchased) from the store fixture 205 and scans the information code (e.g., barcode) attached to the item using the camera 24 (see Figure 5) of the user terminal 20. After that, shopper X places the item into a shopping cart or shopping basket.

[0034] The user terminal 20 reads the product information (including product name, product ID, product price, etc.) contained in the information code and displays it on the screen of the user terminal 20. For example, when shopper X scans the information code of product a1, the screen D2 (product screen D2) shown in Figure 3(b), which contains product information about product a1, is displayed on the operation display unit 22 of the user terminal 20. In addition, product a1 scanned by shopper X is registered in the shopping list 22A (see Figure 4(a)) on the shopping application.

[0035] Furthermore, the product information included in the information code may also include, in addition to the product name, product ID, and product price, the type of product and the category to which the product belongs. Examples of product types that are sold in supermarkets include groups such as meat, seafood, prepared foods, vegetables, fruits, frozen and refrigerated foods, bread, confectionery, grains, beverages, seasonings, and household goods.

[0036] The product information registered in the shopping list 22A is transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the management server 10 and registered as a product to be purchased in the shopping data 132A in the storage unit 13 (see Figure 6) of the management server 10.

[0037] For example, if shopper X scans the information codes of three items a1, b1, and c1, items a1, b1, and c1 are registered in the shopping list 22A (see Figure 4(a)) on the shopping application. When shopper X wants to pay for the three scanned items (purchased items), they press the operation button T2 (for displaying the shopping list) provided on screen D1 or screen D2 of the user terminal 20. As a result, the user terminal 20 displays screen D3 (shopping list screen D3) shown in Figure 4(a), which includes the shopping list 22A showing each scanned item, on the operation display unit 22.

[0038] Subsequently, when shopper X presses the operation button T3 (for starting payment) on screen D3 shown in Figure 4(a), the payment method confirmation screen D4 (payment confirmation screen D4) shown in Figure 4(b) is displayed on the operation display unit 22 of the user terminal 20. Operation button T3 is an operation button for starting payment for the purchased items in the shopping list 22A.

[0039] If a shopper X wishes to pay for items on shopping list 22A at the checkout terminal 40, the shopper X moves to the checkout terminal 40 with the items to be purchased and presses the operation button T5 on screen D4 shown in Figure 4(b). When the operation button T5 is pressed, an information code including the product information for the items to be purchased and the terminal identification information (terminal ID number) of the user terminal 20 is displayed on the operation display unit 22.

[0040] Shopper X pays for the purchased items at the checkout terminal 40. The checkout terminal 40 has a self-checkout function that allows the shopper to select the payment method and complete the transaction. For example, when shopper X has the checkout terminal 40 read the information code displayed on the operation display unit 22, the checkout terminal 40 obtains the product information to be paid for, corresponding to the terminal identification information, from the management server 10. Subsequently, by selecting a payment method on the checkout terminal 40 screen and operating the execution key, the payment process for the purchased items is executed based on the payment method specified by shopper X.

[0041] The payment terminal 40 allows customers to select payment methods such as cash, electronic money, prepaid cards, credit cards, and points issued by store 200. Customer X selects one of these payment methods on the payment terminal 40 screen and then completes the payment process according to the instructions displayed thereafter.

[0042] When mobile payment is made using the user terminal 20, the shopper X, for example, selects mobile payment on the screen of the payment terminal 40, and then presses the operation button T6 (for mobile payment) provided on screen D4 as shown in Figure 4(b). When the operation button T6 is pressed, the user terminal 20 sends payment information regarding the items in the shopping list 22A to the management server 10. Based on the payment information, the management server 10 sends a payment request to the payment server 6. The payment server 6 executes the payment process using a payment system appropriate to the payment service provider.

[0043] Once the payment process is complete, the management server 10 updates the inventory count and other information of the products it manages based on the information of the purchased products for which payment has been completed. Also, once the payment process is finished, the payment information for the products stored in the storage unit 23 of the user terminal 20 is deleted.

[0044] Incidentally, in stores such as supermarkets and other retail stores 200, promotional measures such as the aforementioned promotional activities, demonstration sales, tasting sales, and playback of public relations videos may be taken. All of these sales promotions include information that shoppers perceive through their sight, hearing, and smell (visual information, auditory information, olfactory information, etc.), but such information may get lost among other information present in the shopper's surroundings, and there is a risk that the information may not reach the shopper accurately and may not contribute to sales promotion.

[0045] In contrast, the sales promotion support system 100 of this embodiment is configured as described later, so that it can reliably transmit sales promotion information to shoppers (users) using the store 200, and as a result, it is possible to enhance the sales promotion effect of the products.

[0046] In the sales promotion support system 100 of this embodiment, when communication information regarding the sales promotion of a predetermined product is acquired in a store 200 where multiple products are displayed, recommendation information for the predetermined product corresponding to the communication information is output to a user terminal 20 that moves with the shopper shopping in the store 200. The user terminal 20 then displays the received recommendation information on the operation display unit 22, thereby delivering the recommendation information to the shopper using the user terminal 20. The recommendation information output to the user terminal 20 in this way is product recommendation information (recommendation information) provided by the store 200 to the shopper, and sales promotion information provided to the shopper for the purpose of promoting the sale of products by the store 200.

[0047] The following describes the specific configuration for outputting the recommended information to the user terminal 20 in the sales promotion support system 100.

[0048] [User terminal 20] As shown in Figure 5, the user terminal 20 includes a control unit 21, an operation display unit 22, a storage unit 23, a camera 24, a location information receiving unit 25, a sound collection unit 26, a communication unit 28, and the like. The user terminal 20 is an information processing device such as a smartphone, mobile phone, or tablet terminal used by shoppers while shopping in the store 200.

[0049] Camera 24 is a digital camera that captures images and videos of subjects and outputs them as digital data. Shoppers shopping in store 200 capture the information code attached to the product they intend to purchase with camera 24. The captured image of the information code is read by the reading processing unit 211 described later, thereby obtaining the product information of the product to be purchased (information including product name, product ID, product price, etc.).

[0050] If the information code is a two-dimensional code such as a QR code, the camera 24 is suitable for reading it. However, if the information code is a one-dimensional code such as a barcode, the user terminal 20 may be equipped with a barcode scanner capable of reading the information of the information code instead of the camera 24.

[0051] Furthermore, if the product to be purchased has an IC tag, such as an RFID tag, attached to it, the user terminal 20 may be equipped with a contactless IC reader capable of reading the product price information contained in the IC tag.

[0052] The communication unit 28 is a communication interface that connects the user terminal 20 to the communication network N1 (see Figure 1) by wire or wireless connection and performs data communication in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol between the user terminal 20 and the management server 10 and other external devices via the communication network N1. The communication unit 28 may also enable data communication between the user terminal 20 and devices such as the accounting terminal 40 via wireless (for example, short-range wireless such as Bluetooth).

[0053] Furthermore, when the shopping application is launched on the user terminal 20, the control unit 21 transmits the terminal identification information along with a launch notification signal to the management server 10 via the communication unit 28. Also, if the shopper is a member registered with the management server 10 of the store 200, after launching the shopping application, if the shopper enters their member ID and logs in, the entered member ID is also transmitted to the management server 10.

[0054] The operation display unit 22 is a user interface comprising a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, numeric keypad, or touch panel that accepts operations from the shopper. In this embodiment, the operation display unit 22 is exemplified as a touch panel that combines a liquid crystal panel that displays various information with a pointing device that allows touch input.

[0055] The storage unit 23 is a non-volatile storage unit such as flash memory that stores various types of information. The storage unit 23 may be an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 23 stores programs for causing the control unit 21 to execute various processes, and programs for executing the recommended information output process (see Figures 8 to 13) described later, which is executed by the sales promotion support system 100. For example, the programs are non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as storage on the internet or a USB memory, and are read from the storage or USB memory and stored in the storage unit 23. The recording medium may be, for example, a computer-readable CD or DVD, and the product sales program may be read by a reading device such as a CD drive or DVD drive and stored in the storage unit 23.

[0056] Furthermore, the memory unit 23 stores the product information of the product to be purchased, which has been read by the reading processing unit 211, which will be described later.

[0057] The location information receiving unit 25 is a receiving device capable of receiving location information indicating the location of a shopper (the location of the user terminal 20) within the store 200. Since shoppers move around the store 200 with the user terminal 20 while shopping, the location of the user terminal 20 can be considered the location of the shopper. For example, the location information receiving unit 25 could be a GPS receiving device capable of receiving positioning signals transmitted from GPS satellites, or a receiving device capable of receiving signals transmitted from a beacon transmitter compliant with a predetermined standard (e.g., the iBeacon standard).

[0058] The sound collection unit 26 is a sound-collecting microphone used to collect various sounds that occur within the store 200. Examples of sounds to be collected include the sounds of sales staff promoting the products, the sounds made by demonstrators during product demonstrations and sounds produced when using the products, the sounds made by cooks during food sampling and sounds produced during cooking, and the sounds produced when playing promotional videos. The audio data collected by the sound collection unit 26 is transmitted to the management server 10.

[0059] The control unit 21 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile memory unit in which programs for causing the CPU to perform various operations are pre-stored. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary memory (work area) for the various operations performed by the CPU. The control unit 21 controls the user terminal 20 by executing various programs pre-stored in the ROM or memory unit 23 using the CPU.

[0060] Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the control unit 21 includes various processing units such as a reading processing unit 211, a display processing unit 212 (an example of a notification processing unit of the present invention), a transmission processing unit 213, and a location information acquisition unit 214 (an example of a location information acquisition unit of the present invention). The control unit 21 functions as these various processing units by executing various processes according to the program using the CPU. Some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 21 may be composed of electronic circuits. The program may also be a program that causes multiple processors to function as these various processing units.

[0061] The reading processing unit 211 reads the product information (product name, product ID, product price, etc.) of the product included in the information code, based on the information code captured by the camera 24. For the sake of explanation, the product information read as a purchase target will be referred to as purchase target information below. This purchase target information is information about the product (purchase target product) that a shopper using store 200 has selected from among multiple products in store 200 as a purchase target.

[0062] The read purchase target information is stored in the storage unit 23. More specifically, the purchase target information is registered as information about the purchase target product in the shopping list 22A on the shopping application running on the user terminal 20. It is also registered in the planned purchase product list (not shown) in the storage unit 23. Furthermore, as will be described later, the purchase target information is transmitted to the management server 10 and stored in the management server 10 until payment for the purchase target product is completed. Each time the purchase target information registered in the shopping list 22A is registered, it is transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the management server 10 and registered as a purchase target product in the shopping data 132A (see Figure 6) in the storage unit 13 of the management server 10. The purchase target information is stored in the storage unit 23 until it is canceled or payment for the purchase target product is completed.

[0063] Furthermore, the reading processing unit 211 also stores in the storage unit 23 an item selection number indicating the scan order (selection order) in which the purchase target information was read, in association with the purchase target information. For example, the scan order is counted by the control unit 21 each time the reading process is performed, and the item selection number indicating the counted order is added to the header portion of the purchase target information.

[0064] The reading processing unit 211 stores the purchase target information in the storage unit 23 each time a shopper reads the information code of a product with the user terminal 20, and updates the number of the purchase target products. When the payment for the purchase target products in the purchase target product list (not shown) in the storage unit 23 is completed, the control unit 21 deletes the purchase target information from the purchase target product list.

[0065] Furthermore, some or all of the purchase target information may be stored in the storage unit 13 within the management server 10, or in another server accessible via the communication network N1. In this case, the control unit 21 may obtain the purchase target information from the management server 10 or the other server and execute the various processes described later.

[0066] The display processing unit 212 displays various information transmitted from the management server 10 on the operation display unit 22.

[0067] In this embodiment, the display processing unit 212 performs a process of outputting the recommendation information externally to notify shoppers in the store 200. Specifically, when the recommendation information is transmitted from the management server 10, the display processing unit 212 outputs the recommendation information to the display unit of the operation display unit 22 and displays it on the display unit. For example, the display processing unit 212 displays the recommendation information on the display unit of the operation display unit 22 in a pop-up format. For example, the display processing unit 212 displays the recommendation information for a predetermined set time. Alternatively, the display processing unit 212 displays the recommendation information after it has been displayed until the display unit is touched by a shopper.

[0068] In this embodiment, the recommended information displayed on the operation display unit 22 is determined by the recommended information determination unit 114 (see Figure 6) in the management server 10, and transmitted from the management server 10 to the user terminal 20.

[0069] The transmission processing unit 213 transmits various information to the management server 10 via the communication network N1.

[0070] The transmission processing unit 213 transmits the purchase target information, which has been read during shopping and stored in the storage unit 23, to the management server 10 in association with the terminal identification information (terminal ID number) of the user terminal 20. For example, the terminal identification information is added to the header portion of the purchase target information. This transmission process is performed each time the purchase target information is read. In other words, when a shopper uses the camera 24 to capture an image of the information code of the purchase target product, and the reading processing unit 211 performs a reading process to read the purchase target information, that purchase target information is transmitted to the management server 10 by the transmission processing unit 213.

[0071] Furthermore, the transmission processing unit 213 also associates the product selection number, which indicates the scan order in which the purchase target information was read, with the purchase target information and transmits it to the management server 10.

[0072] Furthermore, the transmission processing unit 213 transmits terminal identification information (terminal ID number) stored in the user terminal 20 to the management server 10 as needed. The timing of the transmission of the terminal identification information is, for example, when the shopping application is launched on the user terminal 20.

[0073] Upon receiving the purchase target information, the management server 10 stores the purchase target information, along with the terminal identification information associated with the purchase target information, in the planned purchase item storage unit 132 (see Figure 6).

[0074] The location information acquisition unit 214 performs the process of acquiring location information (user location information) indicating the current location of a shopper in the store 200. The location information acquisition unit 214 acquires the shopper's location information acquired by the location information receiving unit 25 at regular intervals, and also acquires the shopper's location information at the time when the voice data is transmitted to the management server 10. The shopper's location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 214 is transmitted to the management server 10.

[0075] [Management Server 10] As shown in Figure 6, the management server 10 is a server device comprising a control unit 11, an operation display unit 12, a storage unit 13, a communication unit 15, and the like. The management server 10 is not limited to a single computer; it may be a computer system in which multiple computers work together. Furthermore, the various processes performed by the management server 10 may be distributed and executed by one or more processors.

[0076] The communication unit 15 connects the management server 10 to the communication network N1 (see Figure 1) by wire or wireless connection, and is a communication interface for performing data communication with external devices such as user terminals 20, cameras 30, and accounting terminals 40 via the communication network N1, in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0077] The operation display unit 12 is a user interface comprising a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various types of information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts input.

[0078] The storage unit 13 is a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various types of information. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the storage unit 13 is provided on the management server 10 is illustrated, but for example, some or all of the various types of information in the storage unit 13 may be stored on an external device such as another server device or storage device that can communicate data with the management server 10 via a communication network N1 or the internet. In this case, the management server 10 reads the necessary information from the external device as needed and stores that information on the external device.

[0079] The storage unit 13 stores programs for the control unit 11 to execute various processes, and programs for the sales promotion support system 100 to execute the recommended information output process (see Figures 8 to 13) described later. For example, the programs are non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as storage on the internet or a USB memory, and are read from the storage or USB memory and stored in the storage unit 13. The recording medium may be, for example, a computer-readable CD or DVD, and the product sales program may be read by a reading device such as a CD drive or DVD drive and stored in the storage unit 13.

[0080] Furthermore, the memory unit 13 stores information such as thresholds used in various judgment processes described later, as well as the number of settings and the setting time.

[0081] Furthermore, the memory unit 13 stores a floor map of floor 201 of store 200, location information of each store fixture 205 on the floor map, location information of each sales area 60 on the floor map, and camera location information indicating the installation location of the camera 30 on the floor map.

[0082] Furthermore, the memory unit 13 is provided with a product information storage unit 131, a planned purchase product storage unit 132, and a recommendation text data storage unit 133.

[0083] The product information storage unit 131 stores multiple product information items for each of the products available for sale at the store 200. The product information is information that can identify a product and includes, for example, the product name, product ID (such as a JAN code), and product price (amount). The product information may also include the type of product, the product's lifespan (such as an expiration date, best-before date, or use-by date), whether or not there is a discount and the discount rate, the stock quantity, the product's display location (display position), an image of the product, and descriptive information indicating the product's contents. Furthermore, the product information for each product includes location information on the floor map indicating where the product is displayed.

[0084] Here, the display location included in the product information is the location information of the product on the store fixture 205, and includes location information that can identify the location of the store fixture 205 on the floor 201, and location information of the product on the store fixture 205. The location information of the store fixture 205 includes an identification number assigned to each fixture and location information.

[0085] For example, if the store fixture 205 is a multi-tiered fixture with shelves, baskets, or containers arranged vertically, the display area includes not only the position information of the store fixture 205 on the floor 201, but also the vertical position information of the shelves, etc., on the store fixture 205. Furthermore, if the store fixture 205 has a long shape along an aisle, the display area also includes the position information of each of the multiple display areas that are partitioned in the longitudinal direction on the store fixture 205.

[0086] Furthermore, the display location may not use the location information of the store fixtures 205 on which the products are displayed, but rather, for example, location information indicating the location of each sales area 60 that has been pre-registered on the floor map of floor 201.

[0087] Furthermore, if the product is a prepared food or processed food, the product information may include information indicating the cooking time (including the cooking date and planned cooking time) and the state after cooking (processing state). Also, if the product is, for example, the subject of a promotional campaign, the product information may include information to determine whether or not it is the subject of the promotional campaign. Moreover, the product information may also include, for example, the profit margin of the product and the degree of waste risk.

[0088] Furthermore, the product information storage unit 131 stores past sales records and past disposal history for each product. Past sales records include the date and time, price, quantity sold, whether or not a discount was applied, and the discount rate when the product was sold in the past. Past disposal history includes whether or not unsold products were disposed of, the date and time of disposal in the past, and the quantity disposed of.

[0089] The product information stored in the product information storage unit 131 is updated by the control unit 11 whenever a change occurs. For example, the number of items in stock is immediately updated by the control unit 11 of the management server 10 when a customer completes the payment for the items. In addition, the price of the items, whether or not there are discounts, the discount rate, the cooking time, whether or not there are promotional campaigns, the risk of waste, and the increase in stock due to new arrivals are updated by the control unit 11 based on information entered by the operator of the store 200.

[0090] The planned purchase item storage unit 132 stores the purchase target information that is sequentially transmitted from the user terminal 20 each time the reading processing unit 211 performs a reading process. The planned purchase item storage unit 132 stores shopping data 132A, which is provided for each terminal identification information of the user terminal 20, and the purchase target information is stored in this shopping data 132A. The purchase target information is stored in the shopping data 132A of the planned purchase item storage unit 132 until the payment for the purchase target item is completed. In addition, the shopping data 132A stores the product selection number that has been transmitted along with the purchase target information, in an associated state with the purchase target information.

[0091] The recommendation text data storage unit 133 stores multiple text data used to generate the recommendation information displayed on the operation display unit 22 of the user terminal 20. The text data is categorized by product category.

[0092] For example, if the product is fresh fish, some possible sentence data could include: "Today's XX is very fresh," "How about some fresh XX sashimi?", "XX sashimi is a great deal," "Today's recommended grilled fish is XX," "Today's recommended boiled fish is XX," and "XX is fatty and delicious." In the above example sentences, "XX" would be replaced with the name of the fresh fish sold at store 200 (for example, tuna, horse mackerel, saury, hairtail, etc.).

[0093] Furthermore, for example, when the product is a prepared food item, possible examples of the aforementioned text data include: "How about some freshly fried XX?", "XX is a great deal!", "Today's XX is a larger portion!", and "Today's recommended prepared food is XX." In the above examples, "XX" should be replaced with the name of the prepared food item sold at store 200 (for example, croquettes or potato salad).

[0094] [Control Unit 11] The control unit 11 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that performs various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile memory unit in which programs for causing the CPU to perform various arithmetic operations are pre-stored. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile memory unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary memory (work area) for the various operations performed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the management server 10 by executing various programs pre-stored in the ROM or memory unit 13 using the CPU.

[0095] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a terminal authentication unit 110, an acquisition processing unit 111 (an example of an acquisition processing unit in the present invention), a registration processing unit 112 (an example of a registration processing unit in the present invention), a data analysis processing unit 113, a recommendation information determination unit 114 (an example of a recommendation information determination processing unit in the present invention), a recommendation information output processing unit 115 (an example of a recommendation information output processing unit in the present invention), an interest level determination unit 116 (an example of a first determination processing unit in the present invention), a movement direction determination unit 117 (an example of a second determination processing unit in the present invention), and a movement state determination unit 118 (an example of a third determination processing unit in the present invention). The control unit 11 functions as one of these various processing units by executing various processes according to the program using the CPU. Furthermore, some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 11 may be composed of electronic circuits. The program may also be a program that causes multiple processors to function as the various processing units.

[0096] The terminal authentication unit 110 performs a process to authenticate the user terminal 20 when it is started to be used. Specifically, the terminal authentication unit 110 authenticates the user terminal 20 and generates shopping data 132A (see Figure 6) corresponding to the authenticated user terminal 20 and stores it in the storage unit 13. When the terminal identification information (terminal ID number) is transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the management server 10, the terminal authentication unit 110 generates shopping data 132A associated with the terminal identification information.

[0097] The acquisition processing unit 111 performs the process of acquiring product information read by the customer using the user terminal 20 while the customer is shopping. For example, when the customer scans the information code attached to the product they wish to purchase using the camera 24 of the user terminal 20, the user terminal 20 reads the product information (product name, product ID, product price, etc.) of the product to be purchased and transmits it to the management server 10. The acquisition processing unit 111 acquires the product information (purchase target information) transmitted from the user terminal 20.

[0098] The registration processing unit 112 performs the process of registering the product information (purchase target information) of the purchase target product that the shopper has entered by operating the user terminal 20. Specifically, the registration processing unit 112 registers the purchase target information acquired by the acquisition processing unit 111 as the product to be paid for in the shopping data 132A. When the acquisition processing unit 111 acquires the purchase target information from each of the multiple user terminals 20, the registration processing unit 112 registers the purchase target information in the shopping data 132A corresponding to the terminal identification information of each user terminal 20.

[0099] Furthermore, the acquisition processing unit 111 acquires audio data collected by the sound collection unit 26 of the user terminal 20 from the user terminal 20. Also, the acquisition processing unit 111 acquires audio data collected by the microphone 31 built into the camera 30 of the store 200 from the camera 30. For example, the acquisition processing unit 111 acquires only the audio data above a predetermined level from the input audio data.

[0100] The data analysis processing unit 113 analyzes the audio data collected by the sound collection unit 26 of the user terminal 20 to determine whether or not the audio data contains the product appeal, and if the product appeal is included, it processes the extraction of keywords related to sales promotion included in the product appeal. Here, the product appeal is an example of communication information related to the sales promotion of a product.

[0101] Furthermore, the data analysis processing unit 113 identifies products corresponding to the product appeal based on the extracted keywords. These products corresponding to the product appeal can be considered promotional items that are the target of sales promotion for store 200, and recommended products that have been recommended by store 200's staff for shoppers.

[0102] For example, if a sales staff member at the fresh fish counter 64 makes a product appeal such as "Fresh tuna has arrived" or "The tuna is fresh today," the data analysis processing unit 113 uses well-known language analysis to identify the product appeal related to sales promotion from the audio data, and extracts the word "tuna," which indicates the product name, and the word "fresh," which indicates the product's characteristics, as keywords included in the product appeal. In this case, products related to the word "tuna" (for example, tuna sashimi or tuna fillets) are identified as the recommended products.

[0103] Furthermore, if, for example, a staff member at the prepared food section 65 makes a product appeal such as "The croquettes are freshly fried," the data analysis processing unit 113 uses well-known language analysis to identify the product appeal related to sales promotion from the audio data, and extracts the word "croquette," which indicates the product name, and the word "freshly fried," which indicates the product's characteristics, as keywords included in the product appeal. In this case, products related to the word "croquette" (various types of croquettes) are identified as the recommended products.

[0104] The recommendation information determination unit 114 performs the process of determining the recommendation information based on the product appeal obtained from the user terminal 20. Specifically, the recommendation information determination unit 114 performs the process of generating the recommendation information using the keywords obtained by the data analysis processing unit 113 and the text data stored in the recommendation text data storage unit 133.

[0105] For example, if the data analysis processing unit 113 extracts the words "tuna" and "fresh" as keywords, the recommendation information determination unit 114 searches the text data included in the fresh fish category to which "tuna" belongs, extracts example sentences containing the word "fresh" which indicates the product's characteristics, inserts the word "tuna" which indicates the product name into these example sentences, and generates recommendation text as recommendation information, such as "Today's tuna is very fresh" or "How about some fresh tuna sashimi?".

[0106] Furthermore, for example, if the data analysis processing unit 113 extracts the words "croquette" and "freshly fried" as keywords, it searches the text data included in the prepared food category to which "croquette" belongs, extracts example sentences containing the word "freshly fried" which indicates the product's characteristics, inserts the word "croquette" which indicates the product name into the example sentences, and generates recommendation text such as "How about some freshly fried croquettes?" as the recommendation information.

[0107] In addition, as another embodiment of the recommendation information determination unit 114, for example, if the data analysis processing unit 113 determines that the audio data contains the product appeal, the recommendation information determination unit 114 may generate text data as the recommendation information by directly transcribing the product appeal into text.

[0108] Furthermore, as another embodiment of the recommendation information determination unit 114, for example, if a recommendation text database containing a predetermined number of recommendation texts for the recommended product is stored in the storage unit 13, the recommendation information determination unit 114 may select a recommendation text containing the keyword extracted by the data analysis processing unit 113 from the recommendation text database and determine the selected recommendation text as the recommendation information.

[0109] The recommendation information output processing unit 115 processes to output the recommendation information for the product corresponding to the product appeal included in the voice data acquired by the acquisition processing unit 111 to the user terminal 20. In this embodiment, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 processes to send the recommendation information (recommendation text) generated by the recommendation information determination unit 114 to the user terminal 20 that sent the voice data.

[0110] When the user terminal 20 receives the recommendation information from the management server 10, the display processing unit 212 displays the recommendation information on the operation display unit 22. In this way, the recommendation information is displayed on the operation display unit 22 of the user terminal 20 that transmitted the voice data, so that the displayed recommendation information can be directly transmitted to the shopper. As a result, the recommendation information (sales promotion information) for sales promotion is reliably transmitted to the shopper, and as a result, the sales promotion effect of the product corresponding to the recommendation information (recommended product) is increased.

[0111] The interest determination unit 116 performs a process to determine whether the shopper is interested in the recommended product corresponding to the recommendation information, based on the product information (purchase target information) of the purchase target product registered in the shopping data 132A by the registration processing unit 112. The recommended product is a product targeted for sales promotion at the store 200.

[0112] In this case, as another embodiment of the recommendation information output processing unit 115, for example, if the interest determination unit 116 determines that the shopper is interested in the recommended product corresponding to the recommendation information, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 transmits the recommendation information (recommendation text) generated by the recommendation information determination unit 114 to the user terminal 20.

[0113] In this embodiment, the interest level determination unit 116 determines whether the interest level is high or low, which is an index value indicating the degree of interest or curiosity the shopper has towards the product corresponding to the recommended product. The interest level is determined based on the purchase target product registered in the shopping data 132A before the voice data is acquired. Specifically, if multiple purchase target products are registered in the shopping data 132A, the interest level determination unit 116 determines that the interest level is high if the number of products belonging to the same category as the recommended product corresponding to the recommendation information is above a predetermined threshold.

[0114] Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of the interest level determination unit 116, it is preferable that the interest level determination unit 116 perform the interest level determination only when the number of purchase target products equal to or greater than a predetermined number is registered in the shopping data 132A.

[0115] As another embodiment of the interest level determination unit 116, for example, if a product that is not in the same category as the recommended product but is related to the recommended product (related product) is registered in the shopping data 132A, the interest level may be determined to be high. For example, if the recommended product is tuna sashimi, and tamari soy sauce (related product) used when eating the sashimi is registered in the shopping data 132A, the interest level may be determined to be high. In addition, if the number of registered related products is above a predetermined threshold, the interest level for the recommended product may be determined to be high.

[0116] Furthermore, as another embodiment of the recommendation information output processing unit 115, for example, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 may transmit the recommendation information to the user terminal 20, with content corresponding to the distance between the shopper's current location and the display location of the recommended product.

[0117] Specifically, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 outputs predetermined first recommendation information to the user terminal 20 when the separation distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and outputs second recommendation information including the first recommendation information and the product price of the recommendation information to the user terminal 20 when the separation distance is less than the threshold.

[0118] The aforementioned distance can be calculated using the shopper's location information at the time the voice data is sent from the user terminal 20 and the location information of the recommended product on the floor map of floor 201 of the store 200. The distance is, for example, the straight-line distance from the shopper's current location to the display location of the recommended product. Alternatively, the distance may be the distance along the shortest path from the shopper's current location to the display location of the recommended product, determined based on the floor map.

[0119] If the distance between the two customers is greater than or equal to the threshold, the customer is considered to be relatively far from the display location of the recommended product. In this case, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 transmits only the recommendation information (recommendation text) determined by the recommendation information determination unit 114 to the user terminal 20 as the first recommendation information. On the other hand, if the distance between the two customers is less than the threshold, the customer is considered to be relatively close to the display location of the recommended product. In this case, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 transmits the second recommendation information to the user terminal 20, which includes the recommendation information (recommendation text) determined by the recommendation information determination unit 114 and the product price of the recommended product. This makes it easier for the customer to decide whether to purchase the recommended product.

[0120] The movement direction determination unit 117 performs a process to determine the direction of movement of a shopper while shopping, based on multiple location information of the shopper sent from the user terminal 20. Specifically, the movement direction determination unit 117 obtains the shopper's movement trajectory from the shopper's location information at the time the voice data was sent from the user terminal 20 and the shopper's location information sent earlier, and determines the direction indicated by that movement trajectory as the direction of movement.

[0121] In this case, as another embodiment of the recommendation information output processing unit 115, for example, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 outputs the recommendation information regarding products displayed at the destination of the direction of movement determined by the direction of movement determination unit 117 to the user terminal 20. Specifically, when the direction of movement is determined by the direction of movement determination unit 117, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the recommended product is sold at the sales area 60 located at the destination of the direction of movement determined by the direction of movement determination unit 117. If the recommended product is sold at the sales area 60 at the destination of the direction of movement, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 outputs the recommendation information to the user terminal 20. This allows shoppers to confirm the recommendation information for products sold at the sales area 60 at their destination.

[0122] The movement status determination unit 118 performs a process to determine whether a shopper is standing still in the store 200 based on multiple location information of the shopper sent from the user terminal 20. For example, the movement status determination unit 118 calculates the distance between the shopper's location information at the time the voice data was sent from the user terminal 20 and the location information of the shopper sent immediately before that, calculates the shopper's movement speed from the time difference in the acquisition times of each location information and the distance between them, and determines that the shopper is standing still if this movement speed is less than a predetermined threshold. The movement status determination unit 118 is not limited to determining whether the shopper is completely stopped; for example, it will also determine that a state of walking at an extremely slow speed is substantially standing still.

[0123] In this case, as another embodiment of the recommendation information output processing unit 115, for example, the recommendation information output processing unit 115 outputs the recommendation information to the user terminal 20 when the movement status determination unit 118 determines that the shopper is standing still. When a shopper is standing still, it means that they are either operating the user terminal 20 or examining the displayed products. When the recommendation information is displayed on the user terminal 20 in such a situation, the likelihood of the shopper checking the recommendation information increases.

[0124] The movement status determination unit 118 may also determine whether or not the shopper stopped moving within a predetermined time period after the recommendation information is output to the user terminal 20.

[0125] In this case, it is preferable that the recommendation information output processing unit 115 outputs other recommendation information that differs in content from the previously outputted recommendation information, for example, when the movement status determination unit 118 determines that the shopper has stopped. For example, it is conceivable to output recommendation information to the user terminal 20 that includes the product price of the recommended product in addition to the previously outputted recommendation information. If it is determined that the shopper has stopped immediately after the recommendation information is output to the user terminal 20, there is a high probability that the shopper has checked the recommendation information displayed on the user terminal 20. In this case, by outputting recommendation information that adds the product price to the previously outputted recommendation information, the shopper can easily make a decision on whether to purchase the recommended product.

[0126] [Device Authentication Process] The following describes the terminal authentication process performed by the control unit 11 of the management server 10 in the sales promotion support system 100, with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the terminal authentication process.

[0127] Note that one or more steps included in the terminal authentication process described below may be omitted as appropriate. Also, the execution order of each step in the terminal authentication process may differ to the extent that similar effects are produced. Furthermore, although the following examples illustrate a process in which each step in the terminal authentication process is executed by the control unit 11, other embodiments can also be considered in which each step in the terminal authentication process is distributed and executed by multiple processors.

[0128] <Step S11> As shown in Figure 7, first, in step S11, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received the terminal identification information (terminal ID number) from the user terminal 20. Upon receiving the terminal identification information, the control unit 11 determines that the use of the shopping application has started on the user terminal 20, that is, that a shopper has started shopping using the user terminal 20.

[0129] <Step S12> Upon receiving the terminal identification information, in the next step S12, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received a member ID indicating that the customer is a registered member. When a shopper logs in by entering a member ID after launching the shopping application, the entered member ID is also sent to the management server 10. Upon receiving this member ID, the control unit 11 determines that the shopper is a registered member. If the member ID is received, the process proceeds to step S13; if the member ID is not received, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0130] <Step S13> In step S13, the control unit 11 reads the purchase history of the registered member associated with the received member ID and transmits it to the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 stores the purchase history in the storage unit 13 and makes the purchase history viewable in response to operation input on the shopping application.

[0131] <Step S14> In step S14, the control unit 11 generates shopping data 132A (see Figure 6) corresponding to the received terminal identification information and stores it in the storage unit 13.

[0132] <Step S15> In the next step S15, the control unit 11 sends a shopping preparation completion notification to the user terminal 20. Specifically, it sends a message to the user terminal 20 indicating that shopping preparation is complete.

[0133] [Recommended Information Output Processing] The recommended information output process performed in the sales promotion support system 100 will be described below with reference to Figures 8 to 13.

[0134] Note that one or more steps included in the recommendation information output process described below may be omitted as appropriate. Also, the execution order of each step in the recommendation information output process may differ to the extent that similar effects are produced. Furthermore, although the following examples illustrate a process in which each step in the recommendation information output process is executed by the control unit 11 or the control unit 21, other embodiments can also be considered in which each step in the recommendation information output process is distributed and executed by multiple processors.

[0135] [Recommended Information Output Processing (Example 1)] First, with reference to Figure 8, a first example of the recommended information output process will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the first example of the recommended information output process.

[0136] <Step S21> In step S21, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received the audio data. The audio data is audio data collected by the user terminal 20 at the store 200 while the shopper is shopping, and this audio data may include the product appeal made by the sales staff. Step S21 is an example of the acquisition steps of the present invention.

[0137] <Step S22> When the audio data is received in step S21, in the next step S22, the control unit 11 determines whether the audio data contains the product appeal. If it contains the product appeal, it performs an audio analysis of the product appeal to extract keywords contained in the product appeal, and further identifies the recommended product (promotional product) that corresponds to the product appeal. The processing in step S22 is performed by the data analysis processing unit 113 (see Figure 6).

[0138] <Step S23> In the next step S23, the control unit 11 determines whether the purchase target information is registered in the shopping data 132A (see Figure 6) associated with the received terminal identification information. In other words, the user terminal 20 reads the product information code and determines whether the purchase target product is registered in the shopping data 132A. If the purchase target information is not registered, the series of processes ends. On the other hand, if the purchase target information is registered, the process moves to step S24.

[0139] <Step S24> In step S24, the control unit 11 determines whether the number of items of the purchase target registered in the shopping data 132A is equal to or greater than a predetermined set number. If the number of items is less than the set number, the series of processes ends. On the other hand, if the number of items is equal to or greater than the set number, the process proceeds to step S25.

[0140] <Step S25> In step S25, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the recommended product and related products (related products) are registered in the shopping data 132A. If related products are registered, it can be determined that the shopper has a high level of interest in the recommended product. In other words, step S25 is a process to determine whether or not the shopper has a high level of interest in the recommended product. The process in step S25 is performed by the interest determination unit 116 (see Figure 6). If no related products are registered, the series of processes ends. On the other hand, if related products are registered, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0141] <Step S26> In step S26, the control unit 11 performs a process to determine the recommendation information corresponding to the recommended product. The process in step S26 is performed by the recommendation information determination unit 114 (see Figure 6).

[0142] <Step S27> In the next step, S27, the control unit transmits the recommendation information determined in step S26 to the user terminal 20. The processing in step S27 is performed by the recommendation information output processing unit 115 (see Figure 6). Step S27 is an example of the recommendation information output step of the present invention.

[0143] <Step S28> In the next step S28, when the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 receives the recommendation information, it displays the recommendation information on the operation display unit 22 in order to inform the shopper using the user terminal 20 of the recommendation information. The processing in step S28 is performed by the display processing unit 212 (see Figure 5).

[0144] In the above explanation, an example of a process in which the recommended information is determined in step S26 when a positive judgment result is obtained in each of the judgment processes in steps S23 to S25 was described. However, for example, only the judgment process in step S25 may be omitted from steps S23 to S25, or the judgment processes in steps S24 and S25 may be omitted, or all of the judgment processes in steps S23 to S25 may be omitted.

[0145] As described above, in the sales promotion support system 100 according to this embodiment, the recommendation information output processing described above is performed, so the recommendation information is displayed on the operation display unit 22 of the user terminal 20 that collected and transmitted the voice data. As a result, the recommendation information for sales promotion is directly transmitted to shoppers moving around the store 200 for the purpose of shopping. In other words, the recommendation information is reliably transmitted to shoppers through the user terminal 20. As a result, the promotional effect of the recommended products can be enhanced, and it can contribute to increasing sales of the recommended products in the store 200.

[0146] [Recommended Information Output Processing (Example 2)] Next, with reference to Figure 9, a second example of the recommended information output process will be described. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the second example of the recommended information output process. The difference between the second example and the first example is that steps S31 to S35 are added after step S26. In the following description, processes equivalent to those included in the first example of the recommended information output process described above will be indicated with the same step numbers in Figure 9, and their detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0147] <Step S31> As shown in Figure 9, once the recommendation information is determined in step S26, in the next step S31, the control unit 11 acquires location information for the display location of the recommended product. The control unit 11 can acquire the display location by referring to the product information corresponding to the recommended product in the product information storage unit 131 (see Figure 6).

[0148] <Step S32> In the next step S32, the control unit 11 acquires location information of the shopper's current location.

[0149] <Step S33> In step S33, the control unit 11 calculates the distance between the shopper's current location and the display location of the recommended product.

[0150] <Step S34> In step S34, the control unit 11 determines whether the calculated separation distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. If the separation distance is greater than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to step S27. If the separation distance is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S35.

[0151] <Step S27> If the distance between the two devices is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, in step S27, the control unit 11 transmits the first recommendation information, which includes only the recommendation information determined in step S26, to the user terminal 20. If the distance between the two devices is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is assumed that the shopper is located relatively far from the display location of the recommended product. In this case, it is preferable that the transmitted recommendation information does not include the price of the recommended product, but rather information that describes the characteristics of the recommended product.

[0152] <Step S35> If the distance between the two parties is less than a predetermined threshold, in step S35, the control unit 11 adds the price of the recommended product to the recommendation information determined in step S26. In this case, in step S27, the control unit 11 transmits the second recommendation information, which includes the recommendation information determined in step S26 and the price of the recommended product, to the user terminal 20. If the distance between the two parties is less than the threshold, it is assumed that the shopper is relatively close to the display location of the recommended product. In this case, it is preferable that the transmitted recommendation information includes not only information indicating the characteristics of the recommended product but also the price of the recommended product. This makes it easier for the shopper to decide whether to purchase the recommended product.

[0153] [Recommended Information Output Processing (Example 3)] Next, with reference to Figure 10, a third example of the recommended information output process will be described. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the third example of the recommended information output process. In the following description, processes equivalent to those included in the first and second examples of the recommended information output process described above will be indicated with the same step numbers in Figure 10, and their detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0154] <Step S41> When the audio data is received in step S21, in the next step S41, the control unit 11 determines whether the received audio data contains multiple product appeals. If there are multiple product appeals, the process proceeds to step S42. On the other hand, if the audio data contains only one product appeal, the process proceeds to step S22, and the processing from step S22 onward is carried out.

[0155] <Step S42> In step S42, the control unit 11 determines the recommended product that corresponds to all product appeals.

[0156] <Step S43> In step S43, the control unit 11 acquires the location information of the display positions of all the recommended products. The control unit 11 can acquire the display position of each recommended product by referring to the product information corresponding to each recommended product in the product information storage unit 131 (see Figure 6).

[0157] <Step S32> In the next step, S32, the control unit 11 acquires location information of the shopper's current location.

[0158] <Step S44> In step S44, the control unit 11 calculates the distance between the shopper's current location and the display location of the recommended product for all of the recommended products.

[0159] <Step S45> In step S45, the control unit 11 compares the multiple distances calculated in step S44 to identify the recommended product displayed closest to the shopper's current location. Subsequently, the processes from step S26 onward are executed sequentially.

[0160] Thus, if the audio data contains multiple product appeals, the recommendation information for the product that is closest to the shopper is sent to the user terminal 20. As a result, the shopper can see the recommendation information displayed nearby and hear the product appeal directly, which increases their desire to purchase the recommended product. This enhances the promotional effect of the recommended product.

[0161] [Recommended Information Output Processing (Example 4)] Next, with reference to Figure 11, a fourth example of the recommended information output process will be described. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the fourth example of the recommended information output process. In the following description, processes equivalent to those included in the first to third examples of the recommended information output process described above will be indicated with the same step numbers in Figure 11, and their detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0162] When the audio data is received in step S21, and the recommended product is determined in step S22, in the next step S31, the control unit 11 acquires location information of the display location of the recommended product.

[0163] <Step S51> In the next step S51, the control unit 11 performs a process to determine the direction of movement of shoppers shopping in the store 200. The process in step S51 is performed by the movement direction determination unit 117 (see Figure 6).

[0164] <Step S52> In the next step S52, the control unit 11 determines whether the recommended product is displayed and sold at the sales area 60 located at the end of the direction of movement determined in step S51. In step S52, if the recommended product is displayed at the end of the direction of movement, the processing from step S26 onwards is carried out. On the other hand, if the recommended product is not displayed at the end of the direction of movement, the recommendation information is not transmitted and the series of processes ends.

[0165] In this way, the recommendation information for the recommended products displayed in the area where the shopper is moving is displayed on the user terminal 20, thereby further enhancing the promotional effect for the recommended products.

[0166] [Recommended Information Output Processing (Example 5)] Next, with reference to Figure 12, a fifth example of the recommended information output process will be described. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the fifth example of the recommended information output process. In the following description, processes equivalent to those included in the first to fourth examples of the recommended information output process described above will be shown with the same step numbers in Figure 12, and their detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0167] <Step S61> As shown in Figure 12, once the recommendation information is determined in step S26, in the next step S61, the control unit 11 calculates the shopper's movement speed. This movement speed is used to determine whether the shopper is standing still or walking at a very slow speed.

[0168] <Step S62> Once the speed of movement of the shopper is calculated, in the next step S62, the control unit 11 determines whether the speed of movement is less than a predetermined threshold. If the speed of movement is less than the threshold, the shopper is either stopped or walking at an extremely slow speed. In this case, it is considered that the shopper has stopped for some reason. In other words, step S62 is a process of determining whether the shopper has stopped while shopping. In step S62, the determination process of step S62 is repeated until the speed of movement is less than the threshold. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S62 that the speed of movement is less than the threshold, the process then moves to step S27, and the processes from step S27 onward are performed.

[0169] When a shopper is stopped, it means they are either operating the user terminal 20 or examining the displayed products. Therefore, when it is determined that a shopper has stopped shopping, the recommendation information is sent to the user terminal 20 and displayed on the user terminal 20, increasing the likelihood that the shopper will check the recommendation information.

[0170] [Recommended Information Output Processing (Example 6)] Next, with reference to Figure 13, a sixth example of the recommended information output process will be described. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the sixth example of the recommended information output process. In the following description, processes equivalent to those included in the first to fifth examples of the recommended information output process described above will be indicated with the same step numbers in Figure 13, and their detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0171] As shown in Figure 13, in step S26 the recommended information is determined, in step S27 the recommended information is sent to the user terminal 20, and in step S28 the recommended information is displayed on the user terminal 20, after which the process proceeds to step S61.

[0172] <Step S61> In the next step S61, the control unit 11 calculates the speed of movement of the shopper. This speed is used to determine whether the shopper is standing still or walking at a very slow speed.

[0173] <Step S621> Once the shopper's movement speed is calculated, in the next step S621, the control unit 11 determines whether the movement speed has decreased to below a predetermined threshold. In other words, the control unit 11 determines whether a shopper who was moving at a speed above the threshold during shopping has stopped. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether a shopper who was moving to shop has stopped within a predetermined time after the recommendation information is output to the user terminal 20. The predetermined time is, for example, the time required for the shopper to check the recommendation information displayed on the user terminal 20, and is set within a range of, for example, 1 to 10 seconds. Whether a shopper was moving at a speed above the threshold can be determined by whether the movement speed calculated in step S61 is above the threshold, or whether the movement speed is above another threshold that is greater than the threshold. The other threshold is, for example, a value that can be evaluated as indicating that a shopper is moving to shop in the store 200.

[0174] <Step S63> If it is determined that the movement speed falls below a predetermined threshold within the predetermined time, that is, if it is determined that the shopper has stopped within the predetermined time, in the next step S63, the control unit 11 determines different recommendation information that differs in content from the recommendation information that has already been output. For example, the control unit 11 determines recommendation information that includes the product price of the recommended product in addition to the recommendation information that has already been output. After that, the process returns to step S27, and the processing from step S27 onward is carried out.

[0175] <Step S64> If the movement speed does not fall below a predetermined threshold within the predetermined time, the control unit 11 terminates the series of processes without outputting any further recommendation information.

[0176] If a shopper moving through the store 200 stops within the predetermined time after the recommendation information is output to the user terminal 20, it can be assumed that the shopper noticed the recommendation information and stopped to check it. In this case, the shopper is likely to be interested in the recommendation information. Therefore, if other recommendation information, including product prices, is displayed at the moment the shopper stops under these conditions, the recommended products can be appealed to the shopper more strongly.

[0177] In the embodiments described above, a sales promotion support system 100 including a management server 10 and a user terminal 20 (an example of a terminal device of the present invention) was illustrated. However, the sales promotion support system of the present invention may be implemented by the management server 10 alone, or by the user terminal 20 alone. In this case, the management server 10 or the user terminal 20 corresponds to the sales promotion support system of the present invention, and also corresponds to the sales promotion support device of the present invention.

[0178] [Notes on the invention] The following is an overview of the invention extracted from the above-described embodiments. Note that each configuration and processing function described below can be selected and combined as desired.

[0179] <Note 1> An acquisition processing unit that acquires communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output processing unit outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired by the acquisition processing unit to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A sales promotion support system equipped with the following features.

[0180] <Note 2> A registration processing unit that registers product information of the product to be purchased, which is entered by the user through operation of the terminal device, The system further comprises a first determination processing unit that determines whether the user is interested in the specified product based on the product information of the product to be purchased registered by the registration processing unit, The sales promotion support system as described in Appendix 1, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs the recommendation information to the terminal device when the first determination processing unit determines that the user is interested in the predetermined product.

[0181] <Note 3> The system further includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires user location information indicating the location of the user in the store, The sales promotion support system according to Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs the recommendation information to the terminal device, with content corresponding to the distance between the user's current location and the display location of the predetermined product.

[0182] <Note 4> The sales promotion support system as described in Appendix 3, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs first recommendation information, which includes only the recommendation information, to the terminal device when the distance between the terminals is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and outputs second recommendation information, which includes the recommendation information and the price of the predetermined product, to the terminal device when the distance between the terminals is less than the threshold.

[0183] <Note 5> A location information acquisition unit that acquires user location information indicating the location of the user in the store, The system further comprises a second determination processing unit that determines the direction of movement of the user based on a plurality of user location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, The sales promotion support system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, wherein the recommended information output processing unit outputs the recommended information of the predetermined product to be displayed at the end of the direction of movement determined by the second determination processing unit to the terminal device.

[0184] <Note 6> The system further includes a third determination processing unit that determines whether or not the user stopped inside the store. The sales promotion support system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs the recommendation information to the terminal device when the third determination processing unit determines that the user has stopped.

[0185] <Note 7> The third determination processing unit determines whether the user stopped within a predetermined time after the recommendation information was output, The sales promotion support system described in Appendix 6, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs other recommendation information that differs in content from the previously outputted recommendation information when the third determination processing unit determines that the user has stopped.

[0186] <Note 8> The sales promotion support system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 7, comprising a terminal device and a notification processing unit that outputs the recommended information to the user.

[0187] <Note 9> The system further comprises a recommendation information determination processing unit that determines the recommendation information based on the transmission information acquired by the acquisition processing unit, The sales promotion support system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 8, wherein the recommended information output processing unit outputs the recommended information determined by the recommended information determination processing unit to the terminal device.

[0188] <Note 10> An acquisition processing unit that acquires communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output processing unit outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired by the acquisition processing unit to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A sales promotion support device equipped with the following features.

[0189] <Note 11> A step to acquire communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output step which outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired in the acquisition step to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A sales promotion support method performed by one or more processors.

[0190] <Note 12> A step to acquire communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output step which outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired in the acquisition step to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A program for causing one or more processors to execute, or a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is stored non-temporarily. [Explanation of symbols]

[0191] 6: Payment Server 10: Management Server 11: Control Unit 12: Operation display section 13: Storage section 15: Communications Department 20: User terminal 21: Control Unit 22: Operation display section 22A: Shopping List 23: Storage section 24: Camera 25: Location information receiving unit 26: Sound collection section 28: Communications Department 30: Camera 31: Mike 40: Accounting terminal 50: Speakers 60: Sales floor 61: Bread section 62: Frozen food section 63: Meat section 64: Fresh fish section 65: Delicatessen section 66: Fresh food section 80:Display device 100: Sales promotion support system 110: Terminal Authentication Department 111: Acquisition Processing Unit 112: Registration Processing Unit 113: Data Analysis Processing Unit 114: Recommended Information Decision Department 115: Recommended Information Output Processing Unit 116: Interest level determination unit 117: Movement direction determination unit 118: Movement state determination unit 131: Product Information Storage Unit 132: Storage section for items to be purchased 132A: Shopping Data 133: Text data storage unit 200: Stores 201: Floor 205: Store fixtures 211: Reading Processing Unit 212: Display Processing Unit 213: Transmission Processing Unit 214: Location information acquisition unit

Claims

1. An acquisition processing unit that acquires communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output processing unit outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired by the acquisition processing unit to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A sales promotion support system equipped with the following features.

2. A registration processing unit that registers product information of the product to be purchased, which is entered by the user through operation of the terminal device, The system further comprises a first determination processing unit that determines whether the user is interested in the specified product based on the product information of the product to be purchased registered by the registration processing unit, The sales promotion support system according to claim 1, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs the recommendation information to the terminal device when the first determination processing unit determines that the user is interested in the predetermined product.

3. The system further includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires user location information indicating the location of the user in the store, The sales promotion support system according to claim 1, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs the recommendation information to the terminal device, the content of which corresponds to the distance from the user's current location to the display location of the predetermined product.

4. The sales promotion support system according to claim 3, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs first recommendation information, which includes only the recommendation information, to the terminal device when the distance between the terminals is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and outputs second recommendation information, which includes the recommendation information and the price of the predetermined product, to the terminal device when the distance between the terminals is less than the threshold.

5. A location information acquisition unit that acquires user location information indicating the location of the user in the store, The system further comprises a second determination processing unit that determines the direction of movement of the user based on a plurality of user location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, The sales promotion support system according to claim 1, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs the recommendation information of the predetermined product to be displayed at the end of the direction of movement determined by the second determination processing unit to the terminal device.

6. The system further comprises a third determination processing unit that determines whether or not the user stopped inside the store. The sales promotion support system according to claim 1, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs the recommendation information to the terminal device when the third determination processing unit determines that the user has stopped.

7. The third determination processing unit determines whether the user stopped within a predetermined time after the recommendation information was output, The sales promotion support system according to claim 6, wherein the recommendation information output processing unit outputs other recommendation information that is different in content from the recommendation information already output when the third determination processing unit determines that the user has stopped.

8. The sales promotion support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a terminal device that outputs the recommended information to the user and provides notification to the user.

9. The system further comprises a recommendation information determination processing unit that determines the recommendation information based on the transmission information acquired by the acquisition processing unit, The sales promotion support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the recommended information output processing unit outputs the recommended information determined by the recommended information determination processing unit to the terminal device.

10. An acquisition processing unit that acquires communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output processing unit outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired by the acquisition processing unit to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A sales promotion support device equipped with the following features.

11. A step to acquire communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output step which outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired in the acquisition step to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A sales promotion support method performed by one or more processors.

12. A step to acquire communication information regarding the sales promotion of a specified product in a store where multiple products are displayed, A recommendation information output step which outputs recommendation information for a predetermined product corresponding to the transmission information acquired in the acquisition step to a terminal device that moves with the user shopping at the store, A program that causes one or more processors to run.

Images