Price registration system, price registration processing method, price registration program, and recording medium

Abstract

To provide tickets that support variable pricing to create diverse products that satisfy the following criteria: planning, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age group, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limits, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and consignment. [Solution] A system for selling tickets, comprising means for defining at least one of the following as price fluctuation factors related to the facility where the tickets will be used: planning, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age category, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limit, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and contractor; means for inputting a basic price list; means for inputting price fluctuation factors; an automatic price setting function; and means for outputting a ticket price list.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a price registration system, a price registration processing method, a price registration program, and a recording medium, and particularly to a price registration system, a price registration processing method, a price registration program, and a recording medium in ticket sales at aquariums, amusement parks, theme parks, observatories, ski resorts, museums, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a mechanism for master registration regarding tickets used in facilities such as aquariums, amusement parks, theme parks, museums, pools, observatories, ropeways, planetariums, ski resorts, VR facilities, sightseeing boats, hot springs, amusement parks, gardens, temples, zoos, botanical gardens, circuits, health promotion facilities, castles, museums, etc.

[0003] In order to increase the annual number of visitors, ticket sales for facility entry, viewing, etc. are entrusted to sales agents such as travel agencies or contractors. For example, a travel agency has a system where it purchases an admission ticket priced at 2500 yen for 2000 yen and creates and sells a product that includes transportation, hotels, etc. in the admission ticket. However, the existing admission reservation has further expanded due to the purpose of avoiding the three Cs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Until then, it was possible to directly purchase and enter at the ticket window of the facility, but the facility side has come to have customers purchase tickets in advance via the web to control the number of people staying in the facility.

[0004] From the conventional mechanism of providing tickets in one price range by designating a specific date, etc., there has been a desire to change the ticket price according to the customer's experience value for each season, day of the week, time zone, etc. However, when dealing with the diversification of ticket types due to various conditions (season, day of the week, date, time zone, sales route, etc.), the master registration work becomes complicated, a large amount of man-hours is required for the registration work, and registration errors have increased accordingly. The loss damage due to registration errors is also significant.

[0005] The workload for master data registration increases not only with the diversification of ticket types (including set tickets), but also when there are many sales agents, including setting fees. Furthermore, pricing is not limited to season, time of day, and sales channel; for example, planetariums have price fluctuation elements that correspond to each program, such as the "Summer Triangle" or the "phases of the moon." Alternatively, there are price fluctuation elements that correspond to each grade of seat, such as reclining seats, wheelchair accessible seats, seats with a good overall view, or seats with a slightly obstructed view. Concerts also have price fluctuation elements that correspond to each grade of seat, such as front row seats, seats with good acoustics, seats with a slightly obstructed view, or seats with pillars.

[0006] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, an information processing device has been proposed that includes a model which has been trained to output a score corresponding to the ticket price of a past performance when information related to a target performance held prior to the target performance is input, and a determination unit which sets the price calculated based on the score output by the model when the information related to the target performance acquired by the acquisition unit is input as the ticket price of the target performance that the information related to the target performance acquired by the acquisition unit covers. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7520490 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, the master data registration process has become complex and burdensome, as it requires handling product development that satisfies various factors such as project content, programs, activities, seating arrangements, fluctuations in customer demand, performance dates and times, sales agent commissions, and package prices. As a result, some companies give up on creating detailed product designs due to the complexity, while others experience an increase in the frequency of input errors due to the complexity of the registration process, or these errors are discovered later, leading to compensation issues.

[0009] This invention was devised in view of the various circumstances that existed in the past as described above, and aims to provide a price registration system, a price registration processing method, a price registration program, and a recording medium that automatically generate a desired price list for ticket sales at aquariums, amusement parks, theme parks, observation facilities, ski resorts, museums, etc., in order to accommodate tickets that satisfy the demands of creating a variety of products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above-mentioned problems, a price registration system according to a first aspect of the present invention is a system for selling tickets, characterized by comprising: means for defining at least one of the following as price fluctuation elements related to the facility on which the ticket will be used: a plan, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age category, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limit, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and contractor; means for inputting a basic price list; means for inputting the price fluctuation elements; an automatic price setting function; and means for outputting the ticket price list.

[0011] The automatic price setting function described above generates a price list for tickets that support variable pricing.

[0012] A price registration processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a processing method for ticket sales, characterized by comprising: a process of defining at least one of the following as price fluctuation elements: a plan, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age category, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limit, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and contractor; a process of inputting a basic price list; a process of inputting the price fluctuation elements; a process using an automatic price setting function; and a process of outputting the ticket price list.

[0013] A price registration program according to a third aspect of the present invention is a program for selling tickets, characterized in that it causes a computer to function as a means for defining at least one of the following as price fluctuation elements: a plan, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age group, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limit, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and contractor; a means for inputting a basic price list; a means for inputting the price fluctuation elements; and a means for outputting a price list for the tickets using an automatic price setting function.

[0014] A recording medium according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized by storing a program according to a third aspect. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to each aspect of the present invention, by changing ticket prices, it is possible to equalize congestion levels across different time slots and days of the week. Alternatively, it is possible to construct a system that maximizes facility revenue. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates a ticket distribution platform in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the relationship between a master terminal, a master server, a sub-terminal, and a management system in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the management system, hub server, and sub-terminals in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating a tariff in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the prices of various tickets that are automatically generated by the automatic price setting function in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The price registration system will be explained below with reference to the diagrams.

[0018] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a ticket distribution platform in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, official page link sales and sellers acting as sales agents such as employee benefit companies, convenience stores, domestic online travel agencies (OTAs), overseas online travel agencies (OTAs), and travel agencies sell tickets for use of facilities such as aquariums, amusement parks, theme parks, museums, swimming pools, observation facilities, ropeways, planetariums, ski resorts, VR facilities, sightseeing boats, hot springs, gardens, temples, zoos, botanical gardens, racetracks, health promotion facilities, castles, and museums through an omnichannel approach.

[0019] A link sale from the official page of the ticket seller, the seller, the ticket facility on the side where the ticket is used, a facility user who uses the ticket, for example, a smartphone, and a management system are communicatively connected to the ticket HUB. The ticket user connects to the site of the facility or the sales agency from a guest terminal 60 such as a smartphone through a browser or a dedicated application to make a reservation for a ticket, make a payment, and enter the facility.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the relationship among a master terminal, a master server, and a sub-terminal in a price registration system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The master terminal 10 is provided in the seller and / or the management system 50. As shown in FIG. 2, access is made to the database DB1 of the communicatively connected master server 20 from the master terminal 10 of the seller and / or the management system 50, a price list is automatically set by the price automatic setting function, and price registration of various tickets that satisfy various requirements is performed.

[0021] The master terminal 10 and the sub-terminal 30 are preferably configured as a personal computer or a server having a built-in CPU as hardware, and may include an input unit, an output unit, a display unit, and the like. Depending on the device configuration, a PC or the like having the functions of the master server 20 and the master terminal 10 may be used. The master server 20 is installed in the server room on the facility side or the data center, but is not limited thereto, and for example, a cloud service such as AWS (registered trademark: Amazon Technologies Incorporated) may be used.

[0022] The sub-terminal 30 accesses the database DB1 of the communicatively connected master server 20, processes ticket issuance and ticket arrival, and the results of the processes are stored in the database DB1 and / or the database DB2. Access is made to the database DB2 of the sub-terminal 30 communicatively connected from the master terminal 10, and the results of ticket issuance and ticket arrival are confirmed. Ticket issuance is defined as indicating that the transfer of ticket information has been performed, and ticket arrival is defined as indicating information that the user has entered the facility (passed through the entrance gate). The price of the ticket cannot be registered from the sub-terminal 30.

[0023] Traditionally, tickets were pieces of paper, and each one did not have a unique number assigned to it. Even with the advent of computers, many tickets still lacked numbers. Such tickets are sometimes described as being managed in bulk. On the other hand, in recent years, tickets have often been digitized, and there is an increasing trend to assign a unique number, such as a serial number or ticket ID, to each individual ticket. This is sometimes described as being managed individually. As mentioned above, tickets that are issued and / or received may be managed either in bulk or individually.

[0024] Figure 3 illustrates the relationship between the management system and the hub server in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the ticket hub consists of a hub server 40 equipped with a database DB3. Sellers and / or the management system 50 access the database DB3 from the master terminal 10, and the price list is automatically generated by the automatic price setting function, and prices for various tickets are registered. The hub server 40 is managed by the management system 50 and is, for example, a server on the cloud such as AWS.

[0025] Alternatively, instead of using the master terminal 10, the facility may access the ticket hub webpage provided by the management system 50 via a web browser, where the price list is automatically generated by the automatic price setting function, and the prices of various tickets are registered.

[0026] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a tariff in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the tariff is a basic price list that combines ticket type and age category for facility plans 1 and 2. The tariff consists of 7 types of ticket types from A to G, 3 age categories (adult, junior / senior high school student, child), 2 plans, and 12 prices for no set plan. For example, for plan 1, ticket type A, and one adult, the tariff is set at 11,000 yen. However, the tariff is not limited to the above, and consists of at least one of the following: plan, ticket type, and age, or it is set for each facility. Furthermore, the tariff is not limited to including plan, ticket type, and age; it may also be price fluctuation element information.

[0027] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the prices of various tickets automatically generated by the automatic price setting function in a price registration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As one example, in a facility where the tariff is set to 11,000 yen for a single adult ticket, as shown in Figure 4 for ticket type A, then the price fluctuation element information is set as follows: "There are 8 price ranges for the planned admission date, from price range A to price range H; there are 16 types of admission time slots, from 10:00 to 17:30 with admission every 30 minutes; there are 8 types of set ticket information combining admission to other facilities, from S to Z, plus 9 types of non-set tickets; as constraints, condition 1) of the condition setting, ticket type A can be combined with facility Z in a set ticket only from price range C to H; and rule 1) of the price generation rule, the price increases in the order from A to H." Then, as shown in Figure 5, 8 × 16 × 9 = 1,152 types of prices are automatically generated by the automatic price setting function and displayed as a price list. The price range may also be expressed as a price range.

[0028] In the example in Figure 5, the price of one square in the tariff (11,000 yen) is automatically generated by the automatic price setting function using price fluctuation information, which includes three price fluctuation factors: the price range for the planned entry date, the available entry time slot, and the type of ticket in the set ticket. These result in 1152 different prices, which are then displayed as a price list. As shown in Figure 4, the tariff includes other squares besides the Plan 1, Ticket Type A, and Adult Single (Plan 1, Plan 2, Adult, Junior / Senior High School Student, Child, Ticket Type A to Ticket Type G). Therefore, the price list automatically generated by the automatic price setting function results in 1152 × 6 × 7 = 48,384 different prices. The price list automatically generated by the automatic price setting function is output to the master terminal 10. This automates the creation of 48,384 different price lists, which previously required manual work.

[0029] The price fluctuation factors include, but are not limited to, the information described above, as will be discussed below. • Special events (such as special exhibitions held in addition to permanent exhibitions at museums, etc.) • Program (such as the program for projection shows in planetariums, etc.) • Activities (such as VR attraction facilities where an additional fee is charged for each individual machine or amusement park ride, in addition to the admission fee) • Seating (types of seats such as S seats and A seats, seat location, etc.) • Demand forecast (e.g., popularity level, scarcity of available stock, level of promotion) • Usage date / time (If holiday / weekday information is included in the tariff, please also consider other factors such as the Spring Festival when it is trending on Chinese social media, the popular evening hours for sunsets, and times when fireworks can be viewed.) • Sales agent / seller (e.g., commissions from travel agencies) • Combined ticket (allows entry to both Facility A and Facility B, etc.) • Package deals (e.g., parent-child set, admission ticket plus equipment rental fee) Ticket type • Distinction between group and individual • Age group • Price range • Entry time • Limitations on the number of tickets and people • Area selection Block specification • Purchase timing (e.g., "Early Bird," "Special Early Bird," "Super Early Bird," remaining days until the planned date of use (admission), remaining stock, and demand situation). ·Consignee This includes price fluctuation factor information such as the above.

[0030] For example, the automatic price setting function could be adapted to include features such as weighting calendars based on the Halloween period or the first day of skiing at a resort, varying discount rates based on the timing of ticket purchase (e.g., early bird, extra early bird, super early bird), adjusting prices based on the number of remaining seats, and adjusting prices based on demand and access at the time of booking.

[0031] As an automatic price setting function, publicly known AI may be used instead of, or in addition to, an algorithmic method.

[0032] The steps are described below. Step 1 (S1) involves launching the automatic price setting function (application) from the master terminal 10 and / or entering the tariff shown in Figure 4 from the Ticket HUB web page and saving it to DB1 in Figure 2 or DB3 in Figure 3. However, the input of the tariff is not limited to launching the automatic price setting function (application); the tariff may also be entered from the master terminal 10 and / or the Ticket HUB web page.

[0033] Step 2 (S2) involves launching the automatic price setting function (application) from the master terminal 10 and / or inputting price fluctuation element information such as price range, entry time slots, set ticket information, constraints, and price generation rules necessary for price generation from the Ticket HUB web page, and saving them to DB1 or DB3. However, inputting price fluctuation element information is not limited to launching the automatic price setting function (application); the price fluctuation element information may also be input from the master terminal 10 and / or the Ticket HUB web page.

[0034] Step 3 (S3) is when the automatic price setting function (application) is launched from the master terminal 10 and / or the price setting function automatically generates a price list, as shown in Figure 5, from the tariff and price fluctuation element information stored in DB1 or DB3, via the Ticket HUB web page. [Industrial applicability]

[0035] A price registration system capable of automatically generating detailed price lists according to each aspect of the present invention has great potential for use in various industries related to ticket sales. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1. Price registration system 10 Master terminal 20 Master Server 30 Sub-terminals 40 Hub Servers 50 Management Systems 60 guest terminals DB1, DB2, DB3 Databases

Claims

1. It is a system for selling tickets. Means for defining the following as price fluctuation factors: the planning, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age group, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limits, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and at least one of the contractors, A means to input a basic price list, A means for inputting the aforementioned price fluctuation factors, Automatic price setting function, A means for outputting the price list for the aforementioned tickets A price registration system characterized by having the following features.

2. A method for processing ticket sales, A process for defining price fluctuation factors such as the planning, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age group, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limits, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and at least one of the contractors, relating to the facility where the aforementioned tickets are used. The process involves entering the basic price list, A process for inputting the aforementioned price fluctuation factors, The process using the automatic price setting function, The process for outputting the price list for the aforementioned tickets A price registration processing method characterized by comprising the following:

3. It is a program for ticket sales, On the computer, Means for defining the following as price fluctuation factors: the planning, program, activity, seating, demand forecast, date and / or time, sales agent commission, set price, ticket type, group / individual distinction, age group, price range, entry time, number of tickets / person limits, area designation, block designation, purchase timing, and at least one of the contractors, A means to input a basic price list, A means for inputting the aforementioned price fluctuation factors, A means for outputting a price list for the aforementioned tickets using an automatic price setting function. A price registration program characterized by its function as follows.

4. A recording medium characterized by storing the program described in claim 3.

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